Disclaimer: I don't own Fushigi Yuugi, yadda yadda yadda...
Chapter 21: Fire and Ice
Jade watched as the last on the dirt was placed over Nuriko's grave. She turned away in disbelief. How could Nuriko be dead?! Less than 24 hours ago, she was in a bar with him, talking and laughing. He was one of the five that had become so close as the journey had progressed: Chiriko, Chichiri, Tasuki, Jade, and himself. Jade's eyes were dry, but she felt an emptiness eating away at her heart. Why did Suzaku do this to her? Suddenly, she felt herself being pulled close to a warm, protective body. She was about to struggle when a voice she knew so well quietly said "Nuriko gave his life so we could save Konan...don' be upset, he wouldn't have wanted that." She relaxed slightly. "I-I know, but it doesn't help the pain go away..." Tamahome and Miaka stood. "C'mon, let's get the Shinzaho." the Priestess said softly. Tasuki released Jade, and they all assembled in front of the door. "So, th' Shinzaho's in there, huh?" the bandit asked. Tamahome nodded. "Look, it's opening..." The door opened, and the six Suzaku warriors and their Priestess entered the Shrine of Genbu.
The door suddenly closed behind them. "Ahhhh!" Miaka screamed as she hit the floor with a thud. "What happened?!" a concerned Tamahome asked. The Priestess repiled "I don't know! I slipped on something!" Tasuki grinned. "Don't move, I'll get us some light in here!" He whipped out his tessan and lit it. Miaka screamed again. "B-bones! Those are bones!" Jade paled. Her fear of the dead was still present, and being in a cave filled with remains didn't help matters. The bandit said bluntly "Yep, that's what they are, all right." Out of nowhere, a hail of ice arrows flew at the group. Tamahome stood in front of Miaka protectively and took the hits, and Tasuki, using his speed, dove and pushed Jade out of harm's way. A voice boomed out from the other end of the cave. "You who seek the Shinzaho will find nothing but misfortune!" Two glowing figures appeared at the end of the cave. "W-who are they?!" the redhead yelped. The voice spoke again. "We will never surrender the Shinzaho!"
Miaka yelled "Who are you?! Show yourselves!" The two men stepped forward. One had steely blond hair, and wore an eyepatch. The other had dark hair and had a quiver of ice arrows and a bow. The blond spoke. "The girl shows some spirit...I am Hikitsu!"
"And I am Tomite! We are the protectors of the Priestess of Genbu's Shinzaho! We are of the Genbu Seven..." the dark haired one finished as he shot another hail of ice arrows. Jade gasped. "The Genbu Seven?!"
"Wait, that doesn't make any sense! They died over two hundred years ago, didn't they?!" Tasuki contradicted. Hikitsu closed his eyes. Lifting up his hand, he shot ice serpents at Jade and Miaka. They were hit, the ice clinging to their bodies. They cried out as the ice began to enter their system. A blast of fire melted them instantly, also flaming Tamahome. The two girls cried a combined thanks to the smirking bandit. "Fire always beats out ice, so leave this gang t' me!" Miaka shook her head. "No, don't! I want to talk to them!" Tamahome interrupted "No! We can't take that risk, Miaka!"
"What risk?"
"If we don't get beyond this obstacle, everything that we done up until now will be meaningless, and Nuriko will never forgive us!"
"Oh, come on! This is no time for your lovey-dovey chit chat!" Tasuki growled. Jade shook her head. "Tama's right. I promised Nuriko that we'd be together for the rest of our lives, and the sooner we get past this, that's how much sooner we can be together." she said, symbols flaring. Tomite laughed coldly. "What foolishness! You think you can defeat us?" Hikitsu chided him. "Don't waste your breath, Tomite. It's obvious they intend to make this cave their burial chamber!"
