Author Notes: Oh my god. It feels like forever since I've updated my stories. But I think it's only been about a month... Anyway, yes, it's another update! About time! I've been so busy with school. Math and personal planning teachers assign things like crazy. Plus, I've been distracted with my new PS2, which is kinda late since the PS3 is coming out soon, and my friend let me borrow his Kingdom Hearts 1 and 2, so I had fun playing those. I've also been getting into romance novels lately. They're good stories, plus, it gives me a chance to expand on my vocab when it comes to the grammar of intimacy. Sad to say, I'm not sure I learned anything. Along with novels, there's been a lot of mangas lately, so as you can all tell, I've been busy. On to the story!
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"Rekka Shien!"

Flames burst forth from Tasuki's diamond fan, and wrapped themselves around the crystal ball. They dispersed shortly and the jewel of memory was left, unharmed. The jewel floated over to Taka and landed in his hand.

Taka looked down at the stone as it dissolved and bestowed upon him his memories of Nuriko. He closed his eyes as they came rushing back to him.

"Nuriko, I remember what you said about the tough times making us stronger, and how some day, we'll be able to laugh about them." he said and opened his eyes to look at Nuriko. "It's true, isn't it, Nuriko?"

Nuriko, Hotohori, and Chiriko quickly gathered around him, all with slightly agitated expressions. Taka shrank back in fear. Nuriko put his hands on his hips and forced a smile at him, even though he clearly looked like he wanted to break Taka's neck.

"Yeah, that's right." he said, "If ya live through it..."

"Why must you point out that you're still alive and we're not?" Hotohori said.

"Do you want to join our little club, Tamahome?" Chiriko asked.

"Uh... no! That's not what I meant!" Taka said, trying to defend himself.

Kaiya, Miaka, Chichiri, Rokou, and Tasuki all stood beside one another, watching the argument.

"It looks like we're doing really well with those stones." Kaiya commented, smiling.

"Only three more to go, no da." Chichiri said.

"Hey, can we call it quits fer' ta'day?" Tasuki whined, feeling tired.

Everyone turned their attention to the red headed warrior.

"Of course." Rokou said, "Please feel free to stay here, all of you. I'll have rooms readied at once."

"Yay! Sleepover! Sleepover!" Nuriko cheered upon hearing the news, raising and waving his arms in excitement.

"Hey, this is your house!" Miaka laughed.

"I don't like it!" Tasuki exclaimed as the rooming arrangements were made. He glared at Miaka and Taka. "Why do you guys always get ta' have your own room?"

Nuriko towered over the irritating ex-bandit, hands on his hips.

"You're hurt, remember?" he shouted, "Keep the volume down!"

"Miaka and Tamahome are an exception!" Chiriko said.

Kaiya giggled at Tasuki's scowl.

"Come along, Tasuki. I'll tell you all about my remarkable son, Boushin." Hotohori offered.

"No thanks!" Tasuki said, leaning away from the royal narcissist.

"You're really obnoxious, no da!" Chichiri teased, "I wish another poisonous snake would bite 'cha, no da!"

Tasuki's scowl deepened, causing Kaiya to laugh harder.

"Very funny." Tasuki said.

Miaka and Taka went to their given room, while Nuriko stayed in Rokou's, and everyone else went to their shared, but accommodating, room.

It was late at night when Kaiya began to stir in her makeshift bed. She seemed to be the only one still awake. She sighed and turned to lie on her back, staring at the ceiling.

Everything had been happening so fast. She was still catching up to the day's excitement. How the others could sleep, she didn't know. But she guessed they must've been used to it, since they already helped Miaka summon Suzaku and all. She could still remember hearing about their adventures from Miaka.

Kaiya's thoughts came upon Miaka and Tamahome and their relationship. Unconsciously, she smiled at the thought. She was happy for them, of course, and happy that she could help them stay together. But... she was just a tad jealous as well, and her smile faded.

She shook her head to rid herself of the displeasing emotion. She then began to think about the Suzaku warriors. Each of them were interesting in their own way. Hotohori with his narcissism, Nuriko with his optimistic/sarcastic attitude, Chiriko with his intelligence, Tasuki with his aggressiveness, and Chichiri...

Kaiya turned her head to stare at the blue haired monk who was lying on his side and facing her. She didn't know if he was asleep or not since his eyes were always closed... or... seemed to be closed.

Chichiri was the most interesting of them all. His eyes always seemed to be smiling, despite the times when he was serious. He was odd, but in a good way, and he was- is... attractive.

In a split second, Kaiya's hand reached up and lightly slapped herself.

