Chapter 32: Fraklin, Eat your heart out

Miaka and her remaining warriors ran toward the one life force left in the building that wasn't out to

kill them, the celestial warrior of Byakko, Tatara. "His life force is weak. We need to hurry", Tamahome

said. "He needs help and soon", Mitsukake added. "If we don't hurry...", Miaka didn't need to finish

and they ran all the faster.

The halls and stairs just seemed too overwhelming, and if it wasn't for their celestial GPS system they

never would have finally found the door... or the trap. They had entered a huge room decorted from

top to bottom in tiles with decortive designs. The room itself was in the shape of a "+" and in the

very middle sat a small child that floated in the air. Behind him was the blooded body of a very

handsome looking young man.

"No!", Miaka yelled and tried to run to the fallen warrior, but was stopped by Chichiri. "He's still

alive, no da. We need to get threw him first", the monk said and pointed his staff toward the flying

midget, "Don't let his small size fool you, no da. He's very strong."

"Welcome, Warriors of Suzaku. Prepared to die?", Miboshi said as he read from the Complete

Idiots Guide to Villianly. "Uh... Acually, no. No we are not. Now get out of our way or we'll spank

ya until you get diaper rash!", Miaka replied with Suzaku given courage. "And here is the paddle!",

Tasuki said and pulled out his fan, "Rekka Shien!"

Miboshi's eyes widdened in suprise before he vanished and reappeared behind the warriors. Tatara,

who sat at the opposite side of the hall shouted out a warning when Miboshi began to spin his

... baby raddel? This kid really is sick... but not as sick looking as the demons that suddenly

sprung from the ground.

"REKKA SHIEN! REKKA SHIEN! REKKA SHIEN!", Tasuki yelled (setting the entire complex

on fire) and terminated the entire mini-army. "Tasuki, you're an idiot", Chichiri said with irritation

and teloported over to where Tatara was then back to the group. "Let's go, no da", Chichiri said.

"I can't leave this place or I'll die and If you kill me you'll never get the shinzaho", Tatara informed

them. "We aren't going to kill you", Tasuki grunted as they rushed threw the halls to reach a more

stable section of the huge building. Miboshi could be heard screaming from inside the burning room

as they fled.

By the time they got somewhere safe Tatara had passed out and was being carried by Tasuki as the

group kept running, trying to kind a way out. The place was like a maze, and had as many deadends

as one also and eventually they had to stop to catch their breath. "Do you think we're safe?", Miaka

asked. "I wouldn't count on it. The fire will keep speading and it'll get here sooner or later. We need to

find the way out... now", Tamahome said.

"We can't leave! Tatara will die if we go!", Miaka argued. "We don't have time to fight about this, no

da. We need to keep going to buy time, no da. Then we'll think about what to do", Chichiri ordered.

Tamahome and Miaka shared an icy glare before they continued to race down the hall.

"Uh... Kate? Is that smoke coming off the west wing of the temple?", Chiriko asked from his spot in

the grass at the foot of the huge building. "Huh? Where?", Kate asked as she came out of her own

little world. "Right there", Chiriko said as he pointed upward and to their left. Kate's eyes narrowed

as she tried to see what he was looking at, "I'm not sure..."

The two bystanders kept looking up while they circled the building , trying to get a better view of the

smoke that Chiriko had seen. "Look! Look! Did you see that?", Chiriko asked and Kate nodded.

A flame could now be seen flickering in a window high above them and ashes were raining down

from this side of the building. The smoke Chiriko had seen had been coming from that window.

"I hope everyone is alright", Kate said. "We need to stay away from the building. It's rapidly growing

unstable and something doesn't feel right", Chiriko said and looked as if he were about to continue

but his eyes suddenly went wide and his mouth opened in a silent gasp. "Are you ok?", Kate asked,

worried.

The teen jumped slightly as if she had snuck up on him and turned his wide eyes on her, "My symbol...

