Disclaimer: I don't own Fushigi Yuugi. Simple as that.
Chapter 24: Taishi
They arrived at the tower shortly after Tamahome did. Jade dismounted and ran inside just in time to see the dark haired seishi being attacked by a huge, snakelike monster. She drew her sword to stab it, but Tasuki beat her to it. "REKKA SHIN'EN!!!" he cried, flaming both the monster and Tamahome. She giggled as she watched the bandit cheer triumphantly. Tama grabbed the redhead and started yelling at him. Chichiri sweatdropped before asking quietly "W-where's Miaka?" He sighed. "She wasn't here when I got here..." Chiriko looked horrified. "Do you think that same monster..." he trailed off tearfully. Tasuki bowed his head. "Miaka, rest in peace..." Tamahome did not take kindly to that, and started beating the shit out of the hapless seishi.
"TASUKI!!!"
"OWWWWWWW!!! WHAT TH' HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM?!"
Jade proceeded in breaking them up, while Chichiri chided "Don't joke around like that, Tasuki! And you too, Chiriko! It's bad luck to say things like that, no da! I'll try locating her life force." Suddenly, Subaru and Tokaki came running up. "Suzaku warriors! We have trouble!" the Byakko seishi yelled. Jade leaned over the balcony railing. "What kind of trouble?" Subaru's eyes were wide with fear. "Tatara's been taken from the Shrine of Byakko!" The Celeste Warrior cocked her head. "Who?" Mitsukake said quietly "Tatara is one of the Byakko seishi. He's gaurding the Shinzaho from Byakko..." She ran down the stairs, followed closely by the other warriors.
Tokaki led them to a large building. "This is where Miaka is?" Chiriko asked. He nodded. Chichiri suddenly cried "Daaaaaa! I sense Seiryu life forces! Also the life force of someone unfamiliar..."
"That's Tatara, one of our fellow seishi. They're trying to take the Shinzaho away from us by force!" Tasuki smirked. "Meaning that we can get th' Shinzaho AND kick some serious Seriyu ass! I can't wait, let me at 'em!" Chiriko laughed. "Tasuki, you seem excited about all this!" Jade fingered her sword, grinning also. "He's not the only one! I'll be kickin' some ass of my own, especially Nakago and Tara! I'll prove that I'm better than her!" She tried to sound cheerful, but her heart was heavy. 'Why am I so upset about fighting Tara? Do I still want to be friends with her?' Tokaki shook his head at Tama's serious behavior. "Even now, after I told you to give up on that girl...You're just as bull-headed as you always have been, Little Ghost!" The dark haired seishi looked at his master with a deadly look as he continued the story to the gleeful Tasuki and Jade, who looked as if Christmas had come early. "Oh, you want to hear? Well, back when I first met him, all the kids used to make fun of him and call him that. His mark, that character on his forehead also means spirit, or ghost, you know." By this time, the firey haired couple were leaning on each other for support, tears of mirth coursing down their faces. "Bwahahahahahahaha!!! G-ghost?! That's scary!" Tasuki cackled. Jade on the other hand, was pointing at his forehead. "Hey Tama! Your forehead is really glowing there! Is your ghost mad?" The dark haired seishi was about to kill them when Tokaki said "Back then, all he used to talk about was money, money, money. Heh. That's one thing that's changed." Tamahome smiled sadly. "It has really changed. I mean, I still like money...I just found something that's worth more to me...worth more than money. Worth my life. So, I guess you are right, Master." Subaru turned to her husband. "Tokaki, do you remember? Almost 90 years ago?" He nodded. "Yes...he'll have nothing but tears when it's all over...All right, do what you want. I can't stop you..." Tama grinned. "Uh-huh! Let's go, you guys!" The troublemaking couple chorused together "You bet, Little Ghost!" They suddenly found themselves being sent into orbit by the angered seishi's fists. Chichiri sweatdropped. "They shouldn't have said that, no da..."