'What on earth am I thinking...' she scolded herself. She turned back onto her back and sighed. 'Darn... I just can't sleep...'

Kaiya sat up and quietly tip-toed out of the room, closing the door behind her quietly.

Chichiri sat up in his makeshift bed, staring at the doors to the room that Kaiya had just left through. He hadn't taken off his mask, nor slept.

In all honesty, what kept him up was her, and she was also the reason he kept his mask on. He had sensed her restlessness as well as her energy going from a high, like a happy feeling, to a low, like a feeling of... well... not happy, but not exactly sad either... and back again. It troubled him to sense it and not being able to say anything, seeing as she thought he was asleep. But... why exactly did it bother him so much?

It made him blush though, when she turned and gazed at him. Come to think of it, he had been feeling odd ever since he met her. He found himself thinking of her when she wasn't around. He could imagine her in his head (clothed, mind you): her long wavy hair, beautiful brown eyes, and her soft pink lips...

Chichiri reached a hand up and slapped himself. He felt a deep blush creep up his face. He pushed the thoughts away and sat up. Gently gripping the bottom edge of his mask with his thumb and forefinger, he tugged downwards. The mask came off with a gentle plop! He rested the mask in his hands and stared at it.

A large scar covered his right eye, from the top of the eye, to the tip of his nose. Because of the scar, his eye was sealed shut, making it so that only his left eye was able to see. But the scar wasn't all that bad. After all, it prevented him from forgetting what happened all those years ago and the reason he had become a monk.

'I can't let myself fall in love again...' he thought, 'Besides, who would fall in love with a... killer?'

His eye widened and his head jerked up when he sensed an unfamiliar energy coming from... outside. He immediately became worried about Kaiya.

Chichiri quickly placed his mask back on, grabbed his staff, and ran out of the room. He ran left of the room, along the outer walkway, using his powers to search for Kaiya.

Eventually he sensed her on the roof, and teleported there.

"Aaaah!"

He looked down quickly to see Kaiya sitting on the roof with her legs bend to her sides, and slowly falling backwards. Turns out he teleported right in front of her, as in face to leg.

Kaiya stared wide-eyed in front of her as she was falling and waved her arms about frantically. She closed her eyes in mid-fall, waiting to begin rolling. But she found that she had stopped, and that there was a grip around her left wrist.

Kaiya cracked an eye open. She found it was Chichiri holding her wrist. He pulled her up until she was sitting again, then sat down beside her.

Kaiya sat on her knees, her body facing Chichiri's side. She sighed and hung her head down.

"I'll never get used to that." she said.

Chichiri smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head.

"Heh heh... Sorry, no da. That was my fault." he said, then turned his head to face her. "What're you doing out her so late, no da?"

Kaiya looked up at him, a small, unnoticeable blush creeping up on her at the remembrance of her thoughts not long ago.

"I-I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd come outside for a while 'til I felt tired." she answered, "What about you, Chichiri? I'm sorry if I woke you on my way out."

Chichiri stilled for a moment, unable to detect the energy he felt before. He shook his head at Kaiya and smiled.

"Actually, I couldn't sleep either, no da." he answered, absolutely positive that he wasn't going to tell her that thinking of her kept him up.

"I sensed a strange energy somewhere outside, and I got worried, so I came out to check on you, no da." he said.

Kaiya tensed. Her pain spasm had finished just before Chichiri arrived and her time went down by one day, leaving only four weeks and six days left. Instinctively, she knew it was the curse activating that he must have sensed.

Chichiri noticed her uneasy expression.

"But it's gone now, no da. So there's nothing to worry about, no da." he said reassuringly.

Kaiya relaxed and smiled.

"That's a relief." she said.

Chichiri nodded.

"By the way, how'd you get up here, no da?" he asked.

"Climbed!" She answered cheerfully.

Chichiri sweat dropped.

Kaiya's expression became a little crestfallen and she stared at her feet.

"Hey, Chichiri, can I ask you... um.. a q-question?" she said.

"A question? Go ahead, no da." he said.

Kaiya put her forefingers together and began to press them together playfully.

"Um... Do you think... I'm useless?" she asked.

Chichiri was taken aback by the question. He studied the young girl's face carefully.

"Of course not, no da! Why do you ask such a question, no da?" he asked.

Kaiya's stare at her feet became more intense.

"W-well, I know I just haven't helped any of you a whole bunch... And I can't really do anything..." she started. "I just feel like... I'm no use to anybody..."

Chichiri frowned.

"Everybody contributes in their own way, no da. Don't worry about anything." he said and smiled. "Besides, you've already helped us a lot, even if you don't think so, or realize it, no da."