It's gone." A jolt of panic raced up Kate's spine for a split second as she thought that maybe the

others had died, but quickly dismissed it as she recalled that in the manga Chiriko's symbol would

sometimes vanish, leaving him without his genius and a little bit on the valley girl side of dumb.

"It's ok. It's ok. Let's go. We'll be fine", Kate said hurriedly as she looked up at the fire. Thoughts of

the Seiryu warriors filled her mind and caused her blood to grow cold and bile to raise in her throat.

Kate shivered visibily and Chiriko noticed. "Are you cold?", he asked. "No... Let's find somewhere

safer to hide", Kate said and they briskly half ran half walked away from the burning reminder of the

danger around them and the possible misery it held.

"I spy with my little eye... something... blue", Chiriko said. "Urm... The tile on the roof?", Kate

guessed. They had been hiding behind one very large bolder by the fence for the last hour, keeping

an eye out for any sign of their comrades and hoping they would exit thew one of the front doors.

It was then that they grew bored enough to play eye spy that Chiriko saw something weird... and

blue... and heading toward them at a running pace. "Nope...", Chiriko answered, watching the

figure grow nearer.

"Hmmm. Is it... the sky?", Kate guessed again. "Na", Chiriko answered. "Your shoes?", Kate asked.

"No", Chiriko replied and Kate spun around. "Well, what is...it?", Kate asked but her mind had

paused in its tracks. She was now looking at the nearing figure too. "What in the world is that?",

Kate asked in suprise.

"It's a room", Chiriko said in his same monotone voice he had been using in eye spy. "Yes, I see that,

but what is that?", Kate asked as she stood up. By now the figure was in throwing range and they

could easily make out ten feet shuffling about akwardly under a huge torn up (what Kate could only

describe as) shed, but it wasn't a shed at all, but a room from the building than had been physically

yanked out of the building and was being carried on the shoulders of five brave people.

Tasuki's curses could be heard as they stopped next to them. "Kate, Chiriko, we need a hand here.

Let's go before someone sees us!", Miaka's voice said with a hint of pride from somewhere under

the huge square. "Careful with the cargo", Tamahome grumbled as they each grabbed a side.

Kate snuck a glance inside the box and was suprised to see a startled looking man looking back at

her. He was laying on his side facing the doorway that had once been used as an enterence to the

room he was now using as an excape pod... acually it was more like a closet. The man looked tired

but very aware and trying to hold himself in place the best he could.

Kate nodded to him in greeting and he gave her a small smile in return before they began to move

and Kate was forced to focus on the task at hand, a task she wasn't even sure what the purpose

was. "Where are we going?", Kate asked.

"Back to the house", Mitsukake said. Kate pondered this. They wanted to carry this all the way

there? Man was she going to hurt in the morning. With a turn of the head she heard her joints pop

back into place and she prepared for the workout of a lifetime and pondered a life in black market

construction deals.

By the time they entered the gate (Kate volunteered to open it for them) the sun was turning a light

shade of pink and if it wasn't for the importance of the their cargo they would have just thrown it

in on the couch and gone to their rooms to rest their tired bones.

When they got there they were welcomed back by a worried Subaru and Xi-Fang, both of whom

had gone out to try and find Miaka and Kate earlier that day. "Tatara!", Subaru exclaimed when

she saw her friend and fellow warrior.

"Subaru, it's been so long", Tatara greeted her with a sad smile. "How did you get out of the temple

alive?", the old woman asked. "Um... I didn't acually. I just brought it with me, and in return for

saving me I'm going to give this young woman our treasure", Tatara said and Miaka gasped in

suprise. "You mean it?", she gasped and almost lost her grip on the ,more or less, captive warrior.

A bit of suprise was in store when suddenly Miaka lifted the box back up all on her own before

carefully sitting it down, giving off a view of Nuriko's fully activated bracelets. "Wow, Miaka! Been

workin' out? I'm impressed", Kate said as she realized that Miaka had been carying the brunt of the

weight the whole entire time with the help of Nurkio's bracelets.

