Chapter Sixteen
At long last they had reached Souun.
Kayu glanced out of the window of the inn at the busy streets below, a faint feeling of misgiving stirring in his heart as he remembered the last time he had visited the bandit's mountain town. That time, he, Aoiketsu and Maichu had all been working towards the same end, but this time he was operating as a lone agent and he knew that he didn't like it. The men with him were strong and keen, but even a few years less experience had made them green, and despite himself Kayu found himself wishing he could go back to before all of this.
Back to the time when Hyoushin had been their Commander.
At this thought he caught himself, berating his treacherous thoughts as he rested his hands on the windowsill of the chamber. That was the past, after all. Hyoushin was dead, a traitor to his land, and he had been charged with the job of finding and convincing his two young friends to come back home.
That at the very least was something positive, he admitted to himself ruefully, turning from the window to glance at his reflection in the small, smoky mirror. Without Hyoushin's malignant influence, he felt certain that his ties of friendship would be able to reach the two wayward strays. At least, he mused, as he pulled his thick dark hair back into its regulation tail, he certainly hoped so. As yet he knew the Emperor had looked upon them both with mercy – Maichu for his lack of insight and Aoiketsu because so far no messenger had managed to carry the news of Hyoushin's deposition so far into the enemy territory. But even so, Kayu realised that Kintsusei's patience would not hold out forever.
"So if I don't bring them back to report, confess or beg for his forgiveness myself, it may be too late to ever reach either of them." He decided, reaching for his sword as he strapped the belt firmly to his waist. "So it's up to me. Aoi and I may have had our fights in the past, but that was a long time ago. And Maichu – Maichu and I have always been friends. He's a straight-forward person – I know he'll listen to an old ally over potential snakes in the grass."
He pushed open the door of his chamber, heading briskly along the hallway and down the stairs to the main solar where he found his small group of excited companions already awaiting him. At his entrance, they got to their feet as one man, and Kayu felt suddenly self-conscious, realising that already they viewed him as their leader in this foreign land.
"And I must live up to that." He muttered. "Seiryuu help me, somehow I must."
"Kayu-dono, are we going to the mountain today?" As he took his seat, one of the youngest of the group piped up, eagerness in his dark eyes as he surveyed his captain hopefully. "To Reikaku-zan?"
"Yes and no." Kayu agreed cautiously. "Listen, and keep your voice to a minimum, all right? This area – all of this area – is bandit territory. The people here turn a blind eye to their actions – in return, the rogues give them some form of protection. This is the way it's always been – even the Emperor of Kounan doesn't interfere in Reikaku-zan's business. We need to tread carefully and not draw attention to ourselves."
"Sorry." The boy looked abashed. "I didn't realise…I mean…all of it? Run by bandits? With the Emperor's permission?"
"It seems that Reizeitei-sama's father and the leader of the Sanzoku were comrades in arms in the last war against Kutou." Kayu agreed briefly. "Since then there's been some kind of agreement in place. Reikaku-zan is Suzaku's mountain, after all."
"But we're really going there?" One of the other men asked quietly. "Even though it's so important a place?"
"The relic of Suzaku is inside that mountain, and Kintsusei-sama has commanded us to retrieve it." Kayu agreed. "Also the girl, Sukunami Hikari. I imagine that she will be the harder of the two things to locate, however. She seems to have generated a lot of interest among Kounan's surviving Suzaku veterans…so this is what I suggest."
He paused, remembering the night in Seisen and the conversation he had had with Kouran and her husband over the evening meal about the sorcerer Ri Hou Jun.
"I know where she'll likely be." He continued carefully. "And I also know that she's in the protection of someone who's pretty powerful. Since I've met the girl before, it seems a good idea for me to carry out that part of the task myself. I'll go to the village and track her down. In the meantime, you should all head to the mountain in search of the relic."
"You intend on going to the village…alone?" One of the soldiers whispered, and Kayu nodded.
"Yes." He said simply. "It's all right – it's not quite as it sounds. There is someone in the nearby vicinity who I think may be able to help me. And when we stopped in Seisen, I learnt a lot from that family about the sorcerer Chichiri and what exactly his powers are. It seems that he's not someone who likes to kill or who even looks for battle. This being the case, it seems pointless to waste multiple men on an errand that will be much easier alone. I can handle one teenage girl, after all."
He smiled, realising that once again his words were beginning to echo his missing Commander's.
"I'll come to the mountain once I have the girl." He added. "I'll be relying on you all to use your strength and to show no mercy to anyone who tries to get in your way. The bandits of Reikaku-zan are not to be taken lightly – I'm putting faith in you to prove to them that Seiryuu's soldiers are just the same way."
"We'll do it, Kayu-dono." The youngest member of the band said resolutely, nodding his head. "We'll go to Reikaku-zan and we'll get the relic. After all, we are soldiers…even if they're bandits, they're not trained the way we are. We'll defeat them and take the relic in Kintsusei-sama's name – no doubt about it!"
"Well, be careful." Kayu cautioned. "Don't act rashly if you can avoid it. It's a heavy responsibility the Emperor has put on us…don't let his trust in us be in vain."
He got to his feet, raising his hands to dismiss them.
