Chapter Twenty Five

Almost as soon as Hikari's words had left her lips, she felt something surge and flow up from within her, and she gasped, electricity prickling across her senses as for the first time she saw the sweeping figure of a divine being in her mind's eye. At first glance he seemed human, but as his likeness became more vivid, Hikari registered the spreading red and gold of feathered wings, and instinctively she knew that this was Suzaku - the being whose magic her mother had sealed within her before she was born.

"Suzaku no Shinzahou."

He spoke softly, but the words rang out across her senses as if he had shouted. "You have asked for my help, and I will give it."

He reached out ghostly hands, seeming to take hers in his strange grip, and Hikari felt once more comforted by the warmth of his touch.

"Believe in yourself, Seiryuu no Miko." He murmured. "Focus on the feelings deep within your heart, and you will understand what you should do."

"In my heart..." Hikari echoed softly, and as she did so, the figure that danced before her hazed and disappeared in a shower of red light. She took a deep breath, steadying herself, and as she did so, she was sure she could hear the echoing of an ancient voice trickling across her psyche. Instinctively she strained to hear the words, and as they became clearer, she suddenly understood what they meant.

"To summon a God." She whispered. "I understand, Suzaku. I know what I have to do. Lend me your strength, please...as Suzaku no Shinzahou, I need it!"

She spread her hands, her body bathed in a strange glow as she opened her eyes, meeting Shishi's awed ones across the chamber. A quick glance at the surrounding Shinzahou told her that they too were reacting to her sudden aura, reaching out their magic to brush with hers as for a moment she felt miles above the musty shrine chamber. Then she gathered her wits, her expression becoming one of resolution. Softly she began to speak, allowing the words of ancient years past to wash over her senses and leave her lips.

"Shiguu no ten to shihou no chi
Futakihouto shin to zen o motte
Touhou-shuugo no "Seiryuu" onmi ni tsugetamawaku
Ware ima kono kotoba o nasu."

"Hiki..."

Shishi murmured, her eyes growing big in surprise as Hikari felt something tremendous and strong pound through her heart. "Shit...who taught you the spell? Did Chichiri teach you that, before we left Kounan?"

Hikari opened her mouth to respond, but instead she found her vocal chords were no longer her own, and more ancient words spilled from her lips.

"Shichishuku ten yori chi ni genzu wa
Onmi o katsugousu shujou no tame no yue
Koko ni oite moromoro no aku o messhi
Sono shinriki de warera o kugosubeshi"

A shudder ran up her spine, as all around her the glimmering Shinzahou began to tremble with the force of the magic running through her veins. No longer able to control it, Hikari gave herself up to the impulse, flinging her arms further out as she allowed the hypnotic, resonating words to engulf her heart.

"Tada negawaku wa kore o kike
ten yori wa ga moto e
oritachi tamae."

She took a deep breath, and from somewhere in the depths of her psyche she thought she saw the briefest glimpse of a dragon's tail disappearing into the darkness. Her eyes narrowed with resolution, and she spread her fingers, willing the beast to reach out to her as she was reaching out to him.

"Seiryuu!"

She exclaimed, and as if in answer to his name, the entire chamber became suddenly bathed in blue light, so bright that in the far corner Shishi swore, shielding her eyes from its glare. All around them the walls of the divine chamber shook and trembled, cracks appearing in the ceiling as the light grew brighter and brighter, and from deep within the haze Hikari saw the figure of a man robed in blue, his appearance completely in contrast to that of the warm, reassuring Suzaku.

And yet, in her heart, Hikari knew that this was the God she had summoned.

"You are the Miko who summons me here?" He asked softly, coming towards her through the haze, and reaching out a hand to touch hers. Mutely Hikari nodded, feeling that at any moment her heart might explode with the force of the magic swirling within her. The already abused ceiling above their heads buckled and gave way as flares of azure light broke through to the surface, but Hikari was oblivious to all but this stranger in front of her, with his strong, decisive aura almost choking her where she stood.

"I will bond with you." Seiryuu spoke slowly, and Hikari was half-sure he had already penetrated her soul. "And enter your body, fusing us as one. In return, I will grant you the use of my power three times, in the form of wishes. Is this acceptable, Seiryuu no Miko?"

