Ah…back again! So sorry that it took so long. But to make up for it, this chapter's a bit longer than usual. Finally! We've reached the end of Aya's part for now! I thought the girl was going to hog the camera forever! So for those of you who have been interested in the other priestesses…they're coming on! The next few chapters will be featuring Mieri again. They're on their way to see Taitsukun. Oh! Ya'll have to wish me good luck! My softball team has made it to the finals for South State! Which – I may add - has never happened in the history of the team! So now we have to play the State Champions from last year…T-T Wish us luck…please! Now on to R&R's:

Silver:quickly throws away paint Please….don't tempt him…(laughs) Yes…weapons are man's best friend. You're gonna like them I think. I tried really hard to figure out weapons that would fit their personalities and abilities. Though Tokaki's weapon was already decided by Watase-san

Lady Sakaya:O.O you were fighting with your brother with swords…? COOLNESS! I love swords…besides shuriken they're my favorite weapons!

Mint Drop:Yay! I'm glad you're not confoosled any more! I knew when I wrote that part that no one was going to understand…I think you were just the only one brave enough to ask…Hee! - I now have only 10 days of school till exams! Unfortunately…I have lots of major projects to complete…T-T Wishie me luck!

LT: Duh! Of course Tokaki is going to continue to be tortured! It's part of my comic relief plan! Actually, Aya just finds him annoying-but-lovable and Subaru…has been torturing him for decades…

ET:LOL! Well! I think you'll be plenty pleased with her weapon…I hope…And yes actually…after this next seishi I was planning on having your charie join the group. And then of course dun dun DUN we'll meet Hikitsu!

nuriko-4-ever:Wow! Congratulations! You're certainly a dedicated reader! And so many questions! Lol…if you want some answers you can message me on MSN under Death's Mistress. There! Now here is your requested update! Have fun!

"Where is that?" Aya asked.

"It's nearer to Genbu. Quite a bit north of here actually," Tatara paused. "I think the weapons shop is this way." He led the way out of the inn and down the small alleyway to their left.

Aya gazed around in open curiosity. It wasn't likely she was ever going to come back, and she wanted to at least take some mental pictures. "Wow…" she breathed as she watched all the people scurry along like ants. The colors and abstract design of their clothing caught Aya's eye as well as her imagination. She was busy thinking of the stir she could cause at their school if she wore one of those dresses. The headmaster would never forgive me, she thought without shame and a wicked grin.

"Here we are!" Tatara exclaimed, halting in front of a very ordinary looking shop. "Hasn't changed a bit, eh, Subaru?"

Subaru sighed happily. "Not in any way! I wonder if Damar still runs the place?"

Tokaki shrugged. "It's possible. Of course, his son could well have taken over by now…"

"This is it?" Aya asked dubiously after taking a look around the dank and dirty alley. "Are you sure?"

"As much as possible," Tokaki nodded. "I mean it's not like we've been back for the last century or so."

"True…" Aya admitted with a grin.

"Can we go inside?" Kokie asked in amusement. "Or are we going to stand here all day reminiscing?"

"Oh!" Subaru started. "Let's go in, of course!" She pushed past Tatara and entered the shop.

"Well, hello!" an old man, obviously blind, greeted them from his chair. "What can I get for you today?"

"It's been awhile, Damar…" Subaru smiled gently.

"Eh!" the man jumped, "Can it be? Is that Lady Subaru I hear? Surely, my ears have failed me now as well as my eyes!"

"Naw!" Tokaki was grinning wildly. "Your ears are sharp as ever, old man!"

"Heh!" Damar relaxed into his chair, a grin splitting his face. "Now I know I'm going mad. I believe I swore that Tokaki must never show his face in my shop again!"

"Then it's a good thing I'm not showing anything, isn't it?" Tokaki retorted.

"Will you two hush?" Subaru snapped. "We need to get going!"

"My apologies, Lady Subaru," Damar bowed his bald head. "What is it you wish?"

"We need weapons for the five of us," Subaru explained. "Do you think you can help us?"

While Subaru and Damar discussed weaponry and Tokaki sulked, Aya leaned nearer to Tatara. "What's up between those three?"

Tatara understood her curiosity and answered quickly and quietly. "Damar and Tokaki were both in love with Subaru. They all three were born here in Tsularia. Because they were both Byakko seishi, Subaru and Tokaki shared something that Damar never could. So she ended up with Tokaki. It seems that Damar has forgiven him after all these years"

"Ah," Aya nodded in understanding. "A love triangle. Coolness."

Tatara glanced at her in amusement but was interrupted by the closing of the deal.

"Ha!" Subaru threw up her hands in mock-disgust. "I could outfit the entire Sairou army for the price I pay for five weapons!"

"And I could not feed a mouse with the money I would make from this deal!" Damar answered.

"No matter, old man!" Subaru grinned. "We'll get our weapons and go," she placed a bag heavy with coins into his hands.

