Hi guys I'm back again! (Yay!)

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome all my new reviewers!

So welcome: Irishlass18, Akari kitsune, iluvmitzukake, akanetendo1234, plutobaby494, fushigiyugigirl3, and Starpup!

Welcome! I hope to make friends with you guys too!

Disclaimers: I don't own Fushigi Yugi, Yu Watase does.

And Akina is mine!

On with the story, enjoy!

Chapter six: Trampled feelings and bruises

Nakago turned around and faced their hiding place as he fired away a chi blast at them,

" Die you fools! " He shouted while the chi blast approached them at high speed.

Miaka let out a shriek of fear while Akina shut her eyes tight, not wanting to see when the chi blast would hit them.

" Is this how my life ends? I die before I get a chance to tell Chichiri how I feel about him? " She wondered as she pressed herself harder against Chichiri's arm.

" NOO! I don't want to die! Not now when I finally have all the stars of Suzaku! " Miaka whimpered in fear.

Chichiri released his hold around Akina's shoulder and pushed her violently away from him. She fell down on the ground and let out a small yelp in surprise as she landed.

" DAA! "

Akina's eyes snapped open as she heard the scream. And watched, as Chichiri was hit head-on by the chi blast.

He was blown back by the impact and landed on the ground beside the frightened girls.

" CHICHIRI! " They both shouted in union and Akina cradled him in her lap. Chichiri began to cough and blood ran down his jaw. Akina's face paled when she saw it.

" Oh Kami! Chichiri! Did the chi cause inner injuries? "

Akina reached out her hand and gently began to wipe off the blood from him. But more kept coming out. They heard Nakago laugh at them and Tamahome joined in.

" You fools did you really believed that you could defeat me? I will kill the Suzaku no miko, warriors and anyone that is threatening the summoning of Seiryu! " Nakago said as he began to approach them.

Akina continued to clean up the blood from Chichiri's face, but then and she noticed that his mask was beginning to peal off.

She also felt Chichiri's body stiffened at what Nakago threatened to do with them all.

He muttered something as he rose up a little from Akina's lap and tried to get up on his feet.

" Chichiri stop! Don't fight them! You'll just get wounded as Tasuki or maybe worse! " Miaka begged him.

But Chichiri didn't listen. He pushed himself up by using his elbows. He stood up and took a wobbly step forward.

" So you're up for more? That's good; I'll finish you off right now and then I'll get started with the girls. " Nakago said and glanced over to Miaka and Akina.

Akina saw as the mask fell of and mentally gasped when she saw the look on Chichiri's face.

She had never seen him so angry as he was now. Not even in the movies.

His whole face screamed only one thing and that was " murder. "

Blood still came thru his closed mouth but that didn't seem to bother him at all.

Chichiri brought fourth his staff from the Kesa and then readied himself for combat. Akina watched him as he turned around and took another step away from her and Miaka.

The miko reached out a hand for her infuriated seishi and tried to stop him from fighting.

" CHICHIRI DON'T DO IT! " Miaka shouted as the well seishi ran fourth and lashed out his staff against Nakago.

The Seiryu seishi dodged the blow and jumped back as he tried to gather chi and blow off his opponent once again.

But Chichiri was right in front of Nakago before he even raised his hand.

He swung his staff violently at the Seiryu seishi, who got the blow on his left side and was thrown back.

In the process he flew into Tamahome, the ogre seishi was knocked to the ground and his hold on Tasuki's throat was gone.

Tasuki gasped for air as he fell forward onto the ground with a loud " thud." Blood was starting to gather around him from his wounds.

" TASUKI! " Miaka shrieked as she saw him lying there motionless and bleeding heavily.

Chichiri ran over to Tasuki, picked him up and then warped back to the girls.

Miaka reached out her arms at Tasuki as he was placed down in her lap.

" Tasuki! Please say something to me! Please! " Miaka begged him as she gently stroke his chin.

Tasuki slowly opened his eyes and looked into her teary ones.

The fire seishi felt a pain worse than his wounds in his heart as he saw his miko cry.

" Miaka…Please don't cry…I want to see you smile for… me…" He then reached out his hand and cupped her face as he began to speak.

" Ya see…this is what happens….when I get…..mixed up with girl's….." He said and his hand then dropped to the ground and Miaka became completely overwhelmed by fear and guilt.