"Shut up! The Warriors of Suzaku are not so easily intimidated!" Jade snarled. Hikitsu seemed very surprised. "The Warriors of Suzaku? You're the Warriors of Suzaku?" Tasuki laughed. "Tamahome! You take the one on th' right, I'll take the one on the left!" He nodded and charged with him. Tomite chuckled mirthlessly and sent a glowing green ring at him. The bandit whipped out his tessan. "Rekka Shin'en!" A blast of fire flared towards Hikitsu, who sent ice serpents to counter-attack. "More ice serpents, huh?" the redhead said cooly. The flames hit the serpents, shattering both. Chiriko gasped. "The flames shattered!" Tasuki grinned. "Don't worry, leave it to me! I've still got a red hot trick or two up my sleeve!" Tamahome suddenly cried out. Everyone turned to see the green ring wrapped around his body, spinning wildly and getting smaller and smaller. Jade paled. "If it gets much smaller, it'll slice him in two!" The older seishi grunted and the ring shattered. Tasuki stood and held his tessan out. A ring of fire formed around him, which then formed around Hikitsu. Tamahome ran and went to tackle Tomite, but instead of hitting him, he went right through him. A gasp arose from the other warriors. The other Genbu seishi smirked and snapped his fingers, destroying the fire surrounding him. "That won't work. Your feeble attempts are useless. The bodies we discarded over two centuries ago have long since turned to dust. You will never defeat us!"
Everyone stood, stunned. "S-sprirts?" said Chichiri. Tasuki was enraged. "Spirits or not, real men wouldn't be afraid of a little hand-to-hand combat!" Tamahome rolled his eyes. "Duh! That's why they don't have bodies, so we can't fight them! Don't you get it?!" Hikitsu said coldly "Then it would be best to give up now. Witness our loyalty to the Priestess of Genbu!" He began to charge his ice attack when Jade stepped forward, symbols brightly glowing. "And witness my loyalty to my Priestess!" she snarled, drawing her sword. Tomite cocked an eyebrow. "Hikitsu, who does she remind you of?" The blond warrior stopped charging his attack and said quietly "Tei..." The Celeste Warrior stood bravely. "I am Kokyu, Celeste Warrior of Suzaku! I don't care if you're spirits or not, but if you threaten my Priestess or any of my fellow warriors, I'll slice you into ribbons!" Hikitsu grew quiet. "If you are willing to prove that you are the Celeste Warrior, then so be it. If you are who you say you are, then we will give you the Shinzaho of Genbu. Are willing to do this?" Jade nodded. "Lay it on me, I'll prove it! I'm not afraid!" Tasuki paled. "No, Jade! You don' know what the hell they'll do t' you!" She turned to look at him. "Tasuki, I have to do this. It's what Nuriko wanted. Besides, this is the only way Tamahome and Miaka can be together, and I must protect and serve my Priestess. I'll be fine, you worrywart. If you try to stop me, I'll tell everyone at Mt. Reikaku how stressed and worried you were over a girl!" The bandit fell silent. She turned back to the Genbu seishi. Tomite nodded. "Now then...take off all of your clothes." A surprised cry arose from the assembly. "You guys are pervs! That's how she has to prove who she is?!" Tamahome fumed. Tasuki, on the other hand, looked like he was ready to kill someone. "NO WAY ARE YOU SEE-THROUGH PERVERTS GONNA SEE HER NAKED!" he roared. "Silence! It's not up to you!" the Genbu seishi commanded. Jade made a face. "Fine, I'll do it!" She removed her cloak and began to undress. The other Suzaku warriors were too stunned to say anything. Finally, she was stripped down to bra, underwear, and her wolf madallion that Tasuki had given her. The said seishi was trying to keep everyone else from looking at his beloved, who was blushing slightly. Her figure was pretty nice, and he didn't want them to get any ideas. She growled quietly "This is all you're gonna see, and you're lucky to see this. Only one person has looked beyond this, and that's all!" The others turned to look at Tasuki. He looked away, blushing furiously. Chiriko seemed puzzled. "You mean your mother?" Jade looked at the bandit, who was now trying to stifle his laughter. "Yeah, we'll go with that..." she said, blushing. She then turned back to the two other seishi. "All right, now stand right there and don't move!" Tomite said. He raised his glowing hand and ice began to rush up her body. She flinched slightly as it travelled upwards, the intense cold filling her body. Tasuki watched, horrified. "Th-they can' do this! She's being frozen alive!" "I said, don't move! If she really is the Celeste Warrior, she can handle this. Otherwise, she might die..." Jade screamed out as it crept up her neck. The furious bandit charged forward, but suddenly hit an invisible wall and bounced off. Hitkitsu laughed coldly. "You fool! You didin't even notice we surrounded you with a wall of ice? Even fire can't melt that barricade. She must do this on her own, no matter what you feel for her!" The ice now completely covered her, and she was unable to breathe. The other seishi tried to call out to her, but she was on her own.
