Chapter Thirty One
The rain was streaming across the dashboard of Miaka's car as they drew into the parking lot of Taka's workplace, a heavy silence hanging over both the vehicle's occupants as Miaka carefully pulled her vehicle to a halt. She slipped on the handbrake, casting her companion a troubled glance as she took in the worry-lines crossing his brow and the unusual tension in his body. Dressing him in Taka's clothes, she reflected, had hardly made a difference to how much he stood out. And although the things he had said back at the apartment had cut straight through to her heart, she had found it impossible to be angry.
"He's suffering, doing this." She realised. "Yet he's come anyway. But...surely there must be a way around it. If we talk to Taka - I'm sure...there must be a way."
"This is it, huh?" Chichiri broke the silence, turning to glance out of the rain-streaked window as she unfastened her seat belt, nodding her head.
"This is it." She agreed. "Look...Chichiri..."
She faltered, then sighed, shaking her head.
"I don't know what it is that's so wrong. Why you want to take Hikari back - why you'd say those things if they weren't true." She said softly. "But...you said you had children of your own. That you understand what kind of a wrench it is, to even imagine being parted from them. Hikari's been away for only two or three days but it's already been hard to bear. I know you know what that means...Hikari's told us about your children, and how important they'd become to her, too. If there is any other way - any other solution..."
She trailed off, and Chichiri's ruby eye became clouded as he slowly shook his head.
"I dounderstand, which makes it much worse." He agreed soberly. "I lost my family once, Miaka. You know that. And I'm asking you...and Hikari...to sacrifice a lot in order to do Suzaku's bidding. But...even though I hate that that's what I'm doing - I can't not do it. It's a serious problem, and I don't think there's a way around it."
He glanced at his hands.
"I spoke to Suzaku's mage spirit, within the heart of Reikaku-zan." He added softly. "She told me that, if I came here, I must be resolved. That Hikari's situation is not something my magic or any of us can change. It was decided the moment she became Suzaku no Shinzahou and a part of Suzaku and Seiryuu's pact to save Kutou. That was how it was always going to be - that Suzaku's blood would become Seiryuu's Miko, use her power to raise the Gods and bring peace to the four lands. But even though Seiryuu gave her her life, the balance of magic within her has changed. I've felt it, too. I've even helped her work with it - with controlling and managing the Suzaku spirit within her. When she raised the God, Shishi said that she was bathed in Suzaku's light - that she really embraced that power in order to do her duty by the East. Because of that, my world accepted her. And if that world accepts her fully...this one...rejects her."
He raised his gaze to Miaka's, and at the regret in his gaze, Miaka felt her heart clench.
"I'm sorry." He added. "It's no longer the case that Hikari can exist between the worlds. She could only do that so long as she was Seiryuu no Miko. She's not that any more...she's simply Suzaku no Shinzahou, now. And Suzaku no Shinzahou belongs in the other world."
Miaka buried her head in her hands.
"Then this is...my fault?" She whispered. "Because I made her the Shinzahou, I've..."
"It's not your fault." Chichiri reached out a gentle hand to touch her shoulder. "It's just how things are. We should all know by now that the Gods use us as tools in their plans, whatever those plans are. We can't premeditate their actions, because most of them were set into motion before we were even born. This is Suzaku's will. It's beyond anything mere Seishi or Miko can do."
"Former Miko, in my case." Miaka said bitterly. "Doesn't Suzaku care that this is Hikari's home? That this is where she was born? Where her friends are?"
"I don't know." Chichiri admitted. He sighed, turning to glance out at the rain once more.
"I had the same wondering." He continued. "Suzaku's always tried to do what's best for his people, but he still lacks that human understanding at times. He's immortal, so life and death has no impact on him. And he's never been a father or a mother, so he can't understand what that bond is like. At least, that's how it seems to me. I couldn't give up Meikyo or Eiju, Miaka. I would do anything in my power to keep them safe and with me, at least until they're grown enough to branch out for themselves. But just understanding your feelings doesn't change the situation. The truth is, so long as Hikari stays here, people will suffer. Her included. And that was the deciding factor for me. I had to come - for her sake and for yours."
Miaka took a deep, shuddery breath into her lungs, struggling to steady herself. Then she sighed.
"We need to speak to Taka." She said softly. "Even dressed like that, Chichiri - you're not exactly someone people wouldn't notice. I think...I'll go in and speak to him. I'll tell him it's an emergency, and see if I can get him outside. You wait here. I think the rain is stopping, in any case, so if you want to get out of the car I suppose that's all right - but I don't want to create any kind of a scene inside a busy workplace. It might not pay a fortune, but we need him to keep this job - if he had to go back to doing cafe and bar work, we'd be struggling a lot more for money."
She sighed.
"Tokyo's just as expensive as ever."
"It's all right, you know. I'll wait." Chichiri assured her. "I don't know my way around your world, and there are a lot of things I don't understand about it. I'm safer doing as you say...though I'd honestly be happier even in the rain than I am sitting inside this contraption."
He looked rueful.
"I know it's some kind of carriage, but the way it moves is little beyond my understanding, you know."
"All right." Miaka nodded her head, pushing open her door and stepping out as she hurried around to do the same for her companion. "Then wait...under the shelter, just over there. I'll be right back - I promise."
"Understood." Chichiri agreed. "I'll be there."
He clambered out of the car, smoothing down his unfamiliar clothing as he did so. "I am sorry about this intrusion, Miaka-chan. Tell Taka that, too. I don't mean to come here to cause trouble, you know."
"I know." Miaka sighed. "Okay. Taka and I'll see you over there in just a few moments."
With that, she hurried off across the parking lot, pushing open the door of the big building where Taka worked days in an office cubicle, her heart in her throat as she contemplated what to tell her husband.
"That there's been an emergency with Hikari." She reflected. "Or no...that'll worry him. But it's worrying me, dammit! And Chichiri...I don't want to leave him too long. Although at least, being that it's Chichiri, he won't wander off or get himself into any kind of trouble. If it was Tasuki with him, that might be different, but...oh, this is all too too weird. After so many years, he suddenly shows up, and yet it's this."
She banged her hand down on the lift button as a sudden flash of anger and frustration washed through her body.
"It's not fair." She muttered. "Why is it my daughter? Why does this have to happen? Isn't it enough that I went to the ShijinTenchishou and saw so many of my friends sacrificed then? Hasn't Hikari been through enough already, also? Why an extra complication? What's so special about my family, Suzaku? I don't understand!"
At that moment, the lift reached the correct floor, and as she stepped out, she heard someone call her name.
"Miaka-san! What brings you here on a horrible day like this?" The speaker was one of Taka's colleagues, and Miaka forced a wan smile, holding her hands up in greeting.
"I've had a call from Hikari's school and we're to go there right away." She lied. "I need to speak to Taka - it's something of an emergency."
"The kid ain't hurt, is she?" The colleague looked anxious, and Miaka shook her head.
"No...not as far as I know." She said honestly. "But even so, we can't waste time."