"Thanks, Chichiri." she said, then turned her head to him. "Do you ever feel like that? Like you're... no good to anybody?"

Chichiri tilted his head up in thought, then lowered it when he remembered a certain circumstance.

"Yes, no da. It was years ago... but it still lingers around in my head..." he said softly.

Kaiya gave him a sympathetic look. She reached a hand over and was about to touch his shoulder when an earthquake suddenly shook the building. She braced herself on the roof.

Chichiri wrapped his arms around Kaiya to prevent her from falling. At the same time he was protecting her, he sensed a presence, a very familiar and evil presence.

Finally, the earthquake stopped. Chichiri released his hold on Kaiya slightly and turned his head towards where he sensed the presence with a scowl on his face.

Kaiya opened her eyes and looked up at him.

"Chichiri? What's wrong?" she asked worriedly.

Chichiri continued to look ahead, as if angry at something.

"We've got to go back to the others." was all he said. He teleported Kaiya and himself back their accommodated sleeping room, where everyone was already up.

"Chichiri, what was that?" Hotohori asked, a worried expression on his face.

"It's him, no da!" Chichiri said seriously.

Kaiya blinked, confused.

Nuriko and Rokou stepped outside their room and peeked out from behind the door, having sensed and felt the same thing.

"What's going on?" Nuriko asked.

"What was that just now?" Rokou asked.

Chichiri stepped in front of them.

"It came from Miaka and Tamahome's room!" he said.

Nuriko and Rokou exchanged serious looks, then turned to Chichiri and nodded.

"We better go now." Nuriko said.

"What's going on? Are Miaka and Taka in trouble?" Kaiya asked as they rushed to the couple's room.

Chichiri continued to look forward.

"Yes... Big trouble..." he said.

Kaiya looked at him with eyes filled with fear and worry for her dear friends. She turned her head forward and continued to run.

Having arrived at the designated room, Chichiri immediately opened the doors, his staff ready in his hand.

"What is this?" Nuriko exclaimed, "What's happened to this room?"

"It's the demon world!" Chichiri answered.

"Is this his doing?" Hotohori demanded.

"Taka and Miaka...!" Kaiya whispered.

Everybody ran forward, but stopped when they saw Taka pinned in the air with his arms spread and shirt open. One by one, the stones that they had worked so hard to obtain were pulled out and away from his body.

Kaiya turned her head, following the stones' paths, to see a strange man. His hair was long and white, reaching the ground and framing his black cloaked body. His eyes were a golden yellow, but his pupils were the shapes of a snake's (pupil-wise). His face was nearly as white as his hair and around his forehead was a ruby circlet.

The last stone came out of Taka and joined the others, swirling around the stranger.

Taka dropped to the ground and Miaka rushed to his side. She turned her head to the jewels that floated around her enemy, her eyes beginning to brim with tears.

Everyone watched in shocked horror.

"The jewels we worked so hard to get..." Kaiya murmured, wide eyed.

"Such a fragile man..." the stranger said, arms crossed over his chest, revealing long, red, claw-like fingernails. "To have given up his heart so easily to me."

Kaiya stared intently at the mysterious man, in a world of her own.

'His voice... it's familiar...' she thought.

Tasuki furrowed his brow in frustration and clenched his hand.

"That bastard, Tenkou..." he hissed.

'Tenkou?' Kaiya thought, diverting her head to Tasuki.

Tasuki ran forward to go through the hole they watched through, but was deflected by a purple energy when he reached the edge and fell back.

"It's a barrier..." Chichiri muttered, clutching his staff tighter.

Kaiya kneeled down to Tasuki, a worried expression on her face.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

Tenkou ignored the foolish attempts by the Suzaku Seven and stared mockingly at the two before him.

"Is this man really the reborn form of your beloved Tamahome?" he mused.

Miaka whirled around to face Tenkou, her face contorted in anger.

"Give them back!" she shouted.

Chichiri quickly slung his staff on his back, parted his legs and clasped his hands together with his forefingers pointing outwards, concentrating his energy through his hands to cast a spell.

"No, Miaka!" he shouted, "Don't let what he's saying get to you!"

"Chichiri! Can't you break through this barrier just a little?" Hotohori asked anxiously.

"Those jewels... They're the precious memories that Tamahome and I share..." Miaka said and rose to her feet. She took a few steps towards Tenkou, her face filled with angst and anger.

Tenkou continued to watch the girl, his confident expression unwavering. He brought one of the jewels in front of him and burst it into purple flames.

Miaka stopped mid-step, her eyes widening in shocked horror.

"One..." Tenkou said and burst another into flames

"Two..."

and another...

