Chapter Twenty Two
The palace was in silence.
As Aoiketsu slipped along the darkened hallways, his fingers hovered over the hilt of his blade ready for the briefest sign of trouble, but there was nothing. The guards that usually stood at their posts were nowhere to be seen, and to the young soldier the atmosphere seemed eerie and unsettling.
Slipping through the familiar darkened landscape had sent a strange mixture of nostalgia and consternation through his mind as he had realised that the last time he had been here, there had been nothing more on his mind than following orders and finding Shinzahou.
"But so much seems to have changed." He reflected, as he crossed the forecourt and made his way into the cluster of halls and buildings that made up the outer shell of the royal enclave. "Inside me? Inside Kutou? I wish I knew. I didn't question anything, then. Now I'm questioning everything. Is it Nakago's spirit lurking inside of me, or something else? Hikari, maybe? I wish I understood completely."
He paused, leaning up against the wall as he remembered the odd sensation entering the Kaiga land had brought.
"Almost like I was there. Like for an instant, I saw it through my father's eyes." He realised. "I wonder how much of him is inside of me, anyway. He's dead, right? But even the dead have power over the living. I should know that. Hyoushin-sama said it himself, didn't he? That he'd promised Okaasama that he'd teach me to grow for Kutou's sake. Maybe that's why I was so drawn to her grave so often when I was here before. Because she decided what kind of person I was going to be...after all."
He frowned, rubbing his temples as a strange sensation washed through him.
"I wonder what you'd think now, Hahaue." He whispered. "About your son who's sneaking around Kutou's palace in the guise of a traitor to the East."
He took a deep breath, listening for any sounds as he prepared to cross the threshold into the next secure section of the palace. He had come almost by instinct back to his childhood home, but under the cover of blackness and with Suzaku's holy sword at his side, he felt like a stranger thrust for the first time deep into the heart of an enemy's territory.
"I grew up here." He murmured under his breath as he peered carefully around the next corner, seeing that it was as empty as the ones before. "But right now it feels like I've never been to this place before. This is too peculiar. But given this - I'm glad I came on ahead. At least...where I'm concerned...it is true that there might not be an official report regarding me. Kayu's death means that he hasn't reported back to Kikei, so it all depends on Miramu and what he has and hasn't said. But Miramu's always been obtuse where I'm concerned, so who knows what he's let slip."
He frowned, pressing his hands against one of the big sturdy outer doors as it creaked open beneath his touch.
"Unlocked?" He muttered to himself. "That can't be an accident...surely? In a paranoid centre such as this one...At this rate, are they just going to let me walk right into the central chambers unchallenged? Into the place, even, where the Shinzahou are? If I could find that, maybe Hikari could be spared coming to this place at all. But even so...this is far too easy. As if I'm expected. As if...it's a trap."
"A wise observation."
The voice echoed softly from the shadows and Aoiketsu swung around, suppressing the exclamation that sprang to his lips as his grip tightened around the hilt of Hotohori's blessed sword. As he turned, he caught sight of the speaker, and his eyes narrowed in anger.
"Miramu." He whispered, and the assassin bowed his head towards the young soldier in acknowledgement.
"You've come a long way, Aoiketsu." He said evenly. "Isn't it funny? Even though we've been countries apart, I still reasoned out your movements enough to track you here tonight. Aren't you impressed?"
"Impressed?" Aoiketsu echoed. "By your stalking? I don't think so. I'm not here to play games with you, Miramu."
"No, I imagine not." Miramu said evenly. "The question is...why are you here? To rescue your Emperor from some undisclosed threat? Or is it to commit treason on this land? You've been evading Kutou's contact so long that the Emperor begins to think you've been killed...perhaps you're a ghost, come to wreak vengeance."
"Maybe I am." Aoiketsu's eyes hardened. "It's said that Nakago was seen around the palace after his death - perhaps I'm the same. What do you think? Maybe that is why I'm here."
Miramu eyed him for a moment. Then he laughed, shaking his head.
"You're no ghost." He said softly, reaching out to brush his finger against Aoiketsu's cheek, and the boy flinched back, drawing his weapon as he wielded it between them.
"Touch me again and I'll run you through." He said blackly. "I don't care if you are a Celestial Warrior or if you've a quiver full of poisoned arrows. You attacked my Commander and that's something I can't forgive."
"Attacked...but not killed?" Miramu reflected, and Aoiketsu faltered, noting the odd expression that suddenly glittered in the assassin's blue eyes. "I see. That's interesting. So he's survived, has he? Who would have thought that his boast was right - that not even my poison could stop him from protecting his Emperor's life."
"What have you done to Kintsusei-sama, you bastard murderer?"
"Me? Nothing. Not yet." Miramu shook his head. "I've only cleared the halls of guards. I haven't even told Kikei that you were in the South, or that you're as wrapped up in this as anyone else...you should be grateful to me for that, Aoi-kun. It might yet save your life."
"I don't need favours from you." Aoiketsu snapped, feeling the same sense of bitter anger and frustration churning up inside of him as he met the assassin's even gaze. He raised the shinken, poising himself to launch an attack as he glared back at his foe. "Tell them what you like...if you can get there before I kill you and Kikei too."
"Kill...me?" Miramu's eyes widened slightly, then a faint, humourless smile touched his lips.