Jade tried to breathe, but found herself unable. 'And I thought drowning was bad! I have to get out of this somehow!' She thought quickly, for her oxygen supply was fastly depleating. 'I don't know what to do! I need help!" A sharp pain shot through her, and she knew she wouldn't last much longer. Suddenly, the wolf madallion began glowing a bright green. The glowing became almost blinding, and the ice cage around her shattered. She slumped over, gasping. Hikitsu was amazed. "How...Wait! Were did you obtain that necklace?!" She gasped out "A gift...from...one of our seishi..." The blond smiled. "I see. You truely are a Celeste Warrior. You have your Protector to thank for that..." She looked at him curiously. "My what?"
"Your Protector. Each of the four Celeste Warriors...Taishi of Byakko, Shoshi of Seiryu, Kokyu of Suzaku, and Tei of Genbu...has a Protector. One of the seishi of their god is chosen by the God itself to protect her, for all of the Celeste Warriors are female. This seishi becomes their constant companion, and sometimes, lover. Karasuki was the Protector of Taishi, and I was the Protector of Tei..." he finished quietly. Jade watched him before asking softly "What happened to her?" Hikitsu turned away. "She loved horseback riding, and when she went out one day...I had something I had to do, so I couldn't go with her... It was my biggest mistake in my life. Later, we found out that a thunderstorm had startled her horse, throwing her off. Then, the horse trampled her as it ran away. When they brought her body back..." he turned away. Tomite finished "You see, when Hikitsu first met Tei, all he wanted to do was protect her. That is a Protector's drive. It resulted in him falling in love with her. Luckily, it happened after Genbu was summoned, but he never fully recovered. I am unsure of the Protectors for Suzaku and Seiryu, but I'll tell how to figure it out. Think back...to when you met each of your seishi...did they save you from something when you first met? Has one of your seishi protected you numerous times? Then they are probably your Protector." Jade thought long and hard. Her Protector... The Genbu seishi pointed to the nearby wall. "That might help." She walked over slowly. On the wall were eight circles. The outermost four were a pheonix, dragon, tiger, and turtle-snake thing: The Four Gods. Then, there was a circle next to each of these. The one next to Genbu depicted a stag and horse touching muzzles. "That represents Tei and I... Her animal form was a stag, while I was always known as a horse, perhaps for my love of horse back riding." Hikitsu explained. Jade looked at the other three. A unicorn and a snake were in another, representing Taishi and Karasuki. The one next to Seiryu had a grizzly and a bird of some kind representing Shoshi and one of her seishi. In the final one, she saw herself in her tiger form as Kokyu and beside her was a familiar looking creature...she lifted up her madallion with shaking hands. "I-It's a perfect match...the animal is a wolf...so t-that means..." She walked over to the barrier, where Tasuki was pressed up against it. She placed her hands exactly where his were on the other side, and the wolf madallion glowed slightly brighter. Her eyes filled with tears. "Tasuki is my Protector..." she said quietly.Suddenly, the barrier melted away, and she fell into his arms. He held her close, burying his face in her hair. "If you EVER scare me like that again, I'll-mmmph!" Jade had brought his face down and kissed him. She gently pulled away. The bandit seemed slightly flustered, and he released her. "If yer gonna kiss me in public, at least be dressed!" She laughed and pulled on her clothes, keeping the wolf madallion on the outside, where it hung, glowing softly.