"Three..."

and another...

"Four..."

Tears filled the rim of Miaka's eyes and threatened to fall.

"No!" she screamed in anguish.

Chichiri furrowed his brow in concentration. He balled a hand into a fist with his thumb sticking up (thumbs up) and placed the base into his other hand's palm.

"Control your emotions, Miaka!" he shouted and shifted his hands so that his forefingers, thumbs, and pinkies were pressed against each other with his other fingers tucked away. "He draws strength from peoples' negative emotions!"

Kaiya stood up, facing the barrier.

"Miaka! You've got to be strong! Listen to Chichiri, please!" she begged her friend.

Tenkou recognized the voice and glanced towards them. He narrowed his eyes at the familiar girl.

"Ah, so the Mistress of Time is here, is she?" he muttered quietly.

"Lord Tenkou..."

Everybody's attention was drawn to a woman walking weakly towards Tenkou. The woman was Miisu, but her outfit was torn at the edges and was a bit ruffled.

Miisu took another step towards her lord.

"Why...?" she whispered.

Finally, Chichiri's efforts pulled through, and a rift opened in the barrier.

"The barrier!" Chiriko exclaimed.

Hotohori held his hands out in front of him and summoned his sword.

Nuriko stepped forward.

"Your highness! Let me take care of this!" he shouted. Taking the hilt of Hotohori's sword, Nuriko wound his arm back and thrust the sword forward into the rift, at Tenkou.

Everyone gasped in shock as Miisu was lifted and used as a shield for the oncoming sword. The sword stabbed through the middle of her body, and blood came rushing out.

Tenkou wore an evil smile on his face.

Miisu looked back at Tenkou with her shocked and pained expression.

"Lord... Tenkou..." she gasped.

"Miisu... In the end, this was the only useful purpose you could serve." he said, "Your mistake was thinking that casting the spell on Taka would be enough.

"I thought keeping Renhou alive would make you serve me better, but now I see that it only distracted you." Tenkou finished and dropped her to the ground.

Kaiya's eyes were wide with shock.

"He used her as a shield..." she whispered. "His own people...!"

Miisu braced herself up.

"M-my little brother... You said you'd help Ren!" she said weakly, "You said if we did what you wanted, you'd return us to normal!"

Tenkou glared down at her.

"You love Renhou that much?" he said, then raised a hand to his side, "Then be together in your last moments!"

Everyone turned their heads to see Ren materialize a few feet away from Miisu. He lay unconscious and his clothes were torn and tattered.

"Ren...!" Miisu cried. She pushed herself up on her feet, but immediately fell back down. She braced herself onto her knees and crawled weakly towards her brother. "Ren..! Ren...!"

Suddenly, Miisu burst into flames and Ren followed soon after.

The jewel on Tenkou's forehead glowed purple and his palm was raised with his thumb tucked in.

"I have no need for weaklings." he said calmly.

"You... You monster...!" Miaka whispered.

The flames died down and all that remained of Ren and Miisu were charred markings.

"In the end, their incestuous love led them on a path of evil. They thought I'd make them human again." Tenkou mused and lowered his arm. "An impossible dream for demons."

Miaka's shoulders began to shake and she glared at him with hatred.

"I won't let you..." she began.

"For the sake of something called love... Both lovers died a wretched death." he replied. "A preview of your own fate."

Miaka continued advancing towards Tenkou, her rage only growing more and more.

"Four of the stones have been destroyed; Taka himself will be destroyed."

"I won't let you!"

"He will die wounded."

Tenkou narrowed his eyes at her.

"I intend to show you just how powerless your "love" really is." he said and chuckled.

"Just what do you think humans are?" Miaka demanded. A red aura began to surround her.

"Yes... Grow enraged! Curse your fate! Hate me!" Tenkou encouraged. Miaka's red light began to grow stronger. "All of that is what gives me my power."

"I swear... I won't let you do this!" she shouted and released the energy she held within.

As Tenkou teleported himself away, he began to laugh, gaining more strength by the second.

As she watched him disappear, Kaiya heard his voice in her head.

A view of your fate as well... You will make a fine servant... You have already served me well by bringing me back...

Kaiya gasped as the voice disappeared. Her eyes were wide with terror.

'It's my fault..!' she realized.

The room returned to normal and everyone but Kaiya and Chichiri rushed to Miaka. Chichiri looked over at Kaiya and saw her trembling body and expression. He stood next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

Kaiya snapped out of her nightmarish daze and stared at him. Her body stopped trembling, but her arms and hands did not.

"Kaiya, what's wrong, no da?" he asked.