They all split up, Tasuki and Jade taking Chiriko with them. Miaka?the Celeste Warrior called out with her mind. She trotted beside the bandit, who had the younger seishi on his back. Suddenly, they heard the cry of their Priestess, who was being attacked by a monster. Tasuki pulled out his tessan and fried the monster, while Tamahome came running from another hallway and caught Miaka. The dark haired seishi apologized for their breakup and everything up to that point. Meanwhile, the bandit was struggling. "Chiriko, leggo of my neck! You're choking me!" he managed to sputter. Jade laughed and transformed back, unhooking Chiriko from her koi's neck. Tamahome lifted up Miaka's face and kissed her gently. Tasuki covered Chiriko's eyes, while Jade smiled at the unfortunate couple. Then, Tama broke the kiss and asked quietly "If we would have kissed on that tower at sunset...we would have been together forever, right? That's what the local legend says, right? Well, this may not be the top of that tower, and the sun might have already set, but I swear, I will find a way to be with you, no matter what they say!" Jade turned to the flustered bandit and said "That's what I was coming to your room for earlier...I wanted to take you to that tower, so we could be together, no matter what...guess that's not happening..." She sighed. Tasuki could easily see how upset she was about missing that oppertunity, so he walked over to her and hugged her close. "Ya know, I'm not one for takin' a page out of Tama's book, but..." He gently lifted her face to his and kissed her passionately. Chiriko watched, his eyes wide. "Woah..." The bandit broke away and said quietly "Now, I know Tama already said it, but kissing on that damn tower wouldn' matter...As long as I am a Suzaku seishi an' your Protector, I swear I will be with you. I love you Jade..." Her eyes became misty with tears, and she hugged him close. "Thank you, Fangs...I love you too..." Chiriko made a face. "Can we move on, please?" Jade laughed. "Are you jelous, Chiriko?" The others laughed as he turned crimson. "No!" Suddenly, they heard a crashing sound, and Miaka's eyes went wide. She turned to them and tried to say something, but all that came out were small rasps. Tasuki cocked his head. "Hey Miaka, what's up with your voice?" Tamahome's eyes hardened. "Yui must be near here. Is she?" The Miko nodded and they ran down a nearby hallway, hearing the noises of battle. Jade's symbols flared in anticipation as they reached the doorway at the end of the hall.
They ran in to find a man trying to fight off monsters with vines he seemed to be controlling with his mind. Behind the monsters, a small, bald, child was floating in the air, and he was talking to Yui and... "Tara..." Jade growled softly. The dark haired girl suddenly noticed her, and she smirked evilly. "Well, look who it is. Jade Stevens and her mindless redheaded pet." The Suzaku warrior's eyes narrowed. "That's Tasuki, Tara, and he's not mindless. He's a hell of a lot smarter than you'll ever be, and he doesn't betray his best friends, either!" Tara snorted. "You're his only best friend, I'm sure. A mug that ugly scares people away...Oh wait, I forgot. You love him, don't you? Only guy who would ever like you in the first place...that always was the thing you looked for in guys, wasn't it? The idiodic bandit type..." Jade's symbols were almost blinding now, and she drew her sword. "Say another word about him, and I'll run you through!" All of her feelings for her ex-best friend were gone, and hatered was now in it's place. Tasuki watched as she took a step towards Tara, his heart hammering. 