"Then I'll go grab him for you. One moment." The colleague said, relief in his gaze. "Wait just one moment, Miaka-san - I know where he is."
With that the man disappeared, and Miaka heard him yell "Sukunami!" as he made his way across the busy, bustling office complex. A moment or two later he re-emerged, a companion in tow, and at the sight of his wife's face, Taka shot forward, grasping her by the shoulders.
"Miaka? What is it? What's happened with Hikari?" He demanded, and at the expression in his eyes, Miaka bit her lip.
"Can you come with me?" She asked softly. "Someone's here...and something's happening...and I can't talk about it right here."
Taka's brow furrowed, and he cast his colleague a glance. The man shrugged, nodding.
"Go." He said. "We'll finish up - you've covered me enough times, and I'll make it all right with the supervisor. If your kid needs you, Sukunami, you'd better go see what it's about. All right?"
"Thanks, Suzuki." Taka looked relieved. "I appreciate it."
"Hey, we all have kids." Suzuki grinned. "Go on with you. It'll be all right."
"I have the car parked outside." Miaka took her husband firmly by the arm, leading him from the office before anyone could change his mind, and Taka shot her a concerned look, as if trying to read the emotion in her eyes.
"Now we're alone, you can tell me. What's happened to Hikari?" He asked softly. Miaka shook her head.
"Nothing, yet. It's not quite like that." She said slowly. "Taka...Taka, it's..."
She sighed, shaking her head as if to clear it.
"You'll see, when you get to the car." She said at length. "You won't believe it unless I show you, so that's the best thing. Come on. I don't want to leave things...alone...for too long."
"I don't understand, but I'll follow." Taka responded, his expression non-plussed. "But the kid isn't hurt? Nothing like that?"
"No. Not as far as I know." Miaka shook her head as they darted into a vacant lift, pressing the button for the ground floor. "As I said, it's not like that. The school didn't call me. It's not that sort of thing at all."
"What, then?" As the car reached its destination, Taka was out of it like a shot, pulling his wife with him. "Where are you parked? You've completely lost me - and I don't like it. Miaka, why won't you tell me straight up what's going..."
As he stepped out of the front entrance, he caught sight of the figure leaning idly up against the inside of the shelter, examining his sleeves as if unsure what exactly they were made of, and he stopped dead, letting out an exclamation.
"Chichiri?"
"Tamahome-kun." At the sound of his voice, Chichiri glanced up, a faint smile touching his lips as he bowed his head in greeting. "It's been a long time, hasn't it? Although not quite so long as it's been since I've seen Miaka. Still, you look well...perhaps for you it's actually been longer than for me, you know. Time is a strange thing."
"Chichiri." Taka struggled to regain control of his composure, staring at the sorcerer as if he had just grown an extra head. "But what...why would you be...how are you here? In this world? What...does it mean?"
Chichiri bit his lip, casting Miaka a glance, and Miaka swallowed hard.
"He's come...for Hikari, Taka." She said softly, her voice wavering. "Hikari has to go back into the book. For...forever."
"What?" Taka's expression became stricken, and he grabbed Chichiri by the shoulders, meeting his gaze head on. "You're not serious? That's not why you're here...dammit, Chichiri, hasn't the kid done enough for you and your world already?"
"Yes, she has." Carefully Chichiri disentangled his companion's desperate grip, nodding his head. "And I don't relish being here like this, Taka-kun. I really don't. I know how it must seem to you, and I'm sorry. It's not the way I'd have liked to have greeted old friends."
He sighed, and Miaka was aware of tiredness in his ruby gaze.
"The situation is this." He added. "Hikari is no longer able to stay in this world. I can't change it. You can't change it. It's Suzaku's doing and noone can reverse it - probably not even him. Hikari is Suzaku's Shinzahou. As such, she has far too much spiritual power to remain safely in this world. At worse, it could damage the fabric of this plane of existence. Hikari might wind up hurting someone - someone close to her. She has no control over her magic...even me, with all the years I've trained to use and control my spiritual powers, find it more difficult to reign in and keep tabs on in this world. It's not a magic-friendly atmosphere. There's a very real danger that, without being able to manage her magic properly, Hikari could hurt people. Herself included."
"But..." Taka faltered, and Chichiri spread his hands.
"You should understand better even than Miaka does, if Tamahome's memories are still as vivid within you as they once were." He added softly. "When Tamahome first came to this world, Taka, he did not fit. He could not belong here - he did not exist on this plane, because he was Suzaku's Tamahome. He was a man of the ShijinTenchishou...and the rules that regulate life are different there from here. Correct?"
"Yes, but..."
"Hikari was born here, and even though before she was born she was made Shinzahou, that power was sealed within her." Chichiri continued. "Her birth in this world demanded it - that she could live here, with you. After all, at that moment, she was also designated Seiryuu no Miko, and the Miko must be a girl from this world. But now that duty is over, she is no longer that Miko. She's only Suzaku's treasure. Suzaku's Shinzahou, once active, belongs in only one place. The ShijinTenchishou - Kounan, preferably. And Hikari is it. Person or object, the rule would still be the same."
He rubbed his temples.
"The truth is, Taka, that your daughter won't exist here much longer anyway." He added sadly. "Her body is changing. She may already have begun to lose her place in this world - her shadow, her reflection - these things might already be fading away. Though people will see her - remember her - she will no longer be able to live alongside them. I should have guessed it, when she didn't come back here immediately after Seiryuu was summoned – but I was slow to recognise it when she got to Kounan, and there was noone in Kutou with her who could have realised the significance at the time. The truth is that her body has changed...and the longer she stayed here, even if I could somehow seal or control her magic, the more she would suffer. Just like Tamahome did, all those years ago."
Taka's eyes narrowed.
"You've thought about this hard, haven't you?" He asked softly. "All these things - you've already thought through whether or not you could seal or train her, or whether there's another way. You've already fought our corner for us, and failed...haven't you?"
Chichiri inclined his head apologetically.
"Yes." He admitted. "I am a father too now, Taka. In my world, my children are everything to me. I don't want to take your daughter from you, either. I just have no choice."
"But...we can't just...send her away." Miaka whispered. "Can we? How could we do that to her, not knowing if we'd ever even see her again? It's too cruel...she's still so young!"
"Chichiri, there's absolutely no way around this?" Taka demanded, and Chichiri shook his head.
"None." He said flatly. "As you already surmised, I've argued it every which way already. This is something that noone can change. Not even those more powerful than me. There was a pact made a long time ago that Suzaku's chosen would become Seiryuu's Miko and unite the Gods, saving Kutou and bringing peace to the four lands simultaneously. This your daughter has done. To be strong enough to do this, she needed to be Suzaku's chosen. But to do so, she also had to choose to wake Suzaku inside of her. That choice, once made, can't be unmade. Although none of us realised the implications, Hikari chose to save Kutou of her own free will. In doing so, she became a part of that world. There's nothing any of us can do about it."