"Yes." Hikari found her voice, but even as she spoke she felt like it was a stranger speaking. "Yes. I understand."

"Then allow me to connect with you, Seiryuu no Miko." Seiryuu brushed his finger against her skin, and Hikari gasped, feeling a sharp jolt of electricity run down her spine. "And let me use your strength by which to enter this world."

Hikari swallowed hard, as flickers of her earlier fear began to gnaw at the edges of her senses. Then she gathered her wits, forcing them back as she faced the apparition determinedly.

"I understand." She repeated. "I accept."

Seiryuu eyed her for a moment. Then he spread his hands, dispersing his form into a swirl of azure energy. As the light pierced through Hikari's chest, she felt a burning, searing pain shoot through her body and she stumbled to her knees, gasping for breath as the strength of Seiryuu's magic overwhelmed her. For a moment she felt like she was drowning, swimming against the tide of a powerful ocean as wave upon wave of Eastern magic washed over her head.

"Hiki!" From somewhere in the distant background, she was faintly aware of Shishi's concerned yell, and somehow the sound of her friend's voice brought her back to her senses. Somehow she struggled to regain control, taking several rasping breaths into her lungs as she forced her body to calm down.

"We are now one, Seiryuu no Miko." Seiryuu's voice echoed through her thoughts. "You who possess the power of Suzaku are now chosen of Seiryuu. As promised, I grant you the use of my power three times. To make your wish, you must first cast the spell 'Kaijin', and I will grant it. Be careful, Miko. Understand that the power I give you will slowly absorb you into myself. Do not use it unwisely...as those who have gone before have done."

"Gone before..." Hikari murmured faintly, then her eyes widened as she realised what Seiryuu meant.

"Hongou Yui." She breathed. "You remember her. You really...you did choose me to come and put right what she couldn't do."

"Do as your heart instructs you, Suzaku no Shinzahou." This time the voice that rippled through her thoughts was the gentler one belonging to Suzaku, and Hikari realised that the two Gods had forged together inside of her, completing the pact they had made so many generations before.

She set her teeth, knowing what she had to do.

"Kaijin!" She exclaimed, flinging her hand up towards the remains of the chamber ceiling, and as she did, she was aware of a tremendous shake of the earth as the last of the cement-work gave way, blasting the walls of the chamber aside and sending great, searing cracks through the walls of the shrine above as the divide between the two chambers crumbled away into nothing. Dimly she was aware of something huge blocking the path of the sun as it swung and danced above her, and somehow she knew that this was the true form of Seiryuu, the God of the East who had asked her to help his people.

This thought hardened her resolve yet more, and she took a deep breath.

"Raise all the beast Gods from their sleep!" She cried. "Byakko, Genbu, Suzaku and Seiryuu, unite in the sky over the East! I call on you all, wake to my command!"

The earth shook again, sending more bricks and plaster tumbling to the ground as the once proud shrine of Seiryuu began to collapse, and faintly Hikari was aware of a glittering silver barrier as Doryoku's blessed magic shot up around them, shielding them from the falling rubble. Dimly she realised that Shishi's ally was not just defending her host, but also others who had been gathered in the shrine itself, but there was no longer any division between shrine and vault as with another tremendous shake of the earth, three shadows began to stretch across the land. From the West, the glittering snow-white coat of Byakko, the Tiger shone in the Eastern sun as he let out a yowl, pawing at the air and swishing his tail as he bared his glittering white fangs. From the North, the roaring, thumping sound of Genbu's snake-turtle form rumbled across the landscape, each heavy step shaking the ground yet more as he threw back his head, emitting a tremendous shriek that split through to Hikari's very soul. And from the South, the swooping, flame-tipped form of the Phoenix, eyes glittering with fire as he hovered like a hawk overhead, beating his wings in the summer breeze.

A sudden sense of tiredness flooded through Hikari's body, and she clasped a hand to her chest, feeling as though something inside of her was chewing away on her soul. Remembering Chichiri's words about the Gods, she bit her lip, forcing herself to remain composed.

"I have to do this." She muttered. "I'm not weak...I'm not going to let anyone down. I'm going to do this - no matter what happens to me, I have to!"

She closed her eyes, steadying herself for a moment. Then she spread her hands once more.

