Author Notes: Alright. I think it's about time I update this story. It took a while, just like a said. What I didn't say was that I've been occupied with school work and uh... Just plain reading for fun XD Truth be told, I did more reading than homework XP Anyway, I hope you like this chapter.
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Hikou disappeared and mass amounts of water began to flood the room. The windows burst apart from the force of the water and everyone was forced to grab hold to something and keep firm.
"This is it! This came up behind me!" Tasuki shouted as he gripped Nuriko's hand.
"What's with this water? It's trapping us!" Nuriko exclaimed.
"It almost seems to be alive!" Hotohori observed.
Chichiri surfaced along with Kaiya with his arm around her waist and the other to keep them from being slammed to the wall.
"Hikou! Stop this!" he shouted. "Show yourself! Hikou!"
With one hand, Kaiya covered her mouth as she coughed up water and used the other hand to hold on to Chichiri.
"Why... Why did you betray me, Hikou!"
Everybody turned their attention to a spherical black and white projection in the middle of the room. In the projection, they could see two people, both men. One of the men appeared to be being attacked and the other was the attacker, a knife in the hand.
'I-It's Chichiri's voice!' Kaiya realized. She stared forward with wide eyes at the rage driven man. How could she believe it? As long as she'd known him, he'd never been anything but kind and he smiled always. But now as she saw with her eyes, the anger, the rage, the hurt... She wanted to do something for him; just something.
"Give her back... Give her back!"
"Hou Jun...!"
"Who are those guys?" Tasuki asked in bewilderment.
Chichiri continued to watch the scene, remembering it as if it were yesterday. His face was shocked speechlessness.
"Is that... Chichiri?" Taka said quietly.
Kaiya glanced up at the Chichiri beside her and her hand around him squeezed slightly.
They continued to watch, entranced by the display. Hikou's footing lost as the rock below him gave way to the water. He plunged downwards and luckily, his arm was caught by Chichiri.
"Stop it..." Chichiri whispered.
"Hou Jun!" Hikou shouted, but the grip on his arm was released, and he fell downwards... towards the water where it would be his grave.
"STOP IT!" Chichiri shouted in anguish.
The water parted for a strong stream of water to burst forth, making its way to Chichiri.
Kaiya shifted and moved so that she covered him, and received the blow instead. The two were blasted back, breaking a beam and landed on the ground of the parted water with a loud thud.
Chichiri was slouched against the wall, barely maintaining his consciousness, but the same could not be said about Kaiya. She lay on the ground beside him, but she was out cold.
"Chichiri! Kaiya!" Nuriko shouted.
"Chichiri... Or rather, Hou Jun..."
Their attentions were once again taken back to the front, but to where Miaka was in the bubble. The man, Hikou, that disappeared before now reappeared behind Miaka.
"Do you remember?" he said. "Eight years ago, that was how you killed me." The corners of Hikou's mouth shifted upwards slightly and all evil glint in his eyes. "That is why I'm going to take everything from you; everything that you now hold dear... I'm taking the Priestess of Suzaku." His eyes narrowed as he glared at Chichiri. "If you want her back, then come to me...
"Miaka!" Taka shouted and tried to move forward towards her, but it was no use.
"Taka!" Miaka cried and pounded a fist on the solid bubble that contained her. The bubble's exterior swirled rapidly with water and Hikou disappeared. It then shot up quickly, like a bullet, through the roof and out of their sight.
The remainder of the water poured out of the room and everybody was able to set their feet on the ground. Chiriko, Mitsukake, Hotohori, and Tasuki gathered around Chichiri while Nuriko remained with Taka.
"Chichiri..." Chiriko said softly.
"It's no use. He's unconscious." Hotohori said.
"How 'bout your end?" Tasuki asked, turning towards Nuriko.
"No good." Nuriko answered. "Looks like a basket case."
"I see..." Tasuki replied.
Elsewhere...