Taka closed his eyes briefly, and Miaka could tell that he was fighting his emotions. For a moment, noone spoke. Then, at length, he sighed.
"Emergency indeed." He murmured. "All right. Then what do you suggest we do? The kid's in school - do you think we should rip her out of classes and bundle her back with you right now?"
"I think...that she should be taken from school." Chichiri said slowly. "I can sense her chi, and although I can't place its location clearly, I can tell its erratic and potentially dangerous. I don't want her to hurt anyone here, and I don't think she'd forgive herself if she did, either. So the first thing is to retrieve her, yes. And then...then talk to her about it. She's old enough to know, after all, what the situation is."
"In which case, you think Hikari should decide what she wants to do?" Miaka's eyes widened, and Chichiri offered her a faint smile.
"No matter how much damage she could cause, or how much she might suffer if I failed, I can't force a daughter from her parents." He said quietly. "You both know me better than to think I'd abduct her - whatever the consequences. Yes, I want it to be Hikari's choice. I want to explain everything to her, and let her decide what it is she wants to do. This is her life, after all. Her future. And even though she is still young, she's proven that she's not just a kid. She needs to have the final say."
Taka and Miaka exchanged glances, then Taka nodded.
"We're tied." He said helplessly. "We have no choice. If Hikari blows up the school, Miaka...if something like that happened..."
Miaka sighed, remembering the chaotic scenes that had riddled Tokyo's busy streets on the day when Suzaku and Seiryuu had fought for control of the skies.
"I don't want people to suffer either." She admitted. "But I don't want to lose my daughter. Whatever anyone says, if I made her the Shinzahou, this is my fault. There must be something I can do...as Suzaku no Miko...somehow."
"It's not so simple." Chichiri responded. "Hikari is a far more powerful Miko than you were, Miaka-chan. Because she belonged to two Gods, not one - because of that desire of yours, for your Shinzahou to be something so precious that Suzaku's power could be manifested through it in a strong enough way to benefit all four lands. I know what you're thinking - about that fight here, with Nakago and Suboshi stalking the streets, and fire burning every corner. But you have to realise,Hikari is capable of doing that, too. The things that Suzaku did here, when fighting Seiryuu...your daughter has elements of that power inside of her. And that magic is awake. Even she doesn't know the destructive potential it has...and that's why, until a decision is made, she shouldn't be around other people."
"I'm not afraid of Suzaku." Miaka said firmly. "But we'll go and bring her home. Talk to her. And then...Chichiri, whatever happens...please...don't take her away from us right then. At least...stay here. One night. One last night. And if Hikari...if she won't go, don't try and make her. If it's to be her say..."
"You have my word that I won't take her by force." Chichiri held up his hands solemnly. "My absolute word, no matter what. And also...if that's the way you feel..."
He sighed, shrugging his shoulders.
"It's in Hikari's hands." He said at length. "But if it's what she wants, too - one last night here isn't too much to ask. I'll stick around, in case of trouble...if that's how she feels about it, then I won't refuse."
"Then I suppose the next step is to go to Hikari's school and find an excuse to call her out of class." Miaka sighed. "Let's go."
"Well, it doesn't look like much has changed in the weeks since I was last here."
Myoume reined in her horse, pausing to survey the familiar cluster of houses with a fond, almost nostalgic smile. "Even if this time I'm only passing through Kounan on the way somewhere else, I can't not come through the mountains and the Eastern Village. It's almost been my first home from home since I took up residence in the cave to guard the Shinzahou...my first taste of returned freedom, perhaps. I like this place. It has a good aura."
She pressed her toes gently to the horse's side, and the beast whinnied, trotting obediently down the winding path towards the village borders. As she took in the familiar scenery, she remembered the first time she had arrived here, and a slightly sad expression touched her blue eyes.
"After Jin's death, when I brought Shishi home to the mountain, Chichiri let me stay here." She recalled. "Yet, even though the bandits' first encounter with me was to bring news such as that, they didn't challenge me today for toll on my way into Kounan. Miramu's guilt truly has died with him, and I'm glad. He...and Jin, and Kayu...and maybe even Kikei himself, somehow...they can all rest in peace, atone, if they need to, and maybe start afresh. After all, even that mad priest had reasoning behind his motives. Twisted though it might have been, it still had its roots buried deep in Kutou's ethnic divisions."
"Myoume-neesan!"
A yell caused her to halt her mount a second time, pushing her thoughts to the back of her mind as she cast a grin down at the speaker. Meikyo beamed up at her, a cluster of flowers and leaves in her small hands, and with some amusement Myoume noticed the smear of mud on the edge of the girl's skirt, realising that she had probably had quite a scramble to retrieve her prize.
"Afternoon, Mei-chan." She said warmly, dismounting her steed as she twisted the reins securely between her fingers. "You've been busy - have you been in the forest?"
"Yes." Meikyo agreed. "I went to gather some herbs for Kaa-san...and I found these blossoms, too. Aren't they pretty? I'm going to put them in water as soon as I get back."
"Aidou-san let you go by yourself?" Myoume looked surprised. "That's unusual, isn't it?"
"She needed the herbs." Meikyo shrugged her shoulders. "And Eiju-nii was already busy doing another errand for her, so I had to come. It's all right, Myoume-neesan. I promised her not to speak to any bad people, or strangers, and I haven't."
"You're speaking to me." Myoume pointed out playfully, and Meikyo giggled.
"You're not strange, or bad." She scolded. "Did you come all the way back from Sairou to see us?"
"In a way, maybe I did." Myoume owned. "Do you mind?"
"No." Meikyo shook her head. She sighed, shrugging her shoulders.
"It's nicer when people come to visit." She added. "Everyone's been going away, lately. Tenshi-san's gone back to Kutou, and Aoi-nii's gone with him. Hikari-neechan isn't here now, and you went back to Sairou. And Shishi and Maichu-san are always on the mountain with Uncle Wolf now, so it gets boring."
She eyed her flowers pensively.
"I hope these are still pretty when Papa comes back." She added. "I can get more, of course, but it's not the same."
"Papa?" Myoume frowned, looking confused. "Chichiri's not in the village either?"
"No." Meikyo shook her head, her ruby gaze clouding slightly. "He went somewhere important. Suzaku's business, Kaa-san said...but it's made her cross, because he's been away a week or more now, and we've not heard anything from him. Kaa-san says where he's gone isn't somewhere close by, so I suppose that's why - but even so, I hate him being away."
"I'm sure you do." Myoume pursed her lips. "Suzaku's business, huh? I came through the mountain, and I didn't hear anything about it there. Mind you, I didn't see Tasuki or Shishi, but Kouji was there, and he didn't mention any kind of spur of the moment activity."
She shrugged.
"Oh well." She reflected. "I suppose Suzaku's business isn't mine, so I shouldn't worry about it. Do you mind me walking into the village with you, Mei-chan? The horse can get something cool to drink at the farm, and hopefully I can, too. It's been a long ride, these past few days, and I'd like to see your mother and brother again, too."