"I-It's nothing... You should be more concerned with Miaka..." she said and looked over at her friend. "She'll be so down..."

"But what about you, no da? You seem to be quite shaken up..." he said with concern.

"I swear, I'm alright, Chichiri. If there's anything I need to tell you..." she said and hesitated with the last words. "I'll let you know. Let's go over to Miaka. She needs us right now..."

Kaiya forced a smile and walked away from him, letting his hand drop to his side.

Chichiri stared after her, a deep frown on his face.

'What's she hiding?' he wondered.

Morning came quickly and it was just about as depressing as the night before. Everyone had stayed with Miaka and Taka to comfort them during the night.

"Man, what a waste!"

Tasuki's enthusiastic voice boomed in everyone's ears. How he could not be worried was a mystery to them.

Everyone but Miaka sat around in the courtyard, unsure what to do next. Miaka had gone out, not far from the house, to be alone for the time being.

"If I was there, I woulda kicked ol' Tenkou's ass fer' ya!" Tasuki said.

Nuriko sat beside Chiriko, both staring at him with disbelief.

"Looks like he's over his wounds already." Chiriko said.

"He's just an idiot." Nuriko replied.

Tasuki turned his head to Taka, who was leaning against a beam of the house.

"Tama! Nothin' ta' worry about, ol' buddy!" Tasuki said. "There're still three more jewels out there! Ya didn't need those four anyway!"

"He isn't helping." Nuriko sighed.

Taka tried his best to smile at them.

"I'm not worried about it. I'm just fine, okay?" he said reassuringly. He pushed himself off the beam and began to walk away. "C'mon, quit getting worked up."

Everybody watched him walk away with his hands stuffed in his pockets.

"This isn't going to beat me." he insisted and as he knocked his head on a low hanging tree branch. He began to lose his balance and began to step sideways. "I'm okay! I'm okay!" Next thing they knew, he fell into the pond which was coincidentally beside the tree. After a loud splash, he jumped right out and continued walking, laughing nervously." I'm alright! No problem!" Instead of walking, he began to jog slightly and hit the wall in the middle of the courtyard.

Tasuki stared blankly at Taka, not buying his act for a second.

"Ya' almost feel sad seein' the guy that broken up..." he muttered.

Nuriko came up behind him, an innocent look on his face.

"Tasuki, dear." he said.

Tasuki turned his head back to see what the purple haired warrior wanted.

Nuriko held up a little sign with a word on it.

"Can you read this sign?" he said sweetly.

"De-li-ca-cy." Tasuki answered.

"Right..." Nuriko said and threw the sign away. His expression turned to irritation and he materialized his gauntlets. "Do you have ANY?"

Nuriko picked him up and threw him into a hallow hall of the house (sue me. I don't know the word), past Kaiya, Chichiri, and Hotohori, to a wall.

They watched sympathetically as Tasuki crashed into the wall, leaving an imprint.

"We have to find some way to make him feel better, no da." Chichiri said sadly.

"Well, I'm afraid it's hopeless." Hotohori said reluctantly.

Kaiya frowned and tilted her head to the ceiling.

"I'm positive he'd feel better if we got those other stones... and Miaka too." she said.

"But the only clue to the other stones is held by Mitsukake..." Chichiri said, "and Nyan Nyan's looking for him, no da."

"Is that really our only hope now?" Hotohori asked. "If all of the Suzaku Seven are assembled, we might give Tamahome some strength."

"I think right now Miaka might be even more depressed." Kaiya said.

"Why is it?" Tasuki muttered, drawing everyone's attention. He sat cross-legged in front of his wall imprint and stared at his legs. "Why does she have to be tortured like this?"

"He makes her cry and hurts her, so why does she still love him?" he continued, then in a much quieter voice, "I don't get it. I just don't get it."

Elsewhere...

"Mitsukake!"

Mitsukake looked up to the sky form his seat on the porch of a house. It was a beautiful day and the house was where he had ended up after the ordeal on Mt. Taikyoku.

Tama perked up from his comfy spot beside Mitsukake, recognizing the voice.

"Nyan Nyan." Mitsukake acknowledged.

Nyan Nyan flew down towards them and landed on the ground.

"There you are!" she cried, "Your life force is so weak now!"

Suddenly, a little girl with light brown hair in two buns on either side of her head popped up behind Mitsukake. She was wearing a vermillion-red dress and she was smiling largely towards him. She looked no more than a year old.

Mitsukake turned his head towards her, answering the question she could not speak.

"Yes, that's my friend." he said.

Nyan Nyan stared at the girl, a little surprised.

"Mitsukake, that little girl can see you?" she asked.

