Chapter Twenty Nine
There was noone about in the village as Myoume pushed back the wooden door of the Geiyo family home, stepping out into the dusty street as she gazed pensively up at the blue sky over her head. It was a different blue, she mused absently, from the vivid, warm blue of Kounan's sky. Here in the West, the few clouds there were hung low over the horizon, and the glint of the sun gave the entire atmosphere a dry, almost brassy look.
"Until I came to leave the mountains, I didn't realise it for myself." She murmured, a sad smile touching her lips. "Four years for which I did nothing but sit and wait for Byakko to call me. But what Hyoushin said…he was right. About living, no matter how painful. I have that chance, now. I didn't know that I would, but thanks to Miramu – I have."
She glanced down at the clay casket in her hands, marked with the seal of the dragon that watched over Kutou. As she did so, memories of the four Gods dancing in the Eastern skies flickered through her thoughts, and she leant back against the wall of the house, knowing beyond all doubt that she would never look at things the same way again.
"If only Miramu could have seen how beautiful it was." She whispered. "When they joined together like that, to save this world. If he could have seen that, maybe he would have understood. That whatever Byakko did or didn't do to get him into this world – the purpose was far greater. That Mother's sacrifice, however harsh to bear, was in the name of all people."
"Myoume?"
A voice from the doorway made her turn, and her lips twitched into a faint smile as she registered the object of her thoughts watching her.
"Okaasan." She murmured. "I'm sorry – did my moving around so early wake you?"
"No…I wasn't really sleeping, and your father had to rise in any case, since he has to make a trip into Eiroku this morning." Anara shook her head. "I wondered whether you were with your brother, Myoume-chan…I thought that you might be trying to decide where best to bury the casket."
"I don't think I'm going to bury it, even if it means there's no grave marker." Myoume said thoughtfully, glancing once more at the clay vial as she did so. "Miramu wasn't like me – he didn't confine himself. He roamed free. Always – when we were children and beyond. Even as the Shadow of the West who killed so many people. So I want to scatter his ashes, not bury them. He should be free on the wind…not trapped below the earth."
"Yes, I think you're right." Anara said softly, and Myoume saw the glitter of tears in her mother's eyes. "And then it will be over…at last my son will be at rest."
"I wish I could have saved him." Myoume said sadly. "But in the end, this was what he wanted. I think, since the day he found out how he was born, and his father's identity…since then he's been in pain. And now he isn't…now he's beyond all of that. So I'm trying not to cry about it, if I can help it. Because for him it's best."
"I lost my son a long time ago." Anara said heavily. "It's hard not to cry, but I think the tears are relief, not sorrow. This time, anyway."
She reached out to touch Myoume's hand.
"I can believe that he would protect you. The Miramu I knew always protected you." She added. "So that his death should be for that end, that makes me happy. My son was still there, inside of the assassin. Even being able to know that was more than I hoped for."
"Do you want to come with me, to scatter his ashes?" Myoume asked. "I'm sorry, I should have asked before. But I didn't want to upset you further – I know that it's been a harrowing time since the day he left."
"Your father has said to me many times how he regrets Miramu having overheard that conversation." Anara responded. "For my sake and for yours, but I think for Miramu's own. He hasn't spoken about it when you were there, but in your absence…"
She sighed.
"He was sad last night, too." She added. "That it had ended this way. He feels he drove Miramu to become that way...I'm glad that this means it will finally all be over. We can move on, then. All of us."
"Poor Father." Myoume looked thoughtful. "I suppose I didn't think about that…that it's hurt him, too."
"He asked if he could craft some kind of memorial, when we'd decided on a final resting place." Anara nodded. "And I told him that he could. I don't blame him for Miramu's situation, Myoume – I never have. The truth shouldn't be blamed, after all. Your father fell in love with me and married me knowing my past – knowing the truth of Miramu's conception and how I had been treated before. His feelings were only ever protective towards me…I don't blame him at all."
"I don't think Miramu did, either." Myoume glanced at the casket. "Himself, his birth father…Byakko. But not my father."
"I'd like to come with you, if it's all right." Anara decided. "I think I know where you might be going, as it happens – and I hoped to talk to you, one to one, before you left again."
"Left again?" As they began making their way through the still sleeping village, Myoume cast her mother a questioning look. "You expect me to be gone that quickly, when I've only just got here?"
"Yes." Anara smiled. "I may not have seen much of you in recent years, Myoume-chan – but I can tell when you're restless and when your mind is on something else. I've also been young, too – and in love for the first time."
Her smile widened as colour flushed Myoume's cheeks.
"There. I thought so. That is what's on your mind, isn't it? Saving Kutou has brought you more than your brother's peace, in the end."
"I suppose it has." Myoume admitted. "But I didn't…I mean, I wasn't going to say anything about it. Not yet…not till Miramu was laid to rest."
"I still remember, you know, the dreams you had when you were small." Anara said reflectively. "Miramu used to tease you all the time about them, and you'd get so embarrassed you'd hide under the dining table and shout at him to go away. You were six or seven at the time, and you didn't understand why he was teasing you like he was – do you remember?"
"Yes." Despite herself Myoume smiled, nodding her head. "He thought it was so funny that I kept having a dream about some guy on a horse. But I'm surprised you've remembered so clearly…it was a long time ago, after all, and a lot has happened since."
"Man and peace were two of the first kanji I taught you, because of that." Anara added. "It'd be strange if I had forgotten that."
She eyed her companion keenly.
