Summary; Warning; Disclaimer: See First Chapter.

Thanks to everyone who's reviewed and read so far! I'm surprised that it's gotten this far...and it'll only get bigger, trust me. This chapter is longer than usual, to make up for the wait. Oh, and the tower-to-be-mentioned isnot the one Miaka was trapped in with Tatara, just for those who may wonder. Well, things are getting a lttle tense, and don't blame me for how they're all acting! They're doing this on their own...I swear!

Please review if you read. Comments, ideas, suggestions, and helpful criticism welcome.

"It is just me, or you two too tense, no da?"

"It's just you," Kae informed him curtly, staring down at the food before her. She and Tasuki were sitting on opposite ends of the table, and hadn't spoken to each other since they arrived at the house, where Tokaki had pestered them until Subaru had shut him up.

"Had a lover's spat?" Tokaki teased, and was promptly hit with Tasuki's bowl rice. "Point taken," he said mildly, wiping his face off as Tasuki stalked from the room. Kae closed her eyes and took a deep breath, as if to calm herself, and Chichiri peered at her.

"Are you feeling all right, no da?"

"I'm fine," she nodded, once more beginning to pick at her food. The three Warriors exchanged knowing glances, but refrained from making any further remarks – Tokaki only by the grace of whatever god decided to be present at the moment. After a bit, Kae stood up and gathered her dishes, avoiding Subaru's attempts to take them from her. "No, I can do, really!" she protested. "It was really good, Subaru – I guess I'm just not that hungry."

"Are you feeling all right?" the woman asked critically, following the medium into the kitchen.

"Yes, I'm fine," she replied crisply, but the Warrior only eyed her. "What?"

"Did Tasuki say something again?"

"No…it's nothing, Subaru," Kae insisted firmly. "Honestly, I'm not an invalid, so why does everyone keep acting like that? I hate it! I – I'm going for a walk," she added hastily, seeing Subaru's shocked face and regretting her outburst. "I won't go far." Without waiting for the woman to say anything else, Kae quickly rushed from the room.

"Something's up with that girl," Tokaki observed, and Chichiri sighed.

"I can't win, no da."

"What's my problem?" Kae wondered out loud, wandering the well-lit streets of Xi-Lang. She didn't even realize it was a local festival, and ducked into back streets to avoid the noise of the crowd around her. "There's something inside me…something I need to remember…and I can't!" she cried out, growing frustrated with herself. "Why can't I do anything on my own?" she demanded to Tama, who had gone along for the ride on her shoulder. "Why do I always have to be so weak?"

"Meow."

"I don't need any smart remarks from you, of all people," she grumbled, sighing heavily. "At least I'm not always sleeping now…" Shrugging to herself, she wandered back into the streets of the festival, surveying the merriment around her and watching people as they passed by her.

"Hey, a pretty young woman shouldn't be alone during a festival!" a young man nearby informed her with a cheerful smile, and moved beside her. "Want some company, miss?"

"Not really, thanks," she shrugged, and he looked crestfallen. Feeling guilty, she slowly nodded. "Well…I guess I could use some company after all."

"Great! My name's Ye Shing," he introduced himself, and Kae noticed that he wasn't that bad-looking, dressed in a blue and black outfit.

"Mine's Kae," she replied, and he took her hand for a shake.

"Pretty name," he complimented her, and she smiled calmly.

"Thanks."

"Have you ever been to a festival before?" he asked, and she shook her head. "Really?" he checked in surprise, and grinned. "Well, it'll be my pleasure to show you around, then!"

"And it'll be my pleasure to have you show me around," she grinned, as Tama nudged her throat. "Maybe I can just be normal for a while…even if it's not…" Shrugging the rest of the thought away, she took his offered arm with a smile and proceeded to wade into the laughing crowd, allowing a mask of pleasure to fall over her features.

"You don't talk much, do you?" he noticed a bit later. Kae shook her head calmly, having allowed herself to drink more than she normally did – which was normally none – and her cheeks were flushed from the excitement and sake in her system. "Well, that's all right, then," he said agreeably. "Want to see Xi-Lang from a real scenic spot?"

"Sure," she agreed, and he took her hand as he led her away from the crowds toward several lonesome-looking buildings.

"Where are we going?" she asked, a bit suspiciously as he stopped in front of a tower.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to do anything," he chuckled. "But this place has the best spot of Xi-Lang, especially when it's all lit up at night."

"All right," she agreed after thinking it over for a moment, and Tama rested on her shoulder as the young man led her up the tower steps.