Tenkou leaned his back against a red wall, immersed within the blood-red liquid. He was in a very large and dark room, covered in nothing but the blood-red water and slabs of red walls spread out all around. He tilted his head back against the wall and smirked.
"It looks like Hikou was successful." he mused. "The Suzaku Seven... What fools they are..." He raised his hand above the water and glanced down at the little pool in his palm. "In the end, they've fallen right into my hands."
Back with the Suzaku Seven...
"Hold it, Taka! Wait!" Nuriko shouted as he held Taka from exiting the room.
"Lemme go, Nuriko! If I don't move fast, Miaka will be...!" Taka insisted.
"I know how you feel but there's nothing we can do right now." Nuriko reasoned.
"That's right, Tamahome." Hotohori admitted reluctantly. "First of all, we don't even know where they've gone, do we?"
Kaiya sat in a chair beside Chichiri, where he lay in his bed. She had luckily suffered nothing more than a large bruise and a sore shoulder, but she now sat worrying over her friend who was kidnapped and the man who lay unconscious in front of her. She glanced up at Chichiri's face, lingering on the scratchy scar over his eye that extended to the tip of his nose. Admittingly, she was surprised when she saw that it had always been a mask she was looking at.
"Couldn't we find that out if Chichiri was back in action?" Tasuki asked. "Hey, Mitsukake, can't you use your healing power to wake him up faster?"
"The shock he took damaged his spirit more than his body." Mitsukake replied. "He shouldn't be forced awake by another person." He closed his eyes and let out a sigh. "We'll have to wait for nature to heal him for Chichiri's sake."
"I-I can't fight him..."
"Chichiri! You're awake!" Kaiya exclaimed, relief washing over her. She got out of the chair and let Mitsukake sit down.
"Are you awake now?" he asked.
Chichiri kept his eyes close, the memory still fresh in his mind.
"You saw it all, didn't you? How I killed my best friend." he said quietly. In his mind, remembered seeing the woman he loved, crouched over beside a wall with her hands at her eyes, swiping away the tears.
"Forgive me, Hou Jun!" she wailed "I can't stay with you! I can't!"
He remembered the shock of the realization, the hurt of the betrayal he felt.
"You love... You love Hikou!? Why...? I trusted you both!"
"The flood that happened then... took all the people that I loved." Chichiri said with grief. "My family... The woman I loved..." He opened his eye to stare at the ceiling. "But with Hikou, it's different. I... I just can't bring myself to kill him again." His eye closed and he turned away from the group.
"Chichiri... I lost my family in that flood as well." Mitsukake said. "But I still had Shouka with me. She saved my soul. But, as you already know, despite my powers... I still let her die - twice." he said sorrowfully. "And I hated myself for it. But now I understand very well why I was born with my powers." he explained in a calmer voice. "Not to hurt people, but to protect those I love. My friends here now are proof of that. And you are one of them."
Kaiya leaned slightly over the bed and smiled at Chichiri.
"So don't suffer alone. Just look to your friends for support!" she said encouragingly. "And surely, we'd just want to help." she said and held in a laugh as she turned to watch Nuriko shaking Tasuki fiercely with rivers of tears pouring down his face. "SURELY..."
"I know it's hard for you to reopen that wound." Mitsukake continued. "But isn't it time now? Time to set both your friend and yourself free?" he waited a few seconds for Chichiri to think it over before he continued. "You see that, don't you?"
"Forgive me, Chichiri." Taka spoke. "All you seem to do is save me. All I do is depend on you." he admitted. "But we all need you! Please, at least let me go after them!"
Kaiya stood straight immediately and whirled around to face Taka.
"No way! I want to save Miaka too!" she said, placing her hands on her hips. She let her hands drop though, when she heard Chichiri sit up in his bed. She turned back to face him and gave him a sympathetic look. "Chichiri..."
"I'll go!" Chichiri said with determination.
With Miaka...
Miaka slowly awakened with a flutter of her eyes. At first she did not recognize her surroundings, but quickly remembered the situation and the reason she was in a bubble. She looked around at the area; nothing but little cascades of water.