"Am I right to think that you finally understand the meaning of that particular dream?" She murmured softly. "I can see it in your eyes, Myoume, - something I've never seen there before. And as a mother it makes me happy to see it. Toroki's eyes have always glittered with far too many things for my liking – but they've never made you look like this."
"I haven't had a vision since Miramu died." Myoume said frankly. "I'm not sure if I ever will again, now. I don't mind, though. I'd rather not see everything that's going to happen, especially if it involves things I can't change. My life has been regulated by that for far too long. Now it isn't, and for the first time maybe I'm free to choose what to do and what happens next. It's a little frightening – but I like it, too. I don't have to put Toroki's duty first, now. I am Myoume again, for real."
"I know, and I'm glad of it." Anara said evenly. "Will you tell me, then, about the person who's brought that look to your face? Is he the one you saw so long ago, or was that just a flight of fancy after all?"
"No…the man is that man." Myoume glanced at her hands, rubbing her fingers absently against the black fabric of her glove as she remembered the intervention she had made in the Kutou shrine. "But in some ways it almost seems like a coincidence that it's him I've come to love like this. I only realised how strongly I felt when I thought I was going to lose him completely…and as yet I haven't had a chance to speak to him face to face about any of this. He was badly wounded and when I left Kutou, he was still recovering from his injuries."
She smiled.
"His name means Man of Peace, but he isn't Chinese." She added. "At least, he was born in Kutou, but he's a tribesman – a Meihi. His Chinese name is Tou Hyoushin – but it's his Meihi name that I predicted, all those years ago."
"Tou Hyoushin." Anara's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "A man of the Meihi tribe – from Kutou? So that is where you want to go back to, then, when your duty here is done? To the other side of the ShijinTenchishou – to the East and the country that is rebuilding itself there?"
"Yes." Myoume admitted. "Unless you want me here, of course. In which case, I'll stay."
"All children must fly the nest eventually, and you flew this one four years ago." Anara said honestly. "I will miss you either way, but I will miss you less if I know you've gone in pursuit of your happiness this time. This man must be of good character for him to have won over such a guarded, sceptical heart as yours, my girl. If he's done that, then he must be worthy of you – and in which case, I wouldn't dream of trying to keep you here. You deserve your own life now, after all. And maybe one day a family of your own. If I stopped you from going back to this man or from telling him how you felt…I would be a poor parent indeed."
"I'm glad you feel that way." Myoume's eyes flickered with gratitude and relief. "Because it would be…hard. It's hard already, having come so far and not having been able to speak to him…I don't know, at the moment, what his condition is. He was…very ill, to be honest. Even wounded how he was, he forced himself to keep going and it's taken its toll on him as much as the initial injury. He was weak and I had to intervene to save him from death…I hope it worked and that he's managed to awaken – but the truth is, I really don't know."
Anara was silent for a moment, eying her daughter thoughtfully. Then, at length, she spoke.
"Myoume, it was Miramu who hurt this man, wasn't it?"
Myoume sighed, nodding her head.
"It was." She admitted reluctantly. "With one of his poison darts. We managed to find an antidote…but my brother was good at his game, and it's left its mark."
She ran her finger along the edge of the clay vial pensively, then,
"He didn't know that Hyoushin was my man of peace." She added. "Because the last thing he told me, before he…before he died was that I should find him and move on – have that life, somehow, and live it to the fullest. If he had known, it would have hurt him more, so I didn't tell him. But…in the end…Miramu might have killed him. I think now that Hyoushin will recover – but even so…"
"Even so, it hurts when one you love is in pain." Anara said softly, and Myoume nodded her head.
"Just that." She agreed. "Especially when you're helpless to be able to take that pain away completely."
She bit her lip.
"Hyoushin's been through many things." She added. "None of which I can talk about, because I gave him my word I wouldn't. But that's why I so badly need to speak to him. Because I don't know how he feels – or anything like that. I don't know…and I don't like not knowing. That's why I need to go back – when Miramu's ashes are settled and prayers have been said."
"Your father and I will hope to hear from you, but we won't try and stop you from leaving Shouki-mura." Anara promised. "And you shouldn't worry so much about it. Toroki's predictions are set in stone, aren't they? I'm sure he'll hear you out."
"This prediction isn't like the others." Myoume shook her head. "I didn't see where it would lead, or anything else. Just that I would meet him, and come to trust in him. That's already true. Anything else…anything else is unknown. It's a blank slate…I don't know how it's going to end yet."
"Well, don't give up on it easily." Anara advised. "Whatever your issues, I'm sure you can face them and win. You're strong, after all – you've always been strong. Byakko asked a lot of you, and you managed to keep pace with his demands, even though you were young and even though you suffered as much as you did."
She smiled ruefully.
"This Hyoushin person will learn that you have your mother's obstinacy and your father's fortitude." She added absently. "And if he's a sensible man, he'll come to embrace it, as well."
"He's pretty stubborn himself." Myoume admitted. "So I guess…I guess we'll just see how it ends up. But if you and Father don't mind…I will go back. I will speak to him…and see. And I'll write – I'll write often, if the news is good. But I think I need to find out how that vision ends by living it, not by relying on Byakko to tell me what's going on."
At that point they reached the edge of the village, crossing the dry, yellow-tinged grassland towards the cluster of trees among whose branches Myoume and Miramu had spent much of their time playing as children. For a moment Myoume gazed up at them, remembering the happy shouts and laughter of their innocent, infant games, and a sad smile touched her face.