"Well, so the son is like the father too." He whispered. "This is the you that's been hidden away, isn't it? The one that all the training and mollycoddling has tried to either suppress or groom - I don't know which. But the you that's been flickering in your heart since the moment we met. Does it feel good to want to kill me, Aoi-kun? Does it rush up inside of you and make your blood boil with excitement? I wonder. Nakago was famed for his mass slaughters, after all - and you're young enough yet to surpass him in that - don't you think? A brutal, brilliant Shougun in his own right - like your father and your grandfather, will you follow the same bloody path in Kutou's name, then?"
Aoiketsu froze, staring at him in dismay as the assassin's soft-spoken words cut through him to the quick. He faltered, and Miramu laughed, shaking his head.
"Maybe not yet." He mused. "I see. Perhaps that's my fault, in the end, for not managing to remove your Commander's influence from you after all. I knew that people were coming...I can feel my sister's chi from here. I knew you would be the one to come here, so I decided I should be the one to welcome you. After all, as I've said before - you and I, we are reflections in the same mirror in so many ways, aren't we?"
"We are nothing alike, Miramu." Aoiketsu said coldly. "Nothing at all."
"Really? I wonder." Miramu said lightly, leaning casually back against the wall as he cocked his head on one side. "You aren't the gentle, naive, idealistic soldier who I first saw in Kutou, are you? Your eyes glitter with hate and a desire to kill - you're suppressing it, but it lives inside you. Just as it grew inside of me. Now you understand, don't you? What curses fathers can wish on their children. You are a more dangerous weapon than that sword you hold, and I think you know it as well as I do."
Aoiketsu frowned, remembering the hot flush of rage that had rushed through him on Kayu's death.
"I won't be like you." He said quietly. "Whatever you say. You're a disgusting example of human life, Miramu, Seishi or not. And I'm never going to be like that. Never. You might be the bastard your father was. You might be worse. I'm not like that. I'm not Nakago. And I never will be."
"Well, time will tell." Miramu murmured. "Even so, you have surprised me. Hyoushin...truly lives, then? Even despite the fact he was pierced with a poison for which there is no known antidote?"
"You're not as smart as you think you are." Aoiketsu snapped. "The Meihi had a remedy for snake poison. And the Commander is strong."
"So he is." Miramu paused, digesting this. Then he nodded. "Well, so much to the good, I suppose."
"The...good?" Despite himself Aoiketsu lowered his sword, eying his foe warily. "What does that mean?"
Miramu did not answer straight away. Then his eyes narrowed, and Aoiketsu saw a glitter of resolve flare in the man's indigo eyes.
"It is past midnight, now...you were later than I anticipated, and I have been waiting for some hours - everyone else is asleep." He said quietly. "It means, too, that this is the day that my sister and I will meet. I've done all I could to avoid that, Aoi, but today is it, nonetheless. I feel her coming closer and I know that there isn't much time to do any of the things that need to be done."
"What are you talking about now?" Aoiketsu demanded. "Myoume has no intention of killing you, and you don't seem to want to kill her. What makes you think it'll happen?"
"Because if you know my sister, Aoi-kun, you'll know she's rarely ever wrong." Miramu said quietly, and Aoiketsu saw a flicker of regret in the man's dark eyes.
"So what are you going to do?" Aoiketsu's grip on his sword tightened. "If I did kill you here, then that would break the prediction anyway. Wouldn't it?"
"But you won't. Because you need my help." Miramu said frankly. Aoiketsu's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Your help?" He repeated incredulously. "Why would I ever need your help?"
"Kikei is planning to use the power of the four Shinzahou to raise the beast Gods and gain domination over not only Kutou but all four worlds." Miramu said softly. "To do this, he both needs and seeks to destroy the girl - Hikari. The last Shinzahou."
Aoiketsu's eyes narrowed, and at his glare, Miramu nodded.
"Yes. I know who she is." He said levelly. "The one with the power...Suzaku's treasure but also Seiryuu no Miko. I've had little to do of late but piece together the vague snippets of information I have alongside the random things Myoume would say to me when we were children. And I heard you disclose the information to your Commander in the forests of Kounan, before I shot my bolt and brought him down. This is the only reason that Myoume would align herself with Kounan so blatantly. Sukunami Hikari is Seiryuu no Miko. Kikei seeks to destroy her before she can bring Seiryuu and defend Kutou – but he also needs her because she is the Shinzahou. It's an interesting dilemma."
"And you think I didn't know that?"
"He doesn't seek to utilise the Gods' power so much as destroy them completely." Miramu added evenly, as if Aoiketsu had not spoken. "He wants to absorb it for himself, and eliminate the Celestial Warriors in the process - the things that defend the treasures and protect this world from destruction. That is his objective...to eradicate any other source of power in this world than his own. For that end he seeks to manipulate and sacrifice Seiryuu no Miko – to take her power as the Shinzahou until there is no more life left in her, and then allow her to be consumed by Seiryuu before he takes the power for himself. This is Kikei's final, dark aim. And he must be stopped."
"So that's it, huh? You're afraid for your life?" Aoiketsu demanded, and Miramu snorted.
"You know better than that." He said, shaking his head. "I don't seek life. I don't fear death. No. It's not that."
"Are you going to try and convince me that you care what happens to this world, then? Or to Hikari? Or even Byakko?"
"No. Not at all." Miramu shook his head. "If the entire place falls down around me, so be it. I don't care about any of that."
"So why..." Aoiketsu faltered, his eyes opening wide with sudden comprehension as he interpreted the meaning behind the assassin's words.
"Myoume." He whispered. "You want to protect...Myoume."
Miramu gazed at him for a moment, and Aoiketsu knew that he'd guessed right. He swore softly under his breath, shaking his head.