'Why is she getting so upset that Tara said those things? Does she really love me that much?' Suddenly, one of the monsters grabbed the man and held a stinger in front of him. The floating child cackled. "Take one more step and I'll get this monster to stab him! He may appear young, but his body is old and frail on the inside. If any of you move, he will be killed!" Jade froze. "Damn bastard..." she muttered quietly. Tokaki, Subaru, Chichiri, and Mitsukake came running up, but stopped when they heard the threat. "Tatara!" Tokaki cried. The child turned to the two girls behind him and said "Lady Yui, Shoshi-san, leave this to me. Leave this place so you do not have to witness all this graphic violence." Nakago came out of a nearby wall and said quietly "Come with me, Lady Yui. You are needed for the ceremony to summon Seiryu. Shoshi, you may come with us if you wish." Tara turned to look at the Suzaku warriors one last time, and her eyes locked with Jade's. The Suzaku Warrior was astonished to find that her enemy's eyes, while filled with anger and resentment, also looked slightly regretful. Then, the Seiryu Celeste Warrior turned back to the blond general and got under his cloak with Yui. He walked backwards and through the wall, leaving Miboshi to finish his job. Tatara seemed to be weakening, and it looked like he would soon black out from the monster's tight grip. Then, a whinny filled the air and the most beautiful creature Jade had ever seen galloped in. The unicorn reared up and hit Miboshi with it's flailing hooves, causing him to lose concentration and the monster loosened his grip. Tatara, as fast as he could manage, used one of his vines to pull Miboshi in front of him, and the monster, sensing movement, drove it's stinger into the Seiryu Warrior instead. He screamed out one last time before dying, the monsters surrounding Tatara disappearing. He slumped over, breathing heavily. Everyone rushed over to the weak Byakko seishi. "Tatara! Speak to me!" Tokaki cried as he cradled his head. The seishi smiled weakly. "Ta...tara...Su...baru...forgive me...it's time for me to go...to heaven..."
"No, you fool! You can't! We promised Suzuno 90 years ago that we would live together and die together!" Meanwhile, Jade snarled "I'm going after Yui and Tara!" She ran to the wall, but instead of going through it, she hit it. She fell, twitching. "Owwwww...It's solid again..." she groaned. The unicorn trotted over to her. Kokyu, are you all right?the unicorn's voice filled the surprised Celese Warrior's head. "Ehhhhhhh?! How did you-? And who-?" The unicorn laughed and began to transform. Jade gasped when she looked at the woman in front of her. She had silvery blond hair that reached her waist, golden eyes, and a symbol glowing on her forehead...the symbol of Byakko... "Taishi?!"
Yet another cliffhanger...MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
Chapter 24: Taishi
They arrived at the tower shortly after Tamahome did. Jade dismounted and ran inside just in time to see the dark haired seishi being attacked by a huge, snakelike monster. She drew her sword to stab it, but Tasuki beat her to it. "REKKA SHIN'EN!!!" he cried, flaming both the monster and Tamahome. She giggled as she watched the bandit cheer triumphantly. Tama grabbed the redhead and started yelling at him. Chichiri sweatdropped before asking quietly "W-where's Miaka?" He sighed. "She wasn't here when I got here..." Chiriko looked horrified. "Do you think that same monster..." he trailed off tearfully. Tasuki bowed his head. "Miaka, rest in peace..." Tamahome did not take kindly to that, and started beating the shit out of the hapless seishi.
"TASUKI!!!"
"OWWWWWWW!!! WHAT TH' HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM?!"
Jade proceeded in breaking them up, while Chichiri chided "Don't joke around like that, Tasuki! And you too, Chiriko! It's bad luck to say things like that, no da! I'll try locating her life force." Suddenly, Subaru and Tokaki came running up. "Suzaku warriors! We have trouble!" the Byakko seishi yelled. Jade leaned over the balcony railing. "What kind of trouble?" Subaru's eyes were wide with fear. "Tatara's been taken from the Shrine of Byakko!" The Celeste Warrior cocked her head. "Who?" Mitsukake said quietly "Tatara is one of the Byakko seishi. He's gaurding the Shinzaho from Byakko..." She ran down the stairs, followed closely by the other warriors.
Tokaki led them to a large building. "This is where Miaka is?" Chiriko asked. He nodded. Chichiri suddenly cried "Daaaaaa! I sense Seiryu life forces! Also the life force of someone unfamiliar..."