"This was a place Miramu was happy." She murmured. "We always had fun, climbing the trees here. Miramu used to say he was like Byakko, prowling round the branches like a hunting cat…and even as an assassin, he still liked to be in places where people couldn't easily reach him. This is where I want to spread his ashes, Okaasan. It's the best place…it fits Miramu."
"I agree." Anara said pensively, following her daughter's line of sight. "I remember times when your father had to come rescue you because Miramu'd coaxed you into climbing just a branch or two too high. Yes, this is the right place for him to be."
Myoume glanced at the casket, then she held it out.
"You should do it." She said softly. "I got to say goodbye already. It's your turn."
Anara looked startled for a moment, then she nodded, taking it carefully from her daughter's hands.
"Thank you." She said quietly. "I'd like that, if you don't mind."
Myoume shook her head.
"I think he'd like it, too." She responded. "To know that no matter what happened, or how he was born, you didn't blame him for anything. He loved you a lot, after all – I know that. It's right for him to know you loved him still too."
Anara held the vial up for a moment, glancing at it as she took in the weave of Seiryuu's dragon form across the clay.
"Blessed by a foreign God. Is this a sign of the future to come?" She wondered. Myoume shrugged.
"Why not?" She asked. "After all, in the end, they work in tandem. It doesn't matter so much which of them we reach out to, does it? They all do the same – they protect us. And now, thanks to Seiryuu no Miko, they protect all of us."
She frowned, glancing up briefly at the sky, and Anara sent her a quizzical look.
"Myoume-chan?"
"It's nothing." Myoume shook her head, offering her mother a smile. "My senses are on overdrive, that's all. For a moment, when I mentioned her, I thought I felt the Miko's chi. But she's not in this world any more – she's gone home to her own, now, and all of that is over. I guess it was just thinking about her. I was fond of Hikari – she was like a younger sister in some ways, and a good friend in others. I hope that now she's gone home, things will work out smoothly for her in her world just as much as they will for us here."
"I think we all have a debt owing to Seiryuu no Miko, from what you've said." Anara agreed. "It's not surprising that you'd still feel her presence, when she's done so much to help this world."
Carefully she loosed the lid of the casket, tipping it gently towards her hand as the fine, powdery dust began to drift over her fingers.
"Maybe because of her, too, my son is at peace." She murmured. "Miramu-kun, if you can hear me – somewhere up there in Byakko's ether – I want you to know that I love you, and I'm sorry that I didn't get to make you understand that when you were here. No matter what, just like Myoume, you're a precious part of my life and I won't forget you. You were never a burden or a sacrifice – you were my son, and that's all."
She faltered, and Myoume saw the tears begin to trickle down her mother's cheeks.
"You might have been conceived by rape, but I never associated you with that." She whispered. "If I had, I wouldn't have been able to raise you – or treat you the way that I did. You were Byakko's gift to me – not a curse. His way of showing me that even in the bad times, good things could come. I still believe that…I still know my son Miramu was a good person, and that no matter what, that person still lived right up to the end. Thank you for protecting your sister, musuko-kun. And…and now, I hope…rest in peace."
With that she tipped the vial up completely, as the remainder of the fine ash cascaded out onto the wind, blowing gently against the trees and branches before settling across the barren Sairou ground. Instinctively Myoume put her hands together in prayer.
"Thank you, Oniichan." She murmured. "For doing so much to protect me. I'll not forget what I promised you – I'll live my life and do everything I can do for the both of us, I swear. Whatever Byakko asks of you, however much you have to repent – do it with a free heart and move on. I'll see you in the next lifetime, after all – when Toroki and Amefuri are needed again."
There was no reply but the gentle sound of the breeze through the tree branches, yet somewhere, for the briefest of instants, Myoume thought she felt her brother's warm touch against her senses. She smiled, feeling her own tears begin to fall.
"He knows, and he heard us." She said softly. "It's all right, Okaasan. It really is over now…at last we can all move on."
"I still can't believe that you went to a whole other world."
Arina stretched out on Hikari's bed, resting her chin in her hands as she gazed at her friend pensively. "If it hadn't been that your Ma explained it to me, Hi-chan, I'd think you'd lost the plot. But you really did, didn't you? All of this stuff - it was real. There really is another world inside a book in the library...somewhere in this city."
"It's not inside the book. I mean, it's real, I'm sure of that." Hikari sighed, sinking down on the end of the duvet as she shrugged her shoulders. "When I'm here it feels a million miles away. I can hardly believe I'm back, to tell the truth. I think this is a dream, and that any minute Shishi's going to prod me with the end of her sword hilt to wake me up."
"Shishi." Arina's eyes narrowed and her brow knitted together as she processed the name. "That was what you said the time the alarm clock was talking to you. The voice that was so rude about me...wasn't it?"
"Y...yeah." Hikari looked sheepish. "I'm sorry, Ari. Shishi's kind of that way - blunt, I mean. She says it as she sees it. Still..."
She sighed.
"Shishi's the first friend I had who didn't care about how I looked or anything like that. It didn't matter whether I was pretty or dressed nicely, or any of that." She said wistfully. "I liked that. Sometimes here I feel like I have to match up to you, and it's hard. You're so pretty, after all - and I'm not."
"Really?" Arina looked surprised. "You get jealous of me?"
"All the time." Hikari agreed. "It's stupid, huh? Because we're friends. But you live in this big place, you have everyone at school listening to you - and you're much more attractive than I am. I just...it's hard to live up to that sometimes, or it seems it."