From his now safe foundation on the ground Tatara spoke with more confidence, "Yes, priestess, I

will give you our treasure." Miaka clapped her hands together in excitment and let out an excited

gasp. Everyone shared a happy moment with smiles being passed all around. This was one of their

few happy times, Kate realized and it didn't last near long enough.

Kate stared at the others with a unexplainable feeling of envy, however, at their glad expressions.

She couldn't find her own. In fact, it felt as though their happiness just sucked hers right out of her.

If anyone noticed her grim and tight facal expression no one let on.

She had wandered into Josh's room while an awkward celebration took place. Tatara had been given

a chair inside his temple room (which had been moved into the living room for the time being) and

was even given a spot at the table. He was the guest of honor and for quite a while he was centered

in a conversation involving Miaka's tale so far in her quest for summoning Suzaku.

Chichiri had taken to trying to contact Hotohori with Kate's mirror to tell them of their vicory,

Mitsukake and Chiriko were discussing ways to free Tatara from his curse, Tamahome was talking

to Xi Fang in a corner of the room, and Miaka was trying her best to ignore them by drownding

herself in her conversation with Tatara. Tasuki had taken it upon himself to fall into a drunken

stupor by the front door.

Kate had managed to sneak out as soon as Tasuki had fallen asleep, giving her an exit from the party.

She'd never really been one for parties. Too many things could go wrong or get weird too fast in a

gathering for her liking. The halls were eerie with only the muffled conversation a few doors down

as company and she cursed herself for not bringing a candle, but it was too late to head back now.

She ended up having to walk with both of her hands out in front of her until her eyes adjusted. She

really didn't feel like giving herself prehistoric plastic sugery with the help of a solid wall. She liked

her nose just the way it was, thank you very much.

Josh's room seemed to be darker than the hallway and she had to brace herself before entering. Too

many late night crime shows tended to make one paranoid, but she eventually did waddle inside. She

made sure to close the door behind her as she felt for the bed in the darkness. By the time she found

Josh's foot she'd already stubbed her toe on a chair and the night stand.

She sat down on a non-offending chair and reached for his hand. She squeezed it in a silent greeting,

not seeing any reason to speak. She wished he'd wake up. She knew he wouldn't really care he'd

missed out on seeing a villian or beating the junk out of some bad ass monks, but a huge part of her

still wished he could have been there.

She could see him talk some sense into her before trying to help Yui. She could see him knock the

far out of Nakago with a baseball pat when the time came, and even more so, she could see him

smile at her whenever (dispite all his complaining) they'd get the power to summon Suzaku.

Silently she pushed off her shoes and climed into his bed. No thoughts passed between her ears as

she wrapped an arm around him and closed her eyes, taking in the smell of his hair and the feel of

the bed under her. An overwheming numbness overtook her as the moon slowly waned and she

didn't even notice the tall figure of Chichiri pause by the door on his way to his room.

The next morning came slowly and groggily into the world and as Kate woke she found herself

confused and sleepy. 'Who?...', she asked herself silently when suddenly a loud commotion

shoked her senses. An explosion? She sat up with a jump and quickly grabbed her glasses.

Next to her she saw Josh's peaceful face and for a split second she was captivated.

His breathing was slow and he looked like if she were to just reach out and touch him that his eyes

would open and he'd give her a weird look before physically throwing her out of his bed. A second

wave of noise filled the room and broke Kate out of her daydream with a jerk. This time it

followed screaming.

Kate opened the door carefully, as if fearing a rolling bolder might rush by as if she were an extra in

an old Indian Jones movie. As it turned out it wasn't all that stupid of a notion as Tasuki suddenly

ran by her looking stressed and hungover. She thought about following, but with one look in Josh's

direction she re-entered the room.

She wanted to see what was going on, but deep inside she knew what had to be happening. Nakago

had come back for the shinzaho... or had he? Maybe it was just that Tasuki had accidently walked

in on Xi-Fang changing clothes or Miaka bathing. 'Better safe than sorry', Kate thought as she looked

back at Josh. Traveling with the Suzaku Seven had made her easily paranoid and extreamly jumpy.

