CHAPTER 7:
Here at last:
"Are you sure about that Taka?" Hori looked out of the window for the hundredth time that Sunday night. He was worried.
He was worried about Chichiri. He had been missing the whole day. Not even Nuriko, who shared his apartment with him, had seen him up since dawn.
"He must be at one of the libraries for sure."
"We've already checked the ones around here. We have even gone to the back of the library at school. He wasn't. You saw it." Taka argued.
"Maybe he met up with an old friend other than us and spent the day with him." Miaka said lightly, trying to lighten up the tension, "He is a very popular guy no da." She giggled at Taka's expression, "Not to mention cute."
"Well! Cute or not. He doesn't stand people up. Something must have happened."
Hey! What about the National library." Hori said suddenly.
"WE haven't looked there." Nuriko and Taka were on their feet.
"Why didn't we think of this be-" the door burst open and Chichiri hurried in really very excited.
"I did it!" he was breathing with great difficulty but he was obviously over joyed by a feat.
"What happened Chichiri? Where were you all this while? We were so worried about you and-" They began at once but he cut them off by turning to Hori.
"Your grace. Your wish is about to come true. I found it."
"Found what?"
"Found it." He nodded meaningfully; his eyes were gleaming with pleasure and satisfaction with himself.
"What?"
"That book. The! Book," Hori's eyes widened as well.
"Where?"
"Tokyo National! And I found something else too."
"Can we bring him back?"
"Something about it has changed though. I didn't get sucked in when I read it."
"Maybe that will be only when there is a purpose. Or maybe it just works with Miaka." Taka shrugged.
"WE don't have time to waste."
They started off. Once in Tokyo national library he led them right to the back.
"But you said there were rules for who could and who couldn't pass. You don't have that magic here too do you?" Hori asked as he followed Chichiri.
"No. But I don't think I need it here, or now. There' s magic here on it's own. There must be a reason. I think the gods want Tasuki to really come here as well."
"See. He was meant to be here."
"But how do we-" All of them stopped speechless as they saw an awesome sight.
The red bound book lay there in the last shelf, glowing bright.
"Oh! I get it!"
"What?"
"This thought kept coming to my head for the past week. Priestess and warrior seishi in this room, bound together by destiny bring forth the last bound to light, a new life."
"Okay now in human language please." Nuriko nodded.
"The Priestess, Miaka, and the warrior seishi. Us. In this room bound together by destiny, we just happen to live together in the same city. We come here today to bring forth the last bound, Tasuki, to light, give him a new life. Here no da." Chichiri explained.
"There should be some other reason for him being there then, not just love," Hori said,
The other's nodded. "But what?"
They walked closer to the book carefully.
"Miaka." Chichiri turned to her.
"I know," she walked to the book and picked it up carefully. Taka walked to her and put an arm around her.
She looked at him doubtfully. "Just for my own comfort, so you don't get pulled in."
"I'll do even that if I have to bring him here. You know that."
"I know you'll do anything for us. That's why I love you. Good luck." He smiled at her.
She drew a breath and opened it. Her heart beating fast she turned a page but to her surprise she didn't get pulled in.
The pages turned suddenly with the blast of icy air.
She read on.
He watches his fellowmen riding down the hill, full of energy all prepared.
Yet there is a small pang. Loneliness. His celestial family. He missed them all though content with leading life as the leader of the bandits. One by one they had disappeared from his life.
All that was left was he.
Still as bright looking, just as young at heart as he looked, he looked down, with his amber eyes filled with sadness, his fiery orange hair gleaming in the afternoon sun.
A flash disturbs his thoughts.
A gasp escapes his dry throat. "Miaka."
She was smiling at him from some sort of portal from another world.
She was still as beautiful as he remembered.
She reached out her hand, and without hesitation he took it.
Miaka was surprised when the book rose out of her hand and turned into a portal.
She saw Tasuki there and stared breathless. He looked absolutely hot!
She reached out her hand he did take it without hesitation.
To her horror she felt herself being lifted off her feet. Taka held onto her only to be lifted off his feet as well. Hori tugged him back.
"Hold onto me." He called out and all the seishi there held onto to the other.
Nuriko at the end of this human chain finally gave a might tug, making all of them crash on the floor.
Only now there wasn't the light. The sudden blast of all the elements, and, there was a new addition to the room.
Gleaming orange red hair, tanned fair skin. A smooth blemish less face held a small smile even beyond the mud, water and scorches.
It took them a minute to gather themselves and their symbols to stop glowing.
They scrambled closer.
He lay there unconscious and bruised and dirty, but his face showed happiness.
Nuriko tapped his face. He didn't wake up.
"I think we should take him to my place. He's out cold."
A few minutes later they were at Hori's apartment and Tasuki lay there on the couch still knocked out cold.
As they tended to his bruises, he began to wake up slowly.
Everything was a blur. The last thing he remembered was Miaka reaching out to him. He knew he had her hand in his, but was it a dream? It couldn't have been. Why would she come to him out of the blue out of nowhere, in the sky for heaven's sake!
No. It was a dream, he had probably been ambushed.
Slowly things cleared up; to his shock he didn't see trees or his room's ceiling.
It was a different, strange place. To shock him even more, his Suzaku seishi brothers and the priestess herself were looking down at him.
It wasn't a dream.
"Genrou." He heard Taka's voice, "Say something. Are you okay?"
He slowly sat up, unable to believe his eyes or his luck.
"Where am I?"
"You're here with us Genrou."' Miaka smiled. "With us in my world."
"But- how? There were rules, and the portal-"
"Look don't strain yourself, come, and let's eat." Hotohori smiled and pulled Tasuki to his feet.
He was seated at the head of a table with his other seishi and served generously.
As he sat there with his plate he wondered.
Am I still in a dream? Who are these people? Why do they look like the seishi? What the hell is happening?