"Kaijin!" She cried, and the sky over her head split with sapphire lightning as Seiryuu acknowledged her call.

"Gods in the sky above Kutou, unite and protect your lands from war and destruction! Seiryuu, allow Kutou to finally have peace, and Byakko, Genbu, Suzaku - allow all the lands to live in peace together. Break down the divides and the suspicions and allow everyone to live in peace!"

As soon as the words had left her mouth, she felt the pain stab through her once more, more intrusive and oppressive than before, and tears glittered in her eyes as she fought to remain in control of her faculties. Seiryuu was rooting deeper and deeper into her body, she knew that, and yet even as she wondered whether the God would engulf her completely, she remembered what Chichiri and Myoume had said.

"Two Mikos succeeded. Two failed." She whispered, sweat beading her brow as she fought against the intoxicating effects of the Dragon's forceful magic. "But I'm Suzaku no Shinzahou. I'm Suzaku no Miko's daughter. I'm not going to fail. Mother trusted me with this power and it was for this purpose. I'm not going to be devoured by Seiryuu. No matter how much it hurts - I'm not going to give in."

She glanced up, aware that above her head the four Gods who had darted warily around one another a moment earlier had begun to draw together, glittering, flaring magic swirling and mixing into one burst of divine light as Seiryuu worked to grant her wish. She took a deep breath as the pain wracked through her a second time, hardening her resolve as she focused her attention on the spells being cast above her head.

"Hyoushin-san has suffered in pain for the past few days, but he still came here to help me and help Kutou." She told herself firmly. "If he can bear Miramu's poisoning that long, I can bear this. I'm equal to it. I have to be. It's only pain...right? So long as I'm breathing...so long as I'm thinking...I'm still able to fight."

She brought her hands together, even as the flare of divine magic shot out across the four corners of the ShijinTenchishou, illuminating the landscape briefly before fading into nothing.

Hikari gathered her wits, focusing all of her remaining strength as she prepared to make her final wish.

"Kaijin." She whispered, gazing up at the sky over her head as she locked gazes with the spectral dragon that arched over her head. "Seiryuu, please...somehow, someway...bring Jin back to Reikaku-zan. He died for my sake - he died because of me - and I...I don't like that it's that way. Please...won't you give Jin back his life?"

There was a moment of stillness, then she felt Seiryuu's aura flicker against her own as once more the spectral form of the man hovered in front of her. He reached out his hand to touch her cheek, and Hikari was aware of sadness in his gaze. Slowly he shook his head.

"This wish I cannot grant." He murmured. "Your friend's life is already lost. His soul has already travelled. I cannot bring him back to existance. It is not allowed."

"Not..." Hikari's eyes widened with dismay. "But...Seiryuu-sama...you...I...saving Kutou, all of those things - I wished for that, didn't I? I used your power to save this land, just like you wanted me to. And you could do that - even summon and combine with your fellow Gods to grant my wishes. But you can't...you can't bring back one bandit to the mountain that he loved?"

Tears spilled down her cheeks, and Seiryuu reached up a finger to brush them away, shaking his head once more.

"The bandit known as Jin is in Suzaku's care." He said gently. "He will have new life - this is already promised him. He will not suffer, and his soul is safe. But I cannot bring back life to a body already decayed and dead. I am sorry, Seiryuu no Miko. This wish is one I cannot grant."

Hikari closed her eyes, unable to stop the flow of tears, and she felt Seiryuu's touch against her skin a second time.

"You have a good heart, Miko." He murmured. "A strong heart. Suzaku promised me his Shinzahou would be a Miko Kutou could find faith in. He was right. I cannot grant your wish, but I will leave your body. You have done my bidding...I will not harm you further."

"Not harm...me?" Hikari's eyes snapped open, and Seiryuu nodded.

"This was also part of my pact with Suzaku." He agreed. "That if my Miko came from his people, I would not hurt her. And so long as she was true and strong of heart, I promised him I would not. I will not consume your soul, Seiryuu no Miko, even though you are weak enough now for me to do so with ease. You have saved my land, and even in the end, your final wish was not for yourself, but for the soul of a friend. Such a person should be allowed to live and do further good in this world."

He offered her a faint smile.