"But you have Miaka-san and Sukunami-san." Arina's expression became sad. "They care about you. My parents don't care about me at all, Hikari. They really don't mind what I do, or where I go. If they did...heck, if they even yelled at me for doing something like borrow money without asking - you have no idea how happy I'd be. But they don't acknowledge it at all. They don't even notice. They have their world...and I have mine."
"I never thought of it much that way, until I went to the ShijinTenchishou and was without my family for the first time." Hikari admitted. "That it must suck for you, having them always away."
"Yeah." Arina looked thoughtful. "I never thought to talk to you about it before, though. Guess we're pretty shit as friends go, aren't we?"
"We've both been, somewhat." Hikari leant back against the wall, idly kicking her legs as she debated the point in her mind. "But we've got past it now, right? After all, you know my biggest secret. Going to that place...I don't feel a bit the same as before."
She sighed heavily.
"I miss it, actually." She admitted. "Or the people I met, at least."
"Speaking of which, Hikari, are you going to tell me about this hunk you picked up or what?" Arina looked interested. "He must've been something pretty special. Tell me! I want to know everything about him."
"Aoi..." Hikari bit her lip, her fingers going to the ring that hung at her throat. "I guess...I don't know even where to begin. I miss him most of everyone, I think. I thought I liked Haru-kun, Arina, but I was wrong. I didn't. I didn't really understand that properly until I met Aoi and really fell in love with him. It wasn't just a crush or something like that. He...he would have married me, if I hadn't been Seiryuu no Miko and I hadn't had to come home."
"Seriously?" Arina's eyes almost fell out of her head. "You got proposed to? No way!"
"Not exactly." Despite herself, Hikari smiled. "He just said that, if I wasn't coming back here, that he'd have liked it. It's hard to explain what he meant to me - what he means to me. It's just...I know...I'm going to miss him for a long long time. Maybe forever. I can't imagine not feeling like this about him - it's like he got right through to my soul and tattooed himself to it. Even though I'll never see him again..."
She faltered, her voice shaking slightly as her grip tightened around the ring.
"He gave me this to remember him by." She murmured. "It was a keepsake his mother left for him before she died, so it meant a lot to him. That's why...he wanted me to have it. So I couldn't forget him no matter what. And I don't want to forget him. Or anything about that world."
"He was hot, huh?"
"He was handsome, but it wasn't about that." Hikari sighed, stretching out more comfortably on the bed. "I'm not going to get away with just highlights, am I? You really want to know everything."
"Damn right I do." Arina said firmly. "So spill. How old was he, this...Aoi, did you say?"
"Aoiketsu." Hikari nodded. "And he was eighteen."
"A senpai, huh? Not bad." Arina was impressed. "And? So? What was he like? Handsome how? Tell, tell!"
"Ari..." Hikari sent her friend a playful look. "Fine. He was a soldier - he fought for Kutou, in Seiryuu's name. His dad was a really powerful Shougun who was respected a lot in Kutou, but he got killed in a war between Kutou and Kounan. Aoi's mother died when he was born so in the end he was raised by someone else at the Emperor's request. His adoptive father is a really smart guy - someone who made sure he had good manners and stuff like that. And he knew a lot of things, too. Like how to plot short cuts to places, and how to read really complicated kanji. But he was also really strong with a sword. He defended my life that way several times."
"A real knight in shining armour, huh?" Arina said enviously. "Shit, girl, why didn't you take me with you? It sounds like the guys in this world are better than the ones we have to choose from here!"
"No. Not all of them." Hikari admitted. "Aoi was special, though. I can't explain it any other way. Just...special."
"So this place of yours - you were in the middle of sword-fights and stuff like that?"
"Mm. More than I'd have liked." Hikari agreed. "I can't do anything with a weapon. But I had Aoi and Shishi to defend me. And Jin...Jin too. Before he...wasn't there any more."
"Jin." Arina's eyes narrowed. "Hey...when you came back before...your mother said someone had died, after you vanished. Was that...that guy?"
"Yes." Hikari agreed sadly. "He was protecting me, so I still feel like it was my fault he died. He was...I never had a big brother, so I don't know if it was like that. But it felt like it could have been. He was Shishi's brother, after all - and Shishi and I...were like...sisters, in the end."
"Shishi again." Arina frowned. "Do you like this rude Shishi person better than me now, Hiki? I thought we were best friends - am I replaced?"
"You did it again." Hikari murmured. "Calling me Hiki."
"So?"
"It's nothing." Hikari smiled. "Maybe you and Shishi have more in common than I thought. And of course I haven't replaced you. In this world, you're my best friend. In that one, she is. That's just how it is. You'll never meet each other, in any case. And I'll probably never see her again, either. So what are you so worried about?"
Arina was silent for a moment. Then she shrugged.
"Are you really glad to be home?" She asked softly. "Since you left behind this beau and other people - did you want to come back? You were crying your eyes out downstairs, after all. Did you not want to come back?"
Hikari pursed her lips.
"I wish I could be in both places, now." She said honestly. "But this is my home...right? Mother and Father are here. You're here. I was born here. It's the place I belong. That world...there were a lot of things I didn't know. And I learnt stuff - a lot of stuff - and people were good to me. I made a lot of friends and I fell in love. But riding horses...walking...using fire for light and all of that...I missed things from here. Electricity. Trains. Buses. Shopping malls. It's just a different kind of world completely, I suppose. I can't really equate the two together."
She sighed.
"I just don't like saying goodbye." She added finally. "That's the truth of it. Whatever happened, I had to say goodbye. And I hated that."
