If you recognize it, I don't own it.

6. The war on Mt. Reikaku

The next week was a cold one. The trees in the near by forests were starting to change their colour from green to red and yellow. Sen and Koji still practised, but now he was teaching her how to use the bamboo fan, or tessen as he called it. Surprisingly, she was quite good at this tessenjitsu, beating him three times out of five. But more surprising was that she never truly hurt herself again. It seemed like the punches and kicks she received were not taking the desired effect. Her bruises vanished overnight and so did the pain they caused.

She, however, didn't seem to notice this.

Tasuki grumbled about devious women in his life when he himself lost a sparring fight with Sen. She laughed and patted his unruly mane. They shared a sake bottle later. Chichiri found them in the near by town, and had to subdue them both in order to get them back to the fortress. After that, Tasuki became friendlier to her, he even started calling her oneesan.

The monk had left again when the cold winds had started to blow. He had said he would be back before the snow. As Sen watched him go, she wanted nothing more than to run after him, but she didn't. Instead she turned and walked back to her room.

She plopped herself to the bed as she thought about the things she had learned so far.

1. I'm not in my universe anymore. And it's ok. I'm calm.

2. No one seems to know what I'm doing here or how I got here. They say it has something to do with celestial blood, what ever that might be.

3. It's been months. I've probably been kicked out of the university by now. Plus my friends must think I'm dead.

4. I've become an older sister. I think it's an honorific here. Pretty cool.

5. I think I can speak Japanese… Which is weird.

6. Chichiri is driving me insane. No...Chishiri is insane! How can someone smile all the time? It.Is.Not.Normal.

She sighed.

……………………………..

Once again, Koji felt the edge of the girl's tessen cutting into his back with a swift motion of her hand. He landed on his knees and was up in no time. He just barely managed to get his sword between them, making her tessen stop just inches from his face.

"Damn girl, yer getting better by day." He muttered as he tried to punch her, but she dodged. "But I've still got some tricks left." He grinned as he threw his sword to the ground. The steel went through silk and soil, pinning the girl from her sash to the ground. She yelped as gravity took hold of her. Sen found herself looking at Koji's boots.

"Nice one." She commented as he helped her stand up. She wiped the sweat and dust from her face. "I'm not sure I want to be the one to tell Li Mei that one of her silk sashes is ruined... again."

"True, what a horrid job to do." He agreed.

"I swear she's going to stop giving me clothes if I keep ruining them."

"Not entirely unpleasant idea." He smirked.

"…" Sen guessed his mind was going into directions she really didn't want it to go and choose silence as her answer.

"It would probably make you win all the fights though… It's hard to..." He never finished the sentence as a messenger burst through the gates.

"Genro! I need to talk with Genro!" The man yelled.

……………………………..

She could hear the words Mt. Kaou and bandits and war going through the crowd gathering to the yard. It made her stomach turn. She knew about the other group of bandits in the area, Koji had told her about them on one drunken night. And even though he seemed not to remember it she remembered most of it.

Koji had gone with Tasuki, leaving the girl alone with the bandits. But she knew she was safe for they all knew that she was the leader's oneesan. With a respect they made way for her as she fidgeted her hands and paced back and worth on the yard.

"Oneesan is making me nervous." One of the younger bandits said as she passed him for the umpteenth time.

"What?" She asked, looking back at the youth. "Oh. Sorry Fai." She said sheepishly.

"It's ok." he replied.

"I'm just a bit.. nervous."

"No kidding."

"No."

It took several minutes for the bandit leader to emerge from the closed door. And when he did he looked somehow older. Sen sent a worried glance at Koji, but the dark haired man shook his head mouthing 'later'.

"Open war." Was all the red head said.

……………………………..

"What did he mean by that Koji-kun?" Sen asked as she was lead away from the crowd by the bandit. He moved so fast that Sen had to run to keep up.

"It means we hafta figure a way to git ya out of here." He answered with a low voice, not looking at her, but the iron grip on her arm loosened a bit.

"What?" She dug her heels to the ground, making them stop.

"Open war means just what it sounds like. An open war." He sighed tiredly. "I know Genro isn't gonna risk yer life or well being, so we need to figure how to git yer ass out of here. Or you'll be a distraction." He explained.