Even so, she made sure that the dresser blocked the door and moved everything but the bed behind

it for support. Nakago could break threw it all without batting an eyelash, she knew, but she felt like

she had to do something. Five minutes hadn't gone by when she suddenly felt every hair on her

arms and neck stand on end. "Uh oh", she said as she saw bolts of electricy lick around the dresser

she'd sat up.

They weren't near enough to hit her, but they were close enough to make her hold her breath. She

carefully moved back as she tried to recall how much of a human was water. Was it ninty-five

percent? She bit into her lower lip when she kicked the bed, hard. A small groan excaped from

behind her. She spun. It couldn't have been! She ran over to the bed and shook Josh's shoulder

firmly. "Josh? Josh! Can you hear me?", Kate asked.

"Kate! Kate, open the door", it was Mitsukake's voice. "Mitsukake?", Kate called back, unsure of

what he had said. "Open the door! Hurry. Soi's awake", now she heard that. "Uuuh", Josh groaned.

This time she knew she heard right when his eyes opened slightly. He wasn't awake, but he seemed

to be trying to be doing something at least.

Hearing a sharp crack, Kate found out Mitsukake had broken threw the door and was now trying

to move the dresser. Kate quickly set to helping him. When they finally met up halfway Kate saw

Mitsukake was clearly stressed. His face was sweaty and his eyes were wide as he made fast work

of running over to the bed, grabbing Josh, and turning toward Kate.

His look said it all. Run. And run she did. She'd been running alot, she realized, and wished she could

do less of it. Her muscles cried out in protest as she tried her best to keep up with the bigger man's

strides, a pointless endever if there ever was one. It took her all just to keep him in her sights and

she had a feeling Mitsukake was acually holding back.

Suddenly he vanished far off down the hall and Kate felt her already speeding heart race into her

throat, fear overtaking her senses as her mind shouted what her out of breath thoat couldn't. 'Wait

for me!', she pleaded silently as she felt all of her energy leave her.

She just couldn't keep up. She silently belittled herself as she thought of stopping, thinking of Josh.

'You never were able to dedicate yourself to anything', his playful voice teased her from the past

when she had quit her second job in three weeks. Letting out a soft cry of frustration, she speed up.

The feeling in the air was nothing short of sufficating. Kate could feel her hair branch out slightly in

responce to the heavy supply of power in the room. Kate mildly wondered what would happen if

she had a TV with her. Would it turn on? Somehow, she didn't doubt it.

She could almost hear the static in the air... or wait... she couldn't almost hear it. She did hear it.

ZAP

ZAP

BOOM!

"Crap!", Kate cursed and fell to the floor mid-run, covering her head with her hands as bolts of pure

lightning seemed to light up the whole complex. She could see her very life fly before her eyes as

she imagined being microwaved alive by the biggest example of PMS known to man. She could

understand her eggs's need to excape Soi as she made a mad dash on her hands and knees down

the hall.

"You fools! Do you honestly believe these ropes can keep me!", Soi yelled. Honestly, who wouldn't

be mad (if not slightly freaked out or turned on if you were into that sorta thing) when they woke up

to a huge pain in their neck and a mile of rope keeping them from scratching their itch?

And she wasn't afraid to let the world know of her discomfort. Chichiri had acually managed to put

up a magical barrier around everyone in the building, keeping his concentration preoccupied. If Soi

attacked him directly he'd be forced to give up the barriers in order to get away, but that's what

Tasuki and Tamahome were there for.

Tasuki had his fan closed, using it as a sword, as he assulted the opposing warrior while Tamahome

did his best defending any attack focused or straying near Chichiri or himself. Of course, normally

Tamahome was right in the center of any action going on but the hallway was hardly big enough for

two people to fight forget three, and he had to face it that Tasuki got here first.