"It's a bit steep – are you all right?" he asked, but Kae nodded.

"These robes don't bother me," she assured him, and he grinned.

"Good. We're almost there," he added, as they reached a door. "Ah…here we go," he told her, leading her out onto a small balcony that overlooked the town.

"Wow…" she breathed, the sharp night air bringing her back to her senses a bit as she looked at the countless lights. "It's so beautiful up here! Thank you for bringing me, Shing!"

"My pleasure," he agreed, and suddenly slipped his arm around her waist. "Kae…you're really pretty, you know that?" he asked, his voice suddenly husky. She looked at him in alarm, but something in her mind relaxed at his touch, and she allowed herself to be pulled closer to the young man before.

"Meow," Tama purred urgently, trying to claw her through her skirts, but she ignored the cat. Something inside Kae longed for a man to hold her, and love her as the look in Shing's eyes seemed to promise.

"I hope I'm not being too forward…" he murmured, lowering his lips to hers. Before she could reply that he wasn't, they met in a passionate kiss, unheeding of the meowing animal beside them. Kae shifted when she felt Shing's hand slip to her shoulder and underneath her robes, but she didn't make an effort to move away, and he eagerly persisted.

"Damn right, yer bein' too forward," a voice growled, and the pair broke apart as Kae gasped. She groaned when she saw who was on the roof, and felt herself blushing as she straightened her robes as Tasuki dropped easily to his feet in front of them. "Ya stay away from her," he warned Shing, gripping his harisen so tightly his knuckles were white.

"And who do you think you are?" Shing demanded. "Her lover?" The question startled both of them, but Tasuki hardly lost stride as he glared at the intruder.

"I'm her guardian, that's fer sure, and I'll be damned if I let a bastard like you touch her," he said quietly, his fangs more pronounced than usual. "Now, ya gonna get goin' yerself, or am I gonna have ta make ya?"Shing glanced at Kae, who had quickly gone from blushing to pale at hearing Tasuki's tone, and faced the red-haired man once more.

"You're not her parent," he said calmly. "And she's an adult – she can make decisions on her – urk!"

"Tasuki!" Kae cried, as the Warrior grabbed Shing by the collar and lifted him off his feet.

"Not when ya've got all that sake in her," Tasuki snarled, glaring at the man he was choking. "Now, yer gonna get goin' yerself, or I'll throw ya off the damn tower, go it? Now go!" he barked, droppingShing in disgust onto the stone beneath them. Shing scrambled to his feet and rushed down the stairs, without looking back at the two who were facing off angrily.

"I'm a grown woman, Tasuki," Kae snapped, as Tama curled around her ankles protectively. "And I'm not that drunk," she added, glaring at the Warrior. Tasuki suddenly looked very tired and dropped the arm that had gripped his raised harisen, hanging it by his side.

"It's my job ta make sure ya don't do anything stupid," he informed her just as angrily. "And that includes not actin' like some street whore!"

"What are you insinuating?" she demanded, staring at him in shock. "Tasuki…you…you're…" she stuttered, too enraged to get the words out.

"Come on – yer comin' back home with me," Tasuki said firmly, taking a step toward her. He froze, surprised, when she stepped away from him before he could reach her.

"I'll go home on my own," she said coolly, as if wrapping herself in ice. "I don't want your help."

"Well, ya got it," he argued, and took another move to grab her. She stepped back again hastily to avoid his reach, and felt the rail pressing into the small of her back. "Will ya quit actin' like an idiot?" he demanded. "Subaru and the others are worried, and now I gotta go fetch ya. So come on and act like an adult."

"What would you know about that?" she retorted. "I'm still a woman, Tasuki – and I want what any woman wants! I want someone to love me, and to hold me – not push me around and insult me," she continued, her suddenly-soft tone surprising him. "I don't want to die all alone and never having known anything about this world!"

"What's all this talk of dyin' again?" Tasuki demanded, eying her sharply. "Are you all right?"

"Why does everyone keep asking me that?" she cried in exasperation.

"If ya were actin' normal, we wouldn't have ta," he retorted, and stretched out his hand for a third time. Kae shook her head at him, almost sadly, and pressed further away.

"Go away, Tasuki," she ordered quietly, and his face twisted briefly in pain before turning into determination.

"Nope."

"Go away," she insisted, but he shook his head.

"Not until ya get on ground again."

"I don't…can't you see what I'm trying to do?" she asked desperately, and he gazed at her firmly.

"Nope," he repeated. "So why don't ya tell me? And maybe then I'll go away."