"Till later today." He murmured. "When I trust, Seiryuu willing, we'll all meet once again to celebrate success."
"If Seiryuu's with us, we'll be fine." One of the soldiers said confidently, to murmurs of approval from his companions. "Don't worry, Kayu-dono. We won't fail."
With that they were gone, and Kayu sighed, leaning up against the sturdy wooden pillar that supported the heavy ceiling as he contemplated their naive enthusiasm.
"It's dangerous no matter who goes where." He realised. "And I have to trust them somewhat, else there was no point in my bringing them. Besides, Imust go to the village alone. That was where I last saw Aoi, after all – and therefore it's got to be where Maichu is, too. This part of my errand is a secret, and I must retrieve them myself. Besides, maybe when they realise everything that's happened, I'll be able to count on them for help, too. The girl is Suzaku's, and those two have always been at Seiryuu's command and pleasure. In the end, loyalties will speak for them. Plus, if Chichiri really doesn't look to fight, he might even be bartered with. The sooner I get this over with and rejoin the others at the mountain the better…then we can return to Kutou and maybe at last the Emperor will have what he's looking for!"
"So what exactly do we know about this relic anyway, Chichiri?"
As the group of travellers exited the sorcerer's kasa on the slopes of the bandit's mountain, Aoiketsu cast him a quizzical look, preoccupation in his blue eyes. "I was under the opinion that noone really knew where the thing was - are we really going to be able to find it that easily just because we now want to?"
It was early the following morning and, after breakfast under Aidou's watchful eye, the motley band had set out for Reikaku-zan's peak in search of Hisei's holy treasure. It was the beginnings of another bright, hot Kounan day, and, mindful of the fact time was of the essence, Chichiri had volunteered to use his magic to transfer them all to the blessed mountain.
Only Maichu and his injured travel companion had remained behind in the Eastern Village, for despite the improvement in the Meihi's health, Chichiri had been adamant that he would do better resting than poking around inside tunnels and caves. Much to Aoiketsu's surprise, Hyoushin had not argued the point – in fact he had seemed somewhat relieved, and the young soldier had realised that although his Commander's health had begun to stabilise, he was still physically weak. Maichu had immediately volunteered to stay behind to guard him, saying with some irony that someone ought to, and that he felt it safer to keep his distance from the mountain bandits where Suzaku's holy relic was concerned.
"If I don't know where it is, I can't be accused of tryin' to take it." He had said frankly, with all his usual bluntness. "So I'll stay back an' keep an eye on the Commander. After all, I came south because I wanted to stick with him, an' so I will."
With a laugh, Chichiri had agreed, and so the group had set off in search of their prize, each one wondering what secrets Suzaku's mage spirit might hold.
"Is it really all right to leave Hyoushin behind?" Myoume murmured, glancing back towards the direction of the village as she smoothed down her skirts. "He's better this morning, true, but even so, his health is..."
"I don't pretend to understand the Meihi's remedy, but I do understand that it's worked." Chichiri offered her a lopsided grin, resting his hand gently on her shoulder as he did so. "And you did your bit to help him too, Myoume, I know that as well. He's a strong man and I'm not afraid for his life from Miramu's poison. But if we were to bring him with us - that might be too much for him to cope with at present. He slept fairly well last night, all things considered, and his fever was down again this morning thanks to the herahisa. But he should continue to take it easy so far as we can let him...the mountain is steep and treacherous in places and he's not accustomed to Kounan's hot climate. I think it's far safer for him to remain where he is."
"Maichu's stayed with him anyway, Myoume." Aoiketsu pointed out. "So it's all right. He's not on his own, so he can't get into trouble."
"I told Maichu of somewhere to take him, if he's up to it." Chichiri agreed. "Somewhere cool and shady where he can rest peacefully. After all, there's no reason for him to go to Reikaku-zan like this. The relic we seek is Suzaku's, not Seiryuu's."
"Suzaku's, not Seiryuu's." Hikari murmured softly, and Aoiketsu cast her a keen glance, a question in his seiran eyes.
"Are you okay?" He murmured. "You've been distracted ever since the Commander spoke to you yesterday afternoon. Are you worried about this trip or something?"
"No..." Hikari flushed, shaking her head as she offered him a rueful smile. "No, it isn't that. It's just...I've been thinking over what Hyoushin-san said to me, that's all. About...about being Seiryuu no Miko. And you know, that my destiny is to raise Seiryuu, not Suzaku after all. It's a bit difficult to get my head around...but the more I think about it, the more I think he...he's probably right."
"That's about how we felt when we realised it too, Hikari-chan." Chichiri said wryly. "I won't pretend I'm happy about the idea - even though I knew you had to go to Kutou, I had hoped that you might have been kept out of the most dangerous places. But I don't think that'll be possible, now. We've known that you were the focal point for all of this - and I don't think that it will be easy to shelter you, in the East."
"I...I don't mind." Hikari faltered, then nodded, resolution in her gaze. "I mean, I am scared about it. But at least...I think now I know why I'm here. Even if it is strange, it makes sense and I know what I have to do. I just have to find the strength to do it."
She tucked a wisp of dark hair behind her ear, casting the sorcerer a quizzical look.