"Shoka! Shoka!"

The little girl responded to her mother's call and began to move away.

Nyan Nyan turned to Mitsukake.

"Shoka?" she repeated.

"Yes. The child I died using my power to save." Mitsukake said.

With Kaiya...

Kaiya sat with Miaka under a tree on a low hill, just a bit away from the house. She had come to sit with the girl to try to cheer her up. It was already the middle of the afternoon and Miaka had not come to eat, which surprised everyone greatly.

Miaka was sitting with her legs up to her chest with her arms around them and her chin resting on her knees. Kaiya merely sat normally: her back against the tree, legs stretched out front and arms to the side. Both girls stared aimlessly at the city before them.

"I guess you're really depressed, huh, Miaka?" Kaiya started.

Miaka tilted her head to lean her forehead on her knees.

"Taka's going to disappear..." she said sadly.

Kaiya put a comforting hand on Miaka's shoulder

"Oh, come on, Miaka. You can't believe that! You two were always so happy together." Kaiya said, "You and Taka are meant for each other! I mean... we still have three stones to get, right?"

Miaka glanced up at her friend and made a small smile.

"Thanks for trying, Kaiya." she said sadly.

Kaiya face-vaulted.

"C'mon, Miaka! I'll make you and Taka a strawberry shortcake when we get back." she announced, throwing her arms in the air to make her point and completely forgetting about the curse.

Miaka brightened just slightly at the sound of food, but not enough to come out of depression.

"You're a good friend, Kaiya." she said.

Kaiya smiled at her.

"Just you wait and see, Miaka. You never know what'll happen." she said brightly and stood up. "I'm going back to the house. I'll see you later, Miaka."

The girls waved bye to each other, and Kaiya soon left.

Unbeknownst to them, Tasuki had listened to them from behind a nearby tree, but it didn't change his opinion about Taka. He began to walk back to the house with a pout.

'I just don't get it. If it was me...' he thought. 'If it was me, I wouldn't make 'er cry like that!'

Suddenly, he sensed a large energy. He stared up to see a big wave of water coming straight for him. But before he could do anything, the water lashed down at him, trapping him.

"What the hell?" he shouted. He winced when he felt something enter his body.

At the house...

The sun was already setting, decorating the sky in a variety of orangey colors. Chichiri, Chiriko, and Hotohori stood in one of the outer walkways of the house.

Chichiri had been conversing with the two about what to do next, when he sensed something, something familiar... and dangerous. Something he hadn't sensed in a long time. His brow furrowed at the danger and he whirled his head towards the direction he sensed it.

"What's wrong, Chichiri?" Hotohori asked.

Chichiri turned his head towards the sky.

"This energy..." he said, trailing off.

"Chichiri?" Chiriko said, looking at his bewildered face.

Kaiya came around the corner, staring at the ground in an intense stare. Her face was scrunched up in concentration with her hand gently grasping her chin and her elbow propped in her other hand's palm. She gave a sigh, then bumped into Chichiri.

"Whoops. Sorry, Chichiri." she said, snapping both herself and Chichiri out of their dazes.

"What seems to be troubling you, Kaiya?" Chiriko asked.

Kaiya looked past Chichiri to the youngest of the Suzaku warriors.

"Just trying to think of something to cheer Miaka up." she answered. "Not going too well I'm afraid. So what's going on with you guys?"

"There's trouble" Chichiri said seriously.

Kaiya tensed.

"Oh no..." she whispered, "Where's Miaka?"

"She hasn't returned yet, and neither have Tasuki or Tamahome, no da." Chichiri said.

"Maybe they sensed something and went to help her?" Kaiya said hopefully.

"We better go check, no da. Do you know where they might be?" he asked.

"Well, last I saw Miaka, she wasn't too far from here." she answered.

Chichiri nodded and Kaiya began to lead the way to the hill.

But when they arrived, Miaka was no longer there and there were no signs of Tasuki or Taka, nor a sign of a battle.

"Hm? There's no one here." Kaiya said.

"I'll try to locate them, no da." Chichiri said and began to concentrate. But something wasn't right. He turned to the group to tell them the news. "I can't find them at all, no da. Something or someone is jamming my senses."

Kaiya's worry doubled and her face showed it.

"Perhaps they have gone into town." Chiriko suggested.

"Yes." Hotohori agreed. "Let's try looking for them there."

Everyone nodded and headed to the town. Once there, they separated into two groups. Chichiri was with Kaiya and Hotohori was with Chiriko. Chichiri handed the two his straw hat.

"Alright, if you two find them, communicate through the hat. I put a spell on it so we'll be able to hear your voices." he said, "If we find them, we'll let you know."