"That's Tatara, one of our fellow seishi. They're trying to take the Shinzaho away from us by force!" Tasuki smirked. "Meaning that we can get th' Shinzaho AND kick some serious Seriyu ass! I can't wait, let me at 'em!" Chiriko laughed. "Tasuki, you seem excited about all this!" Jade fingered her sword, grinning also. "He's not the only one! I'll be kickin' some ass of my own, especially Nakago and Tara! I'll prove that I'm better than her!" She tried to sound cheerful, but her heart was heavy. 'Why am I so upset about fighting Tara? Do I still want to be friends with her?' Tokaki shook his head at Tama's serious behavior. "Even now, after I told you to give up on that girl...You're just as bull-headed as you always have been, Little Ghost!" The dark haired seishi looked at his master with a deadly look as he continued the story to the gleeful Tasuki and Jade, who looked as if Christmas had come early. "Oh, you want to hear? Well, back when I first met him, all the kids used to make fun of him and call him that. His mark, that character on his forehead also means spirit, or ghost, you know." By this time, the firey haired couple were leaning on each other for support, tears of mirth coursing down their faces. "Bwahahahahahahaha!!! G-ghost?! That's scary!" Tasuki cackled. Jade on the other hand, was pointing at his forehead. "Hey Tama! Your forehead is really glowing there! Is your ghost mad?" The dark haired seishi was about to kill them when Tokaki said "Back then, all he used to talk about was money, money, money. Heh. That's one thing that's changed." Tamahome smiled sadly. "It has really changed. I mean, I still like money...I just found something that's worth more to me...worth more than money. Worth my life. So, I guess you are right, Master." Subaru turned to her husband. "Tokaki, do you remember? Almost 90 years ago?" He nodded. "Yes...he'll have nothing but tears when it's all over...All right, do what you want. I can't stop you..." Tama grinned. "Uh-huh! Let's go, you guys!" The troublemaking couple chorused together "You bet, Little Ghost!" They suddenly found themselves being sent into orbit by the angered seishi's fists. Chichiri sweatdropped. "They shouldn't have said that, no da..."
They all split up, Tasuki and Jade taking Chiriko with them. Miaka?the Celeste Warrior called out with her mind. She trotted beside the bandit, who had the younger seishi on his back. Suddenly, they heard the cry of their Priestess, who was being attacked by a monster. Tasuki pulled out his tessan and fried the monster, while Tamahome came running from another hallway and caught Miaka. The dark haired seishi apologized for their breakup and everything up to that point. Meanwhile, the bandit was struggling. "Chiriko, leggo of my neck! You're choking me!" he managed to sputter. Jade laughed and transformed back, unhooking Chiriko from her koi's neck. Tamahome lifted up Miaka's face and kissed her gently. Tasuki covered Chiriko's eyes, while Jade smiled at the unfortunate couple. Then, Tama broke the kiss and asked quietly "If we would have kissed on that tower at sunset...we would have been together forever, right? That's what the local legend says, right? Well, this may not be the top of that tower, and the sun might have already set, but I swear, I will find a way to be with you, no matter what they say!" Jade turned to the flustered bandit and said "That's what I was coming to your room for earlier...I wanted to take you to that tower, so we could be together, no matter what...guess that's not happening..." She sighed. Tasuki could easily see how upset she was about missing that oppertunity, so he walked over to her and hugged her close. "Ya know, I'm not one for takin' a page out of Tama's book, but..." He gently lifted her face to his and kissed her passionately. Chiriko watched, his eyes wide. "Woah..." The bandit broke away and said quietly "Now, I know Tama already said it, but kissing on that damn tower wouldn' matter...As long as I am a Suzaku seishi an' your Protector, I swear I will be with you. I love you Jade..." Her eyes became misty with tears, and she hugged him close. "Thank you, Fangs...I love you too..." Chiriko made a face. "Can we move on, please?" Jade laughed. "Are you jelous, Chiriko?" The others laughed as he turned crimson. "No!" Suddenly, they heard a crashing sound, and Miaka's eyes went wide. She turned to them and tried to say something, but all that came out were small rasps. Tasuki cocked his head. "Hey Miaka, what's up with your voice?" Tamahome's eyes hardened. "Yui must be near here. Is she?" The Miko nodded and they ran down a nearby hallway, hearing the noises of battle. Jade's symbols flared in anticipation as they reached the doorway at the end of the hall.