"Do you really think that if we wake Hisei, we can use her magic to help out, too?"
"That's what we're going to find out, you know." Chichiri said frankly. "And here's Tasuki, right on cue. Shishi too, by the looks - well, I suppose this does involve her too, doesn't it?"
"Damn right it does." Shishi put in herself, overhearing the end of her uncle's remark as she sauntered over to join them, her father in tow. "Well? We've been waiting since dawn, just like you asked us to. What took you so long?"
"Some of us have a family to see to before we can head out on adventure, Shishi-chan." Chichiri chided, looking amused. He raised his gaze to his fellow Seishi, raising his eyebrow questioningly, and Tasuki nodded.
"Just as you thought." He agreed frankly. "Hisei's relic is buried deep within the heart of the mountain."
"You found it already?" Aoiketsu looked startled, and Tasuki eyed him for a moment, then shrugged.
"It wasn't that hard to do." He acknowledged. "Reikaku-zan's always been a holy mountain, after all. Blessed. S'why when people come here, they get touched by its power no matter who they are. Stands to reason that something has to be the cause of that. The heart of the mountain's always been sealed up, an' even when Hakurou-kashira was alive, noone tried to break through the inner walls. But Chichiri asked me in the message he sent to check it out. Shishi an' me, we cased it late last night. I ain't sure what it is - but there's somethin' there all right. An' I'm pretty sure it has Suzaku's touch about it."
"I guess my hunch was right then, you know." Chichiri's ruby gaze twinkled with satisfaction. "That you are Hisei's guardian, Tasuki-kun. I didn't think it'd be too hard for you to find it - if you just bothered to look."
"I felt something from it too. Or rather, Do-nee did." Shishi cast her father a sheepish look, then shrugged. "She said that her sister mage was close by, but sleeping. So I think that must be the place we're looking for."
"Which means that we can go straight to it after all." Hikari looked relieved. "Good."
"I didn't realise we were takin' half of the local population down with us, though." Tasuki glanced at Chichiri, who spread his hands.
"Aoi-kun has raised a mage, and knows a little about what happened when he did." He said lightly. "Hikari is the Shinzahou and we need that, don't we, if we're going to bring her to human form? Otherwise we might end up with a situation like Shishi has - and one moonlighting mage spirit is enough, I think you'll agree. You and I are Suzaku's representatives - and Myoume is a Seishi of Byakko whose prophesies are guiding us. It seems appropriate that we are all here. Or are you worried about mountain security?"
"No, I guess not." Tasuki relented, shaking his head. His gaze rested on Aoiketsu once again, then his lips twitched into a faint smile.
"I heard you helped the cub out on the journey north, kid." He added. "I suppose if that's the case, I can let you into my mountain. Since it seems that, Kutou spy or not, you've chosen to see sense now."
Aoiketsu reddened, holding up his hands.
"I'm not going to cause any trouble, I promise." He said hastily. "I'm here to help. Nothing else."
"Well, if you have Hotohori-sama's shinken, I suppose I must believe that." Tasuki said pensively, and Aoiketsu frowned, brushing his fingers against the hilt.
"Hikari and Chichiri have both let me use it." He admitted. "But I brought it today because...well, I know that you have to use blood to...to break the seals and waken a mage. And I...when I had the shinken before, I didn't...Hyoushin-sama's blood didn't affect me. So I...I guess I hope it might be the same today. I want to help, after all."
"The Meihi is still alive, then?" Tasuki asked, and Chichiri nodded.
"And growing stronger by the hour." He confirmed. "Thanks to the potions of his people, it seems he will recover - at least enough to preserve his life, although I don't know whether or not his injury will fully mend. Even so, though, he's not up to making this climb. And I didn't think that you'd welcome either him or his young companion into the heart of your territory so easily, Tasuki - so we left them behind in the village and came without them."
"The tribesman, perhaps." Tasuki admitted. "But the youngster – he's a bit of a hot-headed idiot, but I guess there's no harm in him. Still, I suppose someone has to keep watch on the Ri farm while you're up here, don't they?"
"I don't imagine they're going to stay there all day, you know." Chichiri looked amused. "A convalescent patient shouldn't be shut away inside a stuffy farmhouse when he could be out in the fresh air, after all."
Aoiketsu opened his mouth to comment on this, but as he did so, he caught sight of a flash of something out of the corner of his eye and instinctively he tensed, his fingers darting to the sword at his waist as he did so.
"Aoi-kun?" As he turned to survey the land behind them, Hikari put a hand out to touch his, anxiety in her hazel eyes. "What's going on? Something's wrong?"
"We have visitors." Tasuki's brows knitted together, and somehow Aoi realised in that split second the bandit's harisen had shifted from his back into the palm of his hand as he gestured to the caves beyond. "Your senses are pretty sharp, kid – I guess it's not going to be so easy to just walk in an' find what we're lookin' for."
"On our own friggin' territory?" Shishi snorted, drawing her own sword. "Where are they? And who? Kaou-zan's people? Shit, their timing sucks!"
"No, not Kaou-zan." Aoiketsu's gaze darkened as he caught sight of the figures slowly emerging from the bushes beyond. "Shit…of all people…of all times…"
He trailed off, indecision flickering in his gaze, and Tasuki's frown deepened.