"Are you awake, Priestess of Suzaku?" Hikou asked, standing a small distance away from her.
"Hikou! Wait! Let me out of here!" Miaka pleaded.
Hikou scoffed and looked away from her. "Be quiet. Your friends will soon be coming for you. Assuming they aren't cowards."
"You're Chichiri's best friend, aren't you?" Miaka asked. "Why are you doing this?!"
Hikou scoffed again. "He isn't my friend at all." he said and decided to explain a little about himself. "I am now Kanki, one of the Four Great Kings of the Earth. The dark lord Tenkou had made me a demon god who controls drought and rain." His gaze wandered to the opening of the cave, to the rain falling just outside. "Look at it outside of this limestone cave, at the water to which I have given life. I believe this power could even reach into your own world now."
Miaka's eyes widened in fear and surprise.
"What?" she asked.
"I didn't kidnap you just to lure Chichiri here." he said, as if stating the obvious. "I can influence the other world by using your body as a medium. The water born of my wings will rob people of their reason, bring out the evil within them." he then smiled evilly at the remembrance of his already successful experiment. "Tasuki demonstrated that quite well."
Miaka grit her teeth and rested her head against the bubble wall.
"I'll cast that spell on all the humans there." Hikou said aloud. "After I kill Chichiri and the rest of the Suzaku seven!"
"I won't let you!" Miaka said instinctively. "Chichiri and my friends won't be beaten by you!"
Hikou gave a small laugh.
"'The love of friends'? It's nothing but an illusion." he said.
Back with Chichiri...
Night had befallen and he was now fully prepared to face his battle. He figured this was the perfect time to leave, since everyone was out trying to stop the water from entering the town. Or at least, he thought everyone was out. He gathered his staff and exited the room, planning to save Miaka himself. But like all noble and honour worthy quests, it wasn't meant to happen, because Tasuki caught him exiting his room.
"You know where they are, don't you?" he stated, leaning against the wall. He pushed himself off and faced Chichiri. "I'm goin' too, no matter what you say."
Chichiri didn't turn around, just listening to what Tasuki had to say.
"I... What Hikou did to you... is what I was gonna do to Tama. The thing is..." Tasuki trailed off and walked up beside Chichiri. "The thing is... They don't blame me at all. I always thought of Miaka like a sister, but... I'm a man, too. I never thought feelin's that low were inside of me." he said in a low voice. "I... I don't care if I die. If it's for those two, then I..."
Chichiri finally shifted to face Tasuki, and placed a hand on his head.
"No person is ever really complete, you know?" he smiled slightly and looked ahead. "That's why nobody can ever really live alone." he made a resolution and continued to speak. "Alright, Tasuki. The two of us will save Miaka!"
Just then, Taka walked out of the barely lit hallway, having listened to the conversation.
"Three's better than two, right?" he said.
"I may not be able to save you this time." Chichiri said, but allowed him to come. He raised his staff and began to manipulate his energy to send them where they were needed.
"Wait for me!"
Kaiya jumped off the railing above them and disappeared along with them.
Back with Miaka...
Water began to fill up her bubble, cutting off the supply of oxygen she needed. He had just given her a vision of the effects of his spell on Yui, to prove his point, but it was no use. Yui did not do as he expected, but rather, the opposite. Now obviously, Hikou wasn't pleased with the outcome.
'The water...!' Miaka panicked.
"Yes. Suffer. That was how my human life had to end!" Hikou said grudgingly. "At the hands of a man I thought was my friend!" Suddenly, he sensed a familiar energy and averted his attention from Miaka.
A bright green energy force burst forth and the water was thrown all over, soaking Hikou. Through the mist of the water, Hikou could see clearly the fierce look that Chichiri was giving and the fighting position he was in.
Tasuki, Taka and Kaiya came to stand behind him.
"Miaka!" Taka shouted.
Miaka opened an eye to look at the people who had come to save her.