"Kaa-san will be happy to see you, too." Meikyo said with certainty. "It's very busy with Papa away."
"Maybe I can help out, then." Myoume suggested. "My mother and father are apothecaries, like yours - I might be able to lend a hand."
"Will you?" Meikyo brightened. "Kaa-san is tired and it makes her cross, when she's tired. I'm trying to help, but I only have little hands, and Eiju-nii is useless when it comes to measuring stuff or picking the right herbs, so Kaa-san can't rely on him to do those things."
She rolled her eyes, and Myoume grinned.
"Well, I suppose he has different talents." She said affectionately. "Aidou-san has you, though, and I'm sure you're more help than you realise."
"Maybe." Meikyo considered this. "I can read some of the labels on Papa's herb pots now, anyway. I couldn't before last summer, but I've been working really hard and now I can. Kaa-san can't always read Papa's scribbles, as she puts it, so I guess in that way I'm helping."
She grinned, the expression lighting up her young face.
"You don't have to be tall or strong to be able to read." She added proudly. "So I can do that and noone has to help me."
"Very true." Myoume agreed. "Well, I'll offer my help to Aidou-san, and then maybe you'll be running around less. If Chichiri's likely to be away a long time..."
She faltered, remembering the original purpose of her journey, and Meikyo fixed her with a serious look.
"Are you very sad, Myoume-neesan?" She asked softly, and Myoume started, staring at the young girl in confusion.
"Very...sad?"
"About your brother who died?" Meikyo tilted her head on one side, eying her elder carefully as she did so. "Even though he was the person who took me away from Kaa-san and Papa, he was still your brother and you still loved him, right? Because sometimes Eiju-nii does stupid things and he makes me mad. But I wouldn't like him to go away or die. It would hurt a lot. So I wondered...if you were sad."
"Oh, I see." Myoume's gaze softened. "Yes, I'm sad. I mean, I miss him. Like you said, I loved him very much. But he was very brave, in the end, Meikyo. He did some horrible things to people - you included - and I'm sorry that he did. But in the end, he tried to make it better by helping us to bring peace to Kutou and save this world. I think, maybe, part of him was sorry too - in the end. And so I hope...Byakko will look after him, now. And help him become stronger before he starts his next life."
"Papa said that Jin-nii was being looked after by Suzaku." Meikyo said thoughtfully. "So I suppose that it's not so bad, then, if you die. So long as one of the Gods is there to look after you."
She dimpled.
"I forgave him, when Papa told me he died." She added. "Your Oniisan, I mean. I told Suzaku that I wouldn't stay mad at him, because he probably had a lot of things to deal with, now he was dead, and I didn't want him to worry about that. I wasn't badly hurt, after all. And I think...he was a very sad man, Myoume-neesan. He seemed...very sad."
"So he was." Myoume agreed, eying the youngster pensively. "Thank you for that, Meikyo. It means a lot to know you feel that way."
"Well, you're Myoume-neesan to me." Meikyo said matter-of-factly. "And so it would hurt you too, if I hated your brother. Even Papa said he didn't hate him...and that now he could find peace. I hope that too."
She eyed Myoume curiously.
"Will you stay in Kounan, then, now?"
"No...I was actually going to go to Kutou." Myoume shook her head, a faint colour touching her cheeks as she remembered her resolve. "To see Ten...Hyoushin and Aoi, among other things. Hyoushin was still quite ill when I left - he hadn't woken up after our final battle, and I wanted to speak to him."
"Tenshi-san will get better though, won't he?" Meikyo looked worried, and Myoume nodded.
"I think so. Slowly." She agreed. "He was very badly hurt here, you know. He was lucky that he didn't die. But now he can rest, and he has good doctors helping him, too. Yes, I think he'll be fine. I just want to see it for myself. Kutou just seems such a long way away."
"You will stay with us a while, though, won't you?" Meikyo begged. "Will you? Until Papa gets back - please? Everyone's going away all the time and I hate it."
"Well, let's see what your mother has to say about it." Myoume said softly. "It might be troublesome for her, to have me here if she's already short-handed."
At that moment they reached the farmhouse, and Meikyo skipped ahead, pushing open the ajar door with her elbow as she hurried inside. Myoume tethered her horse to the branch of one of the overhanging trees, patting him gently on the neck as she did so.
"We'll get you something cool to drink soon, I promise." She said softly. "If Aidou-san can't help, I'll take you to the stream."
"Myoume?" At that moment, the door swung back to reveal the apothecary's wife, her apron dusted with powder and leaf-stains as she cast Myoume a startled look. "Meikyo said she'd met you coming back from the forest - I didn't expect to see you again quite so soon."
"I hope I'm not imposing." Myoume said apologetically. "I'm really passing through on my way to Kutou, but this place has a special feeling for me now. And then I met Meikyo, and ended up here. She said Chichiri was away from home at the moment - and that you were run off your feet. Can I be of any help?"
"Hou Jun." Aidou's expression darkened. "Away from home is an understatement. Gallivanting off on divine Suzaku business on a moment's whim is more like it. But as for your offer, I'd be more than glad if you would. I remember you have a certain amount of herbal knowledge - probably as much as me, which in Hou Jun's absence will have to suffice."
"Then I'll stay and help." Myoume nodded. "At least till Chichiri comes back. Has he really gone so far away as that?"
"You could say so." Aidou pursed her lips, then she sighed.
"I haven't told the children." She added slowly. "And I don't think Shishi knows anything about it, either, so long as my brother's kept his trap shut around her. But Hou Jun...has gone to the Miko's world. To find Hikari...and probably, to bring her back."
"To the..." Myoume's eyes widened, and Aidou nodded.
"I haven't told the kids all the details because they'll want to go there too, and it was only thanks to his magic and that dratted Suzaku mage that Hou Jun managed it." She agreed. "I'm told he should be able to come back - if Shun'u knew what he was talking about, but having it second-hand from an idiot bandit Kashira isn't the same as getting a coherent explanation. I'm going to have serious words when Hou Jun does get back...going off without coming to tell me what he was doing."
"But...to get Hikari?" Myoume frowned. "Why?"
"Something to do with unstable magic." Aidou shrugged. "I don't pretend to understand the Suzaku side of my husband's personality, Myoume. It's hard enough trying to be supportive of it."
She sighed heavily, and Myoume reached out a friendly hand, resting it on the older woman's shoulder.
"You're worried about him, huh?"
"Yes." Aidou looked rueful. "I always am, stupid though it is. I know he has to do these things - I know he doesn't have a choice, and I accepted it when I married him. I wouldn't change him for any other, and most of the time I can deal with Suzaku's involvement in our relationship. But...just sometimes..."
She spread her hands.
"The Miko's world is an unknown place." She admitted. "And the dangers even less clear. Yes, I'm worried about him."
"And if Hikari's magic is unstable...if that means she has to come back...what then?" Myoume looked troubled. "She's only a child herself, really...to be separated from her home like that..."
