Hi all! Here's the next chapter to my story! Sorry it took so long to update!

Chapter 6: Reflection

"Wh-What?"

"Asahi Sakuradai, you are a direct descendent of Shinmei, the Suzaku no Ten'nyo. Now, in Konan's time of peril, you must seal away Tenma and restore peace to the land," Tai Itsukun said gravely, not a even a hint of a smile in her eyes.

"There…there must be some kind of mistake! I can't possibly be…"

"The demon who attacked you before you met Chichiri should be plenty of proof, as well as the attack o your village. However…" The oracle said, pointing at Asahi. "If you wish for more proof, kindly pull down the collar of your dress, please. Just a tad should be fine."

Asahi gaped at the old woman as if she had sprouted a second head. The request was quite out of the blue. She sighed reluctantly, and gently tugged at her dress collar, her other hand holding onto the fabric so it wouldn't show too much.

A gasp from Tasuki caused Asahi to look down as well. What she saw made her almost yelp with surprise. There on her chest was the Chinese character for 'Celestial Maiden'. Tai Itsukun gave her a small smile.

"As you can plainly see, Asahi…You truly are destined to fight Tenma." The oracle frowned. "I'm sorry."

Asahi sprang up from her seat as if she had sat on a tack. She ran out of the door, tears coursing down her cheeks.

"Wait." Tai Itsukun barked as Chichiri and Tasuki began to leave their seats as well. "Let her be. She needs some time to think about all of this."

"Are you sure, Tai Itsukun?"

"Very. She will be perfectly safe here. Let her be."

>. >. >. >. >.

Asahi ran blindly through a strange garden. She knew she should probably be worried about where she was but…Right now, all she wanted to do was get away from Tai Itsukun and that stupid mirror.

Not knowing what else to do, Asahi plopped down on the grass in front of a lake. She took a brief glance down at the surface of the water. It's surface was so calm, it was like looking at a mirror. She looked up, fascination shining in her eyes as she took in her surroundings.

Beautiful exotic flowers were everywhere. Their bright colors almost made them look artificial, yet they still held a captivating natural look. Cherry blossom trees were also scattered around the garden, and flower petals rained down like pink colored snowflakes. The scene was breathtaking.

Asahi pulled down her dress collar, gazing at the small yet very important mark on her chest. She sighed, looking back down at the water's still surface…and screamed.

Instead of her own reflection, a different one stared back at her. Asahi's fear quickly vanished, however, as she took note of this strange woman's appearance.

She was certainly very beautiful. Asahi had never seen anyone with such attractive looks. She had long black hair that was loosely pulled back, except for two tendrils of hair that hung down from either side of her face. Her brows were furrowed, giving her a somewhat stern look.

However, her eyes were probably this woman's most interesting trait. They were a dark violet, much darker than Asahi's were, and despite the hard look she wore, her eyes seemed kind, warm, and trusting.

Asahi gasped. She recognized this woman. She was the exact same lady who she had seen in the mirror. This was Shinmei, the Suzaku no Ten'nyo.

"Konnichiwa, Asahi Sakuradai," Shinmei's soft voice rang out, jolting Asahi out of her shock.

Asahi gave her ancestor a cold glare, despite her realization of how disrespectful the gesture may have been. She knew her bitter feelings towards the woman could not be helped, however. After all, it was her fault Asahi's life had been turned upside down. She had lost everything, her family, her village, and her normal lifestyle, and now she was charged with having to seal away the all mighty Tenma. Now that she had thought about it, what wasn't Shinmei's fault, anyways? The said woman's eyes turned downcast as the silence continued to hang in the air.

"I'm sorry…I know you must feel bitterness towards me after all that has happened…and I can understand that." Asahi snorted in disbelief. Shinmei sighed, her beautiful violet eyes closing. "Something…Something very similar happened to Kana, the Suzaku no Ten'nyo before you.

"When the time came for Tai Itsukun to give her the quest of sealing away Tenma, youkai under Tenma's rule sought her, sensing her celestial aura. They hoped to destroy her, and eliminated everyone and everything she cared about in their desperation to kill her.

"When that happened, the despair, anger, and sadness that both Kana and I felt became accumulated as power, and she became even stronger than me." She paused, opening her now grief-filled eyes. "Even after Tenma was sealed away, I still felt the emptiness Kana felt…I feel it as I speak to you now." After a long silence, Asahi hung her head, guilt sweeping over her. She realized that what Shinmei said was true. She looked back up, meeting her unwavering gaze.

"G…Gomen…I didn't know…and…" Shinmei nodded, giving her a kind yet sad smile.

"I know…It's alright", she whispered. "I needed to know your response…to Tai Itsukun's request." At this Asahi sighed heavily, her own eyes now downcast.