Hikitsu led them to a doorway at the end of the tunnel. "This is where the Shinzaho is kept. Only the Priestess may enter now..." Miaka stepped forward. "Okay! I'm ready!" The doors opened slowly to reveal a beautiful shrine. "Come Priestess, follow us alone..." Tomite said. Tasuki bristled. "So we aren't invited, huh?! Shouldn't Jade at least be allowed in? She was the one who had to strip in front of ya and then be frozen alive!" Chichiri shot him a look, and he shut up. Jade walked over to him and smiled up into his scowling face. "Just think...now we can be together...once she gets the Shinzaho..." The redhead looked down at her and gave her a fanged grin. "Yeah..." He gently pulled her face up and kissed her passionately. Miaka picked up the Shinzaho and started crying happily. "Now Tamahome and I can be together!" she cried. Tomite coughed politely. "I, uh, hate to burst your bubble, but that's not enough to summon Suzaku!" Jade froze, as well as Tasuki. They broke apart to stare at the Genbu seishi. Miaka was stunned. "You must obtain the Shinzaho in Sairou before this Shinzaho's power can be released." he continued. Everyone was silent. Chichiri looked sheepish. "Well, Tai-Itskun did say that you had to go to Hokkan FIRST, no da..." Tasuki interrupted "Then why didn't she make it clear in the first place?! Right, Tama?" Tamahome stood, frozen, his hopes and dreams of marrige and a family shattering. The bandit sweatdropped. "I think we lost him..." Miaka smiled. "So what? Let's go to Sairou and get the other Shinzaho! We already have one, so let's get the other!" Everyone cheered, and they all headed back to the enterance. "The fastest way into Sairou is to go south through Hokkan, and then cross the desert." Jade looked at them. "What will you do now?" she asked. Hikitsu smiled sadly. "Since our duty here is done, we shall return to heaven, and I can see Tei again..." The Celeste Warrior smiled. "Tell her she's my role model and that I hope I can be just as strong as her!" The blond nodded. "I will. Be careful, Kokyu. Tasuki, protect her as well as you can. Live up to your duty." The redhead nodded, and the group set off, calling goodbyes to the Genbu seishi. Tasuki suddenly said "I wonder if Suzaku can bring dead people back to life!" Jade looked up happily. Chichiri shook his head. "Since the body is already in the ground, it won't be long until it starts to rot, no da. So he would have no body to return to, I'm afraid." The Celeste Warrior's face fell. "Damn..." she said quietly. They walked outside, ready to continue to Sairou.
DONE! Yay! That only took me two days! I'm so excited!
Chapter 21: Fire and Ice
Jade watched as the last on the dirt was placed over Nuriko's grave. She turned away in disbelief. How could Nuriko be dead?! Less than 24 hours ago, she was in a bar with him, talking and laughing. He was one of the five that had become so close as the journey had progressed: Chiriko, Chichiri, Tasuki, Jade, and himself. Jade's eyes were dry, but she felt an emptiness eating away at her heart. Why did Suzaku do this to her? Suddenly, she felt herself being pulled close to a warm, protective body. She was about to struggle when a voice she knew so well quietly said "Nuriko gave his life so we could save Konan...don' be upset, he wouldn't have wanted that." She relaxed slightly. "I-I know, but it doesn't help the pain go away..." Tamahome and Miaka stood. "C'mon, let's get the Shinzaho." the Priestess said softly. Tasuki released Jade, and they all assembled in front of the door. "So, th' Shinzaho's in there, huh?" the bandit asked. Tamahome nodded. "Look, it's opening..." The door opened, and the six Suzaku warriors and their Priestess entered the Shrine of Genbu.
The door suddenly closed behind them. "Ahhhh!" Miaka screamed as she hit the floor with a thud. "What happened?!" a concerned Tamahome asked. The Priestess repiled "I don't know! I slipped on something!" Tasuki grinned. "Don't move, I'll get us some light in here!" He whipped out his tessan and lit it. Miaka screamed again. "B-bones! Those are bones!" Jade paled. Her fear of the dead was still present, and being in a cave filled with remains didn't help matters. The bandit said bluntly "Yep, that's what they are, all right." Out of nowhere, a hail of ice arrows flew at the group. Tamahome stood in front of Miaka protectively and took the hits, and Tasuki, using his speed, dove and pushed Jade out of harm's way. A voice boomed out from the other end of the cave. "You who seek the Shinzaho will find nothing but misfortune!" Two glowing figures appeared at the end of the cave. "W-who are they?!" the redhead yelped. The voice spoke again. "We will never surrender the Shinzaho!"