"I guess that makes sense." Arina flashed her a smile. "Well, I would tell you what you missed in school, except I was too busy worrying about you to pay attention, so we'll both be cribbing notes on Monday from someone smarter than either of us. That suit you?"
"Sounds fairly normal to me." Hikari responded resignedly. "We've neither of us ever hit the high grades, have we?"
"Ah, there's more to life than being smart and passing exams." Arina shrugged, and Hikari looked thoughtful.
"I don't know." She admitted. "Aoi fought for his country and he was really brave and all – but now he's not going to do that any more. He's giving up his sword to study for and take the government exams. He wants to be a court official and help rebuild Kutou into a peaceful, stable nation. I guess sometimes...knowing stuff is a good thing. And passing exams, too. I know Aoi will do it – he is smart, really smart, and he's committed to Kutou. It maybe makes me want to work a little harder to learn stuff, too. Not stuff like that, maybe – but I've never stopped and thought about what I want to be in the future."
She groaned.
"Truth is that with a brother like Makoto, I've never bothered to try." She admitted. "I'm not cut out to be academic, I know that. But I think...there must be something that I can do. Somehow...right? I didn't get chosen by Seiryuu for no reason. There must have been something he wanted to teach me...and I guess I want to find out if I learnt it while saving Kutou."
"You're going way over my head, but all right." Arina eyed her friend quizzically. "Just don't turn into one of those library-bound study bugs, okay? I'll never forgive you, if you do. No guy will ever look at you, if you take that route."
"I'm not looking for a guy." Hikari said frankly. "I have one. I don't need another."
"But he's in another world. Duh. You can't get to that world. Duh." Arina leant over to thwack her friend playfully on the head with a nearby pillow. "I know about long distance relationships, Hi-chan, but that's just ridiculous. You're home now. You're never going to see this Aoi again. No matter how much of an Adonis he was...that's it. You'll do better facing that and getting over it."
"I know." Hikari admitted. "But I don't think I'm going to. Not any time soon, anyway."
She sighed, shrugging her shoulders.
"Thank you for stopping home with me tonight, by the way. I know you were looking forward to the party."
"Well, I'd rather have gone with you, so..." Arina shrugged. "It's no big deal. Don't worry about it. A girl's night in works just as well."
She eyed her companion critically.
"Although you'd do better to at least try to clean up a little." She added. "Those clothes are odd and weirding me out. Plus your face is all smeared from crying – at least make yourself look human, huh? I don't want to wake in the night and think there's a monster in the room."
"Cruel, but probably fair." Hikari snorted. "All right. I'll go change. I was just enjoying being in my own room again, after sharing inn rooms or sleeping on forest floors. I mean, even though I did spend a couple of nights in Kutou's palace, it's still nice to be in my own space."
She got to her feet, reaching for her hairbrush as she loosed her long, messy tail of hair, running her fingers through it as she moved towards the mirror to examine her reflection. The next moment, however, she had let out an exclamation, and Arina started, turning to stare at her in confusion.
"What's up? Did you see a spider or something?"
Slowly Hikari shook her head, turning to face her companion, a flicker of bewilderment in her hazel eyes.
"No...I just...Arina...I can't..."
She faltered, turning back to the mirror, and Arina frowned, getting to her feet and coming to stand beside her friend.
"What's eating you?" She demanded. "I know I called you scary, but your reflection surely isn't that..."
She trailed off, catching sight of her friend's appearance in the mirror, and slowly she swore under her breath, reaching out to touch it with a hesitant finger.
"What the hell?" She murmured. "Hi-chan...you...what the...?"
"I don't know." Hikari's voice shook, and she bit her lip. "I never saw...Ari, it's like...I'm looking at myself under water. Why...why can't I see myself properly? You're right there, I can see you just as you always are. So why are my features so...so blurry and faint?"
"I have no idea, but it's too creepy." Arina shivered. "Come away from it...it's probably just because you've only just come back from that world. Don't worry about it, Hi-chan. It's probably just that."
"I...I suppose so." Hikari looked uncertain. "You're...you're probably right. After all, I have done a lot of world hopping lately, and I did use a hell of a lot of magic to raise Seiryuu. He was inside of me, too – maybe that's just it. The effects haven't fully worn off yet."
"Well, mirrors can't choose what to reflect, so it has to be that." Arina said firmly. "Stop looking so scared, Hikari. In the morning, it'll be fine – you'll see. Meantime, I'll help you fix your hair if you don't want to look at it. Unless you want to go ask Miaka-san's advice?"
"No..." Hikari shook her head. "They've been so worried about me, I don't want to worry them more. I'm sure it's as you say, Ari. It's just because I just got back."
She cast another doubtful look in the direction of the mirror, then nodded.
"It has to be." She added, as if to convince herself. "Let's forget about it. After all, there's still a lot of stuff I haven't told you, and you did say you wanted to know everything."
"So, all is well."
Reizeitei turned from the window of his study, sending his companion a satisfied look as he did so. "I am glad to hear it, Chichiri. Kutou is no longer a threat to any of us – the man behind the schemes has been eradicated and Seiryuu no Miko was able to fulfil her duty without coming to harm. She has safely returned to her homeworld and we are able to go on with our lives in peace. I could not have asked for better – although I knew that, if the Suzaku Shichi Seishi were involved, success would be inevitable."