"I don't see how you two can call me old," Damar grumbled good-naturedly. "I seem to recall that Tokaki is two years older than me, and Subaru is my age! I don't care how young you sound. You're just as old as me you two idiots!"

Subaru smiled sadly at her old friend, "Yes…you're right. We have no room to call you old. It's a wonder any of us are alive."

"Meh…" Damar waved them towards a small door that led to the back. "I blame it on Byakko for you two. And for me…maybe I was just waiting to hear your voice again. You've been gone so long…" The old man leaned back into his chair with a sigh.

Subaru leaned forward and gently kissed his withered cheek. "Thank you, Damar." She straightened and headed for the doorway. "Well, let's go pick out our weapons."

Aya — with a glance at Damar — followed Subaru into the back. Tatara, Kokie, and Tokaki followed after their priestess. Aya stepped into a fairly large room. Her eyes widened and her mouth flew open. "Wow!" she breathed, turning in a circle to scan the room.

Every inch of available surface was covered with all imaginable weapons. Tokaki strode to the center of the room where a pair of harmless looking hoop earrings lay on a pedestal. "Aw!" he smiled. "He hasn't forgotten!" He immediately picked them up and fastened them to his ears. "I'm ready!"

Tatara wandered over to a plain wooden staff. "Ah…it's hardwood. That's a good sign." He turned to join Tokaki by the door. "I believe I am also ready."

Kokie was much harder to please. He made a beeline for the wall that was covered with swords. He took his time handling each one before finally placing it back to try another. He passed by twelve swords before he paused in front of one. The others had been very fancy. Most had at least a few precious jewels inserted into the handle. This sword, by comparison, was plain. It had no fancy jewels or designs. The scabbard was ordinary leather and not an ounce of gold or silver could be found.

"I will take this sword," Kokie finally spoke after picking the sword up and handling it. "We have finally met: my soul mate and I."

"What…?" Aya turned to Subaru for explanation as Kokie calmly joined Tatara and Tokaki.

"Kokie is a great swordsman," Subaru explained quietly. "He actually prefers to fight with his sword than with his seishi powers. Every swordsman believes that there is one perfect sword waiting just for him. That would be his 'soul mate'. Evidently Kokie has found his."

"My soul mate's name is Kunpuu. It means 'summer breeze'. We will both protect you till we are no more," Kokie raised the sword toward Aya. "This we promise."

Aya flushed and looked down at her feet. A second later, her head was up; and she was smiling. "Aw, don't waste promises like that! I can take care of myself thank you! I do appreciate the thought though!" She turned swiftly to look at the racks of weaponry.

Subaru smiled at her fellow seishi and headed for the wall where strange needles hung. Subaru quickly took down a pack and smiled at the rest. "I've got mine!"

Aya wasn't sure what she was going to do. She had no skills with any of these weapons. She'd never picked up a sword in her life. The staff would only be like a big club to her. And she really wasn't sure what to make of Tokaki's earrings or Subaru's needles. They looked like thinner versions of chopsticks. She was currently fiddling with a weird knife. It was too small to be of any practical use that she could see. It would never stand against a real knife in a fight. She was about to place it back when she heard a squeal behind her.

Subaru danced about the floor, hopping and shrieking. "Oh! Oh! It's a rat! Someone kill it! Please!"

The boys were amused and did nothing to aid her. Aya growled under her breath. "Would one of you please kill it! She's giving me a headache."

Kokie stepped forward and tried to skewer it with his sword. He missed, and the poor rat fled in the only direction left open to it. Directly at Aya.

Aya's eyes widened. She wasn't afraid of rats, but in no way did she want one crawling up her leg. "Ah!" she threw the knife at the small animal and scrambled up onto one of the pedestals with her eyes tightly shut.

Silence. Even Subaru had stopped squealing. Aya peeked from under her arms. "Is it gone?"But her seishi were staring wide-eyed and slack-jawed at something near her feet. Trembling a bit, Aya glanced down — at the body of the rat she'd just killed. That abnormally small knife was buried exactly in the animal's head. "Oh. So that's what they're for."

Tatara was the first to recover. "Priestess! Did you mean to hit that rat!"

"Don't call me that," Aya growled as she slowly climbed down. "And…sort of. I didn't want it to get near me so I just…threw it."

Kokie scratched an X onto the wall with Kunpuu. "Aya, see if you can hit this mark with another of the throwing daggers."

Aya shrugged and picked up another dagger. "I can't promise I won't hit ya'll, so you'd better move away."

After exchanging thoughtful looks, all four moved well out of her range. Aya sighed a little and stared at the X on the wall rather dubiously. "Well, here goes nothing…" she cocked her arm back precisely as if she was throwing one of her softball and let it fly. The dagger hit the wall with the screech of metal on stone and fell to the floor.

Kokie stepped forward to look at the mark. "There is a small slash in the center of the X," he mentioned casually. "I would venture to say that Aya is a rather good shot."

"Whoot!" Tokaki jumped into the air. "I knew she was good! No one could calmly fire pinecones out like that without having some skill!"

