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"Saissa-sama!" the general said, seeing the girl behind him. He dismissed the soldiers he had around him. "Where were you? I cannot approve of you spending time with the Priestess of Suzaku."
Unbeknownst to him, Hamatsu was hanging from the ceiling, similar to a spider. Was this the result of ninja training, or watching too much of the MTV version of Spider Man? We shall never know…
"I'm NOT the Priestess of Seiryuu," Saissa said. "I told you that a long time ago! The Priestess is my friend. She came back from our world just to come rescue me! I want the 'Universe of the Four Gods', and then I'm going to Konan with Miyo, Hamatsu, and Tamahome!" she insisted.
The general snorted softly. "Is that so? Well, you may do as you please… however…" He put a hand on her shoulder. 'Try to recall the situation a few months ago when I found you. Where was Miyoko then? If you change your mind, please come to the shrine," he said, handing her the Konan's copy of the 'Universe of the Four Gods.'
'Why do I feel so guilty?' Miyoko asked herself. 'Oh yeah… I lied to the guy I love… That may be part of it.'
"Why do you keep running away from me, Miyo?" Tamahome said in a low voice. "Why can't you let me protect you?" He turned to her. "Look at me."
She couldn't take her eyes off the ground, so he lifted her chin so she had to look into his eyes. "What, do I only cause trouble for you?" he asked. Then he kissed her.
She was very happy she had fallen into the book world.
"You don't cause trouble for me, Tamahome," Miyoko answered shakily. "But I put you and everyone else in danger just for existing. And people depend on you! What would your family do without you?"
"Don't you get it, you idiot?" he said, hugging her. "I don't know what I'd do without you! It's our job to protect you; you're the Priestess! Even if you weren't, I'd protect you anyway. I need you to be alive, because I love you."
"I'm sorry I ran off," she said quietly. "I just couldn't bear to see you in danger for my sake again. But… thanks. For coming after me and all."
"Stupid," he said, smiling gently. They kissed, and Hamatsu and Saissa walked in the room.
"Hey. You two," Hamatsu said, shaking her head. The two quickly jumped apart, blushing.
"Here's the 'Universe of the Four Gods,'" Saissa said, holding out the scroll. Her eyes still carried the sad look they always had, but it seemed even more pronounced now than ever to Miyoko. "Come on, we're done here. Let's go back to Konan."
"Come on, this way," Saissa said, leading them outside, still under part of the roof. It was still raining hard. "Before we go, would you come with me, Miyoko? It'll only take a second."
"Sure," Miyo replied.
"Tamahome, why don't you and Hamatsu wait outside?" Saissa suggested. "We won't be long."
"Well… all right," he said reluctantly. The two girls went inside, and Hamatsu waited outside.
"Um… I heard something weird when I went with Saissa," Hamatsu said quietly. "When she was talking with that general."
Tamahome sighed. "Is this the kind of important, need-to-know information that might get us all killed?"
"Hey, I don't know! You're just assuming that!" she yelled. "And you know what happens when you assume, you make an ass outta you and me!"
"Taking a wild guess, is that Seiryuu?" Miyoko asked Saissa, pointing to the gigantic statue of a blue dragon.
"Yeah, it is," she replied. Miyo noticed an odd-look on her face. "I was thinking… if I hadn't ended up in Kutou, I would probably have been the Priestess of Suzaku. Then Tamahome would've fallen in love with me."
"What's the matter, Saissa?" Miyo asked. Saissa turned away, and Miyo fell to the ground, trembling. Pain spread throughout her body. "What's going on?!" she demanded.
Saissa chuckled. "Does it hurt? I imagine it would. This is Seiryuu's shrine. Suzaku's creatures aren't allowed in here. Do you know what this means?" She smiled maliciously. "It means your precious Tamahome won't be coming."
"Why are you doing this? This must be a joke!" Miyoko exclaimed in frustration.
"You told me you would protect me from that gang! You walked me to wherever my home was for the day so they wouldn't get to me! And then they chased me, the one day you weren't there… I bet you just made up some lame excuse. I don't remember it now. They chased me, so I ran to the library. You weren't there yet, and I started reading that damn book! If you had been there, I wouldn't have been alone, and I wouldn't have had to suffer… I…" her voice dropped off for a second. Fire blazed in her eyes. "You always had people to care about you!" Saissa yelled, slapping Miyoko. "At least you had family in our world. And you always had Hamatsu, Miaka, and Keisuke. Even here, you always find people to protect you, like Tamahome!"
"He has nothing to do with this!" Miyo insisted, now white in the face with shock.
"I didn't have anyone to protect me! And now… now look what's happened…" she quieted her yelling for a moment, looking quite defeated. Then she straightened up. Miyo had never seen her eyes so cold and cruel. "You never came for me, Miyoko. You can't fool me; you only came back to this world for Tamahome! When I was first in trouble, why didn't you hear me?! Why didn't you come for me sooner? You know," she said, "I like Tamahome. So I think I'll take him from you. Nakago!" she called.
A figure appeared in the shadows behind her. "Yes, Your Eminence, Priestess of Seiryuu?" the blonde general asked. A symbol, like Tamahome's oni symbol, glowed on Nakago's forehead.
Saissa smiled. "Let me introduce you to Nakago, a Celestial Warrior of Seiryuu. He's my servant. Pretty interesting, huh?"
Miyo did not cry, although she felt she could. She didn't understand it. How could Saissa do this to her?! It wasn't possible… after all they had been through together… Could she just forget their friendship?
"Good-bye, Miyoko," Saissa said, turning and walking away. Miyo stared, wordlessly, after her. Then tears started streaming down her face.
"Why, Saissa?!" she screamed after her. But Saissa did not look back.
"Her Eminence will summon Seiryuu, and no one will interfere with that," the blonde man said. "DIE!"
Suddenly Miyoko flew back through the air, and felt as if a hundred knives had stabbed her. Blood flowed from wounds that no physical object had created. Nakago was doing that with his mind! She screamed.
Hamatsu ran around the shrine, trying to see if there was any way in other than the front doors. As soon as Tamahome had heard Miyo's screams, he had tried to get in the doors. Black lightning shot from the shrine and hit him, throwing him backwards. Chichiri had appeared, and the two were trying to break through the doors.
Hamatsu sighed in frustration. It didn't look like there was any other way in…
She ran back to the two guys. "I can't even touch the damn door," Tamahome said furiously.
"They've put wards up so none of Suzaku's chosen can get in," Chichiri said worriedly. He had been trying hard to open the doors using magic, but it didn't seem as if anything was working.
"Suzaku's chosen?" Hamatsu repeated. "I'm not the Priestess or a warrior of Suzaku. I can get in!" She ran to the doors and flung them open, only experiencing a slight shock from touching the doors. "Miyoko!" she yelled.
"You'll be an obstacle when the Priestess calls upon Seiryuu," Nakago explained, smiling an evil smile. "You are an enemy of Kutou. You shall never return to Konan."
"Saissa…" Miyoko said, weakly picking herself up from the floor. "Wait! Why?!"
"How dare you ask why!" Saissa yelled. "Do you know how much I had to suffer? I thought you would always be there for me. Maybe you don't remember this!" she yelled, thrusting out her arm so Miyoko could see the scar. Saissa had tried to kill herself. Miyoko had an identical scar. "I waited for you for so long. I still believed you would come! You only came back for your precious Tamahome, and people who cared for you. You were never my friend. Never!"