"You flatter us far too much, Heika." Chichiri said ruefully, folding his arms across his chest as he regarded the young man before him. "But as you said, all is well. And I wouldn't be at all surprised if things improved between Kounan and Kutou in the next weeks and months ahead, also. Now that the malignant influence is removed from the Emperor's select circle, I'm sure that Hyoushin will find a chance to speak to him on Kounan's behalf. That man believes in peace beyond his own life – and that's a strong tool to use when persuading a monarch like Lord Kintsusei."
"Yes." Reizeitei looked thoughtful. "This Hyoushin…you must tell me more of him. Aoiketsu mentioned him also, when I took him to task about his acts of spying against our lands. From his words, this Hyoushin person sounded a sane mind in a land of chaos – he is the man to whom you tended in the forest? The man who took injury at the hands of the assassin that killed Jin?"
"Yes." Chichiri agreed. "And I think in that time we made an ally of him. I don't think you need to be so vigilant on the Eastern border, Heika – I'm sure that before too long you'll be able to remove the extra guards completely."
"I will look forward to such a time." Reizeitei said fervently. "I do not want trouble with any of our neighbours, after all."
He frowned.
"I am sad, however, that Hikari is gone." He admitted. "She was like Shishi and I are – the child of a Seishi – and that is a precious, unique thing. I think Kounan will miss her – after all, she is Suzaku's Shinzahou, as well as Seiryuu's Priestess."
"I think we'll all miss her." Chichiri owned. "My daughter was in tears the night after she left, and she keeps asking when Hikari-neechan is going to come and visit. Meikyo's old enough to know what forever means – and that the legend of the Miko is fairly final when it comes to saying goodbye. But even so, she keeps asking. She was really fond of her – both Eiju and Meikyo, in fact. And I admit, I think Aidou and I were, too – it's a little strange, not having her around."
"Still, for what she did on our behalves, I am grateful." Reizeitei said evenly. "And I look forward to better relations with our sister Empire in the East."
He cast a glance across the chamber to where a gleaming sword stood propped against the wall.
"Before he left, Aoiketsu came to see me, to return the shinken in person." He added. "I was surprised, when I learnt that he had fought with it in my name in Kutou, as well as in Kintsusei's. That boy is not an ordinary young soldier, is he? I can tell that, even without your spiritual power, Chichiri. Perhaps it's the fact that like Hikari, Shishi and I, he is Seishi born…and therefore connected irrefutably to the stars."
"Aoiketsu is an intelligent young man born and raised with Kutou's best interests at heart." Chichiri reflected. "Maybe that's what you see in him, Boushin-kun. The same desire you have to protect the country your father died for is reflected in Aoiketsu where Kutou is concerned. Whatever Nakago's motives or aims, he died ridding Kutou of corruption. And just like you have Hotohori-sama's blood running through your veins, so Aoiketsu has the Hin Shougun's running through his. So long as he can control it, I don't think it's a bad thing. After all, Nakago's blood was Seiryuu's blood. And Seiryuu protects Kutou."
"Perhaps you're right." Reizeitei admitted.
"Either way, Heika, you should be able to begin making harem plans now." A playful glint touched Chichiri's ruby gaze, and the young Emperor blushed, holding up his hands.
"Believe me, I am in no hurry to do any such thing." He said earnestly. "Like my father before me, I have no intention of dallying with several young girls' hearts. My mother and father shared a genuine bond, and I would like to form the same with my Empress – not simply produce sons from strangers who then vie for power and influence within my Kingdom. I know it is a duty I must face, and I will face it – but believe me, I am not glad of peace simply for that reason alone."
"Oh, I know that." Chichiri chuckled. "In that respect, yes, you are much like your father. And I confess, at times, we teased him rather as well."
"I don't mind being teased." Reizeitei admitted. "Very few people will joke with an Emperor, after all."
He smiled.
"I hope that the end of this affair won't stop you from coming occasionally to see me." He added. "I understand Tasuki's reservations, but you have no such problems…I would like to think that even though Kounan is no longer in any danger, and even though I am a grown man now, you will still come."
"As long as you want me to, I will." Chichiri agreed amiably. "I promised Hotohori-sama that I'd be here to help you and I meant it – I keep my word. But if you don't need my help so much as my company these days, that's fine too. I'll be sure to visit again, Heika…for now I need to get back to the village, but I won't forget your request."
"Good." Reizeitei looked pleased. "Then go safely, Chichiri, and convey my regards to the bandits and your family. And further, extend my welcome to Shi Maichu, also. I understood when Aoiketsu came to return the sword to me what the nature of his coming here was. That boy put a lot on the line to serve his cause and his Emperor, and such loyalty is hard to come by. I'd like him to know that he is welcome in Kounan, for as long as he chooses to stay."
"I'll tell him." Chichiri promised. "He was a little worried, I think, that if you knew he'd spied here before, you might hunt him down. I'll tell him what you said, and then he'll relax…the mountain is the best place for him to be, I think, and other than that, he seems to be happy there."
"I have no reason to chase former spies when there is no threat of war." Reizeitei said evenly. "Thank you, Chichiri. And I hope to see you again, before the summer is out."
"I'm sure you can count on that." Chichiri acknowledged, plucking the kasa from his head as he bowed playfully before his Emperor. "I'm sure we'll see each other again more than soon enough, Reizeitei-sama."
With which cheeky remark he cast his spell, disappearing into his hat as he focused his magic on fixing a landing on the slopes of Reikaku-zan.
The mountain was busy, he discovered, as he emerged from his hat, and for a moment he just watched the bandits as they went about their daily tasks, extending greetings to one or two that knew him well enough to call him by name. It was business as usual, he reflected, for the union of the Gods over Kutou did not change the needs of the poorer local villagers, and secretly he was glad that, despite his brusque, impetuous manner, Tasuki had been perceptive enough to realise it.
