This and the next chapter is horribly predictable, and pretty much verbatim from the manga. But it gets better soon, really.

Disclaimer, blah blah blah…

"Shh!" Tamahome whispered to the horse as it paced anxiously. It was morning, and Miyoko had already awoken. She watched him from her bedroom window. "I wonder where he's going," she mused, watching the horse speed away. A few minutes later, she was dressed and riding after him on Kamiari. Finally they reached a small village. Tamahome was still not aware that she was following him.

"Tamahome!" a farmer called. "Good to see you!"

He smiled. "Hello there!"

Miyoko tied Kamiari up and stood behind a tree close by.

Four children were in front of the small house Tamahome was approaching, each busy with the morning's chores. The oldest boy looked up first. "It's big brother!" he yelled excitedly.

"Big brother, big brother!" they all yelled, climbing all over Tamahome.

"Yu-Lun, Zhong-Rong, Chun-Jing, Jie-Lian!" Tamahome said happily, saying each of his siblings' names. Miyoko felt her eyes fill with tears. This was his family! She wondered when he had seen them last, what with his duties as one of the Suzaku Seven. He obviously cared about them so much…

"Dad, I'm back," Tamahome said, walking into the house, brothers and sisters still hanging onto him, Jie-Lian, the youngest girl, in particular.

"Look how much I made," Tamahome said, proudly displaying the money he had. How're you doing?"

Miyoko gasped, watching from the window. His father was ill, and bed-ridden. "I'm all right," the man replied. Zhong-Rong's looking after the farm."

"But I'm no good," the eldest boy, still very young said sheepishly. "The crops won't grow."

"I guess it was good that I went to the city, then," Tamahome said, ruffling the boy's hair.

"I'm grateful and proud that you look after us, Tamahome," his father said. "But you have to start thinking about your own happiness. You can't just spend your entire life taking care of us… You have to find a wife…"

"Don't worry. I'm all right," Tamahome promised, smiling gently. "I gotta get going. Zhong-Rong, you're the man of the house!"

"You're going already?!" the younger boy, Chun-Jing said, disappointed.

Tamahome stood to leave, but Jie-Lian grabbed his leg, and wouldn't let go. "Don't go!" the little girl cried.

Tamahome's determined expression softened. "Here, Jie-Lian, I brought you a doll," he said, taking the small toy from his pocket and trying to give it to her.

"I want you more!" she cried.

Maybe Miyoko was mistaken, but she could've sworn she saw tears in Tamahome's eyes.

"He's looks like he's about to cry. Aw, Tama-baby's so sweet," Nuriko whispered softly. She and Hamatsu both sat beside Miyoko, watching the scene. Miyoko fell over.

"What are you doing here?!" she demanded quietly.

"Following you, ninja master!" Ha-chan said. "We just followed the empty Pocky wrappers. You shouldn't litter."

They turned their attention back to Tamahome. "Jie-Lian, I'll do anything to make you happy. Even when I'm far away, you're always on my mind," he said, gathering up the children in a hug.

'All the money… It was for his family…' Miyoko thought to herself.

"Jie-Lian, what's wrong?!" Tamahome yelled in alarm as the girl fainted.

"What's wrong?!" Miyoko yelled, bursting into the room.

"M–Miyoko?!" Tamahome asked, distracted momentarily. The other boys and girl stared at her.

"She's got a fever… She might just have a cold. Where's her bed? Give me something to cool her forehead!" Miyoko commanded. The children scuttled around, following her orders. Finally Jie-Lian had been put to bed, and her color was slowly returning to normal.

"Good," Miyoko said, smiling.

"So you followed me here?" Tamahome asked, eyebrows raised. Miyo laughed nervously. She remembered the hat that the mysterious monk had disappeared into. She had been wearing it around her neck. She put the hat on, expecting to disappear.

"Hey! It's not working!" she complained. "Why aren't I disappearing?!"

"Are you Tamahome's wife?" Yu-Lun asked innocently.

Hamatsu started cracking up, she and Nuriko entering in time to see the other two blush. "D–Don't be silly! No way!" Tamahome said quickly.

"That's right! I'm only in junior high!" Miyoko said.

Tamahome crossed his arms, a very annoyed expression on his face. "And THIS is why I sneaked off."

"Tama…home…" Jie-Lian said weakly.

"Here, I'll go get some water. You stay with her, Tamahome," Miyoko directed. She found a bucket for getting water and headed for the door, thankful for the opportunity to get out of there.

"Miyoko," Tamahome said, pulling her off to the side before she left. "Thank you."

Miyoko happily walked down to the stream nearby, filling the bucket of water. 'He's so cute with all his family!' she thought to herself. 'He's the only guy I know that's so nice to his brothers and sisters.' Her backpack fell off her shoulder, and opened slightly, enough for the 'Universe of the Four Gods' scroll she had been given.

"That's right," she said out loud. She took the scroll in her hands sadly. "Tamahome and his family, and even Hotohori and Nuriko… They are only characters in a book! Either way," she said, "I guess I still have to find all the Warriors. And this will give me clues to where they are." Only then did she notice the crystal that Tai Yi Jun had given her a while back.

"That's right! This thing!" Characters were appearing in the crystal ball. "Priest and face… That's the characters written here, as well," she said, looking in the scroll. "The ball is supposed to react when it's near the Warrior… But 'priest' and 'face'? What could that mean?"

"Is something wrong?" a male voice said. Behind her was a man holding a scythe.

'Just a friendly farmer… I hope,' Miyo thought. "No, no, nothing's wrong!"

"Aren't you the Priestess of Suzaku?" the man said. Without waiting for a reply, he brought the scythe down.

Back at the house, Tamahome suddenly said, "Miyoko?"

"What's the matter, Tamahome?" Ha-chan asked, looking up from playing with the kids.

He rushed out the door. "Tamahome, wait!" Nuriko yelled. He didn't. "I will never understand him," Nuriko said, shaking his head.

The scythe went into the ground. A little too close for comfort, in Miyoko's opinion. "What's going on?!" she yelped as he swung at her again.

The scythe stopped mid-swing. Tamahome had grabbed the blade itself, and punched the man in the face!

"That's gotta hurt," Miyo commented. The man jumped in the air, and came back down, using a martial arts tactic to split the ground open. He rose from the ground and stood before Miyoko. It was all happening so quickly, she knew she wouldn't even have time to get a kick in before–

Arms appeared from the hat she was still wearing. What looks like bolts of lightning flew from the hands, and the man grunted and disappeared.

"Ninja master!!" Miyoko heard Hamatsu call. "What the?"

The arms emerged form the hat, as did a whole person. It was the monk that had rescued Miyoko the night before!.

"Gee, that was a close call, y'know!" the guy said, floating a few inches from the ground. Tamahome had his arms around Miyoko, keeping her away from the mysterious man, so it seemed.

"Tamahome, what are you doing?" she asked. He quickly let go of her.