"I…I don't…" Kae stammered, caught off-guard by the strange look on Tasuki's face, and involuntarily took another step away from the Warrior. Unfortunately, there was no more room for her to take another step backwards, and before Tasuki could react – even with his speed – she was sent plummeting over the edge.

"Kae!" he yelped, preparing to jump over the edge. He froze a second time in shock when he saw her hovering several feet above the ground, surrounded by wisps of what seemed to be mist. "What the…" he managed, as Kae herself looked surprised, and suddenly dropped the rest of the way.

"Ow!" she cried, landing on her feet and stumbling backward until she fell. "That fucking hurt," she grumbled, remaining on the ground until she regained her balance.

"Are you all right?" Tasuki asked anxiously, leaping over the edge and easily landing on his feet. She looked up at him grudgingly as he approached her, his hand reached out to help her up, and sighed loudly before reluctantly taking his hand and allowing him to pull her up.

"I'm fine…a little sore, but…" she trailed off, wincing at the tightness that Tasuki held her arm in. "Ow! Tasuki, you're hurting me!" she protested, trying to free herself from his grip. He merely held on and stared at her, until she calmed down and returned his gaze evenly. "Tasuki, please let me go," she managed, but he only shook his head.

"You're hurtin' me – and Chichiri, actin' like ya are now," he told her coolly. "So until ya get some sense into ya, I'm not gonna let ya go."

"What, are you going to tie yourself to me?" she asked wryly, before regretting the words at the self-satisfied smirk that spread across his face.

"Don't have to – 'cause I'm bringin' ya back home where Chichiri'll be able ta sense ya," he nodded, and proceeded to head down the street, Kae having to skip to keep up with his long strides.

"Oh, you're back, no da," Chichiri commented, looking up as Tasuki and Kae entered the house, as if he didn't know Tasuki had forcefully dragged her back. "It's getting pretty late, no da. Subaru and Tokaki already went to bed."

"Probably to give you two privacy to lecture me," Kae thought, getting the feeling she was a small child about to be scolded for doing something wrong – a feeling which only made her more defensive. "Well, it's late, so I'll be going to bed too," she tried, but Chichiri lightly grabbed her hand.

"Can I talk to you, Kae, please?" he asked. In spite of herself, Kae nodded in defeat and took a seat. "I'm not going to lecture you or anything, no da," he told her. "I'm not your parent – and you're not a child, after all. But Tasuki and I are supposed to protect you, and we can't do that when you don't let us, no da. Something's wrong – your chi may have been healed, but there's something else inside you, no da."

Kae looked around, and realized that Tasuki had also disappeared, leaving her to the monk's interrogation. Sighing, she rested her head on the table and took a few minutes to word her feelings correctly, deciding that she may as well confide in the concerned monk. The silence dragged out as Chichiri patiently waited for her to say something, and she finally lifted her head slightly to speak, not looking at him.

"You told me that you and Tasuki lost a lot of people close to you," she said softly, her words almost a whisper. "And then…you said that it hurt Tasuki, deeply. You said that losing someone else might…it might kill…him," she finished, and Chichiri's eyes widened in realization.

"Kae…you're not going to die," he began, but her head shot up in defiance.

"How do you know?" she demanded, hands clenched on the table in fists. "Can you see the future with those powers of yours too?"

"No, I can't," he replied, accepting the blow she had given him. "But you're stronger than you think."

"It's not that!" she cried in frustration, sitting back down with a 'thud'. "It's not…that…" she repeated, refusing to allow herself to cry.

"You don't want Tasuki hurt, so you're trying to drive him away," Chichiri stated, deciding to switch to another matter. When Kae didn't respond, he nodded knowingly but frowned. "Kae…that's hurting him even worse than anything else, can't you see that?"

"I know…but I thought that…"

"When someone loves another person, they want to be with them no matter what – even if something bad happens," he told her calmly. "Tasuki doesn't want you to keep him safe or to protect him – he wants to protect you, and keep you safe, but you drive him away instead. And he doesn't know why."

"It's better this way."

"Let him back in, Kae," Chichiri advised, resting his hand on her arm comfortingly. "He may not have known before, but he knows now – and he knows how he feels about you as well. So give him a chance to prove himself. But it's your decision," he finished, getting to his feet. "I should go meditate some. You should go to bed and rest up – your body probably isn't used to being active like usual, after all. Some good sleep is what you need most right now."

"But what…what if I never wake up?" she whispered, as Chichiri left the room. He paused, hearing something, but continued walking, leaving Kae sitting alone in the room, head buried in her hands.