"I beg to differ on the calm part," Tatara smiled, "She seemed quite incensed…"

"Whoa," Aya stared at her hands. "Softball does have its uses."

"So now that we've all found our weapons…" Subaru stepped carefully over the body of the rat. "Can we go now? I'd like to get started. This journey will take us a few weeks at least. Maybe even a month or more."

"Remind me again why we can't just make Tokaki teleport us?" Aya groaned at the thought of having to ride all that way across a desert. They'd already decided to buy some desert horses for the journey.

"Because even I have my limit," Tokaki scowled. "I don't think I can teleport five people plus myself that distance. I might lose someone along the way."

"Well…" Aya raised a brow. "That settles it for me. Shall we then?"

Two days later, she was regretting those words. "Oh, god!" Aya mumbled, wiping sweat from her brow. I think I'll just die here, thanks."

"Wimp," Tokaki snickered from in front of her. He reigned in the sturdy brown horse he was riding so that he could laugh in her face. "You just can't handle it."

Aya's pride was stung, and she immediately sat up straighter in the saddle. "Bull! I can handle anything any of you pansies can stomach! Bring it on, bitch!" Her own paint mare tossed her head as if agreeing with her mistress.

Tatara smiled to himself as he watched the four of them: Aya and Tokaki and their horses. It was amazing how the horses fit their personalities so well. Tokaki's stallion had been named Hentai at both Subaru and Aya's insistence. It meant pervert and fit him perfectly. He was forever getting bitten by the mares for his…activities.

Aya's own mare was a delicate beauty. With a penchant for vanity. She was very high-strung, and only Aya was allowed to be near her. The trainer nearly fell out when Arashi actually allowed Aya to touch her. Her frequent — and violent — outbursts had earned her the name meaning 'tempest'. Neither Aya nor Arashi seemed to think there was anything wrong with them.

"She's just letting off some steam!" Aya snapped at Tokaki. Arashi had nearly brained him as he tried to get some water from an infrequent oasis. "She doesn't like traveling in this heat any more than I do!"

"We should have bought camels," Kokie whispered, stepping to Tatara's side. The older boy jumped.

"Kokie! You startled me."

"I'm sorry," Kokie bowed slightly. "I forget that I am as soundless as the shadows I control."

"Why camels?" Tatara asked with an easy smile.

"Because they would not pick up and encourage their owners' personality traits. Camels are stolid and reasonable at all times."

Tatara risked a glance towards Aya. Though she had dismounted and was telling Tokaki several things he could do with himself that were probably — anatomically speaking — impossible, Arashi still stuck close to her side. The sensitive mare pranced in place, her ears laid back against her skull. She eyed Tokaki angrily. Her mistress was upset with this person. He must be evil. "Are you sure? I have a feeling Aya's personality would override something so calm as a camel."

Kokie, too, studied the scene with no emotion visible. After a minute, "Yes. You are right. A camel would likely have picked up on the anger and spit by now. This would almost certainly lead to a fight from Tokaki. It's possible we'd have to spend several days resting to let him recuperate."

Tatara laughed out loud, startling Tokaki and Aya long enough for them to quiet down a bit. "I'd forgotten your lovely sense of humor, Kokie! Gods, how I've missed it."

Kokie looked slightly down at the older boy. "I've missed you as well, my friend."

"We should be going now," Subaru walked up to them with an understanding look in her eyes. "Rest time is over, I'm afraid."

"Darn. Just when I had most of the sand out of my clothing," Aya sighed.

They left the oasis at a fast walk. Anything faster would have killed the horses. Subaru sat her mare with ease. The mare was quiet but with a sense of humor. Not three hours after they had left, the mare began playfully nipping Kokie's chocolate brown gelding. Kirei — as Subaru called the mare — meant 'beautiful'. She had been named both for her gentle nature and her lovely light gray coat. Kokie's gelding was also quiet. He never made a sound or tried to act up in the least. Kokie had decided to name him Usagi or rabbit because of this tendency to remain unnoticed.

Tatara's own stallion was a natural leader. His name was simply 'horse', Uma. Aya had laughed at that, but Tatara insisted that it fit the pure white animal perfectly. Besides, it made little difference to the small stallion. He was perfectly fine leading his new herd across the desert. Of course, Tokaki's stallion often caused trouble; but after Aya punched him in the nose for starting a fight, he was surprisingly docile.

"I think I'm dehydrated," Tokaki sighed dramatically. "I'll die out here, I know."

"Tokaki," Aya's voice was strained. "We just left the oasis an hour ago. Surely you can't be thirsty already!"

"But I am!" Tokaki assured them all. "Dying!"

"We have to conserve water, doofus," Subaru snorted. "You can't just have a drink whenever you feel like it."

Tokaki was in the act of responding when the peace of the desert was shattered by the thundering of many hooves. Aya's head snapped up as she and the rest gazed in shock at the band of thirty riders bearing down on them. "Somehow…" Aya's voice was for once subdued, "I don't think they're traders…"

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