Lola: I'll make this a short before the chapter speech. New chapter! I'm sorry I'm a slow updater. Boo hoo.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fushigi Yugi, or the characters. They belong to Yuu Watase. I own Kumiko Inoai and her family. Rei belongs to Lupine-eyes, and Mischa (And Azura) belong to Paris-rose. Okay? Good.

You now the drill.

Chapter 15: An Image in the Mirror

Morning came sooner than Kumiko would have wished. She groaned in displeasure, cursing the bright morning sun. She squeezed her eyes shut them beadily blinked them open a few times. Seeing the sight in front of her, she let out a scream.

"PERVERT!" She yelled accusingly, pushing Tasuki off of her bed.

He awoke with a start and didn't really need an explanation as to why his girlfriend was screaming at him.

"That is so wrong, you can't just do that! Just because I like you and you like me, it doesn't give you the right to sleep with me!" She shrieked, cheeks blushing furiously.

"I didn't sleep with you," He retorted, "I just…slept with you."

"It's the same thing!" She said exasperatedly.

"Look, it isn't my fault. We got back really late and I came in to see if you were still awake. YOU grabbed onto MY hand and wouldn't let go. What was I supposed to do? You would have been pissed off at me if I had woken you up. It's like a game I can't win."

Kumiko lowered her head in complete embarrassment. "I'm sorry," she said, "I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions. It's just…I'm not allowed. I'm not even supposed to be showing you any affection, other than friendship. These stupid rules about being a priestess…they suck so bad."

Tasuki came over to her cautiously, just to make sure that she was completely finished with her paranoid outburst. "I know it's hard…god you should see Tamahome and Miaka. They're really bad at it. I'd just prefer to break all the rules rather than try following them. It's only going to tear you and I apart, right?"

"Right," she answered softly, feeling another deep pain in her heart.

"Kumiko, something bad happened last night. We came back with the Shinzaho but…"

"What? What happened?" She asked urgently.

Tasuki couldn't find a voice to say it. He was willing to admit, he was afraid of losing to his emotions in front of Kumiko. She did enough crying to cover the both of them…

"Chiriko," he said, barely above a whisper, "died."

Kumiko covered her mouth in horror. She wanted to deny it with all of her heart. A boy, thirteen years of age, had his life taken from him so quickly? What would Mischa do?

"What about Mischa?" Kumiko said, her voice now matching the tone of his.

"She ran away after we told her. Last night. I swear, the news must have broken her. I admit, I dislike that woman more than I can say, but we were all feeling bad. When she ran, Chichiri went after her. I don't know if he found her. I doubt she got away from him."

"Tasuki…it isn't fair." Kumiko embraced him tightly, "why? Why does everyone have to go? Why are they all being taken from us? I want them to live forever! I don't want anyone to die anymore!" She gripped the cloth of his shirt tightly as she scrunched up her face in agony and anger.

"It's never fair. People you never expect to see go…die before your very eyes. He asked me to do it, Kumiko. He told me to….and I couldn't. I just couldn't do anything to hurt him." His voice wavered as tears flooded his vision.

"How did it happen?" She asked softly, with disbelief.

"We left to find the place Tatara hid the Shinzaho. Seiryuu's senshi were already there. One of them was killed, but forced his soul into Chiriko's body. He threatened our lives with these demons he could control. Chiriko…so strong…he broke through, and begged me to kill him and get it over with to save ourselves. When I couldn't…wouldn't do it, he did it himself. Stabbed himself in the stomach. And then we had to watch as he lied there…dying. He was so strong. Stronger than all of us."

Tasuki didn't bother to hide his emotions as he buried his head in Kumiko's neck. She rubbed her arm back and forth across his back in a comforting motion. She herself began to tear up. "It's so unfair," she sniffed, "why did he have to die?"

After the two had calmed down some, Kumiko knew that now would be the time to talk, or he would never know.

"Tasuki, I've been hiding something from you. From everyone. I…haven't told a soul. And I can no longer keep up my guilty conscience. Please promise to forgive me?"

He nodded. "Of course I'll forgive you. Just tell me and I promise I'll understand."

"Tasuki," She took a deep breath and let the words come out, "I'm going to die."

She waited for his reaction. Then he did something she did not expect:

He laughed. "Okay, okay, enough with the jokes. What is it, really?" She didn't answer. He thought she wasn't serious. And although that was far from the truth, she couldn't come out and say so. When she was silent, he realized what it meant. She wasn't lying.

"…you're not joking, are you?" He asked. She shook her head slowly.

"No… I'm not. After I complete my task…I have to die."

" No. No! It's not possible," he said shaking his head, "you can't die. You're Kumiko. You're my Kumiko. And you wouldn't just give up so easily. Come on…be serious." He was beginning to loose his nerve again.

"Tasuki, I'm being serious! Tai-Itsukun told me, just after I came back. After I complete my task I will be shattered into a million gazillion pieces. Never to be recovered. Lost for all eternity, and there's nothing I can do about it!"