"Friends of yours, I take it?" He asked quietly, and Aoiketsu bit his lip.
"Soldiers from Kutou." He admitted. "I'm sorry, Tasuki-san. This is my fault…because of the information I leaked back about Hisei's relic. Shishi called me on it – she said that it was your home and everything else. But I didn't think…"
"Enough time for gabbing about it later." Tasuki cut across him, shaking his head. "Right now you need to tell your buddies to turn around an' go home. They ain't none of them more than kids as it is – and I don't want to be accused of pickin' fights with strangers."
"Myoume, take Hikari and go into the mountain." Chichiri said softly. "If they're from Kutou…I don't think she should be in the middle of this."
"Aoi-nii!"
As the young men approached, the nearest one hesitated, lowering his sword as he caught sight of his fellow soldier. "But…what…why are you…? Have you come here too, on Kintsusei-sama's orders?"
"For Kintsusei-sama's sake, yes." Aoiketsu said evenly. "Put your sword away, Gai. There's no need to fight – we're all on the same errand, after all."
"No need to…?" The young man faltered, glancing at his comrade's companions. Then he frowned, shaking his head.
"These are Suzaku's people." He whispered. "Are you a traitor too? A traitor to his Highness?"
"Noone's a traitor to anyone, you idiot boy." Shishi snapped. "But you an' your buddies are trespassin' and I'd advise you to shift out of here before we do you some serious damage."
"I wasn't talking to you, wench." A second young man snapped at her insolently, and at his tone, Shishi bristled indignantly. "This isn't a matter for girls, so keep out of what isn't your business."
"Not my business, huh?" Shishi's eyes darkened, but Chichiri met her gaze, shaking his head slightly.
"You're not to fight them." He said quietly. "Until we understand what changes Doryoku has instilled in you, Shishi-chan – you are not to fight. All right? Tasuki told me what happened at Jin's memorial – this whole mountain might come crashing down if you wake too much of that magic."
"If they knew who I was, maybe they wouldn't want to fight with me." Hikari suggested, and Chichiri wheeled around, shooting her a dark glare.
"I told you to go inside already." He said softly, and Aoiketsu started at the cold intent in his tones. "Do as you're told…Myoume, please. Get her out of here."
"All right." Myoume nodded her head, sighing reluctantly but taking Hikari by the hand. "Come on. Inside. Out of the way…one way or another, I think there's going to be a battle of swords and you and I don't have any place in it."
"Shishi, you go too." Tasuki added, his gaze not leaving the Kutou attackers. "Chichiri's right about you – I don't want to be pickin' this place out of the rubble after we're done. Go with them."
"But I…"
"I said go." Tasuki cut across her. "That's an order from the Kashira, so do it already."
"Shit, that's not fair." Shishi muttered, but nonetheless she sheathed her blade, trudging despondently in the direction her two companions had already gone.
"Aoi-nii, what's going on?" The soldier named Gai spoke up again now, clearly trying to make sense of the exchange. "Why are you with these people…I don't understand! You were sent here on the Emperor's orders – weren't you?"
"Yes." Aoiketsu agreed. "That's why I said we don't need to fight."
"We came for Hisei's relic." One of the youngsters piped in, and Gai, who was clearly the eldest sent him a dark glare.
"Shut up, pipsqueak. You're not supposed to say that."
"Not even to Aoi-nii?" The boy looked confused. "But isn't he on our side?"
"I don't know." Gai admitted, turning his gaze back towards the other soldier. "Aoi-nii…we're here because the Emperor sent us to get the relic from this mountain. If you're going to try and stop us, we have to treat you as our enemy and we have to fight you. It's how it is."
"You're too young to throw your lives away so easily." Chichiri said softly, and Gai bristled.
"We're not bad soldiers, ojisan." He said curtly. "We were trained to fight properly, and we're not going to be talked down from our duty to Kintsusei-sama."
"Then it can't be helped." Tasuki sighed, slowly shaking his head as he raised his free hand, spreading the fingers wide as he did so. "Chichiri, follow the girls into the mountain an' make sure they don't wander off too far, okay? We'll handle this here. Aoi, you go with him, if you like. If you don't want to fight your old buddies, I'll understand…but we ain't got time to play with them."
"What about you?" Chichiri frowned, and Tasuki grinned, revealing fang-like teeth as he did so.
"This is my mountain." He said simply. "Do you think I'm so stupid as to leave the whole place unprotected?"
Almost as soon as he had spoken, there was a rustle of tree branches and two or three bandits emerged from the slope above, each one armed with a hefty blade of his own. Behind them came Kouji and, dressed in the attire of a mountain fighter, Shishi's mother Anzu, her own gleaming weapon firmly grasped in her right fist.
"We'll be fine." Tasuki added. "Leave it to us to protect Reikaku-zan, an' go see to the girls."
"I should have guessed." Chichiri's expression cleared. "All right. Just don't kill them if you can help it, Tasuki-kun. They are kids, after all – and boys with swords are still boys at the end of it."
"Don't worry. I know." Tasuki nodded his head. "Jus' trust me, okay?"