Miaka yelled "Who are you?! Show yourselves!" The two men stepped forward. One had steely blond hair, and wore an eyepatch. The other had dark hair and had a quiver of ice arrows and a bow. The blond spoke. "The girl shows some spirit...I am Hikitsu!"
"And I am Tomite! We are the protectors of the Priestess of Genbu's Shinzaho! We are of the Genbu Seven..." the dark haired one finished as he shot another hail of ice arrows. Jade gasped. "The Genbu Seven?!"
"Wait, that doesn't make any sense! They died over two hundred years ago, didn't they?!" Tasuki contradicted. Hikitsu closed his eyes. Lifting up his hand, he shot ice serpents at Jade and Miaka. They were hit, the ice clinging to their bodies. They cried out as the ice began to enter their system. A blast of fire melted them instantly, also flaming Tamahome. The two girls cried a combined thanks to the smirking bandit. "Fire always beats out ice, so leave this gang t' me!" Miaka shook her head. "No, don't! I want to talk to them!" Tamahome interrupted "No! We can't take that risk, Miaka!"
"What risk?"
"If we don't get beyond this obstacle, everything that we done up until now will be meaningless, and Nuriko will never forgive us!"
"Oh, come on! This is no time for your lovey-dovey chit chat!" Tasuki growled. Jade shook her head. "Tama's right. I promised Nuriko that we'd be together for the rest of our lives, and the sooner we get past this, that's how much sooner we can be together." she said, symbols flaring. Tomite laughed coldly. "What foolishness! You think you can defeat us?" Hikitsu chided him. "Don't waste your breath, Tomite. It's obvious they intend to make this cave their burial chamber!"
"Shut up! The Warriors of Suzaku are not so easily intimidated!" Jade snarled. Hikitsu seemed very surprised. "The Warriors of Suzaku? You're the Warriors of Suzaku?" Tasuki laughed. "Tamahome! You take the one on th' right, I'll take the one on the left!" He nodded and charged with him. Tomite chuckled mirthlessly and sent a glowing green ring at him. The bandit whipped out his tessan. "Rekka Shin'en!" A blast of fire flared towards Hikitsu, who sent ice serpents to counter-attack. "More ice serpents, huh?" the redhead said cooly. The flames hit the serpents, shattering both. Chiriko gasped. "The flames shattered!" Tasuki grinned. "Don't worry, leave it to me! I've still got a red hot trick or two up my sleeve!" Tamahome suddenly cried out. Everyone turned to see the green ring wrapped around his body, spinning wildly and getting smaller and smaller. Jade paled. "If it gets much smaller, it'll slice him in two!" The older seishi grunted and the ring shattered. Tasuki stood and held his tessan out. A ring of fire formed around him, which then formed around Hikitsu. Tamahome ran and went to tackle Tomite, but instead of hitting him, he went right through him. A gasp arose from the other warriors. The other Genbu seishi smirked and snapped his fingers, destroying the fire surrounding him. "That won't work. Your feeble attempts are useless. The bodies we discarded over two centuries ago have long since turned to dust. You will never defeat us!"