She felt like crying, but she knew there was nothing left to cry. She had spent long nights worrying about it. She just hid her face in her hands. Life seemed to be so unfair and corrupt at that moment. She felt a pair of arms wrap around her. Tasuki rested his chin on her shoulder and whispered to her softly.

"You're really serious?" He asked.

"Yes."

"…Then I'll just have to spend the time I have with you. It's that simple. Now that I've finally got you all to myself, I'm not letting go until it's time. Do you understand?"

She nodded.

"Good," he smiled gently. He kissed her neck tenderly, just below her jaw. She turned her torso so she could face him fully.

"And I won't give up on us. Even if I die, when I do I mean…I want you to remember me forever." She clasped her arms around his neck and the two stayed so, frozen in position for a long time.

"Kumiko!" Miaka burst through her door. Kumiko looked up and smiled at her friend.

"Hey Miaka, what do you need?"

"Mischa's back!" She said, out of breath. Kumiko stood and followed Miaka out of the room to one of the palace's many throne rooms, where everyone had met to see her return.

Both Mischa and Chichiri looked extremely tired. His had taken his mask off, and Kumiko could see heavy bags underneath his eyes. Mischa didn't look much different. But her face showed deep sorrow that made Kumiko want to cry all over again. She was not dressed in her usual black, but a colorful kimono.

"Mischa!" Kumiko said feebly, hugging her. "Everyone was so worried!"

"I know," Mischa said shoving her off gently. "I know. I'm sorry, okay? I just…I couldn't take it at the time. I didn't mean to worry anybody."

"I'm unsure of what exactly we're going to do now. We've lost two senshi already," Miaka said, quite tearfully, "and with only one Shinzaho, I'm not sure what to do next."

"We should contact Tai-Itsukun," Kumiko said suddenly, "she'll know what to do. I'm sure of it."

Chichiri nodded. " Kumiko's right. It's worth a try, no da."

"And it couldn't hurt trying," Tamahome said with a shrug, "lets do it."

"What was it that you used to contact Emperor Hotohori in Konan? Is there some sort of way we can reach her?" Rei asked uncertainly.

"Well, she has a special tactics of mirrors," Kumiko said, thinking. "Chichiri, don't you have a mirror we can use?" Chichiri nodded in reply.

"And isn't it ironic that the Biyakko Shinzaho just happened to be a hand mirror," Tasuki said sarcastically.

"Alright. We'll try to reach Tai-Itsukun. Then we'll know what to do."

After the return of Mischa and Chichiri, they had left Chichiri be to work on contacting Tai Itsukun. They were worried that since Miaka had the Biyakko Shinzaho, sending such a signal could give their away their location to the enemy. Kumiko had swiftly retreated to her room, to be alone. Shortly after, Mischa came in, searching for someone to talk to. Kumiko was surprised that Mischa actually came to her, rather than Miaka.

"Thanks, Kumiko," Mischa said quietly, "I just needed someone to talk to about all this. Just…don't tell anybody okay? Especially that idiot boyfriend of yours. The last thing I need right now is Tasuki making fun of me for feeling bad about it."

Kumiko shook her head vigorously. "No, don't worry! I won't tell anybody about it, I promise! And besides, Tasuki feels just as bad about all this. He'd never criticize you for it." Mischa gave a indifferent nod. "If you don't tell anybody, I'll tell you a secret," Kumiko said quietly. Mischa's ears perked slightly.

"What?"

"Miaka told me he cried," Kumiko said, in a barely audible tone. Mischa raised her eyebrows.

"Tasuki? Mr. I'm-a-badass-bandit? Cried? Holy Shit," Mischa gave a small laugh. "That's unheard of."

There was a small knock on Kumiko's door.

"Who is it?" She called.

"It's Amiboshi, Kumiko-san."

"Oh! Come on in!" Kumiko said. She turned to Mischa. "You don't mind, do you?" Mischa shook her head. Amiboshi opened the door and quietly stepped in.

"Kumiko, I was wondering, are we going to have another confrontation with the Seiryuu senshi?" He asked, a bit nervously. Kumiko shrugged.

"I don't know. Why?" She motioned for him to sit down, which he did uneasily.

"Well, you know my twin brother Suboshi is very dedicated to the priestess Yui. He won't leave them, no matter what I say. But…I miss his company terribly," As Amiboshi spoke, Mischa began to tremble. Not in fear or sorrow, but in anger.

"And you know, I desire to see him again, for the sake of brotherhood. I wish-"

However, they never found out what it was Amiboshi wished, for a powerful hand had slapped him across the face. The sound resonated clearly throughout the room. No one spoke. The only other sound was the deep breaths Mischa was taking to control her anger.

"If you want to really know what it's like to miss a twin, I'll kill that poor excuse for a brother of yours right now. I swear to god, I'd do it. Don't think you know what it's like to miss a sibling. You have no fucking idea." With that, she stormed out of the room and slammed to door. Kumiko flinched as she did so.

"Amiboshi, are you alright?" She asked, rushing over to him. He put his hand to his cheek, which stung painfully.

"Yes, I'm fine, although I'm not quite sure I know what I did to anger her," he told her. Kumiko sighed.