"You're so messed up." He murmured. "You kill and attack and you hurt people...but...you'll betray the man who you've worked for so ruthlessly because your sister's life is at risk? A woman who you said you hated and pitied - the one who predicted your death?"
Miramu pursed his lips, and Aoiketsu saw the faint glitter of tears in his blue eyes.
"There is only one thing in this world that I still care about at all." He said quietly. "I won't let Kikei hurt Myoume. She's not like me. She's not a coward or a failure, driven to darkness by the things that plague her. She was always stronger. Yes, I pity her. Sometimes I hate her. But most of all - I love her. And I...I want to protect her. If it's the last thing I can do, Aoi...I won't let today be the day that Myoume dies."
His words were sincere and solemn, devoid of all of his usual taunting, and as Aoiketsu eyed his companion, he realised that this was not one of the assassin's games.
"You mean that." He murmured. "You really do."
Miramu nodded his head.
"I was told to come and prevent intrusions." He said quietly. "But I've really done little but incapacitate the royal guard. Don't worry...I haven't killed them." As Aoiketsu opened his mouth to protest. "For now I have only enough poison to carry out my specific tasks. I didn't come here to hurt you, or tease and taunt you - I came to find out what kind of Kaiga Aoiketsu you were, and what your resolve was."
"To...try and make me an ally?" Aoiketsu stared, and Miramu shrugged.
"That's a strong word." He replied frankly. "I don't have such high hopes as that. I just needed to know what your intent was. And whether or not I could count on it. It's gone too far for me to do this alone, now."
"Are you trying to tell me you always planned to betray Kikei?" Aoiketsu demanded, and Miramu's lips twitched into an ironic smile. He shook his head.
"I am a hired assassin and I work for coin." He said softly. "It's always stupid to get involved in politics, and I knew that. Yet I did it anyway - it became irreversable. As soon as I went to Sairou, I knew my involvement was too deep to just turn away. That was the first time, you know, in ten years that I'd seen my sister face to face. And then I knew that time was running out...so if it's the last thing I can do, I will protect her. It's all I can do, now, after all."
"You really are one messed up bastard."
"Well, I've never denied that." Miramu spread his hands. "And that's why I waited for you. Because I knew you'd be the only one who'd probably hear me out - even hating me as much as you do, I knew you were smart enough to pull the threads together into a complete web."
He sighed, shrugging his shoulders.
"I know that asking you to trust me at all is a tall order." He continued. "But I must ask it anyway. I have cleared the path for you and your friends to enter. It might be a trap - you'll have to decide that for yourself. But Hikari is Seiryuu no Miko. And today she must raise Seiryuu. The only question is on whose will she'll be acting. If Kikei is allowed to mass the power of the treasures he already has – to overpower Hikari or to force her into a corner by threatening those she loves – then everything will be lost. She must not be brought into the power of the Priest – not even into his company. She must raise Seiryuu but she must do so without his intervention. Otherwise Kutou's future will be doomed to disaster."
Aoiketsu's heart clenched at the implications in his words, and Miramu nodded.
"Yes. You understand." He observed. "That Kikei may be able to use the girl you're so fond of to manipulate Seiryuu - that tainted, bastard God magic that might yet destroy everything you have. Well, Aoiketsu? To protect her - to protect your country - will you put faith in the word of a rogue and a murderer? In the man who tried to kill your Commander?"
"I won't forgive you for that, or for murdering Hikari's friend Jin."
"I'm not asking for that. I'm asking only for your cooperation." Miramu said quietly. "I told you. Today is the day I will face my sister. I will not hurt her. So there is only one possible outcome. And I...I will let it happen. I will let her kill me, even ask her to - I will not fight against her. But I will protect her. So before she comes, I must know that you will trust me. At least to do this."
Aoiketsu eyed him thoughtfully.
"You're going to kill Kikei, aren't you?" He murmured. Miramu nodded.
"I am." He agreed. "But in order to do so undetected, I have to be...out of the way. If you tell the Emperor and his companions that you've killed me, then they won't wonder at my absence. That you slew me in your push to enter the palace. I can conceal my chi from Kikei - I've been doing so since I began to work for him. You know my true nature, but they do not. And, dammit, there is no other choice for it now."
He sighed, his fingers going resignedly up to the collar around his throat.
"I am Amefuri after all." He murmured. "Today I will acknowledge as much. Today I will be Amefuri...and I will use his power to bring down the priest."
"How can I be sure you won't try and slay the Emperor or any of us?" Aoiketsu asked. Miramu smiled sadly.
"You can't be." He admitted. "My word doesn't mean much, I know that. But even so, I'm going to ask you to try and believe me. Because although we're protecting different things, our aim is the same. We both have people we want to keep alive. Don't we?"
Aoiketsu stared at him, absorbing the genuine emotion in the assassin's indigo eyes. For the first time since they had met Miramu seemed more like a man than a shadow, and slowly he nodded his head.
"I believe you." He said quietly. "You mean what you say. You do want to protect Myoume. And you do intend to kill Kikei."
"I always thought you were a smart boy, Aoi-kun." Relief flickered in Miramu's gaze. "Good. Then there is one more thing I must tell you. In order for your Hikari to raise Seiryuu, she must reach the Shinzahou which are housed deep beneath the Shrine of Seiryuu in a vault that Kikei himself fashioned long ago, to hide from civil riots. The seal cannot be broken by anything but the spiritual magic of a mage's level – even as a Seishi I cannot open it. If anyone else tries to enter, they will be killed - Kikei does not intend any of the Miko's companions to be able to interfere with his plans, and he doesn't care how many are eliminated."