"Aoi, are you coming?" Chichiri shot him a questioning look, and Aoiketsu hesitated, then shook his head.
"No." He said quietly. "I'm staying to fight. If that's what it means, then that's what I'll do. To protect Hisei's relic and to protect Hikari…I'm staying here."
"Good call, kid." Tasuki shot him an approving grin. "All right. Then we'll see you inside, Chichiri…make sure the cub doesn't get in the midst of it all, won't you?"
"Without doubt, you know." Chichiri assured him, heading off in the direction of the cave as Tasuki squared himself, tapping his tessen absently against his left hand. From where he was standing, Aoiketsu saw the mark of the wings glitter across the bandit's bared skin, and he frowned, his own fingers tightening around the hilt of the shinken as he wondered what the Seishi was planning to do. For a moment Tasuki glanced at his weapon, then seemed to make up his mind, slipping it back into its usual travel position as instead he drew his own well-polished sword from its scabbard at his side. As he did so, Aoiketsu understood the unspoken message and a flicker of relief washed over him.
The bandit did not intend to fight to kill, then, despite the insult to his land.
Aoiketsu turned his attention back to the intruding soldiers, all of them now gathered with blades drawn behind their self-appointed spokesman as they eyed him with a mixture of confusion and indignation. They would fight with all they had, he realised, yet even so he knew he would not fight to kill, either. His opponents were boys he knew, boys he had trained with and helped to hone their skills during quiet times and between drills. Friends they had been, but Kutou's twisted politics had placed them on opposite sides of the fence.
"Fight to immobilise, not to kill." He murmured softly under his breath. "Message received loud and clear, Tasuki-san…I won't spill blood on your mountain either, if it can be helped."
"Of all people I never thought I'd fight you as a traitor." Gai remarked at this point, and Aoiketsu glanced at him, his eyes clouding as he shook his head.
"Everything I do is for Kutou's sake." He said gravely. "Everything I do is for the Emperor. I can't explain it to you – it's too dangerous to even try. But that's the truth of it, Gai-kun. I was raised like you were, to fight for the East. Everything I do is to that end."
"Holding Suzaku's holy blade, it hardly looks that way." Gai snapped. Aoiketsu shrugged.
"If holding the shinken means Kutou gets its peace, I'll do it and die holding it." He said grimly. "I don't want to fight you, Gai. You know I can beat you – I'm no weaker with this weapon than with my own, you know."
"Not if I draw blood from you." Gai said coldly, and Aoiketsu realised his companion wasn't going to be dissuaded. He sighed, raising the holy blade slowly into battle position. As he did so he thought he felt a flicker of energy trickle through the hilt and into his fingers, making his whole arm feel warm as though surrounded by some kind of holy light. He bit his lip, realising that once again he had risen Hotohori's spirit inside the blade. With a jolt he realised the reason – that he was holding the weapon in Kounan's defence, and that very cause had been one for which the original owner had considered worthy of sacrificing his own life.
"I've overcome that weakness for the time being." He said quietly now, inwardly hoping that his theory was right. "So that won't help you either."
"They're just boys, Genrou." Anzu dropped down on the ground between them, sending her partner a reproachful glance. "Are you really expecting us to fight to kill?"
"No…just disarm them." Tasuki shook his head. "What do you think I am? But we can't let them run riot over Reikaku-zan – stun 'em if need be – but don't kill them. That's an order."
"As if a woman could kill any of us." The youngster who had been so disdainful towards Shishi earlier sent Anzu a disparaging look, and inwardly Aoiketsu winced at the boy's error in judgement, for Anzu's pretty features twitched into a look of irritation as she glanced from her sword to her prospective opponent.
"Kounan's great Emperor, Saihitei-heika taught me my grip, so it's not so easy to break." She said evenly. "Your mother would be ashamed of your manners, talking like that."
"Pay attention to me, Aoi, not the woman." Gai's voice cut through Aoiketsu's concentration at that point, and he started, jumping back as he felt the swish of a blade cut through the air in front of him. Frowning, he turned back to face his young opponent, taking in the resolution in the young man's dark eyes as he did so.
"That's better." The youngster nodded. "You're fighting me – not looking to some bandit woman for protection."
"If that's really what you want." Aoiketsu shrugged his shoulders, extending the shinken as he parried Gai's sword-thrusts back. "I may have been hiding in the south for a while, but I haven't lost my edge. And the only person who ever disarmed me is Hyoushin-sama."
"Hyoushin-sama is a traitor." Gai snapped, anger glittering in his eyes as he renewed his drive forward, swinging his weapon forcefully in Aoiketsu's direction. "If you still side with him, so are you."
"Hyoushin-sama would never betray the Emperor." Aoiketsu shot back, as the blades clattered together once more, sparks flying between them at the force of the blow. "You must be stupid if you believe anything otherwise. Hasn't he trained you since you were eight or nine, Gai-kun? It's fickle, turning your back on your Commander based on an unfounded rumour of deceit."
"The Emperor's will isn't deceit!" Gai exclaimed, launching himself once more in Aoiketsu's direction, and Aoiketsu feinted neatly left, pushing the weapon away as he shook his head.
"I never said it was." He returned. "I never said what you were doing had anything to do with the Emperor at all!"