" TASUKI! " Miaka yelled and buried her face in the fire seishi's hair and tears began to well down from her cheeks.

" Miaka calm down! He just fainted!" Akina told the miko as she crawled up beside her and Chichiri. She then reached out her hand for him and placed it on his shoulder.

" Are you okay Chichiri? Has it stopped bleeding? " She asked as he turned around and faced her.

" I'm alright. It is not a serious wound so don't worry about that no da. What about you? "

She blushed and was about to answer when Tamahome came running towards them with his Nunchako waving in front of him, ready to attack them.

Chichiri bolted up, running towards Tamahome to keep him away from the girls and wounded seishi.

Tamahome struck out his weapon and quickly parried as the monk lashed out with his staff to attack him.

The ogre seishi saw an opening and gave Chichiri a sidekick. The older seishi stumbled back and began to chant a freeze spell but had to break it when Tamahome got to close to him.

" HAHH! " Tamahome swung out his leg in another sidekick. But this time Chichiri was ready and sends him another blow with the staff. The blow hit Tamahome on his left cheek.

But the blow wasn't powerful enough to knock him away completely.

But Tamahome jumped back and waited for opponent to attack again. Chichiri ran after him trying to hit his opponent again.

The fight went on like that for a while, but what Chichiri did not notice was that Tamahome was luring him away from the girls and Tasuki. He only dodged Chichiri's blows but lashed out a few times when Chichiri got to close to him.

" Why isn't he attacking me anymore no da? ……It couldn't be! "

" EYAAAAAH! " The well seishi spun round as e heard the girls scream and saw Nakago standing five feet away from them.

Miaka held Tasuki in a protective way against her chest. While Akina tried to protect both of them as Nakago began to walk against them again with a devilish grin on his face.

" Miaka, Tasuki, Akina! " Chichiri shouted and tried to run over to their aid when he felt the steel chains of the Nunchako settle around his neck.

" Were are you're going? You were fighting me… " The ogre seishi said as the evil grin crossed his face too and the chains tightened around Chichiri's neck.

" NOO! CHICHIRI! " Akina tried to rise to her feet but forgetting about her wound on her ankle. The ankle screamed in protest as she tries to stand up on it.

" Ouch! " She hissed and grabbed the wounded ankle. She then saw a pair of boots standing right in font of her; she raised her gaze and faced Nakago.

" Do you really think you have time to worry about him? " He asked and kneeled down in front of her. Same smile was on his face like the one he had when he broke her ankle.

He roughly grasped Akina's chin and held her face pretty close to his.

" Maybe I should have snapped of both of your ankles… Well that can be arranged right now to teach you what happens when someone runs away from me! " He said and made a meaning look at her right foot.

" AGHH! " Chichiri gasped loudly for air while he managed to let out a small scream.

Akina looked away from Nakago and glanced over to Chichiri who was slightly blue in his face.

" CHICHIRI! " Akina felt panic build up inside of her. If someone didn't do something quick he would die from air loss like Tasuki almost did!

And the thought of Chichiri dead did not please here at all.

By that thought rage replaced the fear and panic. Her blood rushed thru her veins like a furious flood, she felt something beginning to burn in her skin. But ignored it.

All she wanted right now was to give Nakago a beating of a lifetime and get Tamahome away from Chichiri.

" If Chichiri dies…I'll kill Nakago with my bare hands! " She thought as her eyes turned to small springs and her breathing came faster. Nakago noticed this and flinched as he felt an enormous wave of power flood from her body.

" Tamahome…..GET YOUR HANDS OF CHICHIRI, NOW! " Akina screamed. She felt something burst away from her body right when she finished the sentence.

And whatever it was knocked Nakago right in the face and send him flying a few yards away. He landed on the ground with his face in the dirt.

But it didn't stop there; it also destroyed the chains around Chichiri's neck and blow away Tamahome from him too.

Chichiri fell to his knees and coughed violently. Then quickly warped himself over to the girls and was embraced fiercely by Akina as he appeared again.

She buried her face against his neck and he could feel tears of relief dripping down along his neck as she petted his hair.

" Thank goodness! You're all right! I thought you were going to die! " She whispered against his neck.

He blushed when she expressed her concern for him like this. But returned the embrace and whispered comforting words to her.

" I'm alright Akina, so don't cry no da……" He brushed away the tears form her cheeks and turned up her face to meet his.