"Hyya!", Tasuki yelled as he plunged his make shift sword forward, aiming for Soi's chest. With a

quick upward sweeping motion the blow was deflected. A strand of Soi's hair fell to the ground

gracefully but she didn't so much as flinch before counter-attacking with a downward swing at

Tasuki's collar bone. Before you ask, she was fighting with nothing more than an old broom that

had kept her company during her short stay.

Nice way to treat somethin' that kept watch over ya while you slept, isn't it? That's most likely what

the poor broom thought too as it connected sharply with Tasuki's shoulder, causing the bandit to

curse sharply. "Tasuki's gettin' beat by a girl", Tamahome teased in a sing-song voice as he deflected

a bolt of lightning that shot his way.

"Shut up, Ghost Boy", Tasuki hissed as he took a swing at Soi again. The broom itself may have been

blunt, but in Tasuki's opinion she may as well have been swinging at him with a lead pipe. She hit

like a freakin' girl of steel!

A few hits later and Tasuki was concidered more of a rosie purple than a tan bronze and as Soi

continued her assult the purple was slowly giving away to red. "Tasuki, hang on, no da!", Chichiri

shouted as Tasuki spit out a tooth that had been forced out of his home a little sooner than it would

have liked... about fifty years sooner at least.

"Damn", Tasuki cursed more out of frustration than anything else and pulled his sword hand back and

plunged forward. Soi steped aside just in time and threw a fist in Tasuki's face, but with Tasuki's

Suzaku given reflexes he caught it with his left hand a mere centimeter from his nose.

They jumped apart only to plunge forward in a continuious dance until Soi suddenly broke the letal

tango as she flew across the room and hit a wall head on with a sickening crunch. "Damn", Tasuki

cursed and let his hand shake back and forth in the air in pain. It was over.

Tamahome walked over to her carefully and turned her over so she was laying on her back, and

cringed. Her head as at an unatural angle that made bile rise in his throat. Part of her spine was a lump

under her skin and moved as he moved her. "She's dead", Tamahome said and stood, unable to look

at her anymore and fixed his glance on Tasuki.

The red-headed warrior didn't say anything, but his taunt face said it all. He turned and left stiffly,

not saying a word. Chichiri stood near Tasuki's retreating form and put a hand on his shoulder, but

the bandit just pulled away with a jerk and continued walking.

A moment passed when neither warrior did anything but breath before Chichiri sighed and walked

into a nearby room. He came back with a navy blue blanket in his hands that looked fairly old and

was faded slightly on the edges. With a quick twist of his wrists it flew over the fallen warrior and

brought on a feeling of closing.

"We should go find the others, no da", Chichiri said softly and Tamahome nodded. They took off;

this wasn't the time to think of the dead. Now was the time of the living.

Kate sat in a fetal ball in a small space between two connecting 90 degree walls covering her face.

She hadn't been able to find her way out when the lightning kept coming. She couldn't explain why

she hadn't been fried to a crisp yet but found herself praying silently that her death would be quick

and painless when suddenly the air went still.

Her hair was flared out in every direction, as hair often did when near a large amount of energy, but

was beginning to still when she brought her hands down from her face. Her breath was uneven and

was shaking slightly as she quickly jumped to her feet and ran; she didn't want to be in the middle of

that again.

Down the hall and out threw the main doors she saw Subaru with Xi-Fang and Tamahome's teacher

huddled around a worn looking Tatara. They turned to her briefly as Chiriko gasped and ran to her.

"We... we thought that...maybe", Chiriko said with tears in his eyes. Kate leaned down slightly and

hugged him. "I'm glad you're safe", Kate mummbled and over Chiriko's shoulders she saw Mitukake's

face turn in her direction before returning to Josh, whom was blocked from view.

Miaka ran over from where she had been pacing the enterence to the gates. She looked worried.

"Did you see Tamahome?", Miaka asked. "No... I did see Tasuki, though", Kate answered and

Miaka nodded. "The lighting stopped inside the house. Maybe something happened?", Kate

suggested

A moment passed before Kate asked, "Where's Chichiri?" Miaka answered, "He went with

Tamahome." Now it was Kate's turn to nod. Curtly, she turned to look at the enterance to the

house and let out a shaky breath, "and Josh? How's he?"