"Hikari always has a home with us, Myoume." Aidou said simply. "Always. I know that's what Hou Jun is thinking, and I wouldn't go against it. When she first came here, I asked her to help protect my family, and she did that. For that reason alone, she's an honorary part of the Ri clan and I'd never let her feel otherwise. But yes, you're right. It'll be a wrench, if it works out that way."
She shrugged.
"I don't understand it." She repeated. "And probably even when Hou Jun returns, I won't understand it any more than I do now. But if you would stay a while and help me with the running of the farm and everything else, I'd appreciate it. Eiju and Meikyo are still very young, after all, to be able to do all the things that I need to get done."
"With pleasure." Myoume smiled. "If I can find somewhere to water and graze my horse, I'll stay as long as you need me to. You were kind to me, after all, and I can't repay that by ignoring your need. I can get to Kutou a little later...its not like I had a set time or date."
Aidou eyed her shrewdly.
"You were going to see the Meihi, weren't you?" She asked softly, and Myoume flushed, nodding her head.
"Is it so obvious?" She asked plaintively, and Aidou smiled, a knowing twinkle in her tired bronze eyes. She shook her head.
"Probably not to everyone." She responded. "But I did wonder. You seemed very attached to him - I wondered if that was how it would end."
"Well, it might not end that way, yet. I haven't been able to speak to him." Myoume said frankly. "And right now, I said I'll help you, so it can wait a little longer. In truth, I haven't totally decided what to say, so it might help to have a break here with you for a few days."
"With Hou Jun and his wandering, it might be weeks." Aidou said acerbically, and Myoume laughed.
"Men are strange beasts, no matter what race they're from." She reflected, and despite herself, Aidou grinned.
"So they are." She agreed. "That's why they need us to keep them in check. Remember that when you go east, Myoume. In the time you're here, I'll make sure you know everything you need to know about dealing with the opposite sex on a long term basis. Marriage is a survival skill all on its own - and since you're here, I might as well find time to teach you."
She led the way inside.
"Eiju can deal with the animal, since he's managed to do that with a couple of clients of late." She added, pushing open the door of the back room. "Eiju-kun, will you run outside and take care of Myoume's horse? He's tied up outside, and he's hot and bothered."
"Myoume-neesan?" Eiju's head jerked up from where he had been sorting firewood, and he nodded his head. "For sure. Just leave it to me, Okaasan - I'll take as good care of him as I did that rich guy's horse the other day!"
With which odd announcement he was gone, leaving Myoume to stare at her hostess in confusion.
"Rich...guy?"
"It all happens when Hou Jun's away." Aidou nodded, reaching across to pat a formal looking missive that sat on one of the high counters. "A man came from the East just three days ago, dressed in the imperial attire of a Kutou messenger. He had a letter for Hou Jun, which apparently carries the seal of Kintsusei of the East...I have no idea what's in it, but since Hou Jun isn't here, I told him he'd just have to leave it with me. He didn't want to, to begin with, but I convinced him waiting around was a futile aim where my husband was concerned."
Myoume sent her a rueful smile.
"I suppose that was wise, considering he's not back yet." She acknowledged. "And that definitely is the Eastern Emperor's seal. You don't know what it's relating to?"
"No." Aidou shook her head. "It's sealed and addressed to my husband, so I wouldn't have opened it. Even if I did, I expect my reading skills wouldn't be up to it anyway. Court types have a habit of writing in all that eloquent kanji my husband thinks the children need to learn, and I don't have any time for it."
"I wonder what Kintsusei-sama's intention is." Myoume looked thoughtful. "He's not a bad man, Aidou-san, and I'm sure if he did send a message to Chichiri, it wasn't something bad. I think he really does want peace with Kounan now that all the danger is past."
"Then no doubt that's what it means, and he wants my husband to take off to Kutou the moment he gets home." Aidou sighed resignedly. "As you said, men are almost another species completely when it comes to their feeble grasp of logic."
Myoume grinned.
"Still, if that is what it is, and if Kutou want Chichiri's help in some way, then it means Hikari really did bring peace to the East and that your family - and everyone's family - really is safe." She said softly. "Meikyo and Eiju can grow up in this world, and that's a good thing. The darkness I saw for so many years no longer plagues my thoughts either. Hikari really did illuminate it - her name is a more apt choice than Miaka-sama could ever have imagined."
Aidou was silent for a moment, as if considering this. Then, slowly, she nodded her head.
"We can never repay that girl. Any of us." She said softly. "And for that reason, Myoume, I will do whatever is asked of me if she is brought back here. I swear it. Thanks to Hikari, my children have a future. And if that's so, I'll do everything in my power to ensure she has one, too. No matter what the cost to myself."
Myoume's gaze softened.
"I knew that without you saying it." She admitted. "At least, if Hikari does have to come back, she has good people to take care of her."
"Well, right now, thanks to Hou Jun's travelling, we're also busy people." Aidou said frankly, but a faint glitter of pleasure surfaced in her bronze eyes. "So lets stop talking and start working. I have three or four preparations to see to before nightfall, as well as dinner and the last of the laundry. If I can trust Hou Jun's instructions and the medication to you, I can begin on other things."
"No problem." Myoume agreed. "Just tell me where to start - I'll do it with pleasure!"
"You know, you've always been pretty shit at sport, but today I think you could've won awards for it."
As they made their way along the covered walkway from the gymnasium, Arina cast her companion a wry grin, reaching up to pull the band from her thick dark hair. "I swear, Hikari, even fighting demons and whatever in this other world doesn't seem to have improved your fitness...I would'a thought that, given all the walking you said you did, you'd be top of the class today."
"I don't think that will ever happen." Hikari sighed, sinking down onto one of the benches as she cast a glance out at the clouded, rain-soaked sky. "I don't know. It feels really surreal to be here and to think that it's only been a few days. It feels like I've been away months, and I'm not kidding. Time really does pass quicker over there...it's the weirdest feeling."
"Well, if you ask me, I know what's on your mind." Arina eyed her playfully. "This bishounen of yours - Aoi. That was his name, wasn't it? On Saturday night you said his name in your sleep at least twice - you're still badly crushing on him, aren't you?"
"It's not a crush." Hikari reddened, twisting her fingers together. "I told you that. And why were you listening to me talking in my sleep anyway? Why weren't you sleeping? It was gone two before either of us stopped talking about things."
"I know." Arina owned. "Truth is, all that talking made me thoughtful, I guess. About a lot of things. I had too much on my mind, and that's why."
"Being the Miko really does impact on everyone, somehow, doesn't it?" Hikari looked pensive. "I'm really glad that you know about this, Arina. I feel so disjointed, being back here like this - at least there's someone I can talk to."
"Well, if I told anyone they'd say I was nuts - or attention whoring." Arina reflected. "But it's cool. I guess it's what I'm here for, after all."
She reached across to grab her friend by the hands, yanking her to her feet, but as she did so, Hikari felt a prickle of something dart between her touch and her friend's. Arina let out an exclamation, pulling her fingers back.