With that done, everyone separated and began to look for Miaka and the others.

Every now and then, Chichiri would stop to see if he could find their energies, but with no luck, and continued searching.

The sun had set quickly and the night sky had already taken over.

"Oh... I hope we find them soon..." Kaiya said, "If I keep this up I'm gonna get gray hair and wrinkles and... and... I can't believe I'm thinking about myself when my friends are in danger!"

Chichiri stopped a few steps away and watched the female freak out. He couldn't help but smile at her. After watching her for a little longer, he walked up to her and put a hand on her shoulder, catching her attention.

"Don't worry, no da. We'll find them." he said reassuringly.

Kaiya smiled apologetically at him.

"Sorry. My mom keeps telling me I'll get gray hair and wrinkles in no time if I keep worrying the way I do." she said, "But I pray to the gods that I don't look like that Taiitsukun person..."

Kaiya shuddered at the thought.

Chichiri let out a chuckle.

"Well it just proves that you care about people a lot, no da." he said, "I also hear that your age goes by much faster, too. In fact, I think I already see a gray hair, no da!"

"What?" Kaiya exclaimed and began to freak out once more.

Chichiri suppressed his laughter but his expression did not go unseen. Kaiya playfully glared evilly up at him and put her hands on her hips.

"If I die before you do, old and ugly, I'm definitely gonna come back and haunt you 'til you have nightmares, and you can't take it anymore and come apologize to my grave." she said. "Ah, the joys of other people's guilt."

Chichiri had shrunken down to his chibi form and was shaking like a leaf.

Kaiya chuckled and waved a hand at him.

"Oh, c'mon, Chichiri! I didn't mean it." she said.

As Chichiri returned to normal, his eyes met with hers, and they began to laugh.

Strange how this one girl could make him feel the way he did and light hearted when no one else could. Strange how she could care so much for other people instead of herself... Strange how she was finding a way into his heart.

They stopped laughing soon after and stood in silent companionship.

"I think it's about time we went back to worrying about Miaka and the others." Kaiya said.

Chichiri nodded and their search continued.

The next place they reached was an inn and a few people were seen running out of it.

Chichiri and Kaiya looked to each other and rushed into the inn. The first thing they saw was Taka and he was injured. He leaned heavily on the banister of the stairs in front of them. Just in front of Taka, at the top of the stairs, was Tasuki with his white shirt hanging loosely around his arms. His left arm held Miaka tightly to him and his fan in the other. Miaka was not wearing her uniform jacket and her hair was down around her shoulders.

Tasuki kicked Taka off the stairs, sending him flying.

Kaiya instinctively gasped and ran forward up the stairs to catch him. He crashed into her and the two were sent falling and sliding to the base of the stairs.

"Ow...!" Kaiya groaned.

Chichiri rushed over to them.

"I've contacted his majesty and Chiriko, they should arrive soon." he said, then added with concern, "Are you two alright?"

"Just peachy..." Kaiya answered, sitting up, and helped Taka up as well.

Chichiri looked up with a scowl at Tasuki.

"What's up with Tasuki, no da?" he said, "He's never like that!"

"Kaiya... Please... Help me up the stairs." Taka said. He noticed her look at his injures but he shook his head. "Please..."

Kaiya nodded reluctantly. She put his arm around her shoulders and her arm around his waist. Slowly, they began to ascend the stairs. Taka turned his head up to look at Tasuki.

"You're right... I'm pathetic... Right now, I'm so weak... Like you said, all I do is make Miaka cry. And I'm nothing but scared of what's going to happen." he started, "But I love her; there's nothing I can do about that."

Tasuki stood silently as he watched Taka come closer.

"That's why, even if people laugh at me, and it hurts, and it's hard... and I don't look heroic, it doesn't matter to me!" he stated, "For Miaka, I'll be the most pathetic man there is."

"Besides, I'm still accepted as being one of the Suzaku Seven." he continued a little more cheerfully. "Even as I am now, you guys said I'm still one of you. You told me that with smiles on your faces!"

Tasuki continued to stand still, unsure of what to do.

"I was happy. Not just because of Miaka. Because you all were there, too! That's why..." Taka said, "Why I'm doing this."

Kaiya and Taka weren't far from Tasuki now, and Chichiri had come to help. Around his neck was Taka's other arm.

"My feelings for Miaka haven't changed." Taka concluded, "And if I'm to die, I don't mind if you do it. Kill me."

Kaiya gasped and whirled her head to him.

"Taka, you can't-!" she said, but stopped when she saw Chichiri shake his head. She stared at him with big, fear-filled eyes. "But why...?"