"No matter what happens in the skies over our heads, the people still need to act for there to truly be peace." He murmured. "And thanks to Suzaku, the people in the South-West have Reikaku-zan to make sure they make it safely through to another year."
"Chichiri!" A bellow from above made him look up, a grin touching his features as he registered his Seishi companion and he raised his kasa in a greeting.
"Morning." He said cheerfully. "I thought I'd come and see how you were doing – and pass on Reizeitei-sama's messages, of course. He sends his best to you, you know – he'd like it if you visited more, even if you do think it's not a bandit thing to do."
"Let's not cross that bridge again." Deftly Tasuki leapt down from his ledge, dusting himself off as he eyed his friend ruefully. "So you're playing Imperial message boy today, then? Or are you just at a loose end because you no longer have Tama's brat to babysit all the time?"
"I don't know. It's strange now she's not here." Chichiri admitted. "But actually, I came to speak specifically to Maichu. Is he here, or…?"
"You're out of luck, because Kouji took him an' some of the others out to collect toll." Tasuki shook his head. "I figured if the kid's gonna survive on Reikaku-zan, the sooner he learns how a bandit operates the better. He's a good kid, that one – even if he has some skewed ideas in his head. We'll sort him out – he'll be fine. But he's old enough an' strong enough to do his duty out on the slopes…so I made sure he was picked."
"Then I'll have to wait for him to return, I suppose." Chichiri said resignedly. "Or come back later. Still, I'm glad to see you haven't rejected him. It seems Shishi made a big promise for you in Kutou, all things considered."
"Well, I don't mind that she did. It was the right promise to make, so I ain't objectin'." Tasuki owned. "That kid ain't so much a cub any more, is she? I'm realisin' that. One day she'll make a damn fine Kashira – that is, if I'm ever stupid enough t'let anyone kick me off the mountain."
"You shouldn't give me such an easy opening to tease you, Tasuki-kun." Chichiri said, amused. "But I'll let that one go, this time."
He stretched, slipping his kasa back into travel position as he surveyed the mountain once more.
"Back to normal, huh?"
"As normal as it can be, now Jin is gone." Tasuki said evenly, and Chichiri saw a glint of regret in the bandit's bronze gaze. "But I know what Seiryuu said to Hikari and the cub in Kutou, and I have to accept that as final. I think I had, anyhow, t'be honest. I've seen enough death to know it's something you can't undo. I'm grateful to the kid for askin' for it – but I didn't expect anything to bring him back. Reincarnated – that's the best we can hope for. An' he won't be Jin, the next time – but hey, in some ways, that ain't a bad thing. Shishi doesn't realise what a shit time that boy had, before he came to the mountain. This time, with any luck, he won't have that kind of a beginning."
"He still had a lot to be thankful for, growing up with you and Anzu as surrogate parents." Chichiri said gently. "You did a lot for him, and he repaid that, in the end. He was a son you can be proud of, Tasuki – even now he's gone. And your daughter too – as you said, she's not a cub any more. Shishi's fifteen now – but it isn't an added year of age that's changed about her. Doryoku's influence, Jin's death, Hikari…all of it has made her a young adult, not just a careless kid. She's her father's daughter all right – and it suits her, too."
"If I'm lucky, she'll have a touch more sense about her than I did at that age." Tasuki reflected, and Chichiri laughed.
"Of all people, that sounds strange coming from you, you know."
"Probably." Tasuki acknowledged ruefully. "But it's still the truth. Even fifteen years on I ain't got a clue what to do with a daughter – so it's a damn good thing everythin' else seems to be workin' out in her favour."
"You didn't send her to collect toll with Maichu, then?"
"No." Tasuki shook his head. "Kaou-zan know her by sight as mine, an' I don't want to make a target of her. She's stronger, now, an' a touch smarter – but to them she's still a girl an' I'd like her to have a few more years on her before she goes fightin' on those terms. Even despite everything she's done – it's too close to losing Jin for me to risk her too much, I guess."
He grimaced, looking embarrassed.
"I sound screwed up, but that's how it is. An' Anzu's the same. But I won't coddle the kid – not if I can help it. She's proven she can make her own decisions…an' I'll respect that, so far as I can."
He gestured towards the mountain.
"You gonna come inside? I guess Boushin said the usual kind of things, but you might as well tell me anyway."
"He's growing more and more like Hotohori-sama, but there's still an element within him that's all his own." Chichiri agreed, as he allowed his friend to lead him into the core of the mountain hideout. "Like Aoi, I suppose – the child is never quite like the father. That's probably a good thing, too – if everyone turned out like the generation before, noone would ever move on."
"You think some deep shit sometimes, but I guess I should expect that by now, knowin' you as long as I have." Tasuki said resignedly, and Chichiri chuckled.
"We're still pretty different people, you and I." He observed. "But I suppose that's all right, too. Raising Hisei together was a good thought, you know – her advice to Hikari was right, after all. And we work best as a team – that's always been the case, even now there are only the two of us left."
"More so because of it, maybe." Tasuki said, his tones uncharacteristically thoughtful. "It'd be pretty damn shit t'be the last one standin'. I'm glad there's the both of us. Even though Tama's still alive, it ain't the same. Where he is, we can't go – so it's not like he's out there somewhere at all. Havin' Hikari here made it almost like Miaka an' Tama were back with us, although like you said, Hikari's Hikari an' not her parents. But at the end of the day, it's still you an' me lookin' out for Kounan. Ain't it?"