'Taka! Tasuki! Chichiri! Kaiya!' she thought.
"Hikou!" Chichiri said, lowering his arms. "Release Miaka! Otherwise..."
"Otherwise you'll do WHAT?" Hikou interrupted.
"The most important things in my life now the friends I have." Chichiri said and continued. "And to save them... I will kill you!"
"Fascinating..." Hikou said with a solemn expression. "Then you'll have to do it before the Priestess of Suzaku drowns."
"Chichiri! We'll handle Hikou! Save Miaka!" Taka said, and ran towards Hikou.
Tasuki remained where he stood and jabbed his fan into the ground, causing flames to burst out towards Hikou. But that was no use, for Hikou summoned up a water wall, disabling the fire.
"No good! Another water wall!" Tasuki exclaimed.
Hikou's water wall came down. He merely laughed and with a swift motion of his hand, the water receded back into tall waves. With another hand motion, the water was sent forward, like large bullets, at the warriors.
"Tasuki! Tamahome!" Chichiri shouted, but quickly realized that Kaiya was not there. 'Wha- Where did she go?!' he asked himself frantically. But his attention had to be taken back when he heard Hikou muttering something, realizing it was a spell. He raised his staff and began to mutter his own words for a spell. "Ban bukyuu chou hou na hobaku!"
"Chichiri! No! Don't fight your friend!" Miaka screamed as best she could through the water.
"Miaka! Psst, Miaka!"
Miaka glanced down to see Kaiya. She bent down to meet her friend's face and smiled with relief.
"Kaiya! What're you doing here?" she asked.
"The guys were causing a big distraction so I thought I'd just see if I could get you out." Kaiya said simply and smiled. She placed her palms on the bubble and quickly examined it to see if there were any spots that might break upon rough contact. Seeing none, she scowled. "Don't worry, Miaka, I'll definitely get you out." She began to bang on the bubble which hurt her hand more than it hurt the bubble, she was sure. 'What is this thing made of? It's like glass! Only it won't break!'
"Kaiya, wait! Stop! You've got to stop Chichiri!" Miaka said.
"When I get you out, we'll both stop him!" Kaiya said determinedly and banged harder. Her hand became extremely sore and she paused to think and catch her breath. 'Maybe I can... use my powers!' her head jerked up quickly to stare at the tough bubble. 'But how...?' She glanced at Chichiri, who was concentrating his energy into a shield to defend himself from Hikou's water bullets. 'Hey, that's it! I'll just focus, like Chichiri does!' Her head whipped back to Miaka and she closed her eyes in focus.
Miaka glanced down at Kaiya, finding her friend's posture peculiar.
'What's she doing?' she wondered, then gasped as the area Kaiya's hands covered began to glow pink. Just as a tiny hole formed in the bubble wall, the magic stopped and it closed. Kaiya was abruptly pushed against the bubble and a very bright white light shone behind her.
Kaiya and Miaka looked back just in time to see Chichiri's blast through Hikou's attack and directly at him.
"Incredible..." Taka muttered.
"No shit..." Tasuki replied.
"Chichiri...!" Hikou hissed with an angry scowl.
"Chichiri..." Miaka whispered. "Hikou, stop this! Can't you see that Chichiri still cares for you?! Don't you see how this is hurting him?!"
"SILENCE!" Hikou shouted.
Kaiya stared at Hikou, her brows knit together in sympathy.
'You idiot... You were - no... You are his friend. Why don't you understand that?' Kaiya thought. The pink mark on her left hand continued to glow, but she paid no attention to it.
Once again, Hikou began to mutter some words. His hands were held out and began to glow blue.
"Hikou..." Chichiri muttered. He used his left hand to make some hand signs, making a spell of his own.
In front of everyone's eyes, Chichiri threw his cape up and disappeared.
"What?" Hikou exclaimed as he felt arms around his own, trapping him. The cape circled around them, encasing them in a fabrical sphere.