Tasuki smirked.

"Sure. I'll do just that." he said.

"Tasuki..."

Finally, they reached the top of the stairs and everybody gave their attention to Miaka. Miaka looked up at Tasuki with a small smile on her face.

"The reason I cry is because I love Taka." she said softly. "Girls just cry over the people they love when they're happy and when they're sad."

Tasuki's eyes began to tremble; he took a step back.

Kaiya got out from under Taka's arm and walked towards Tasuki. She gently took a hold of his unoccupied hand and smiled at him.

Chichiri glanced at the contact... hurting... slightly.

"I'm sure you'll find a girl for you some day, Tasuki." Kaiya said cheerfully. "Just don't ever forget who you are."

Suddenly, when she finished her last word, her hand began to glow pink. She noticed something leave his body and was going to take a look, but was stopped when Tasuki yanked his hand away and stepped even further back. His face was scrunched up and contorted as if he was in pain.

"I won't...! I won't...!" he struggled. He held his fan with both hands, his celestial symbol glowing brightly on his right forearm, and drove the top of the fan into the ground. "I won't betray my friends!"

The ground he stood on exploded and Kaiya flew back, down the stairs. Just as she was about to hit the ground, somebody caught her and gently set her down. Kaiya struggled to brace herself on her elbows. She saw Tasuki surrounded by flames and ifre flwoing down the stairs like a waterfall.

Kaiya began to feel a sharp pain inside her and her vision began to blur and blacken. The last thing she saw was the remainder of her time: three weeks and three days. She also heard somebody call her name, then finally, lost consciousness. The voice sounded very much like Chichiri's...

"Kaiya...!"

When she next awoke, she felt something nice and warm around her, and a warm cloth on her head. She opened her eyes and found herself in a bed in a dark room.

Kaiya sat up, the cloth falling from her head. She looked down at herself to make sure she wasn't naked this time, and to her relief, she was not.

"Ah, you're awake, no da!"

Kaiya looked over at the door to find Chichiri with a basin of water in his hands.

"Wha...? Chichiri, where are we?" she asked.

Chichiri walked towards her and set the basin down on the desk beside the bed. He then grabbed a chair and took a seat beside the bed.

"We're back at Nuriko's house, no da." he answered.

Kaiya's eyes widened in remembrance of what happened and she leaned forward.

"Is Tasuki okay? Are Miaka and Taka alright? Where are they? They're not injured, are they?" she asked quickly.

"Well, everybody is in another room, down the hall, no da. Last I saw Tasuki, he was apologizing to Miaka and Taka. They don't have many injuries and they're very minor anyway, no da. Mitsukake's taking care of those right now, no da." he finished, out of breath.

Kaiya leaned back in her pillow, relief washing over her.

"Thank goodness." she said, then gave him an apologetic gaze. "Sorry you have to stay with me. You can go if you want, Chichiri. I know you all have lots to talk about with Mitsukake."

Chichiri smiled at her and shook his head.

"It's alright, no da. You're a very nice person. I don't mind it at all." he said.

Kaiya rubbed the back of her head and smiled sheepishly.

Suddenly remembering something, Chichiri's head perked up and his mouth made an "o" shape.

"Do you mind if I ask you something, no da?" he said.

Kaiya blinked.

"Of course not. Go ahead." she said.

He opened his mouth to speak but then he suddenly felt the very familiar energy from before, when they had gone to look for Miaka. After that, there came screams. Chichiri stood straight up, his brow furrowed.

"It's coming from down the hall!" Kaiya said and jumped out of her bed.

Chichiri decided to ask about the black character on her hand later. He knows now, at least, that it's not a drawing. Drawings don't normally glow, emit dark energies, or fill themselves up.

The two ran across the hall to the room everybody was in.

Chichiri's eyes widened in shock at the cause of the problem.

In front of him stood a man with dark blue hair, in little braids tied to the back of his head and brown eyes. He wore a circular jade stone with a hold in the middle with two beads on either side, and a little black string to keep it there on his forehead. He wore a tan and pink robe with golden squiggles on the lining. Behind him was what seemed to be a wall of water.

Kaiya caught Miaka beside the man, but she was trapped in a large bubble in mid-air.

'Miaka!' she thought worriedly.

"It's you...!" Chichiri shouted. "Hikou!"
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Author notes: Yay! It's finished! Took me forever to type this up. My chapters keep getting longer every time. I hope you'll be all glad to hear that I have new story ideas. But I won't start them 'til I finish this one. For me, I can't keep up with more than two things at a time. Until next time I update! Which will be quite a while.