"You think I'll let Hikari walk around the palace alone, where anything might befall her?" Aoiketsu demanded, and Miramu shook his head impatiently.
"Even you are not so much of a fool as that." He snapped. "No, that's not my implication. Listen. I've been thinking on this since Kikei saw fit to tell me about the seal. You have, I believe, the spirit of Doryoku among your companions - don't you?"
"Doryoku?" Aoiketsu stared. "You even know about that?"
"I am a shadow, Aoi. I learn." Miramu said simply. "But it is true, isn't it? That one of your party is possessed by her spirit?"
"I...suppose so." Aoiketsu said slowly. "But you just said that anyone who...and surely I..."
"If you try and enter, you will be killed." Miramu said bluntly. "And I can't guarantee that anyone other than the Miko would be able to stay safe, either. But if that mountain cub really does have Doryoku inside of her, she alone might be able to cross into the shrine vault with Hikari and help protect her. It will be guarded – Suiko and Kitora will be there – and it will not be easy to get past their magic. But even so, it is the only way. You must not try and accompany her."
"But to protect her…I..."
"To protect her best, you must distract Kikei and occupy your Emperor." Miramu said softly. "Kintsusei-heika is not convinced of your treachery, or of the Meihi's, either. I'm sure that, given that fact, you will be able to engage his attention. And that of the Priest, too. It will be just as dangerous that way, but it is the only way to keep Kikei busy while your girl invades his private space. I will no doubt encounter Myoume – she will want to come to your aid, but she and I have our own business to settle. But you are not alone – your young and stupid friend is with you, no doubt. And your Commander – you gave me the impression that he has also come to Kutou?"
"Yes." Aoiketsu nodded. "He's loyal to the Emperor."
"He must be badly hurt, even if he lives. Yet he makes such a journey?"
"Hyoushin-sama is strong." Aoiketsu said stiffly. "And so are Maichu and I. Don't underestimate what we're capable of doing in Kutou's name, Miramu."
Miramu's eyes narrowed, then he smiled.
"So Kayu's lack of return and lack of contact is thanks to you people after all." He murmured. "Who would have thought that Seiryuu's sheep would turn on one of their own simply for acting on the whim of a traitorous priest?"
"Kayu chose his side." Aoiketsu said softly. "We chose ours. In the end, that was all."
"Your friend's blood is on your hands, Aoi?" Miramu asked evenly, and Aoiketsu shook his head.
"It wasn't me who killed him." He replied frankly. "You should not call Maichu a fool, Miramu. As I said, for our Emperor – there's not much we wouldn't be willing to sacrifice."
"Well, so much to the good." Miramu said quietly. "I can't guarantee your lives in all of this…you should know that. I won't attack you. But I can't vouch for Kikei. I will kill him – but I won't pretend I intend to protect you from his wrath."
"We're soldiers." Aoiketsu said briefly. "We'll do what it takes for Kutou."
He sheathed his sword.
"I will do as you say." He added. "We'll play the decoy for you and for Hikari, and I'll tell Kikei that you've been killed. But keep your word, Miramu. You might not care about this world, but Myoume does. Desperately. And I'm not just protecting Hikari. I want Myoume to stop suffering, too...not only about you and the things you do, but also from the horrible images she's been forced to see. I want her to finally have a world which is peaceful and a life of her own. Don't you want that, too?"
"Yes, I do." Miramu inclined his head. He fumbled in his belt, producing his unique knife and glancing at it. Then he held it out.
"Here." He said, and Aoiketsu gazed at him in surprise. "Take it as proof of our pact. And as proof of my death, when you face Kikei."
"Proof of..." Aoiketsu fingered the hilt gingerly, and Miramu laughed.
"There's no poison on it." He promised. "This was the blade that slew Hikari's young bandit friend Jin. He had courage and fight enough for a thousand bandits. There's an old tale in Sairou that says the spirits of men killed linger on the blades that cut them down. If any part of that boy remains within my blade, then maybe it'll give you all courage and fortune, too."
He sighed, and Aoiketsu was struck by the genuine regret in the man's eyes.
"I won't pretend I have a conscience." He added. "Not these days. I've become too twisted to really know right from wrong. But...that boy sticks out in my mind. He had courage, and he went to his death as a Seishi, even though he was just a bandit. Strong spirits aren't always born of Gods' powers, Aoiketsu. Sometimes they're born in ordinary men - men like Jin. Or men like you and your Commander."
Aoiketsu took the blade, glancing at it, then slipping it into the sash of his belt.
"I'm not an ordinary man." He said softly. "You told me that yourself, and I understand why now better than anyone."
Miramu eyed him for a moment. Then, much to Aoiketsu's surprise, he smiled, a flicker of relief in his dark eyes.
"So there is a path beyond the darkness, after all." He murmured, more than half to himself. "Even just to know it's there...I'm glad."
"What are you talking about now?" Aoiketsu looked blank, and Miramu shook his head.
"Nothing that need concern you." He said briefly. "I'm simply observing, that's all - the kind of man circumstances have made you. We are alike, perhaps, in some ways. But I supppose in the end, you're right. We're not the same. And I am glad of that."
"I don't see why you'd care."
"Nor do I." Miramu admitted. "But even so..."
He paused, shrugging his shoulders.