"I know I probably have no right to say this…but…I…I just don't think it's…"

"Fair?" To Asahi's surprise, Shinmei let out a sad chuckle. "Yes…It isn't fair. After all that has happened, I don't think Tai Itsukun or I have any right to ask you of such a request. If I could take back all this responsibility and give it to someone else…I would. But I can't." Asahi nodded, understanding perfectly.

"Asahi." The girl in question looked up. "Even though I shouldn't ask this of you, I am asking…begging, if not for me or Tai Itsukun, please save this country for everyone in this world."

A long and awkward silence hung in the air. After sometime, Asahi spoke.

"I'll do much more than that."

"Nani?"

"I will not just seal Tenma away," Asahi whispered. "I'll completely destroy him." To her annoyance Shinmei gave Asahi a look of concern.

"Are you sure? While sealing Tenma away is hard enough, completely destroying him is a completely different matter. I understand that you may wish to avenge you villages and family-"

"Revenge isn't my only reason." Asahi interjected. "I mean…part of me does wish to avenge my friends and family, I must admit, but the other half…"

"Hai?"

"If I just seal Tenma away, he'll just break through again, won't he? Maybe not for a while, but it will happen, won't it?"

"Go on."

"When that happens, more of your descendants will have to go through what Kana and I did, and history will simply repeat itself. I wouldn't want for that to happen to anyone else, and I'm sure you wouldn't want that either, if you don't mind me saying so." After a minute of silence, Shinmei spoke.

"You're right, I suppose. The thought of anyone else suffering because of Tenma does pain me…very well." Asahi smiled. "However…" Asahi's joy evaporated.

" 'However'…?"

"However you will need a lot of assistance, and not just from the men who accompany you. I shall tell you how, so listen carefully; you will only be told this once.

"Somewhere in each country, Konan, Kuto, Sairo, and Hokkan, there is a temple that is dedicated to each god. You must travel to each country, visit the temple and have the blessing of each god bestowed upon you. Do that by going up to the fire in the center of each temple. You will have to speak some, but I assure can assure you, you will know what to say. Each blessing from the four gods will amplify the celestial powers that reside within you."

"Then defeating Tenma should be easy, right?"

"Wrong. You remember how I told you that your sorrow and anger for some reason increased you power? Over the years, Tenma's hate and rage towards me, my desendants, and Suzaku only increased; Tenfold, when he was defeated by Kana. These feelings only make him even more determined to take over this world; as well as destroy you. So, you must not ever let your guard down." She gave Asahi an encouraging smile, determination glistening in her dark violet orbs. "I shall be watching you from the heavens…Good luck, Asahi."

"Hey, wait! Wh-" Asahi sprang up, reaching towards Shinmei's image. Suddenly a flower petal fell from the trees, disturbing the image of the Ten'nyo. When the ripples had stopped and the water had cleared, Shinmei was gone.

>. >. >. >. >.

"She's been gone an awful long time…ya think she's gonna be okay, 'Chiri?" Tasuki asked for the 5th time in just three minutes. During the time Asahi was gone, Tai Itsukun had asked the two seishi if they could join Asahi on her quest to seal away Tenma. The two seishi agreed to do so wholeheartedly, Tasuki eyeing Chichiri the whole time with slight amusement.

Tasuki had also constantly been openly expressing his worry for Asahi; so much that he received some well placed blows from both Chichiri and Tai Itsukun. Nevertheless, Tasuki continued his caring yet obnoxious behavior.

"Ya think she's okay, 'Chiri? Maybe we should go look for her."

A vein popped in Chichiri's head. He opened his mouth to scream at the dense bandit before hearing…

"Don't worry, Tasuki-kun. I'm fine."

"Asahi-chan!"

"Are you alright, Sakuradai-san?" Tai Itsukun smiled.

"You look much better now, Asahi. Are you feeling alright?" Asahi was silent for a moment before she smiled.

"Yes. I'm doing very well now. Everyone, I have something to say…"

>. >. >. >.

Well, there you have it! Another chapter! Also, due to a stupid rule has made, I am no longer able to answer to my reviews right here. So, I am emailing you them instead. For those of you who are anonymous, you can tell me your reviews in your review for this chapter, or if you don't feel comfortable with that, you can just email me (just check my bio :) and I can reply and tell you my answer to your review.

Sorry for the inconvenience! (This new rule is no walk in the park. Trust me. ):

See the little button at the bottom that says "Go", next to the little box that says "Submit review"? Know what:whispers: You're supposed to click on it and send me a nice little review.

'Till next time! Bye bye!

Translations for Stuff (TFS):

Nani: What

Konnichiwa: Hello

Ten'nyo: Angel, or, Celestial Maiden (celestial maiden sounds cooler if you ask me :)

Gomen: I'm sorry

Hai: Yes