"So?"

"So what, no da?"

"Did ya tell her ta quit actin' so stupid?" Tasuki demanded impatiently, and Chichiri's eyebrow twitched in annoyance.

"I'm trying to meditate, no da," he hinted, but Tasuki merely glared at him.

"Well?"

"I told her to let us help her, no da," Chichiri sighed, lowering his hands and opening his eye. "But she's an adult, Tasuki – and I'm not her parent. She has her own decisions to make, just as we did. I can't order her to do anything."

"Yes ya can!" the Warrior argued. "Yer the only one she'll talk ta! Yer like…her…"

"She may confide in me on certain things," Chichiri agreed. "But she doesn't tell me everything, no da. Let her rest for now, Tasuki – and stop trying to order her. It only makes her mad, no da. And that won't get you anywhere."

"Nothin' will get me anywhere with that damn woman," he grunted, flopping on the ground and crossing his arms stubbornly. "That's why I hate women."

"And stop that, too," the monk added lightly. "Just be yourself, no da."

"I am being myself!" Tasuki informed him. "I hate women!"

"But you don't hate Kae," Chichiri pointed out, leaving his friend speechless. "So stop grouping in with your other phobias, no da. Treat her like you would a friend."

"I try!"

"Stop pushing her," he sighed. "Something's the matter, but she isn't going to tell us anytime soon, that's for sure. So all we can do now is make sure Keung Xi-Wang doesn't get his hands on her, and let her know that we're her friends. Let her work at her own pace, Tasuki. I promise that'll get you somewhere, no da."

"If ya say so," Tasuki grumbled, getting to his feet. As he walked away, he paused for a moment with a sigh. "Thanks, Chichiri."

"No problem, no da," he replied cheerfully. "Now let me meditate!"

"All right, geez!" his friend yelped, and quickly let the monk alone under the tree, not wanting to get on his bad side anymore.

"Her own pace my ass," Tasuki grumbled, walking around the house a few hours later, unable to sleep at all. A movement caught his attention, and he realized that it was inside one of the rooms. Going over to the window, he peered in and realized with a blush that it was Kae's room, and she was sleeping soundly in the bed. "Doesn't look like she's havin' any bad dreams," he thought, continuing to watch her for a bit.

"What are you doing?"

"I could ask you the same thing!" the Suzaku Warrior gasped, recovering from his initial shock and glaring at Tokaki. "What're ya up ta, ya pervert?"

"I'm not up to anything!" he replied indignantly. "I heard you moving around and decided to go see what the matter was. Well, it's pretty obvious."

"It's not like that!" Tasuki growled, dragging the other man away from the house. "What're ya really doing?"

"I really was checking up on you!" Tokaki retorted. "Subaru and I are worried about all of you. After all, we're Warriors too – we should stick together. And that girl isn't acting right."

"You don't even know her."

"Yeah, but I know women," the Byakko Warrior told him thoughtfully, earning a disgusted look from Tasuki. "And Subaru is a woman, after all – they know these things," he added, ignoring Tasuki's glare. "Chichiri said nothing's wrong with her chi, so I'm at a lost. Any ideas?"

"What're ya so interested for?"

"Hey, I don't want that demon taking over this place any more than you do!" Tokaki said, suddenly annoyed. "Don't forget who you're talking to, Tasuki! Or the enemy you're dealing with – we all have to work together if we want to win," he told him sternly, and Tasuki was suddenly reminded that the Warrior, despite his youthful appearance, was much older than him.

"Sorry," he grumbled, but Tokaki grinned.

"No need to apologize," he assured the Warrior. "Just stop acting like we're the enemy. So, what's the matter with her?"

"I don't know," he admitted, and Tokaki sighed.

"Maybe Subaru can weasel it out of her…or get Chichiri talking," he thought. "That monk seemed to know something, but he's not talking. Oh well…I'm going back to bed," he said abruptly, yawning. "I'm tired – and there's no point in trying to think when your brain's asleep. Go to sleep, Tasuki, and get some rest. We'll need it soon, I'm sure."

"Sure thing," he agreed grudgingly, following the other Warrior back into the house, glancing back into the window as if to make sure Kae was still inside.

I didn't want to do the cliche "needs saving from bad guy" deal, but wanted a scene where Tasuki was really protective like that - did it work? And I wanted to bring Tokaki back in for a bit. Anyway, things are going to really go nuts next chapter (if they do what I WANT them to do!), so please review!