"I couldn't find that pathway." He said frankly, his honesty startling the young soldier as for the first time he realised how much pain his foe had lived with for the past ten years. In an instant, Aoiketsu realised that Myoume's assessment of her brother had been more accurate than any of them had realised - that within Miramu's twisted soul still beat a human heart.
"Even so, I hoped that it existed." The assassin continued now. "And you've found it, so now I know it does. That's why I held off on killing you - I wanted to see if you could face the blackness that lurked inside of you and still manage to keep your sanity. If you'd failed, I would have struck you down - I would not have consigned you to a life like mine, after all. But I...I don't think you have failed. You might think it odd, Aoi-kun - but your progress and your fate has interested me since I first realised the parallels between your life and my own. There is a way to keep going forwards after all. To at least know that, before I die...I'm glad."
"You sound crazier with everything you say." Aoiketsu said softly, and Miramu laughed.
"Truly." He agreed. "But that's all right. Sanity, insanity - there isn't any difference between them where my life is concerned. Perhaps in the end your strength will be the difference between success and failure."
"We won't fail." Aoiketsu said resolutely. "You needn't worry about that - or about me. I'm not weak, and I'm not a coward. I'm the Shougun's son, and I will use that - even if I have no plans to take after him in terms of slaughtering innocent people. I just have Seiryuu's blood in me, that's all. I won't be so easy to kill."
He shook his head.
"I won't run away from this fight, Miramu. Blood or not, danger or not, I will protect Hikari." He added. "I will allow her to raise Seiryuu and save Kutou. And I will see the next day dawn with a new era over the East."
"You'll have to greet it for the both of us, for I won't see it myself." Miramu said evenly.
"Maybe you're wrong."
"No...I'm not wrong." Miramu shook his head. "One way or another, today is my last day. It's better that way. With all the things I've done, Aoi - Myoume will know that it's a mercy she grants me, not a punishment. I will only have to face the judges for my other crimes - my life is forfeit and has been for a long time. Besides, I'm tired...I'm tired of this existence."
He pursed his lips, resting his hand once more on the young soldier's shoulder.
"In the final analysis, it seems that I'm not as strong as you, or as the Meihi Hyoushin." He said soberly. "I never was born to be a hero. If I had been...then I wouldn't have turned into this at the first sight of trouble. This is my lot and I will take the karma meted out to me. It's all right, Aoi. It'll be over one way or another for me after this battle."
Aoiketsu bit his lip.
"Then we don't have much time to play with." He said quietly. "I'll return to the others and put faith in your ruse to fool Kikei. For Myoume's sake, don't let me down. If you do, you won't see the end of this world, either. Because I'll kill you myself before it happens."
"So be it." Miramu inclined his head in agreement. "Till the final confrontation, then."
And with that he faded out of view, leaving Aoiketsu alone once more in the darkened hallway.
He sighed, leaning up against the stone wall as he considered the surreal nature of their conversation.
"But I do believe him." He murmured. "It does make sense. Even when we were in Sairou, he didn't want to hurt Myoume. He's always acted on that agenda - to protect her, to avoid her - to try and make sure he doesn't cause her death. And now he knows Kikei's true plan...now he's changing sides. Not because he cares about Byakko or this world, but because he cares about Myoume. And he'll do anything it takes to protect her."
A faint smile twitched at the edges of his lips.
"He's human after all." He realised. "Well, I won't waste his gambit. I'll do as he says, and hope he doesn't have another change of heart. We don't have much time at all - and I won't let that fat old priest hurt Hikari!"
He had been away a long time.
Hyoushin shifted his position carefully against the cool stone, staring up at the uneven, clefting cave ceiling that arched over him as he debated whether or not letting his protegee run so deep into enemy territory had been a miscalculation on his part after all. One by one his travel companions had been claimed by sleep, even the anxious, apprehensive Hikari having given in to her exhaustion, and being careful not to disturb any of them, he got gingerly to his feet, putting out his right hand to steady his heavy body as pain jolted through his wounded limb.
"This is inconvenient." He muttered, glaring at his left hand in the darkness. "To be so encumbered...I dislike this sensation of weakness. To be constantly reliant on others...this is a position I have not let myself be in since I was ten years old. I have always fought my corner...and to be unable to do that, even, when so much is at stake..."
"Hyoushin?"
A soft voice from the black startled him, and he turned, meeting the quizzical indigo gaze of the prophet as he did so. He frowned, eying her warily.
"I thought you slept." He murmured. "Or were you simply pretending, Myoume? And secretly keeping watch?"
"I'm aware of everyone's sleeping and waking auras." Myoume said softly. "I was asleep, but I am easily woken in such a situation. I would never let my guard down completely, you know - and when you began to move, I felt it and it woke me. Your arm is hurting you, isn't it? And yet you seek to wander out into the darkness...to follow Aoi?"
"I was not going to do anything of the sort." Hyoushin shook his head, though inwardly he wondered if he was telling the truth. "You should not pay such attention to my activities, Myoume. I am not a china doll about to break at the least thing. I have survived this long, and my will is fixed on what we must do. I will not relinquish my grip on this life just yet. Besides, I have faith in Aoiketsu to return unscathed. He was my best student, after all."
"He is a long time." Myoume admitted, drawing her knees up to her chest. "Sit down, Hyoushin. Even if you just intended to step out for air, it's dangerous. We can't risk anyone seeing us before the sun rises. We can't give them advance warning of our movements, after all."
"I suppose so." Hyoushin said reluctantly, obediently dropping back down into a sitting position. "Very well. I will bow to your judgement."