"We came south on Kintsusei-sama's direct orders!" Gai objected. "Kayu-dono told us…"
"Kayu?" Despite himself Aoiketsu faltered, only just managing to dodge the swing of the boy's weapon as he registered the meaning of the boy's words. "Kayu's here in Kounan?"
"That's none of your business either." Gai snapped, readying himself for another assault, and Aoiketsu frowned, realising that if the conflict continued, one of them would wind up getting hurt.
"And if Kayu's here, I need to find him before he gets himself into trouble." He murmured. "Which means…I have to end this. Now. I'm sorry, Gai – but this will hurt less than if I used the blade to run you through."
With that thought fresh in his mind, he swung the shinken around, taking careful aim as he stabbed the weapon forward, the pommel catching the young man across the side of the head. The soldier gasped, his eyes widening at the surprise of the blow, but Aoiketsu's aim had been perfect and he deftly caught the crumpling form of his opponent in his arms, lowering him to the ground.
"That was easy." Tasuki's voice at his right hand made him turn and he nodded, sheathing his weapon as he stood back from Gai's still body.
"He's out for a while." He agreed. "I didn't want to hurt him, but…"
"It's all right. They're all taking a short nap." Tasuki gestured to the surrounding area, and Aoiketsu realised that all of the young soldiers had been similarly immobilised. "Kouji and Anzu will take care of them from here – don't worry, they won't be hurt. We'll just wait for them to sober up and ask them a few questions, that's all – they won't be going anywhere in a hurry."
"Gai said Kayu was in Kounan." Aoiketsu said softly, and Tasuki frowned, eying him keenly.
"And Kayu is…?"
"One of my fellow soldiers from Kutou." Aoiketsu chewed down on his lip, contemplating. "He and I grew up together, sort of…he was orphaned in the war, like I was, but he was adopted by someone at court and raised the way I was – educated and trained as a soldier in Kutou's name."
"So he's a buddy of yours and Maichu's?"
"He is." Aoiketsu agreed. "But…"
"But?"
"Kayu's patron is Lord Kikei." Aoiketsu admitted. "The Priest who's behind all of this. So I don't know…but I doubt…he's here to help us out."
"I see." Tasuki's brows knitted together. "But he isn't here on Reikaku-zan?"
"I guess not." Aoiketsu scanned the mountainside, then shook his head. "I don't see him. He's older than me – these are just kids, but Kayu's a good soldier, and strong, too."
"Strong as you, or not?"
"No…probably not." Aoiketsu admitted. "But even so, he'd put up more of a fight than this lot."
"Sending kids to fight a man's battle." Tasuki tut-tutted. "Your Emperor has issues, you know."
"I don't think Kintsusei-sama had anything to do with this." Aoiketsu responded. "But if Kayu's here, I should go find him. After all…"
"After all, your duty is to protect Hikari, ain't it?" Tasuki raised his eyebrow, and Aoiketsu faltered, nodding his head.
"Yes, but…"
"If this Kayu's come here, Aoi, he's come for one thing." Tasuki said quietly. "Suzaku's treasure. An' right now that's inside my mountain – the Shinzahou an' the relic both. If you leave here, that's one less person to defend either of them from sticky fingers that want to use 'em – you understand that, don't you? I don't know where your buddy has got to – but right now the important things are on Reikaku-zan."
"You're right." Aoiketsu admitted. "If Kayu has been sent here by Kikei, his errand has to be to find the Shinzahou. And that's here, with us."
"Right." Tasuki clapped a heavy hand down on his companion's shoulder. "An' we're wasting time. Since my bandits can clean up this shower of troublemakers without me holdin' their hands, we should rejoin the cub an' her companions an' see about wakin' this mage spirit – certainly before any kind of reinforcements arrive."
"All right." Aoiketsu nodded, allowing himself to be led across the grass to the crack in the dark stone where his travel companions were anxiously awaiting him.
"Are you okay?" As they slipped into the darkness, Hikari hurried forward, grasping Aoiketsu's hands in hers as she anxiously examined them for any sign of injury. "You had to fight your own people, Aoi – are you all right?"
"We just knocked them out." Aoiketsu shook his head. "That's all. It's fine. They're not going to cause any more trouble here."
"In which case, we've wasted enough time." Chichiri reflected. "Since I came through here, I've tried to sense out the mage's dormant magic and I think maybe I've succeeded – but I want your confirmation, Tasuki-kun. Are we heading forward and down towards the very core of this mountain?"
"Yes." Tasuki agreed. "In which case, we'll need light."
"I already solved that." Shishi held out an armful of wooden torches. "I figured since you wouldn't let me fight, I had to do something useful. Here you go, Pa…Kashira. I found three at least – one for you, one for me, and one for Chichiri."
"Good kid." Tasuki looked approving, pulling his tessen from his back once more. "Hold still – I'll flame 'em…don't move else it'll be your hair I'm settin' light to instead."
"Okaa-san would skin you, if you did that." Shishi said, unperturbed as she did as she was bidden. "You don't scare me, you know, sayin' shit like that."