" Please don't cry…… Give me a pretty smile instead…" He begged her and continued brush away new tears that fell.

Akina sniffed and gave Chichiri a shaky smile before she nodded.

" O-okay." She sniffed as Chichiri pulled her closer to him and petted her hair.

Suddenly the sound of a flute sang thru the air and began to pierce the barrier.

" Chiriko! " They said in union and Chichiri could feel the other's chi destroy Nakago's barrier.

" Hotohori, Nuriko, Mitzukake…" Miaka could also feel her warrior's chi sweep thru the air before it disappeared. Chichiri felt the barrier break and he was free to use magic again.

" Now's the time! " Chichiri raised his hand and chanted a quick spell. Red light then surrounded all them and they began to disappear.

Tamahome got up and began run towards them as they almost had disappeared.

" DAMNED COWARDS! GET BACK HERE AND FIGHT! " They heard Tamahome shout at them. Miaka faced Tamahome and whispered him good-bye.

" Good bye Tamahome…Good bye forever…" And then they were gone.

Back in the palace…

Hotohori and the others watched as the red light appear in the throne room and Miaka and the others appeared in front of them.

They gasped when they saw all the horrible injuries their friends had attained.

Tasuki had several injuries on his body and head, while Miaka had a broken arm. Chichiri had bruises around his neck. And Akina who was still in Chichiri's embrace didn't seem to have any injuries.

" Oh Kami-Sama! " Nuriko said as Hotohori rushed forward and pulled Miaka into an embrace when he saw her crying.

" Miaka what happened to you guys? And where's Tamahome? " He asked as Tasuki was lifted off Miaka's lap and she then collapsed against his chest.

" OH MY GOD! GENROU! " Kouji shouted when he ran over to his friend, as the shock of seeing his best friend beaten up like that had passed. Kouji kneeled down beside Tasuki and checked him for a pulse.

" Babump… Babump… Babump…"

" He's alive… thank Suzaku-sama…" Kouji let out a sigh in relief as he felt his friend's pulse under his fingers. Then his attention turned to the others as they spoke to Miaka.

" Miaka, what happened over there? " Nuriko asked her as he kneeled down by Hotohori's side to provide comfort to his miko.

" I told Tamahome good bye…forever… He hurt Tasuki and Chichiri. I can't forgive him for that. It's over…" She sniffed and began to cry against Hotohori's chest.

Hotohori did not know how to react on this news and so did Nuriko and the others.

" Miaka…" They all thought in union and a sad expression crossed everyone's faces.

Mitzukake ordered some servants to carry Tasuki to his room while he would first take a look at the miko and Akina.

" I'll heal Miaka first, so if your highness and Nuriko could escort her to her room, I'll come as soon as I've checked Chichiri and Akina for wounds." The healer finished and walked over to the other two.

" Don't worry Mitzukake. We'll take care of her. " Nuriko answered as he rose up. He also offered to carry Miaka but Hotohori insisted on carrying her.

" Hotohori… We need to talk about something important that happened over in Kuto besides the fact that Tamahome is with the Seiryu seishi's now…" Miaka said to him and closed her eyes while resting her head on his shoulder.

Hotohori nodded and lifted Miaka up into his arms and carried her away with Nuriko following right behind them.

Kouji followed the servants who carried Tasuki and threatened them all the way to their room that he would beat them up if Tasuki got more hurt than he already was.

Mitzukake kneeled down beside Chichiri and Akina and began inspecting Chichiri's neck. But the well seishi only waved off Mitzukake.

" I'm alright Mitzukake no da! So don't worry about me! "He chirped and the healer then turned his attention to Akina.

He noticed right away that her ankle was broken and he carefully reached down and grasped her ankle as gently as he could.

" How did you break your ankle Akina? It looks like someone broke it with bare hands!"

Mitzukake continued to inspect her foot as Chichiri made his way over to them and looked at her ankle.

It was really swollen, about two seizes bigger than the other foot. A nasty red-purple with a stain of yellow color covered it. Akina did not look anyone of them in the face. She only looked at the floor and refused to meet their gazes.

" How did she break it? Did Tamahome do that to her before we arrived or did something else happen to her? " Chichiri wondered as Mitzukake spoke up and interrupted his thoughts.

" Chichiri could you please take Akina to her room for me? I have to heal Miaka and check up on Tasuki. But I will come later and heal her ankle as soon as I can. "

" Of course Mitzukake no da! Just leave it to me! " He answered and cradled up Akina into his arms.