He eyed her carefully, taking in her troubled, clouded expression, and her words from the previous day ran through his thoughts.
"You are thinking of your brother, aren't you?" He murmured. "This is the true reason you are awake at this hour - because you have Miramu on your mind."
"Is it so obvious as that?" Myoume started, staring at him disconcertedly. "I didn't think..."
"You are a prophet and a Seishi, but you are still a person beneath that, are you not?" Hyoushin said softly. "Geiyo Myoume is a human being, with thoughts and feelings of her own - is she not?"
"Sometimes I wonder about that." Myoume admitted. "Considering how much I put Byakko's will first, maybe I have become just a puppet to his whims. I don't know. It's hard to say."
"But even though you spoke so strongly earlier, you fear the day's arrival." Hyoushin observed. "Don't you?"
"Fear it?" Myoume sent him a confused glance. "What do you mean?"
"Noone seeks death, except those who have lost all hope." Hyoushin said carefully. "I have seen the difference - between those who give up, and those who do not. Life is a precious, valuable commodity and there is nothing in existance which is worth more to any individual, be he Meihi, or Hin, or from any of the four corners of this world. We are all the same in this regard. Only those who have truly lost hope seek to die. And you...I don't think you have lost hope. Have you? Somewhere inside of you, even though you say you accept your fate...you are afraid. Aren't you? To give your life for your God and your country."
"I am not going to run away from it." Myoume said stiffly. "I understand what I have to do."
"I didn't say that." Hyoushin shook his head. "Like a soldier goes into battle prepared to die for his King and country, so you have prepared yourself in body and in mind to face this fate. I don't doubt your courage or your resolve, Myoume - please do not misunderstand. Your thoughts have brushed through mine, after all - I know what kind of strength lurks within your will. But even so, it doesn't mean that you don't fear it. That deep down, despite your conviction, you are afraid of what the day will bring."
Myoume stared at him, speechless for a moment. Then she sighed, rubbing her temples as she shrugged her shoulders helplessly.
"I guess that's true." She whispered. "Because he's the brother I love so much, Hyoushin, I don't...know how to face him. And to die - I'm willing to die, for Hikari and the others to succeed. If that's my fate, I will go to it willingly. But yes. I...I am afraid of it, too. To die. To enter the unknown like that. As a Seishi, I must be willing to sacrifice everything for the greater good of this world. For Byakko's sake, I've taken up that burden. But...I suppose...Geiyo Myoume is a person, too. And she...is afraid to die."
"Perhaps it will not end how you expect."
"How else can it be?" Myoume said wearily. "I've seen so many things, Hyoushin...things that have come true. Horrible things, and yet, I haven't been able to stop them. Sometimes...sometimes I've let them happen. How can I even begin to think that this is preventable? Even more, how can I think that I deserve to survive, when I've stood back and allowed others to be killed? Kayu, for example? I told you I wouldn't interfere, and that my magic was useless in that case."
She shrugged.
"True, probably it was. But I didn't even try. I knew what would happen, but I let it. I let Hikari and Aoi be attacked in Choukou, so that Aoiketsu would reveal himself as the fighter he is - but my gamble might have seen them both killed. True, I tried to protect Jin in Sairou, but even then I failed to act quickly enough, or to keep him from my brother's attentions. I allowed Aoi to fight and kill a man in a circus near the Hokkan border, even though I could have settled the matter without bloodshed - because I needed to push the boy forward. I am a scheming, manipulative creature at the best of times. Why should I, then, evade the fate set out for me? I deserve to follow the same path that those people did. My twisting of their destinies is irreversable, after all."
She buried her head in her hands.
"Even Miramu's current will is probably my fault." She added hopelessly. "For telling him so long ago that we would one day face each other and fight."
"You are willing to blame yourself for a good deal." Hyoushin said thoughtfully. "Some might consider that arrogance, you know."
"Arrogance?" Myoume's head shot up, and she stared at him in disbelief. "What are you talking about?"
"Not everything in this world depends on you or your actions." Hyoushin said softly. "You are not fighting this battle alone."
Myoume gazed at him for a moment. Then she smiled ruefully.
"You could take that advice yourself." She reminded him. "You have a serious injury, and suffered a life-threatening attack. You aren't well enough to be moving around, let alone preparing to confront your Emperor about events in Kutou. Yet here you are, as if the whole weight of the world was on your shoulders. How is that different from my way of seeing things?"
"We are both, perhaps, slaves to the cause." Hyoushin acknowledged. He sat back, pursing his lips thoughtfully as he considered.
"Better than anyone, you have seen what lives within me." He said slowly. "And you understand what shadows I always seek to suppress. But in the end, one thing remains clear. I am alive, when others are not. My brother, my family...others who have been taken as slaves and who died in bonds. Those who were slain not far from this place - I think of them often, and wonder what value my life had over theirs that I should have been spared. So I have done my best, since then, to be a loyal retainer and servant to the Emperor who freed me. He has been my anchor - for his sake, Hyoushin has fought and will continue to fight so long as there is breath in his body. To find a reason why of all people, I survived...this has been difficult. To account for that, I must make this existance of mine worth something. Even if that something ends in sacrifice, it is a burden I must bear. For the sake of all slaves - I must fight."
"I don't think it was a coincidence you survived. I don't believe in coincidence at all." Myoume shook her head. "You were meant to live, to meet Kintsusei-sama, to raise Kaiga Aoiketsu with the values he's taken so strongly to heart. You were meant to do all those things - that's why you were spared. Your life always had that meaning...somehow."