Everyone stood, stunned. "S-sprirts?" said Chichiri. Tasuki was enraged. "Spirits or not, real men wouldn't be afraid of a little hand-to-hand combat!" Tamahome rolled his eyes. "Duh! That's why they don't have bodies, so we can't fight them! Don't you get it?!" Hikitsu said coldly "Then it would be best to give up now. Witness our loyalty to the Priestess of Genbu!" He began to charge his ice attack when Jade stepped forward, symbols brightly glowing. "And witness my loyalty to my Priestess!" she snarled, drawing her sword. Tomite cocked an eyebrow. "Hikitsu, who does she remind you of?" The blond warrior stopped charging his attack and said quietly "Tei..." The Celeste Warrior stood bravely. "I am Kokyu, Celeste Warrior of Suzaku! I don't care if you're spirits or not, but if you threaten my Priestess or any of my fellow warriors, I'll slice you into ribbons!" Hikitsu grew quiet. "If you are willing to prove that you are the Celeste Warrior, then so be it. If you are who you say you are, then we will give you the Shinzaho of Genbu. Are willing to do this?" Jade nodded. "Lay it on me, I'll prove it! I'm not afraid!" Tasuki paled. "No, Jade! You don' know what the hell they'll do t' you!" She turned to look at him. "Tasuki, I have to do this. It's what Nuriko wanted. Besides, this is the only way Tamahome and Miaka can be together, and I must protect and serve my Priestess. I'll be fine, you worrywart. If you try to stop me, I'll tell everyone at Mt. Reikaku how stressed and worried you were over a girl!" The bandit fell silent. She turned back to the Genbu seishi. Tomite nodded. "Now then...take off all of your clothes." A surprised cry arose from the assembly. "You guys are pervs! That's how she has to prove who she is?!" Tamahome fumed. Tasuki, on the other hand, looked like he was ready to kill someone. "NO WAY ARE YOU SEE-THROUGH PERVERTS GONNA SEE HER NAKED!" he roared. "Silence! It's not up to you!" the Genbu seishi commanded. Jade made a face. "Fine, I'll do it!" She removed her cloak and began to undress. The other Suzaku warriors were too stunned to say anything. Finally, she was stripped down to bra, underwear, and her wolf madallion that Tasuki had given her. The said seishi was trying to keep everyone else from looking at his beloved, who was blushing slightly. Her figure was pretty nice, and he didn't want them to get any ideas. She growled quietly "This is all you're gonna see, and you're lucky to see this. Only one person has looked beyond this, and that's all!" The others turned to look at Tasuki. He looked away, blushing furiously. Chiriko seemed puzzled. "You mean your mother?" Jade looked at the bandit, who was now trying to stifle his laughter. "Yeah, we'll go with that..." she said, blushing. She then turned back to the two other seishi. "All right, now stand right there and don't move!" Tomite said. He raised his glowing hand and ice began to rush up her body. She flinched slightly as it travelled upwards, the intense cold filling her body. Tasuki watched, horrified. "Th-they can' do this! She's being frozen alive!" "I said, don't move! If she really is the Celeste Warrior, she can handle this. Otherwise, she might die..." Jade screamed out as it crept up her neck. The furious bandit charged forward, but suddenly hit an invisible wall and bounced off. Hitkitsu laughed coldly. "You fool! You didin't even notice we surrounded you with a wall of ice? Even fire can't melt that barricade. She must do this on her own, no matter what you feel for her!" The ice now completely covered her, and she was unable to breathe. The other seishi tried to call out to her, but she was on her own.
Jade tried to breathe, but found herself unable. 'And I thought drowning was bad! I have to get out of this somehow!' She thought quickly, for her oxygen supply was fastly depleating. 'I don't know what to do! I need help!" A sharp pain shot through her, and she knew she wouldn't last much longer. Suddenly, the wolf madallion began glowing a bright green. The glowing became almost blinding, and the ice cage around her shattered. She slumped over, gasping. Hikitsu was amazed. "How...Wait! Were did you obtain that necklace?!" She gasped out "A gift...from...one of our seishi..." The blond smiled. "I see. You truely are a Celeste Warrior. You have your Protector to thank for that..." She looked at him curiously. "My what?"