"I can fight." Sen said in small voice, but let him drag her inside the fortress.

"No, ya can't." He argued.

"I beat you three times out of five!" She exclaimed, they had stopped in front her room.

"That doesn't mean ya can fight in a real fight." He opened her door.

"But.."

"Fighting and killing are two different things Sen." He pushed her inside the darkening room. "Pack up oneesan. Please."

"Where am I going?" Sen asked as she started to do as he asked. She turned to retrieve her clothes and the backbag Chichiri had given her.

He looked at her back thoughtfully before answering. "To the only safe haven Genro knows."

"And that would be?" She quirked an eyebrow at him.

"The Imperial Palace."

……………………………..

Chichiri sighed. He was standing near the palace inner gates, waiting for an audience with the Empress, Houki. He had slipped his mask off, knowing very well what the kind hearted widow thought of the piece of magical paper. Cool wind pushed his cerulean hair away from his face, a single snowflake hit his nose.

"It seems I have lied to someone, again." He whispered to the wind, closing his remaining eye.

"And who might that be, dear friend?" Came a calm question behind him.

"Your Highness." Chichiri exclaimed.

"You have lied to me?" She was amused.

"What? No!" Yeah, total lost of composure, that'll work, he inwardly grimaced.

"Then do tell me who this unlucky person is for I am curious." She smiled. "Walk with me my dear monk."

They walked in silence until they reached the gardens. She sat down to a stone bench while he lowered himself to a rock near the pond. The same rock he had sat so many times and pretended to fish.

"I remember when you came here to fish, but there never was any fish in the pond." She smiled at the memory.

"Yes, it helped me think. No da." he answered.

"So, who is she?"

"Who? Sen?"

"So her name is Sen." She smiled as a faint pink rouse to his cheeks. "Is she cute?" She smirked.

"I guess, no da."

"Well, I presume you didn't come all this way to discuss about girl trouble?"

"There's no trouble…" He started before realizing she was teasing him. He looked at her smiling face and smirked. "You always had a way of making the Suzaku seven feel embarrassed. No da."

"Me? How so?" She laughed. "How have I missed you. Where is the Bandit lord? Is he well?"

"Tasuki's fine, your higness." The monk smiled. "But I have come to ask your help."

"Name it and it's yours." She said.

"You haven't heard what I came to ask, no da."

"After what you did for Konan…" She smiled sadly. "For my husband and my son, and me. Name it."

"I need to use the library, No da."

"Is that all?"

"And if I could get my old room back… And Hotohoris old office?"

……………………………..

Koji lowered Sen to the ground near the gates of the Imperial Palace. He nodded towards the gate and gave her the letter Tasuki had written. She looked back at him with wide, questioning eyes.

"Give this to the Empress, she'll understand." He explained.

"Empress?" Sen squeaked.

"Yes. "

"O-okay." He turned the horse. "Wait, Koji-kun!"

"What is it oneesan?" His voice was soft.

"Will I see you again?"

"...Of course ya will, silly girl." He grinned and dug his heels to the animals sides making it gallop down the street. Sen watched him go before turning back at the gate.

"Here goes nothing…" She muttered as she banged at the door. A small hatch opened eyelevel and a pair of brown eyes focused on her. "Hi!"

"What do you want woman?" The guard asked. His tone was bored.

"I have a letter to the Empress." She smiled and waived the paper in front of her.

"Give it to me and I'll see it gets to her Highness." The guard said.

"Nuh-uh. I was told to give it directly to her Highness." Sen argued.

"Who told you that?"

"Tasuki."

The guard vanished from the small window. Shit, Sen thought. But the gate opened soon and she saw the guards standing behind it looking at her curiously.

"Uhh.. Hello." She smiled a nervous smile.

"This way." The guard who had talked with her through the hatch said, getting a hold of her arm.

"Hey leggo." She snarled, digging her heels to the ground.

"Stop struggling." He ordered.

"If you don't let me go I'll…"

"You'll what?" He smirked, looking at her short figure. "Scream?"

"Nope. Do this." Sen smiled sweetly and grabbed her fan.

……………………………..

TBC