"I don't know if I believe so strongly as you do that all fate is predetermined." Hyoushin shook his head. "If it is so, then there is little point in us doing anything at all. The world may end, because you have already seen it so. Why are we here, if it is impossible to prevent these things?"
Myoume sighed.
"Because Hikari is here." She admitted. "And whilst I don't think...that things I see can be changed, she makes it different. She's not from this world, and she's not governed by its rules."
She cast a glance across the cavern to where the young girl was sleeping.
"She's so young, and so innocent in many ways." She murmured. "Idealistic and kindhearted, but there is a strength within her. Something people of this world cannot quantify. She's from the Miko's world. They alone can change the destiny of the ShijinTenchishou. She's not bound by my predictions. She's helped create them. While Hikari is here, Hyoushin, there's hope that things can be changed. She's the only one who can do it."
"I see." Hyoushin's expression softened as he followed his companion's gaze. "Such a heavy burden for one so young."
"It is." Myoume agreed. "But...it's the only hope this world has. Seiryuu no Miko has come to Kutou. We have to make sure she raises the God, no matter what happens to any of us."
"On that I think we agree." Hyoushin responded. "But even so, if that destiny can be changed, Myoume, so perhaps can your own. If you lose your hope, you will lose everything. People in this world...they are born with nothing but life ahead of them, and when they lose that will to live, they might as well release their grip on existing. Life is not always easy. Sometimes it is hard - immeasurably so. But it must still be lived. It is a challenge each of us must face. To throw it away without due care and consideration is never the right answer. Remember that, tomorrow, when you face your brother. There may yet be a way to break your own prediction. Don't you think so?"
Myoume was silent for a moment, digesting this. Then she shrugged, offering him a sad smile.
"I wish I felt that confident." She admitted. "But thank you, anyway, for trying. You have a kind heart yourself, you know - even though you don't like to lay yourself open to those things. I understand why Aoi respects you so much, even when you draw yourself away behind your impassive shell. Hyoushin is still the Meihi Lilaihi at heart, isn't he?"
Hyoushin looked rueful.
"I thought he was dead." He confessed. "Until I saw my sister, and realised that I could not so easily evade my past. I don't know, at present, what relevance his existance has, or what part of me is him. I have...many questions and no answers...many things I don't want to think about, yet begin to realise I must. So for now, I will focus on this and this alone. If there is an opportunity afterwards, maybe then I'll know whether Lilaihi's spirit is still that strong inside of me. I had thought that I was truly just Hyoushin now - the Emperor's man and Imperial guard of Kutou. But I don't know. Maybe not, after all."
He slipped his fingers into the folds of his cloak, pulling something out and at the sight of it, Myoume gasped.
"Why do you have that?" She demanded, and Hyoushin glanced at the broken, bloodstained arrow, shrugging his shoulders.
"It's a good reminder of how easily I almost let myself be slain through carelessness." He said frankly. "I asked Chichiri for it before we left, and he located it and gave it to me. I think he understood, when I told him…I wanted to remember not to act so recklessly when my Emperor's safety is at stake. I have valued my own life too little and therefore put his in jeopardy. So I wanted the arrow that struck me – so I would not forget."
"That's a little strange." Myoume murmured. "That arrow – what's left of it – was one of Miramu's barbs. I can't believe you'd want that near you."
"Well, I am strange." Hyoushin admitted. "But there is another reason for my bringing it. It is proof of the manner of my assault, also. I do not believe Kintsusei-sama ordered my assassination. The weapon is evidence of conspiracy…so it has two purposes, not just one."
He sighed, sliding the battered implement back into his clothing.
"You are the only one who knows I carry it." He added. "And I would prefer it to stay that way…at least for now. I do not think Aoiketsu or Maichu would understand my reasons."
"I'm not sure I do, entirely…but I won't break your confidence." Myoume made herself more comfortable against the hard stone wall. "Tomorrow is a big day for you too, after all."
"True." Hyoushin acknowledged.
He glanced at his right hand, turning it so that the light caught the edges of the faint criss-crossing whip-scars that marred his pale skin.
"The most important years of my life were spent in bonds." He murmured. "I learnt only to evade death and punishment, and work to the expectations of those holding the whips. I did not think for myself - I taught myself to forget all good and happy things, so that they would not jar against the terrible ones and make me wish for better days. I took life only as it came to me, and did not look forwards or back. Until I had Aoi in my charge, such was still my philosophy. And even when I did...he was my concern, not myself. I wanted him to fulfil his destiny and Kutou's, too."
He sighed.
"Perhaps it's true to say that I haven't really lived these past eighteen years." He admitted. "Even though I was freed, I have not been able to fully understand or embrace that freedom, because I was so conditioned not to know what it means to be free. To make my own decisions has frightened me, so I have not done so - I have just existed. But since I was forced to act outside of my Emperor's will - I have had noone's shadow to hide behind. That's why I realise now how important it is to have that flicker of hope. Since I saw Rayi in Hokkan - since I came to Kounan...since things inside of me began to change, I've seen things differently. We shouldn't just exist, Myoume. None of us, no matter how long or short our time. We should...we should live. Even if it painful, or even if it is hard to bear. We must grasp hold of that freedom we have and try to move forwards. Somehow."
"Forwards...towards the dawn." Myoume whispered, and Hyoushin nodded.
"Yes." He agreed. "That is an apt analogy. Always towards the dawn, whatever the new day might bring."
Myoume frowned, pursing her lips, then she shrugged.