"Tasuki!" Chichiri shouted within. "Use your flames on my robe! Concentrate everything on burning the robe! If you do that, we'll break the water wall and the flames will reach inside!"
Kaiya's hands flew up to clasp around her mouth, and gasped at the suggestion that Chichiri was bringing up.
"Wha... What're you talkin' about? If I do that, then you'll...!" Tasuki said.
"Hurry! If you don't, then Miaka will...!" Chichiri shouted but stopped short as water filled the space and began to swirl around them, causing a great amount of water pressure.
"Yeah... But...!" Tasuki said slowly.
The water pressure began to build, ripping Chichiri's shirt to shreds..
"My body can't take this water pressure much longer!" Chichiri said, then screamed, "Do it, Tasuki! DO IT!"
Tasuki stared forward, remembering the sacrifice Chiriko had made for them that time ago in order for them to summon Suzaku.
"It's happening all over again. God damn it!" he hissed and squeezed his eyes shut. His hands on his fan shook with uncertainty and fear. "God damn it!"
"Taka...!" Miaka said weakly, unable to keep up her conscience any longer. "Save Chichiri...!"
Taka stared speechlessly. He knew the decision he was going to make, but it would be at the cost of his friend.
"Tasuki." he said, and their eyes met. Though no words were spoken, his trust in Tasuki was known.
Tasuki's resolve solidified and he steadied his grip on the fan.
"Run, Tama!" he shouted and concentrated his power into the fan. "Rekka..."
'Oh no!' Kaiya thought and on impulse, she ran towards Chichiri. The glow from her left hand glowed more and more brightly until it covered her and spread outwards, slowing everything but her.
"Shien!" Tasuki finished as time resumed its normal speed. Fire spiralled around the fabric bubble, quickly spreading towards the content inside as well.
Taka punched through the barrier and went through to Hikou.
"Im... possible...!" Hikou gasped. "How could I be defeated by this children...?!" Hikou's form blackened and began to dissipate.
Chichiri watched in dismay as his dear friend was once again taken away from him.
"Hikou..." he whispered.
Kaiya sat on the ground beside him with her body hunched over and her head bowed down. Her powers had ceased working now and she was trying to endure the pain of the curse. One hand clutched the fabric over her chest tightly while the other braced herself up.
"I'm sorry, Chichiri..." she said quietly.
The bubble containing Miaka popped and Taka quickly caught her. She coughed up some water but she was alright.
"Miaka's alright!" he announced happily, then turned his head to Tasuki. "We did it, Tasuki!"
Tasuki sat on the ground for his legs were too nerve wrecked to actually keep him standing and he still gripped his fan with white knuckles.
"'We did it!' Sure... Damn my nerves..." he said weakly. "I thought I was gonna have a heart attack, you jerk!"
Not long after, Kaiya, Miaka, Tasuki, and Taka had moved away from Chichiri and Hikou, knowing that the two needed to talk everything out.
Kaiya stood alongside everyone else, waiting for Chichiri to finish and wondering what they were saying, but could probably assume correctly anyway. She had managed to pull Chichiri out at the last second and afterwards everyone asked if she was okay, and of course, she replied she was fine. But really, her life expectancy was short and getting shorter. Two weeks and three days to be exact.
Hikou lay on his back in the water, his body nearly transparent and looked like water.
"Why are you holding my hand?" Hikou asked in a tired voice. His anger no longer controlled him and for once in eight years, he was able to see clearly.
"Because I'm not letting go of it this time." Chichiri answered simply. He did all he could to control himself and not break down right there into tears.
Hikou smiled softly.
"You're still such a nice guy." he mused. "That's why... she loved you."
"Hikou..." Chichiri said quietly and tightened his grip slightly.