"Thank you, Seiryuu no Miko." He whispered. "Your duty here is done."

With that he disappeared from view, and as the blue haze around her slowly began to dissipate, Hikari was aware of the shadowy Gods above her head also beginning to fade away, drawing back towards their corners of the ShijinTenchishou as the sky above Kutou was restored to its normal sunny state. Unable to even stand, Hikari stared numbly around her, registering the devastation of the shrine and the resultant effect of the violent tremors only vaguely as she struggled to make sense of what had just happened. Voices bombarded her senses, as faintly she absorbed the fact that vault and shrine were no longer walls or depths apart but shaken to the same level by the God's powerful magic, and it was not only Shishi but others who she called allies that now surrounded her. Many of them were calling her name, but she was unable to distinguish them one from another, her spirit and her wits so completely detached from her body that nothing she was hearing seemed to make any sense.

"Hiki?" As someone's arm slipped around her body, Hikari was aware of Shishi's voice murmuring her name, and something in the bandit's concerned tones broke through her daze as she flung herself on her younger companion, burying her head in Shishi's shoulder as she shook with sobs.

"Shit, Hiki, why all the tears?" Shishi demanded, but Hikari felt her friend's arms tighten reassuringly around her body. "You called Seiryuu. Didn't you? You made the wishes. You did it...you saved Kutou. Why are you crying? You did it."

"Jin..." Hikari raised tearful eyes to the bandit's quizzical ones. "I tried...but Shishi...Seiryuu couldn't..."

She faltered, and Shishi's eyes became sombre. She nodded.

"I know. I heard." She admitted. "I guess...if that's how it is, that's just how it'll have to be. Thank you for trying, at least. It's not your fault it didn't work, Hiki...don't cry like that. Jin wouldn't want you to - you did what you came here to do, after all. You won."

"I'm...so tired..." Hikari murmured, as the world around her swung and twisted towards blackness, and Shishi hugged her tightly.

"You blew up the shrine, and the vault...they're one big mess of rubble now." She said categorically. "No wonder you're beat...makin' a mess like this."

She offered a faint smile.

"I guess if you want to fall asleep on me, it's okay." She added softly. "Since you did all that an' stuff. It was shit scary, seein' those Gods in the sky overhead an' knowin' it was you who was commandin' them. No kiddin' that you're Suzaku no Miko's heiress, actin' like that."

"It hurt..." Hikari murmured feebly. "But he said...he wouldn't devour me. He promised...Suzaku..."

That was all she managed, however, as her exhaustion overwhelmed her, and, safe in her friend's grasp, she closed her eyes, allowing the darkness to overtake her senses. There would be time enough later to think, but for now her body submitted to unconsciousness as the world around her faded to black.

"Miaka?"

As the coffee mug slipped through his wife's fingers, Taka was on his feet, hurrying towards her as he registered the strange, half-dazed expression that glittered in the other's eyes.

"Miaka, snap out of it...Miaka! What is it...Miaka!?"

"Hikari."

Miaka turned tearful hazel eyes on her husband, grasping his hands tightly in hers as she gazed up at him. "Can't you feel it? Taka-kun, Hikari is..."

Taka faltered, swallowing hard as he registered the faint sensation that resonated deep within him.

"Is it...Suzaku?" He whispered, and Miaka shrugged her shoulders, biting her lip.

"I don't know." She admitted. "I think...for a moment I thought I heard his voice. Like I have before...when he spread his wings and flew up before me. But I...I didn't see him, this time. It was...Hikari. I felt her...for a moment I heard her speak, too. I heard her say...the words that summon a God to the ShijinTenchishou. And then...something warm flooded up inside of me."

She let out a gasp, glancing down at the floor to where the splintered remains of her coffee cup were scattered in a pool of hot brown liquid.

"Oh, look what I've done! Taka, I'm sorry...I didn't even think..."

"It's all right." Taka shook his head. "Like that matters, when Hikari might be..."

He hesitated, then,

"Do you think she's all right? Miaka...is this what she...went there to do?"

"I...I think so." Despite herself, Miaka's voice shook slightly, and Taka sat down beside her, slipping his arm around her shoulders.

"It's been a tough couple of days, not knowing." He murmured. "Hasn't it?"