"Aoi's back." She said quietly. "I can sense the pulse of his spirit...just as you've said, he's come back safely."
"Good." Relief flickered in Hyoushin's heart. "Then we can hear his report, and hope he has learnt something of use to us."
"You're still awake?" At that moment the soldier himself stepped into the chamber, pausing as he registered his companions. "I thought everyone would be fast asleep by now."
"Someone has to stand guard, don't they?" Myoume chided, and Aoiketsu nodded.
"Yes, but I know you can do that without needing to sit up and watch for trouble." He replied, dropping down in front of them. "And Hyoushin-sama...I don't mean to be rude, but...shouldn't you...rest?"
"Maybe." Hyoushin acknowledged. "But the water from this place has helped my spirits and my injury. I am all right, and not as tired as I might have been."
He eyed the boy curiously.
"Do you have a report to make to me, Kaiga Aoiketsu?" He asked softly, and Aoiketsu frowned, pursing his lips as if considering something carefully. Then, slowly, he nodded.
"Yes sir." He agreed quietly. "I do. About the Shinzahou - and other things."
"Then make it." Hyoushin gestured with his good arm. "I would like to hear what you have discovered, and so would Myoume, I'm sure."
Aoiketsu shot Myoume a hesitant glance, and Hyoushin's eyes narrowed as he interpreted the flicker of indecision in the boy's gaze. Then Aoiketsu nodded again, spreading his hands.
"The Shinzahou are sealed in a vault beneath Seiryuu's shrine." He said carefully. "Kikei's made the mages put a barrier around them that only he and Hikari can get through. Or at least, sort of. I mean, the barrier seems...to be of the kind of magic that if anyone penetrates it other than the Miko, they would be...struck down."
"And you have located this barrier?" Myoume's eyes were bright with curiosity, and Aoiketsu nodded.
"I went to the shrine, and I saw it." He agreed. "I decided...I should. There are stairs down from the main shrine itself, but I don't think...that during the day, Kikei will be far from that place. So...I had...another thought."
He hesitated again, then sighed.
"The magic surrounding the place is pretty strong." He admitted reluctantly. "I couldn't get near without it pricking at me, and I could only see one direct way into this place from the shrine itself. But I thought...that the barrier...is mage magic. I was...the idea was put into my mind that maybe there's another way. I mean, Hikari...can't get there on her own. But...maybe...if she had Doryoku's help..."
He faltered, glancing across the chamber towards where Shishi was peacefully sleeping.
"I don't know if it would hurt her or not." He confessed. "Shishi, I mean. When Doryoku took her over before, it...it put a big strain on her body."
"It did." Myoume looked grave. "But if you're right about the kind of barrier around those treasures, it sounds as though Doryoku alone might be strong enough to penetrate it. If she was to take control of Shishi's body - albeit briefly - they might be able to get through. And Hikari can't go there alone - it's too dangerous to abandon her, even with Suzaku deep within her."
Aoiketsu closed his eyes briefly, then nodded, seemingly making up his mind.
"There was someone within the palace who...wanted to help us." He said softly. "I can't tell you who, not at the moment. It's too difficult - too much relies on it. But they...they were the one who told me about the barrier and the mage magic. And when I went there, it was all how they had told me it would be. So I...I believe in them and their advice. This person said that the only way Hikari can get to the Shinzahou and try and raise Seiryuu unmolested is if we take care of the problem of Kikei and I think that's true. Much as I want to be with Hikari - I don't think I'll get through that barrier. But if...if Shishi could use Doryoku to break through into the vault a different way, and...and somehow manage to help Hikari reach her goal...if we..."
He faltered, and Hyoushin's eyes narrowed.
"Is this unexpected ally someone in whom we can trust?" He asked softly, and Aoiketsu shrugged.
"I don't know." he admitted. "But it's the only lead we have."
"When I spoke to Chichiri, I said something about Seiryuu's ally lurking in Kutou's palace." Myoume looked thoughtful. "Even though I didn't know it's meaning then. Is this person Seiryuu's ally, Aoi? Is that why they chose to risk their safety in telling you this information?"
"I don't think that they're Seiryuu's ally, Myoume." Aoiketsu shook his head. "But I still...I believe them. And I want to do things...the way they suggested. It might be a trap - I don't know. But even so...I think it's the best way of handling the situation. If Shishi is willing to let Doryoku have her head, and can take care of Hikari in that respect, if the rest of us confronted Kikei and kept him occupied...then he couldn't interfere in the Miko's business. If we could keep him within the main shrine itself, perhaps - then Hikari'd have a chance to raise Seiryuu behind his back."
"Hyoushin, what do you think?" Myoume shot the Meihi a glance, and Hyoushin was silent for a moment, contemplating. Then, slowly, he nodded.
"I believe there is no safe answer to this problem." he said gravely. "But I do not find a flaw in Aoiketsu's reasoning. Trap or no trap, it is better that we soldiers are in the presence of Kikei and the Emperor and are able to do our duty protecting him from his traitorous priest. You too, Myoume - you should remain with us, since you will be of no use to Hikari if things are as Aoi describes. And Kikei has some spiritual power...so your own may well be needed in that case. It will be a dangerous step...but I think we must take it."
Myoume sighed.
"Then that's what we'll do." She said frankly. "Very soon, the sun will rise over Kutou. Today will be a defining day, Hyoushin. Either the sun will set this evening over a land at peace...or...it will fall over a land devoid of life itself. Such is the task that awaits us...whatever happens, we can't afford to fail."