"Waking up", Mitsukake answered, his back still to her. Kate, Miaka, and Chiriko walked over to

the healer and peered at the teen below them. Below them, Josh's eyes blinked rapidly as he regained

conscienceness. He smiled lazily, almost drunkenly, as he saw Kate. He said something that she

couldn't understand before closing his eyes again. Mitsukake placed a cool rag on Josh's forehead.

"You just said something stupid and insulting, didn't you?", Kate sneered and sat down next to the

older warrior. She grinned at him, and placed a hand on his hand. "Thank you for saving him", she

said. He nodded and turned to face her, "Are you alright?"

Kate was suprised to see a faint trace of guilt shadow his face. He looked alot older than he really was,

she realized and smiled fondly. "It'll take more than an angry fuse box to take me down." Knowing

he didn't understand, she grinned, "I'm fine. Just a little shell shocked." Oops, there was that look

again. Heh, she really needed to think before she spoke, esspecially when modern terms were going

to be in practice; and she silently wondered how much of what she said went missunderstood.

She chuckled slightly as she imagened herself going up to Chichiri and saying, "Hey, you want to

shag?" But her smile faded as a face of a certain general flashed threw her mind and she snarled.

"What's wrong?", Mitsukake asked, looking slightly startled. 'Oops again', she thought before

putting on a fake smile, "It's nothing. Excuse me", she said and got to her feet.

Everyone was silent and turned toward the door, waiting for their friends to return to them. Kate

sighed and crossed her arms, joining the crowd. The air felt thick and humid as they all waited, half

expecting Soi herself to charge threw the front door and not one person wasn't relieved when

Tasuki returned, looking grim.

Everyone waited for the news, but Tasuki just frowned, refused to make eye contact, and walked off

into town. "Tasuki!", Miaka called and ran after him. Kate turned toward the gate, wanting to know

too, as the miko and warrior vanished into the morning.

Tatara threw Subaru a worried glance and the woman nodded, and began walking toward the front

door. Just as she neared it, it opened, revealing two very tired looking warriors. Everyone broke into

smiles as the snow seemed to melt around the party. All the 'what ifs' evaporated into "Oh!"s and

laughter.

Kate let go of a breath she'd been holding and smiled, placing a hand to her forehead, noticing for the

first time how much older she felt and laughed.

Alatáriël:... You're all getting tired of hearing my excuses, aren't you?

Chichiri: I know I am, no da.

Kate: Whatever, Chiri! You were enjoying your vacation fishing in those little Hawiian shorts

Alatáriël bought you and you know it.

Chichiri: Daaaa... You saw that?

Kate: You bet and I got doubles of the pictures I took while I was there.

Chichiri: Da!

Alatáriël:... You two may have been enjoying yourselves but our darling readers have been waiting

for an update!

Kate: Oh, whatever! They've probally moved on to a new story by now, figuring you died in a polar

bear accident or something.

Alatáriël: YOU LEAVE THE POLAR BEARS OUTTA THIS!

Kate: What she's really trying to say is that she lost her inspiration and had to go threw three Harry

Potter books, a mountain of college loan forms, graduate, and retile the bathroom before she could

touch this computer again.

Alatáriël: I did not retile the bathroom!

Kate: Well, you SHOULD have concidering how long this took you.

Alatáriël:... I'll make you have a brain tumor, I swear I will Kate:Begins typing feverishly:

Kate: Yeah, that'll solve all your problems. Just kill me and get this story over with.

Alatáriël: At least then I can collect your life insurance.

Kate:... :Freaked out:

Chichiri:... :Freaked out:

Readers:... :Freaked out: Well, we'll just review now so we can sleep safely, I think... Yes, and we

shall flame her while we are at it for going and being attacked by polar bears. Yes, that'll do.