"Your Protector. Each of the four Celeste Warriors...Taishi of Byakko, Shoshi of Seiryu, Kokyu of Suzaku, and Tei of Genbu...has a Protector. One of the seishi of their god is chosen by the God itself to protect her, for all of the Celeste Warriors are female. This seishi becomes their constant companion, and sometimes, lover. Karasuki was the Protector of Taishi, and I was the Protector of Tei..." he finished quietly. Jade watched him before asking softly "What happened to her?" Hikitsu turned away. "She loved horseback riding, and when she went out one day...I had something I had to do, so I couldn't go with her... It was my biggest mistake in my life. Later, we found out that a thunderstorm had startled her horse, throwing her off. Then, the horse trampled her as it ran away. When they brought her body back..." he turned away. Tomite finished "You see, when Hikitsu first met Tei, all he wanted to do was protect her. That is a Protector's drive. It resulted in him falling in love with her. Luckily, it happened after Genbu was summoned, but he never fully recovered. I am unsure of the Protectors for Suzaku and Seiryu, but I'll tell how to figure it out. Think back...to when you met each of your seishi...did they save you from something when you first met? Has one of your seishi protected you numerous times? Then they are probably your Protector." Jade thought long and hard. Her Protector... The Genbu seishi pointed to the nearby wall. "That might help." She walked over slowly. On the wall were eight circles. The outermost four were a pheonix, dragon, tiger, and turtle-snake thing: The Four Gods. Then, there was a circle next to each of these. The one next to Genbu depicted a stag and horse touching muzzles. "That represents Tei and I... Her animal form was a stag, while I was always known as a horse, perhaps for my love of horse back riding." Hikitsu explained. Jade looked at the other three. A unicorn and a snake were in another, representing Taishi and Karasuki. The one next to Seiryu had a grizzly and a bird of some kind representing Shoshi and one of her seishi. In the final one, she saw herself in her tiger form as Kokyu and beside her was a familiar looking creature...she lifted up her madallion with shaking hands. "I-It's a perfect match...the animal is a wolf...so t-that means..." She walked over to the barrier, where Tasuki was pressed up against it. She placed her hands exactly where his were on the other side, and the wolf madallion glowed slightly brighter. Her eyes filled with tears. "Tasuki is my Protector..." she said quietly.Suddenly, the barrier melted away, and she fell into his arms. He held her close, burying his face in her hair. "If you EVER scare me like that again, I'll-mmmph!" Jade had brought his face down and kissed him. She gently pulled away. The bandit seemed slightly flustered, and he released her. "If yer gonna kiss me in public, at least be dressed!" She laughed and pulled on her clothes, keeping the wolf madallion on the outside, where it hung, glowing softly.
Hikitsu led them to a doorway at the end of the tunnel. "This is where the Shinzaho is kept. Only the Priestess may enter now..." Miaka stepped forward. "Okay! I'm ready!" The doors opened slowly to reveal a beautiful shrine. "Come Priestess, follow us alone..." Tomite said. Tasuki bristled. "So we aren't invited, huh?! Shouldn't Jade at least be allowed in? She was the one who had to strip in front of ya and then be frozen alive!" Chichiri shot him a look, and he shut up. Jade walked over to him and smiled up into his scowling face. "Just think...now we can be together...once she gets the Shinzaho..." The redhead looked down at her and gave her a fanged grin. "Yeah..." He gently pulled her face up and kissed her passionately. Miaka picked up the Shinzaho and started crying happily. "Now Tamahome and I can be together!" she cried. Tomite coughed politely. "I, uh, hate to burst your bubble, but that's not enough to summon Suzaku!" Jade froze, as well as Tasuki. They broke apart to stare at the Genbu seishi. Miaka was stunned. "You must obtain the Shinzaho in Sairou before this Shinzaho's power can be released." he continued. Everyone was silent. Chichiri looked sheepish. "Well, Tai-Itskun did say that you had to go to Hokkan FIRST, no da..." Tasuki interrupted "Then why didn't she make it clear in the first place?! Right, Tama?" Tamahome stood, frozen, his hopes and dreams of marrige and a family shattering. The bandit sweatdropped. "I think we lost him..." Miaka smiled. "So what? Let's go to Sairou and get the other Shinzaho! We already have one, so let's get the other!" Everyone cheered, and they all headed back to the enterance. "The fastest way into Sairou is to go south through Hokkan, and then cross the desert." Jade looked at them. "What will you do now?" she asked. Hikitsu smiled sadly. "Since our duty here is done, we shall return to heaven, and I can see Tei again..." The Celeste Warrior smiled. "Tell her she's my role model and that I hope I can be just as strong as her!" The blond nodded. "I will. Be careful, Kokyu. Tasuki, protect her as well as you can. Live up to your duty." The redhead nodded, and the group set off, calling goodbyes to the Genbu seishi. Tasuki suddenly said "I wonder if Suzaku can bring dead people back to life!" Jade looked up happily. Chichiri shook his head. "Since the body is already in the ground, it won't be long until it starts to rot, no da. So he would have no body to return to, I'm afraid." The Celeste Warrior's face fell. "Damn..." she said quietly. They walked outside, ready to continue to Sairou.
DONE! Yay! That only took me two days! I'm so excited!