"Hey! Does being Seiryuu no Miko include being installed with your own power pack? That hurt, Hi-chan - give your electricity to someone else, huh?"
"Electricity?" Hikari's brows knitted together and she glanced at her fingers in surprise. "That's weird. I've never done that before. I'm sorry...I didn't mean to."
"I guess it's all right." Arina sighed, shaking her head resignedly. "Look, we should get changed. Else what's going to happen to your new resolve to actually pass a few classes before the exams, huh? It's only one day in and you're already dawdling around here."
"I know. I guess habits are hard to break." Hikari stifled a yawn. "All right. I'm coming. I just find it hard to get excited about maths."
"Pity you couldn't bring your boyfriend back with you, then." Arina reflected. "Maybe he could've tutored you. You said he was a smartass, right?"
"That's so not a nice way to put it." Hikari put her hands on her hips, glaring at her friend indignantly. Then she relented, laughing. "But you're right. Except that I'd not be concentrating on a thing he was saying, so it'd still have been useless."
"But at least the view would've been nice." Arina winked at her. "Every cloud has a silver lining - isn't that what people say?"
"Suppose." Hikari agreed, following her friend inside the main school building as they made their way to the changing rooms. "I miss him a lot, Ari. I don't like being separated from him like this. I keep wondering what's happening in Kutou now...or how much time has passed since I left. It could even have been months - what if he's forgotten about me already? I couldn't stand it if he did."
"This guy who gave you his mother's ring, took you to her grave and told you he wanted to marry you?" Arina's eyebrow twitched up. "You think so? He sounds more of the clingy, stalker type to me...I mean, taking you to meet his dead Ma is a bit of overkill. He's probably tattooing your name on his arm with whatever sharp things they have in this ShijinTenchishou as we speak."
"I hope not." Hikari shivered. "That would be gross. Besides, Aoi's never really liked blood...though come to think of it, that's not so true any more. But even so, I don't think he'd mutilate himself on my behalf. He's not some creepy obsessive. He's just...Aoi."
"Sukunami-san, Kobayashi-san, I wondered if we'd lost you."
As they entered the changing rooms, a tall girl cast them a disparaging look, and Arina grimaced.
"Look at the good Class President, checking up on us like we're naughty elementary school brats." She muttered.
"Kobayashi-san thinks she's something special, even though she can't catch a volleyball." The tall girl's companion observed snidely. "Maybe if the boys class had been watching us play, things would have been different. I'm sure she would have performed for them."
"Damn right." Arina offered them a bitter smile. "But they weren't, so what's the point? Sweat smudges mascara. One day, when you're brave enough to use it, you'll know that."
She cast Hikari a glance, then, "Come on, Hi-chan. We don't have time to waste exchanging words with these suck-ups."
"Wait a moment." The tall girl held up her hands. "You can go, Kobayashi-san. I want to speak to Sukunami-san a moment...it won't take long."
"Irigawa-san?" Hikari cast her a startled glance. "With me? About what, exactly?"
"Your absences, of course." The girl gave her a faint, slightly dismissive smile. "Considering your low grades, you're going to bring down the class's average when it comes to tests at this rate. Do you think you can afford to take time off, when there are important things such as High School exams on the horizon? Not that it matters to us whether or not you get into High School, but I'd like to think that, considering my position as President, all of the class I'm leading are going to do their best when it comes to final sitting."
"My..." Hikari's eyes widened, as she felt the anger and indignation well up inside of her. "Do you think I chose to be off? I wasn't playing truant...I couldn't come to school!"
"She was ill, wasn't she?" Arina added. "Do you come to school when you're ill, President-sama?"
Her tone was rich with sarcasm, and Irigawa eyed her with dislike.
"Of course." She said stiffly. "I come to school every day."
"Of course." Arina rolled her eyes.
Irigawa turned her gaze back towards Hikari.
"Well?" She pressed. "Don't you think it's about time you stopped fooling around and started focusing on the important things? You can't play school-kid forever. In a few months, your entire future could be decided. Doesn't that bother you even a little bit?"
"My entire future?" Hikari echoed, anger sparking in her hazel eyes, and from somewhere inside her, she felt the flare of crimson magic begin to knot itself around her heart as a phoenix's wings beat in her ears. "My important things? Why the hell is any of that any of your business? You don't have a clue what important things are! You don't have a clue about anything except classwork and exams and that's fine but it's not the only thing that matters in this life. People matter too, you know. Their feelings -their dreams - the things they want to fight for. They can't all be got to by taking exams...don't you realise that?"
"Sukunami-san?" Irigawa stared at her, and Hikari's eyes narrowed as she clenched her fists.
"I don't care what you think of my grades." She added coldly. "They're my problem, not yours. So butt out of it, all right?"
"Woah. Cool it, Hi-chan." Arina warned. "There's no use losing your temper with these idiots. You'll just make the both of us later."
Hikari opened her eyes to retort, but as she did so, she saw the faintest prickle of red light dance around the tips of her fingers and she faltered, her eyes widening in disbelief. As she registered Suzaku's indignant surge within her, she drew breath sharply, clutching a hand to her chest as she fought to keep the rising, intoxicating wave of power at bay.
"Hikari?" Arina sounded concerned, but Hikari could not focus on her. All she knew was that she had to get away from here, and fast, before she caused someone harm. She pushed past the unprepared Irigawa, bolting from the room and along the hallway as she heard Arina yell her name once more. She did not stop, however, fear coursing her veins as she fought valiantly against the energy that danced inside of her. As she ran, giddy waves washed over her body, and she stumbled, reaching out to grasp hold of the wall as the pounding sensation in her head began to blur into one incessant sound.
"Hi-chan?" Arina's voice was close now, and she felt a hand on her arm, but she shook it off, knowing that if she didn't get away, she might cause her friend harm. She darted forward, pushing open the door of the girl's toilets as the dizziness got the better of her, and as the world swam around her she gripped hold of the sink, certain that if it continued she would either explode or be sick.
At her touch, the basin of the sink trembled and then, with a resounding splitting sound it began to crack right across, causing her to release it hurriedly, backing against the door of a cubicle as she stared at her fingers in horror.
"What am I doing?" She whispered. "Shit...what have I become?"
She glanced up, seeing her reflection in the mirror for the first time, and her eyes widened as she realised that, far from growing stronger, it had become yet more blurry and translucent. Slowly she reached up to touch her face, unnerved by what she saw.
"What am I?" She murmured, sinking to the floor as the strength in her legs gave out. As Suzaku's power waned inside of her, she felt tears spill down her cheeks, and she buried her head in her arms, huddling up against the wall as her fear took hold of her tired, muddled body.
"Shit, Hi-chan, I thought you were supposed to be tired."
Arina's voice jerked her back to reality, and her head shot up, her gaze meeting her friend's as the other girl came towards her, stopping dead as she registered the broken sink.
"Dammit, Hikari, what did you do?"
"I didn't...I didn't...mean to." Hikari whispered. "It was...Suzaku."