Slowly Miaka nodded.

"I have faith in her." She admitted. "I always have had faith in her - in both of my children, Taka. It's just...I know what it's like to summon a God. And...when I heard her speak..."

She sighed heavily, reaching up to rub her temples.

"You didn't hear her?" She asked softly, and Taka shook his head.

"I'm not Tamahome like I was before." He admitted regretfully. "Suzaku's call isn't as strong within me now as it could be, even considering it's Hikari we're talking about. I feel something - but I didn't hear her speak. I guess that's a bond between mother and daughter...it's something I don't share."

"I think it's something else." Miaka got to her feet, pacing restlessly to the window as she gazed up at the clear blue sky. "Taka, I think it's a bond between Mikos...that Hikari and I share that in common. We both went to that world to raise a beast God and save a country...it's like time is repeating itself all over again."

"So in the end, Hikari-chan was Suzaku no Miko after all?" Taka murmured, and Miaka shook her head, turning back to face him.

"The name of the God she called wasn't Suzaku." She said slowly, and Taka's expression became confused.

"Not...Suzaku?" He echoed. "But...she's your daughter, and my daughter. She's Suzaku's Shinzahou. She's in Kounan, with Chichiri. Why the hell not?"

"I don't understand it completely either, but I'm certain just the same." Miaka said heavily. "Taka-kun, the God she called was Seiryuu. The God of Kutou - the Dragon of the East."

"Seiryuu?" Shock glittered in Taka's expression and he gripped his wife by the shoulders, forcing her to meet his gaze. "Are you serious? Kutou's God? But why? Kutou and Kounan were...in the past...the country where that bastard..."

He faltered, and slowly Miaka nodded her head.

"That's why, I suppose." She whispered. "Because of all of that, Hikari was needed. Yui never did manage to save Kutou, after all. Perhaps that's why Hikari went there after all. She went to save the East, not the South. She's not Suzaku's Miko after all...she's Seiryuu's."

"I don't believe it." Taka murmured. "Our daughter...is...Seiryuu no Miko?"

Miaka shrugged her shoulders.

"That's what I think." She agreed. "And maybe that's why you didn't feel it so strongly as I did. You're Suzaku's - you were born that way, and at heart I know you still are, Taka-kun. Even if you are Sukunami Taka, part of you will always be the Tamahome I fell in love with. You were re-crafted for this world by Suzaku - every part of you is still somehow a part of him. Me, on the other hand..."

She spread her hands.

"Like Hikari, I was born here." She added. "Like Hikari, I changed the fate of a country. Kutou must have been a sad, desperate place after Nakago was killed, you know. We never gave it a thought, but I suppose it must have been that way. And if it's our daughter who can change that - surely it's a good thing?"

"But Seiryuu almost devoured Yui." Taka protested, and Miaka nodded, looking grave.

"I know." She admitted. "But...somehow...I think Hikari is stronger. I think...somehow I believe she'll be all right, Taka-kun. She's our daughter, after all. Somehow she'll do it - somehow she'll pull through. And then, when she's saved Kutou..."

"She'll come home." Relief flickered in Taka's gaze as he registered his wife's meaning. "And it'll all be over, at last."

"Yes." Miaka agreed softly. "Which also means I should give Arina-chan a call – because the poor child's probably as worried as we are, considering everything that's been thrust on her these past few days."

She spread her hands.

"After all, the waiting is almost over." She added "And we should all be ready to welcome her, when she returns!"

Writer's note: Summoning Seiryuu
Hikari's summoning spell is the same as the spell Miaka used to summon Suzaku with one exception - instead of summoning from the south, I amended it so that she would summon from the East. I transcribed the spell from the Eikouden novel, so any transliteration errors are my Japanese transliterating idiocy. :) Sadly Yui's incantation to raise Seiryuu didn't appear in the anime or anywhere else, so I can't be a hundred percent sure that Suzaku's spell would work just as well for Seiryuu. But eh. It's a story, right...? Artistic licence allowed..:D

I changed the wording Seiryuu used to bond with Hikari somewhat for originality's sake, but the spell is authentic to the continuity.

The spell is copyright to Watase Yuu and Fushigi Yuugi and I've just borrowed it for authenticity's sake. :)