"Are you sure it's okay to use the tessen inside the cave?" Hikari asked doubtfully, and Tasuki nodded, twitching it in the direction of the wood as a faint flicker of flame glittered along the edge of the metal. It licked up against the dry timber, blazing each into a sturdy light as it did so, and Chichiri took one, sending his friend a grin.
"You know, the control you have over that thing is amazing, these days." He reflected. "All right. I suppose there's nothing to do but go forward now."
"I've never been really deep inside the mountain before." Hikari remarked, as they began their careful descent along the uneven, rocky floor. "It's like when we came to find you, Myoume - playing hunt the treasure in the caves."
"Not quite like that, hopefully." Shishi muttered, and Hikari bit her lip, sending her companion a guilty glance.
"I'm sorry, Shishi. I didn't mean it that way." She said apologetically. "I just meant...you know..."
She trailed off, and Shishi shrugged, offering her a faint smile.
"It's all right." She said frankly. "I think he's still with us, when we're on the mountain at the very least. And I know you weren't thinking of that...it's okay."
"This mountain isn't like Kumo-zan." Myoume reflected, brushing her fingers absently against the smooth stone walls of the passage as she did so. "There's no gems to be found here - Reikaku-zan's never been any kind of crystal mine. You can tell by the seams - the rock is completely different in the way it's structured."
"Damn right it ain't a mine." Tasuki said bluntly. "It's a bandit keep and it has been for a long time. Reikaku-zan's been guarded by Sanzoku for generations - do you think that we'd need to take toll if we could pull gemstones out of the walls at whim?"
"The Kanin Mountains in Sairou covered a whole lot of old mineshafts though, Papa." Shishi explained. "Where we met Myoume, there was this beautiful place...made by the Byakko Seishi in the heart of the mountains. It was like the stones were stars...making out the constellations of Byakko on the roof of the chamber."
"Stars, huh?" Tasuki snorted. "I see. Well, each to their own."
"Is it very far down?" Aoiketsu asked. "Hisei, I mean...is it really buried deep?"
"Fairly deep." Tasuki agreed. "Hey, kid, is what Chichiri said earlier true? About you an' Seiryuu's mage spirit - you were there when it was found?"
"Maichu and I retrieved the relic from an underground cave in Kutou." Aoiketsu agreed. "It was really strange, actually. There are a lot of underground water sources in Kutou - probably because of Seiryuu and the water dragon connection. But Suiko's scale was hidden underneath one of the sacred pools there - we had to swim down to a chamber underwater to find her shrine. And when we did, it was like a barrier was over it to keep the water out."
"What did it look like inside, this shrine?" Chichiri asked, and Aoiketsu frowned.
"It was...beautiful." He admitted, his memory flitting back to the moment he and Maichu had first set foot in the underwater chamber. "There were a lot of depictions of Seiryuu on the walls - it was like it hadn't been touched in a long time, though. And there was a door to a room beyond. We tried to get it open, and I...I cut my hand trying to shift the door aside. When I did, it moved...just enough so that we could push it back and get in. The scale was in a chest, protected by blue flame."
"Blue...flame?" Tasuki echoed, and Aoiketsu nodded.
"Yes." He agreed. "But when I put my hand in to take it, the flame seemed to go out. I wasn't really watching it - I was bleeding and I didn't feel all that good. But Maichu said my blood put out the fire. And that's why I could take the box back to the surface."
He grinned.
"If I'm Nakago's son, it makes sense now." He added. "But that's what happened. It wasn't easy to get."
"Well, Suzaku's element is fire, so I don't think we'll be facing a swim to get to Hisei's relic." Myoume murmured.
"Kitora's shrine was just a chamber with a statue of Byakko in the centre." Shishi added softly, and Aoiketsu could hear the emotion in her voice. "I guess that Miramu opened it using his blood, because it was open when we got there. And when he and Jin...and then Myoume came...we didn't...we didn't have to get through any real barriers to reach it. But I think...the fang was in a chest, too. Under Byakko's front paw."
"Yes." Myoume confirmed. "And Doryoku didn't have a shrine - just a hiding place where Bachisu-san concealed her till Shishi came to release her. So each of the Gods is different when it comes to protecting his mage spirit. We can't really assume what happened with any of the others will happen with Hisei - or what kind of a spirit she'll be."
"Doryoku might know more." Hikari suggested, casting Shishi a glance, and the young bandit nodded her head.
"She does." She agreed. "At least, about the mage spirits themselves. She says that they're woken by the blood of their guardian or one of the chosen of the beast God. And that the one who wakes the mage has to do so with pure heart and spirit, because otherwise things can go kinda wrong. It's something to do with the essence of that person's spirit inside the blood used...I don't understand what she means, but that's what she said."
"Interesting." Chichiri's gaze narrowed. "So in her case, she was awoken by Bachisu's blood?"
"Yes."
"And it was given freely and in good faith, so she's not turned out to be psycho?" Hikari asked. Shishi shrugged.
"I guess so." She agreed.
"Miramu woke Kitora." Myoume's eyes narrowed. "I don't know what kind of spirit my brother possesses, but I'm sure it's not pure in any regard these days. And Suiko...Aoi woke Suiko. What about that, Shishi? Does Doryoku know what kind of impact that might have, if it's not actually a Seishi who stirs a mage?"