"Seems so." Chichiri agreed. "It's not a bad position to be in, though, is it, Tasuki-kun? I have no complaints about it."
"Me either, I guess." Tasuki rubbed his chin pensively. "So long as it's me facin' the battles, an' not those around me. Miramu might be dead, but it doesn't change the fact he took my son from the mountain. So long as those things don't happen – it's fine. I ain't happy buryin' those I care about, Chichiri. If Suzaku wants my life, then I'll give it – just as always, just like you would, too. But those around me…"
He trailed off, and Chichiri became grave.
"I understand, you know. Better than most." He agreed solemnly. "And I think Suzaku does, too. Hopefully, now, it won't happen any more. We might not ever stop being Tasuki and Chichiri – certainly not to each other, since our friendship was built up from that connection in the first place. But hopefully now we really do have peace all across the lands. Thanks to people like Jin – just like, eighteen years ago, it was thanks to people like Nuriko, Mitsukake, Chiriko and Hotohori-sama."
"Guess so." Tasuki said frankly. "Oh well. Time moves on, an' so do we. On to the next adventure."
"I think I can do without any more adventures for a while." Chichiri admitted. "I'm getting too old for this stuff, you know."
"Bullshit." Tasuki snorted. "You're only seven years older'n me, an' I'm no less fit than I was when we fought in the war against Kutou. Stop tryin' to fool with me – you're a long way from bein' old yet."
He frowned.
"Although livin' with my sister all this time is bound to make you feel sort of worn round the edges."
"Leave Aidou alone." Chichiri looked amused. "It's nothing to do with her. And I suppose, in a sense, I am kidding. I don't feel old – in fact, throughout this whole business, I think I've felt more like Chichiri of old, to be honest. Suzaku's blood is powerful – just like Byakko's was when Tokaki and Subaru helped us out all those years back. Even now we don't know everything about the Gods we serve, you know. And so long as that's true, there's always a reason to keep going forwards."
"Good eats an' a mug of mountain ale is as good a reason for goin' forwards as any other." Tasuki objected. "You really do think too much, sometimes. It's a bad habit o' yours, you know. Always has been."
Chichiri opened his mouth to retort, but before he could do so, something twitched across his senses and he frowned, his brows knitting together as he tried to identify the source of the sensation.
"Chichiri?" Tasuki nudged him in the arm. "You look like you're smellin' something funny – what gives?"
"Shh." Chichiri held up his hand, and the bandit shot him an indignant look. "I thought I felt something…just a brush of it…but…"
He faltered, closing his good eye as he stretched out his senses to connect with the brief, flickering entity. Then, as he did so, he let out an exclamation, his eyes snapping open as he grabbed Tasuki by the arm.
"Hikari!" He exclaimed.
"Hikari?" Tasuki stared at him blankly, as if he had gone mad. "What about her? The kid's gone home – hasn't she?"
"Yes. Yes, she has." Chichiri said, his earlier good mood fading as he began to piece together the possible causes of the sudden sensation. "So that being the case, I shouldn't still be able to sense her chi. But I can – I can, Tasuki. It's faint and wavering, but it's there. I'm sure of it. It's her."
"Then she's come back here?" Tasuki eyed him doubtfully, and Chichiri shook his head.
"No. That's it, she hasn't." He said, worry in his tones. "She's in her world. I'm sure of that. So why am I…"
He shook his head as if to clear it, frustration glittering in his ruby eyes.
"It doesn't make any sense." He muttered.
"I'm glad I ain't the only one thinking that." Tasuki said bluntly. "Put it into bandit speak for me, Chichiri – what are you sensin' an' what are we supposed to be doin' about it?"
"I don't know." Chichiri admitted helplessly. "I can pick up something I shouldn't be able to pick up – the aura of Suzaku no Shinzahou, when she's not even in this world. It's like, somehow, she's still here. Only she isn't – she can't be – she went home. And she is home."
He sighed, rubbing his temples.
"I need to speak to Hisei." He said at length. "I know you and Shishi resealed the shrine, Tasuki, but humour me this once, will you? My blood and yours woke her before – I need to stir her again, so that I can ask her what the heck is going on."
"Hisei?" Tasuki looked puzzled. "Well, it ain't like it's hard now we know where the door is. But are you sure? I thought all that mage shit was done with now…why do you need her opinion?"
"Because in matters of Suzaku, she's the best source we have." Chichiri said frankly.
"And Taikyoku-zan…?"
"The last times we went there, Taiitsukun didn't give us full answers about anything." Chichiri said simply. "But more to the point, Tasuki, this isn't just to do with our world. It connects to Hikari's world, a place where Suzaku's power is a dangerous thing indeed. I have a worry…a small one, but it's growing the more I think about it. And it strikes me that if anyone might know the answer to my question, it's Hisei. Will you let me have my way? My hunches aren't always right, but even so…"
"Ah, heck, why not." Tasuki shrugged his shoulders. "If it means that much t'you, I guess it won't hurt to try it. If you think this Hisei dame will stop you babbling random nonsense about this world and that world and whatever the hell else, we'll do it. An' there's always Taiitsukun to fall back on, if the spirit woman can't help."
"Thank you." Chichiri looked grateful. "In which case, lets go now."
"Now?" Tasuki stared. "Right now?"
"Right now." Chichiri agreed. "As soon as possible. I need to get to the bottom of this – and fast."