"Suzaku?" Arina's eyes became wide with disbelief. "Didn't you leave that guy behind when you left Kounan?"
"I...thought that it was...over." Hikari's voice shook. "But I'm still Suzaku no Shinzahou. Raising Seiryuu didn't stop me being that. Seiryuu pulled out of my body - he took his power away. But Suzaku...didn't. He hasn't...I'm still...and it's inside of me. I felt it...bubbling up like I was going to explode. It was burning through my heart and I knew if I stayed...I might have...hurt someone."
Arina looked at the sink again, then sighed, dropping down at her friend's side.
"Judging by the state of that thing, I'd say you weren't wrong." She said softly. "But we can't stay here. If someone sees that, they'll think you did it."
"Idid do it!"
"Yes, but not on purpose." Arina said impatiently. "Do you think that the Principal is going to sit back and accept the fact that it was a God from another world who broke the sink? I don't think so! Think rationally for a moment, will you? Can you stand up?"
"I...I think so." Hikari nodded slowly. "It's died down now...it's quieted. But for a moment, I didn't know what I might do. Suzaku's so powerful...and in this world, there's nobody who understands what that means. Not even me."
"You're just as much trouble now as you were before, in fact." Arina said resignedly, pulling her friend to her feet and slipping an arm around her shoulders. "Come on. Let's just skip off class this afternoon, huh? I'll take you to the medical room. After all, you were off sick last week -they won't think it's odd, and I can stay with you, so I can miss maths class too."
"What if it comes back? I don't want to hurt you or anyone else."
"I'll take my chances." Arina shrugged. "I'm determined to be a proper friend to you this time out, so don't argue with me, all right? Besides, you look so washed out you couldn't fight your own shadow at the..."
She faltered, glancing at the ground, then back up at her friend, and Hikari shot her a confused look.
"Ari?"
"Your shadow." Arina murmured. "To hell with not fighting it - did Suzaku scare it off?"
"My...?" Hikari turned to glance at the ground, fear touching her heart once more as she registered Arina's words. "But...why don't I have one?"
"If you don't know, why do you think I would?" Arina demanded. "You're the one who's done all the strange shit of late - I'm just a hanger-on."
"It's like my reflection." Hikari whispered, and Arina stared at her.
"Reflection?" She repeated. "You mean, it's still...not right?"
"It's worse." Hikari admitted. "But I...I don't understand. I don't know..."
"Then it's time you talked to Miaka-san, isn't it?" Arina looked apprehensive. "I mean, it's serious shit, Hikari...we can't let it go any more."
Before Hikari could reply, the school intercom system crackled into life, and the voice of the secretary blared through the chamber.
"This is a message for Sukunami Hikari of class 3-A. Sukunami Hikari, Class 3-A. Please come to the front office immediately for a message from your parents. I repeat, this is a message for Sukunami Hikari of class 3-A - please come to the front office immediately for a message from your parents. Thank you."
"I don't suppose that's a coincidence, huh?" Arina gazed up at the speaker pensively, and Hikari sighed, shrugging her shoulders.
"Who knows?" She murmured. "But...right now...I'm glad. Come with me, Ari, please. In case I faint or fall down, because I might."
"No problem. I was going to anyway." Arina assured her. "I'm a part of all of this now - right?"
"I suppose so." Hikari agreed, smiling faintly. "Sorry for getting you messed up in it."
"Believe me, it's fine." Arina grinned back. "I want to be involved. It's not like anything that exciting is happening in my life right now, in any case. I'm more than happy to steal a little bit of it from yours."
"I wish it wasn't happening to me." Hikari admitted, as they made their way slowly towards the front office. "I don't regret going - I love Aoi and miss Shishi and everyone there. But I don't know why...it's still inside of me. It doesn't feel right, and it scares me. I don't want to break sinks or have to run from Class Presidents because I don't know what might happen if I don't. And I don't understand what's happening to me...why my shadow is gone and my reflection is fading away."
"You're not the only one." Arina admitted. "Which is the other reason I'm coming with you."
Hikari sent her friend another feeble smile, comforted by the uncharacteristic resolution in Arina's dark eyes.
"It's nice, being able to talk to you about stuff." She murmured. "We should have done it a long time ago...shouldn't we?"
"No kidding." Arina admitted. "But better late than never, ain't that what they say?"
She gave her friend's arm a little tug. "Hey, it's not just a message, Hi-chan. Looks like Sukunami-san and Miaka-san are here in person to speak to you. And...who's that weird looking guy with them? I haven't seen him before - is he a friend of your family or something?"
Hikari glanced up, letting out an exclamation as she registered the person Arina was indicating.
"Chi...chiri?" She whispered, and as if his sharp ears had caught her words, the sorcerer turned, meeting her gaze with a solemn ruby one of his own. Slowly he held his hands out to her, and Hikari stumbled forward in disbelief, allowing him to take her fingers in hers. As they made contact, she felt something soothing and gentle wash over her, and she stared at him in surprise, realising that he had read her uncertain emotions perfectly, and was using his own magic to soothe them.
"Suzaku's been mistreating you already, I see." He murmured, and Hikari was almost sure she heard a note of apology in his tones. "Am I too late?"
"Too late?" Hikari repeated. "I don't...what are you...what are you doing here? I didn't think you could come here."
"Hisei helped me, because it was important I did." Chichiri said gravely. "We need to speak to you, Hikari. It's urgent that we do."
His gaze flitted to the confused Arina, and Hikari reached out to touch her friend's arm.
"This is Arina." She said simply. "Kobayashi Arina. My friend from this world. Ari, this is Ri Hou Jun - Chichiri. He's a person from...from the other world. From Kounan."
"Kounan, huh?" Arina's eyes narrowed as she scrutinised the stranger carefully. Then she bowed her head. "Pleased to meet you, Chichiri-san."
"Likewise, though I'd have preferred better circumstances." Chichiri offered another sombre smile. "As it is..."
He paused, glancing at Miaka, and Hikari saw her mother nod sadly.
"We're taking you home, Hikari." She said softly. "Because we need to talk and in some depth. It's all right - I've cleared it with the school. They think there's a family emergency, and I suppose, in some ways, there is. So you can come with us - now."
"Right now?" Hikari looked startled, and Taka nodded.
"Right now." He agreed. "Arina, I'm sorry to have caused you any trouble - you should hurry back to your class before you're late."
"I'm not going to class." Arina said firmly. "If something's going on with Hikari involving the other world, I'm involved too. She said I was a part of it too, now, since I know all about it. Besides, I don't think she's very well, Sukunami-san. She was worried she might pass out, and some weird things happened..."
"Weird things?" Chichiri eyed Hikari sharply, and Hikari lowered her gaze.
"I'm sort of scared, and sort of confused." She admitted. "And...I'd like Ari to come with me, too - if it's all right. She looked after me - and...I don't want to leave her out of things any more."
"Then the car's waiting outside." Taka said briefly, ignoring his wife's startled expression. "If that's how it is, lets go now."