"Doryoku says she's never heard of that happening before." Shishi shook her head. "So she hasn't a clue. She did say, though, that she can't imagine Aoi's blood is as strong as a real Seishi's blood - so Seiryuu's mage spirit might not be as strong as Kitora is or she is."
"That'd make sense." Aoiketsu admitted. "She did whine a lot about the fact she was less powerful away from the Shinzahou. Maichu and Hyoushin-sama might know more about that, though - and about Kitora. I only travelled with Suiko, and I didn't meet Kitora at all. Maichu did call her 'catwoman', once - and mentioned that she was rather...crazy. But I don't really know much else."
"The spirit of Amefuri, in fact, in all his twisted glory." Shishi muttered. Myoume sighed, nodding her head.
"So it seems." She said guiltily. "I wish I'd thought to retrieve the fang sooner, to be honest. If I had, maybe I could have woken Kitora's spirit...but just like my brother said himself, I can't undo things already done."
"None of us can." Chichiri said matter-of-factly. "So it's better to focus on what we can do, instead."
"That sounds strange, coming from you, buddy." Tasuki said wryly, and Chichiri sent him a rueful look, shaking his head.
"Time passes." He said simply. "And this is the here and now."
At that moment they stepped into a more open chamber, the walls smooth and clean as if carefully polished that way by bandits of the past, and Aoiketsu wondered absently if it had once been used by smugglers when the mountain had taken a more active role in hoarding illegal goods over the Western border. Tasuki placed his torch in a sconce, gesturing for Shishi and Chichiri to follow suit, and then he stood back, folding his arms across his chest.
"This is where it was." He said unecessarily. "This place...where Shishi an' me both felt somethin' was calling."
Chichiri held up his fingers, frowning for a moment, then nodding his head.
"I can feel something, too." He agreed. "Some flicker of magic lying dormant somewhere in this area. Tasuki, you can feel it again now? Is it drawing you towards it as much as it is me?"
"Yep." Tasuki agreed evenly. "A sort of buzzing warmth somewhere beneath us. But I'm not sure where the seal is, exactly."
"Aoi-kun, what did the seal look like in Seiryuu's underwater shrine?" Chichiri asked.
"I remember seeing the characters for Suiko's name." Aoiketsu furrowed his brow as he tried to remember. "The characters for 'water' and 'call'. That was the first clue we had that she was there...so I suppose it might be the same for Hisei."
"Hisei." Hikari said slowly. "How would you write that? Hi...would be fire, wouldn't it? If Suiko began with 'mizu', maybe Hisei follows the same pattern?"
"Suzaku is the firebird." Myoume agreed. "I'd think that would be a good guess. Kitora is made up of 'wood' and 'tiger', after all...wood is Byakko's element."
"And Doryoku is "earth" and "power." Shishi added. "Because she just told me so."
"Your kanji isn't as bad as you think it is, Hikari-chan." Chichiri told her playfully, and the schoolgirl snorted, shaking her head.
"That's first year grade school kanji." She said derisively. "Of course I'd know that."
"So we're looking for the character for fire, and one other?" Aoiketsu asked. Chichiri nodded.
"That seems to be the case." He agreed. "Shishi, does Doryoku know what other character Hisei uses to write her name?"
"Star!"
Before Shishi could answer, Hikari let out an exclamation, pressing her hands to the wall of the chamber as she gazed at the sorcerer excitedly. "Look, Chichiri - look! "Hoshi!" That can be read as 'sei'...can't it?"
"The kid's right." Tasuki came to stand beside her, running his finger over the worn section of rock as he nodded his head. "Fire and star. Hi Sei. I think she's got it."
"I suppose you're drawn to this place too, Hikari-chan." Chichiri reached out to touch it, offering her a smile. "It feels right to me, Tasuki. I guess this is where you come in."
"I guess so." Tasuki agreed, glancing at it and then at the wall. Then he shrugged, pulling his pocket knife from his belt. He slashed the blade deftly across his palm, holding it up, then pressing it carefully against the two worn characters in the stone face.
At first, nothing happened. Then, with a slight shudder, the chamber began to vibrate as a crack split the wall from top to bottom. Tasuki jumped back with an exclamation as fragments of rock rained down on him, and Hikari let out a yell, grabbing hold of Aoiketsu's hand as she stared up at the opening crevasse in disbelief.
"The whole chamber might fall on us!" She whispered, but Chichiri shook his head.
"It's fine, you know." He murmured. "This mountain's built to handle this – and even if it isn't, I'll make sure nothing happens to us. Or had you forgotten that I can project barriers as well as pull people into hats, Hikari-chan?"
"I guess so." Hikari looked sheepish. "It just…it made me jump."
"Looks like there's a chamber beyond." Myoume murmured, and Shishi darted forward, peering around the crack.
"Shit." She whispered. "It's just like a proper friggin' shrine in there. No doubt about it – I can feel somethin' pulsin', an' this place is like…some kind of holy offerin' of some kind."
"Then I guess we've found it." Tasuki said simply, exchanging looks with his sorcerer companion who nodded his head slowly.
"Well, this should prove interesting." He murmured. "Let's go in."