While she protested loudly as he walked away with her.

" Chichiri, you don't have to carry me! I can still walk a little at least! " She said and struggled against his chest. But his grip on her waist and legs remained firm as Chichiri continued to walk down the hall.

He turned down his face and she saw concern written all over it.

" Just like the time I meet him at the palace…" She thought.

" I don't want to risk that you might get more hurt than you already are Akina no da. So please let me carry you there, okay no da? " She blushed at what he said to her and finally stopped struggling against him.

But that didn't stop Akina from making a pouting chibi face at Chichiri and mutter.

" Okay… but only because you insist! Otherwise I would have jumped on one leg all the way here or crawled! You make me feel like an infant when you hold me like this! " She whined still in chibi form.

Chichiri laughed and stopped in front of the door that was hers.

" Well you do look like one when you are pouting like that no da! " Akina made another pouting face and playfully hit Chichiri's arm. He only chuckled in response.

With a wave of his hand the door opened and closed right after them as they entered the room.

He then made his way to her bed and laid her down, he also went and grabbed a chair to sit down on beside her bed and gaze down at her.

" You just lay here and wait for Mitzukake to come and heal you no da.

Don't worry I'll keep you company while you wait no da! " He whispered while he gently brushed a few bangs away from her face.

" Thank you…" Akina's face broke up into a warm smile and she reached out her hand and touched his left cheek.

Chichiri immediately froze when he felt her fingers stroke his bare skin and not the mask.

"My mask! Oh Kami I forgot to put a new one on my face! " He turned away the left half of his face away from Akina to hide the scar. But she gently grasped his face with both hands and pulled him back to face her.

" No, please don't look away from me… You don't have to hide your scar around me…" Akina said and brushed her hand across the scar.

She felt him jerk away a little, but she reached out for him again and continued to caress his scar.

" I don't find you repulsive if that's what you think Chichiri. I think you look handsome with that scar across your eye."

Chichiri could not believe his ears.

" Me? Handsome? " He tried to say something, but did not know what to say.

Akina blushed as she realized what she said to him, but did not remove her hands from his face.

" Shoot! I did not mean to say the last part out loud…"


" Why? " He finally managed to get out. Akina looked puzzled by his question so he reformed the question.

" Why do you accept me, though I have a disfigured face? Why? " He asked and waited for her answer. And Akina replied immediately without hesitation.

" Judging people by their looks or past is not a great way to make friends with anyone, Chichiri. I don't judge people by their looks, titles, past or stuff like that."

" It's the inside that counts and I know that you are a good person." Akina said and kept eye contact all the time she spoke to him.

" The inside is what counts? I have not really thought about that no da…" He thought. But a question kept poking is mind so he decided to ask her.

" How can you say that I'm a good person when you don't know anything about me no da? " He asked, slightly doubting what she told him.

" Just by watching and talking to you… I've seen what a great person you are…"

" You have a really big heart and care deeply for your friends. And that is two things I value about you Chichiri…" Chichiri was stunned; he did not know how to reply on this.

No one had ever told him either that he was handsome with his scar. Or either said such deep words to him like she just did.

Miaka and Tamahome had been the first ones to see his scar besides Tai-Yi Jun-Sama and the Nyan-Nyan's.

They had not said anything to him about it or asked if he wanted to talk about it. Right then he was grateful for that. But now when he talked to Akina about his scar he felt a heavy weight lift from his heart.

" Should I tell her about Kouran and Hikou? " He wondered, but then he mentally shook his head.

Chichiri felt he wasn't ready yet to tell Akina about Kouran and Hikou, So he would wait with that until he was.

" Does she really mean what she said to me? " He wondered and looked into her eyes. Trying to detect any kind of doubt or lie. But he could not see anything but pure honesty in those pretty sky blue eyes.

" She really is something special… Do you think you ever could fall in love with her?" A small voice asked in his sub conscious asked him.

" Where did that come from no da? " He wondered, but showed the thought away and continued to look into her eyes as he began to speak.

" Akina… I "

" Knock, knock! "

They both glared over at the door and watched as Mitzukake stepped inside. He looked over at the two of them as he shut the door.

" Well, let's get started. " He said and walked over to Akina. Chichiri rose from his chair to let Mitzukake sit down beside his patient.

The healer went straight for the broken ankle and began to examine it again.