Arina slipped her hand into Hikari's, squeezing it tightly.
"Noone will care at home if I get an unauthorised absence or two." She said evenly. "So don't worry about me being in trouble. It won't matter at all, and Hikari is more important."
"You two have been friends some time, I think?" Chichiri asked, as they stepped out into the clearing atmosphere, and Hikari nodded.
"Since we began middle school." She agreed softly. "Why? Chichiri, what's going on? I don't understand why I feel so strange - is that why you're here?"
Chichiri was silent for a moment, and Hikari registered the same far-away, troubled look as he had worn the morning they had talked about his family. She bit her lip.
"It has something to do with Suzaku's magic, doesn't it?" She murmured, and slowly Chichiri nodded his head.
"Yes." He agreed. "It does."
"And something to do with Hi-chan not having a shadow any more?" Arina piped in, causing the sorcerer to start, turning to stare at her in surprise. "Sorry..I guess I'm butting in. But you don't have one either - even though the sun's coming out, I noticed you don't cast a shadow on the ground and inside, Hikari wasn't, either. So..."
"Hikari?" Miaka's eyes became alarmed, and Hikari swallowed hard.
"Arina's right." She said sadly. "And my reflection...is fading, too. I don't know why. It was odd since I got back, but I didn't want to worry you. I thought it would settle, but..."
"Tell us what happened inside the school, Hikari." Taka said softly, and Hikari glanced at the ground.
"I broke the sink." She admitted. "I didn't mean to, but it was better that than...than breaking someone. Suzaku was inside of me - he was awake and I think if I hadn't run away, I might have...his power might have...hurt somebody."
Chichiri's expression became even graver, and an unspoken message passed between him and his two old allies. Then, at length, he sighed.
"Hisei was right, then. There is nothing to be done but this." He murmured.
"This being...?" Arina demanded, and Chichiri eyed her with a faint smile.
"You're a better friend than maybe you realise, Arina-chan." He reflected. "And that makes me all the more sorry for coming here and upsetting things like this. But the situation is...Hikari...is no longer a person of this world. And because of that...I...came to take her back with me to Kounan."
"No longer a person of this world?" Hikari's heart froze inside her chest. "But...how? Why?"
"Because Seiryuu left you, you're no longer his Miko." Chichiri said sadly. "It's the Miko that belongs in this world - but you're also Suzaku's treasure. Without Seiryuu's call, you no longer have a place here. You are simply the treasure Suzaku no Miko blessed...and that belongs in Kounan. You were born a child of both worlds, not just of this one. Now you duty as Seiryuu no Miko is over, your body is changing to reflect that fact...I'm sorry."
"No way..." Arina murmured, her expression stricken. "You mean...you're going to take Hi-chan away? From her family? From me?Forever?"
"I'm afraid so." Chichiri agreed softly.
He cast Hikari a sad glance.
"I won't take you against your will, so in the end, you have to agree to come." He added. "I promised your parents that, and as a father, I couldn't kidnap a child and hold her somewhere she didn't want to go. But if you've already experienced it - maybe you'll understand why I had to come here like this. Your magic is unsealed, now. To raise Seiryuu, you unsealed it. You made that choice, to ask Suzaku for help - didn't you?"
"Yes." Hikari agreed numbly. "But..."
"You should have gone back to this world after the summoning, but you didn't." Chichiri added. "I was slow, that's all, in realising why we had to send you back. For that, I also apologise. The truth is, you shouldn't have left. Especially not with your magic flying freely like this. This world makes it difficult to control what power you or I might have. It's the reason your father lost his Seishi self to come here and be with your mother. And although I've tried to find an alternative solution, it all comes back to the same thing. This world is rejecting you - your shadow and your reflection just prove it. You're not part of this world, no matter how much you want to be. You can stay here, but even if you didn't harm anyone, it'll get to a point where you can no longer live alongside other people. So...in the end..."
He faltered, and Hikari could see the genuine pain in his ruby gaze.
"I feel guilty that you got involved in this to help save my family, and now I'm taking you away from yours." He murmured. "I'm truly sorry, Hikari-chan. All I can do is tell you that if you do come back to Kounan, you always have a place with Aidou and I. No matter what."
"You're not going to go, are you?" Arina looked alarmed. "Hi-chan...surely this magic of yours can be turned off somehow? I mean, you never had it before..."
"No." Hikari swallowed hard, turning to face her friend with tearful eyes. "No, Chichiri is...right. I've tried not to feel it, but I am different since I came back. When I first came, after Jin died, I felt an alien in this world, but I thought that was because of the situation. And I couldn't bear it if someone got hurt."
She swallowed again, as the tears began to trickle once more down her cheeks.
"I have to go back." She whispered. "So that that doesn't happen. I made the choice to stay in that world and to save Kutou. If this is the result, I...I have to do as Chichiri says. I have to go back."
"Chichiri said he'd give you tonight to prepare yourself." Taka said softly, and Hikari could hear the pain in his voice. "Us too, for that matter. He's going to stay and with any luck, he'll be able to help you if your magic flares up again. Either way, we're willing to take the risk, even if you did break a sink."
Hikari took a deep breath, then, slowly, she nodded her head.
"In that case, I want Arina to stay, too." She said softly. "If she can...if it's my last...last chance to spend time here with you all."
"There might be a chance, when your magic is better controlled, that you can come and visit." Chichiri said gently. "And I promise to work with you as hard as I can to help you achieve that. There are a lot of people in the ShijinTenchishou who love you, after all...a lot of people who will help you adjust."
"Chichiri..."
Taka paused, eying his old battle partner, then he sighed, shaking his head.
"I know you'll do everything you can to help her." He said heavily. "And that I needn't ask for it. You and Tasuki both. But I want to ask it anyway. Hikari is something very precious to Miaka and I. If it wasn't that this is obviously going to hurt her, we wouldn't let her go. But both of us...both of us want her to be happy and healthy, whatever that ends up changing. I came from that world originally, and I have enough of Tamahome's memory to remember what it was like, the first time I came here and tried to fit in. But Tamahome...that Tamahome...lost his family to Suboshi's Ryuuseisui. If he hadn't..."
He faltered, and Miaka grasped Chichiri by the hands.
"Taka's saying that even though we know you will, we want you to watch over Hikari for us." She said unevenly. "Not as Suzaku no Shinzahou, but as the daughter of people who still consider you a close, dear friend. Even if we can't often meet, Chichiri - you understand, don't you?"
"I understand." Chichiri nodded his head. "And you have my word. As Chichiri of Suzaku, it's my duty to protect her as the Shinzahou she is. But as Ri Hou Jun, I'll look after her as though she was a true member of my family. My children already consider her "oneesan". I promise that I will do my best - and Tasuki too - to ensure she's safe and happy in the other world. So long as we have life in us, Miaka, you have my solemn word."
"Then we should head back to the apartment." Taka said quietly. "And talk out exactly what's going to happen...tomorrow."