"Mischa had a twin sister, Azura. The two were best friends, from what Miaka tells me. Inseparable. Then, a few years ago, Azura was killed in a car crash, while Mischa just escaped with nothing but a scratch and a handful of bad memories. The driver was Mischa's boyfriend, and he was drunk. I guess she never got over that," Kumiko said quietly. "I guess hearing you say something like that angered her, because you haven't gone through what she did."

Amiboshi replied, "Ah, I understand. I had no intentions of it, Kumiko, I promise." Kumiko smiled gently and gave a nod. "Although, I must ask. What is a car crash?"

Kumiko shook her head. "I'll tell you some other time. Right now, we should all get ready to talk with Tai-Itsukun."

When Chichiri had finally figured a spell to cast, he called everyone into the large throne room. Everyone seemed a bit jumpy, for one reason or another. A large mirror stood in front of the group. Slowly, an image of Tai-Itsukun's face appeared in the mirror.

"Hello, everyone. Why is it you have called me?" She asked, looking around at the individual faces.

"She's even more scary looking in such a big mirror," Tamahome whispered.

"I heard that Tamahome!" Tai-Itsukun hissed. He cowered.

"We called you because we are uncertain of what our next plan of action is," Kumiko said, stepping forward.

"We retrieved the Biyakko Shinzaho from its hiding place, but we lost Chiriko in the process," Miaka explained. A few sniffs escaped from various people around the room. "If we were to go ahead and charge into battle against Seiryuu, who knows how many more lives we'll lose before we gain the Genbu Shinzaho!"

"I understand your predicament," Tai-Itsukun said, "and I will tell you what to do. But first, I must speak with the Shi Jin no Miko alone."

Tasuki nudged Kumiko, "that's you."

"I know that, baka!" She whispered, nudging him back playfully. "That's alright with me," She told Tai-Itsukun.

Everybody else began to file out of the room, until she was the only one left. "Ok, what's this about?" She asked the old woman.

"Kumiko, it is time," Tai-Itsukun told her firmly.

"Time for what?" She asked confusedly.

"Time to summon the four gods together. I know you have gathered all four of your guardians. What matters now is getting back to the Kyoto temple and summoning all four of them at once," Tai-Itsukun spoke softly, but there was a commanding manner to it.

"Why the Kyoto temple? Am I really able to summon all four gods? What about the Shinzahos?" Kumiko asked, desperately trying to grasp the concept Tai-Itsukun was pushing on her.

"With the help of your four guardians, yes, you are able to summon all four gods. All it takes is the ceremony. To you, the Shinzahos are of no use. In fact, they are of no use if you are to summon all four. I was worried you were unable to do so, and that is why I sent Miaka in search of the Shinzahos in the first place. But it seems you are stronger than I thought you were. I worry still. We will need the presence of all four other priestesses as well. This of course means Seiryuu must get a hint of your plan, but not enough to stop you."

"We could have someone here at the palace spread it as gossip, enough after we've left," Kumiko thought to herself aloud, "I'm sure Seiryuu is hanging around Sairou to get any word of us."

"That is an excellent idea, see that it is done," Tai-Itsukun instructed. Kumiko nodded. "You do make an excellent Priestess of Four Gods you know, but I am aware of your interaction with your Suzaku guardian." Kumiko's breath caught in her throat as she heard the words. "But I'm afraid there isn't much to be done. You're already in love with him. He's already in love with you. You've seen what the whole process has done to Tatara and Suzuno, and now Miaka and Tamahome as well." Kumiko lowered her head in embarrassment.

"All I can say is that he will be the one to carry the heartache when you are gone."

"Tai-Itsukun, when should we leave for the Kyoto temple?" Kumiko asked.

"As soon as possible. In fact, I would suggest tonight. In the cover of darkness, it will be easy to avoid enemies. Just be careful. Travel in a large group, all of you. You cannot risk being separated, for if you do…who knows what will happen." Kumiko swallowed hard.

"Travel straight through. Do not stop for rest unless it is completely necessary. It will be only a two day's ride to the east if you hurry. I will keep an eye out for you, and for Seiryuu's minions behind you."

"Thank you Tai-Itsukun," Kumiko said graciously.

"No, thank you. You are the one who shall save us all from death. But do hurry to the Kyoto temple. I will be waiting for you there." Her words echoed softly as her image disappeared into the mirror's shining surface.

Kumiko turned to the doors and opened them. The group turned to face her.

"What'd she say?" Tasuki asked, "What did the old bag tell you?"

"We have to leave," Kumiko said, "we're all going to the Kyoto temple."

Lola: Chapter done, and I hope you appreciate it. This is my last night of break and I have to go back to school tomorrow.

Paris: I appreciate it, really!

Lola: Good. I guess there's a first time for everything.

Paris: Hey!

Lola: Thanks guys! Don't forget to review!

Next time:

-The last of the Genbu and Biyakko senshi arrive (and I haven't introduced half of them)

-The group travels quickly to the Kyoto temple…hopefully.

- The war between Konan and Kuto begins: Big trouble starts