" Are you hurt anywhere else beside your ankle Akina? " He asked and eyed her clothes for bloodstains and injuries.

Akina bit her lip and said that it was nothing to worry about. But Mitzukake insisted promptly.

" Please show me and I'll decide if it is something to worry about or not. Please? " Mitzukake asked her while giving her a friendly smile.

Akina looked very uneasy but after a few moments she agreed.

"…Okay, I'll show you. But could you please look away for a moment? I need to remove my tunic…" Both of the warriors looked quickly away from her and waited for her permission to look again.

" Umm, y-you can look now." Mitzukake turned his eyes back; she had wrapped a blanket around her waist and upper chest to cover herself up.

And he immediately spotted an enormous bruise on her back.

He looked over it and then he was directed to her upper chest that was visible above the blanket. Four bruises that looked like fingerprints were around her left breast.

" Akina who did this to you? Whoever did this abused your body in a very, very violently way. "

Chichiri jerked his head back and looked at Akina's back and chest. Gasping at the size of the bruise on her back. He could not understand how anyone could be so cruel at someone as sweet and caring as Akina.

She looked like she was about to cry and she did not make eye contact as Chichiri tried to look her in her eyes.

When she did not answer his question, Mitzukake sighed and reached out his hand to begin to heal her. And after a few moments he stopped and she saw that her wound was gone. Including the bruises.

" Thank you Mitzukake. You didn't really have to heal my bruises since they would have healed in a couple of weeks at least…" She said but Mitzukake only smiled at her and rose up from the chair. He headed for the door but stopped as he opened it and looked back at Akina and Chichiri.

" My work here is done, I have to go and take care of Tasuki now. So get some rest for now…" He said with another small smile and then walked out from the room and closed the door.

Chichiri waited until he could no longer hear Mitzukake in the corridor before he turned his attention back to Akina. She still avoided eye contact with him as he stared at her.

" Akina, tell me who did this to you…" Akina noticed that his no da's were gone meaning he was serious.

She looked down on her ankle and a short flash back flew through her mind of the scariest night in her entire life.

Chichiri feel that she was very upset and emotional about the subject, and as he was about to drop it she uttered a name under her breath.

" Nakago… He tried to rape me Chichiri!" Was all she said and new tears fell form her eyes. Chichiri felt his anger boil up, but suppressed it since he did not want to scare her.

He sat down on the chair again and pulled Akina into a warm embrace. Gently petting her hair and hushed her.

" Shh, it's okay you're safe now. Nakago won't come here so don't worry…" He said and continued to hush her slightly.

After a while he quietly began to sing for her, in hope that the song would lure her to sleep.

( I do not own this song, The one who wrote " the champion of the great condor " does.

I do not know her/his name. )

Back in that time of gentle innocence.

When I left the village where I was born

I can remember just a little how

I packed up my things, and took them with me

Far in the sky, down that long road

I didn't turn to look back, as I walked on

From here on out, I will no longer cry

I've decided that in my heart

I'm heading out now

Oh majestic, northern sky…

Will you please embrace me?

The one that I want to meet

Tell me where I can find her?

Leaning against the window, I cried all those days

But starting from now, I'm going to change…

Farewell…

Akina felt her eyes getting heavier by every single word he sang. And finally she gave up trying to resist sleep and let it claim her.

Chichiri smiled when he felt her relax and he carefully laid her back on the bed, and he grabbed another blanket that was on the end of the bed and covered her with it.

Then he quietly tiptoed to the door and opened it, but before he leaved he turned back and looked at her now peaceful sleeping face.

" I failed my promise to protect you in Kuto…

But from now on I will give everything I've got to protect you from harm. Even if it means loosing my life.

I promise you that Akina…" Then he stepped outside, closed the door and walked away.

" Sweet dreams Akina…"

Akina's lips turned up into a smile, and began to drift deeper into sleep.

" Good night Chichiri…"

Phew, now I'm done with this chapter!

Hope you guys liked it.

I will begin to write chapter seven now.

But I don't know when I'll be able to update next since my teachers are determined to bury me under schoolwork!

My Parents are going to rent an apartment for me in the school area so that I can get more sleep during the school days.

Waking up 6.30 in the morning and then going by buss for five miles into the city doesn't make you really all " Go get them! "

But I will continue to write and update as soon as I can!

So don't worry!

Well, please review!

And Ja ne!