They ran in to find a man trying to fight off monsters with vines he seemed to be controlling with his mind. Behind the monsters, a small, bald, child was floating in the air, and he was talking to Yui and... "Tara..." Jade growled softly. The dark haired girl suddenly noticed her, and she smirked evilly. "Well, look who it is. Jade Stevens and her mindless redheaded pet." The Suzaku warrior's eyes narrowed. "That's Tasuki, Tara, and he's not mindless. He's a hell of a lot smarter than you'll ever be, and he doesn't betray his best friends, either!" Tara snorted. "You're his only best friend, I'm sure. A mug that ugly scares people away...Oh wait, I forgot. You love him, don't you? Only guy who would ever like you in the first place...that always was the thing you looked for in guys, wasn't it? The idiodic bandit type..." Jade's symbols were almost blinding now, and she drew her sword. "Say another word about him, and I'll run you through!" All of her feelings for her ex-best friend were gone, and hatered was now in it's place. Tasuki watched as she took a step towards Tara, his heart hammering. 'Why is she getting so upset that Tara said those things? Does she really love me that much?' Suddenly, one of the monsters grabbed the man and held a stinger in front of him. The floating child cackled. "Take one more step and I'll get this monster to stab him! He may appear young, but his body is old and frail on the inside. If any of you move, he will be killed!" Jade froze. "Damn bastard..." she muttered quietly. Tokaki, Subaru, Chichiri, and Mitsukake came running up, but stopped when they heard the threat. "Tatara!" Tokaki cried. The child turned to the two girls behind him and said "Lady Yui, Shoshi-san, leave this to me. Leave this place so you do not have to witness all this graphic violence." Nakago came out of a nearby wall and said quietly "Come with me, Lady Yui. You are needed for the ceremony to summon Seiryu. Shoshi, you may come with us if you wish." Tara turned to look at the Suzaku warriors one last time, and her eyes locked with Jade's. The Suzaku Warrior was astonished to find that her enemy's eyes, while filled with anger and resentment, also looked slightly regretful. Then, the Seiryu Celeste Warrior turned back to the blond general and got under his cloak with Yui. He walked backwards and through the wall, leaving Miboshi to finish his job. Tatara seemed to be weakening, and it looked like he would soon black out from the monster's tight grip. Then, a whinny filled the air and the most beautiful creature Jade had ever seen galloped in. The unicorn reared up and hit Miboshi with it's flailing hooves, causing him to lose concentration and the monster loosened his grip. Tatara, as fast as he could manage, used one of his vines to pull Miboshi in front of him, and the monster, sensing movement, drove it's stinger into the Seiryu Warrior instead. He screamed out one last time before dying, the monsters surrounding Tatara disappearing. He slumped over, breathing heavily. Everyone rushed over to the weak Byakko seishi. "Tatara! Speak to me!" Tokaki cried as he cradled his head. The seishi smiled weakly. "Ta...tara...Su...baru...forgive me...it's time for me to go...to heaven..."
"No, you fool! You can't! We promised Suzuno 90 years ago that we would live together and die together!" Meanwhile, Jade snarled "I'm going after Yui and Tara!" She ran to the wall, but instead of going through it, she hit it. She fell, twitching. "Owwwww...It's solid again..." she groaned. The unicorn trotted over to her. Kokyu, are you all right?the unicorn's voice filled the surprised Celese Warrior's head. "Ehhhhhhh?! How did you-? And who-?" The unicorn laughed and began to transform. Jade gasped when she looked at the woman in front of her. She had silvery blond hair that reached her waist, golden eyes, and a symbol glowing on her forehead...the symbol of Byakko... "Taishi?!"
Yet another cliffhanger...MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!