"You really thought she had betrayed you?" Hikou asked, remembering the cause of everything that had gone wrong. "I never meant to steal her from you." he said guiltily. "It's just... just once... just once I wanted to hold her in my arms; feel the softness of her lips, the warmth of her skin..." he admitted and grimaced. "She valued faithfulness so much... She felt that being touched by another man even once meant she didn't deserve to be with you. Can't say I didn't understand her reasoning though..." he sighed. "Yeah, I was the one who wrecked it all. I deserved to die. But I hated you, and let a demon possess me. And for the sake of a fool like me, you were...!" He looked at Chichiri's scar now. "If she were to see that scar... She'd be shocked."
"That time, I let go." Chichiri started and felt the tears build up behind his eyes. "But I should have held on!" He closed his eye and let the tears flow freely down his cheek. "No matter what, I should have held onto you!" he cried. "When I saw the life leave you in that water, I felt... I couldn't move. If I had the powers I have now, I'd have...!"
"Oh, what fools we were." Hikou said. "Could real best friends ever be so quick to distrust each other?"
"What are you saying?!" Chichiri asked harshly. "You're my dearest friend, even now! And you always will be!" he vowed. "I loved you! I always loved you! That's why... That's why...!"
Hikou stared up at Chichiri for a few seconds before glancing at Kaiya, then back.
"Hou Jun, for your sake, I must warn you to stay away from the Mistress of Time." he said, but he was unable to maintain his form any longer, and collapsed.
"Wait, Hikou!" Chichiri cried in anguish as Hikou's hand trickled out of his.
"To water, I return, Hou Jun... Forgive me..."
"I am really pissed off!" Nuriko said as Mitsukake began his healing on Chichiri.
Kaiya and the others had returned shortly after Hikou had disappeared and awaiting them were the rest of the warriors, who were shocked and somewhat none too pleased with the fact that Chichiri left without them. But hey, even though the fact that Chichiri nearly died, was shredded to bits, and was going to leave everyone behind, they were all happy he was back safe and sound. They'd brought Chichiri to a fairly small room and everyone crowded around him in relaxation except for Tasuki and Taka whom were sleeping like logs.
Chichiri sat at the back of the small room with his back against the wall. Kaiya sat beside him with Miaka beside her, and Mitsukake kneeling down on his other side, healing him. In front of Miaka, Nuriko sat at a small table, and beside Mitsukake, Hotohori and Chiriko were standing.
"As am I!" Hotohori agreed.
"That was really cold of you, Chichiri!" Chiriko said haughtily.
"Guys, quit teasing him." Miaka said with amusement.
Mitsukake laughed.
"We're all happy you made it out alright." he said. "We're just being a little sarcastic with you. The water in the town's receding as well."
"Well done, Chichiri." Hotohori praised.
"It was a lot of work stopping a flood..." Nuriko fussed.
"You're really good at that kind of work, Nuriko!" Chiriko complimented.
"Well, I guess." Nuriko answered modestly, then changed the subject to Taka and Tasuki. "Are those two asleep?"
"Out like lights." Kaiya replied brightly.
"This time, I'm the one who owes them." Chichiri said, smiling. "If they hadn't been there..." Suddenly sensing an evil presence behind the door, he immediately came to his guard. "Who's there?!"
Everybody became alarmed and stood up. Chichiri used his powers to open the door and took a step forward, but soon felt blood coming out of his left cheek.
"Everyone, don't move. This room is booby-trapped with dangerous wires. Even the slightest movement could mean death." he warned.
But Kaiya wasn't listening. She was far too busy paying attention to the person at the door. And because she wasn't listening, her hands came up to close around her mouth, finding though that the air was caught in her throat. Her legs felt wobbly and she collapsed to the floor in a sitting position.
Chichiri glanced at Kaiya, noticing the movement. The wires shined in the moonlight slightly and he noticed that she was the only one who was not surrounded by them. In fact, the wires appeared to make some sort of path to the door and person. But why? Why would there be a path? He could see that her hands were clasped at her mouth and she looked like she'd seen a ghost. He then glanced at Miaka as well. Miaka had nearly the same reaction, but it was not as strong as Kaiya's.
"What's wrong, Miaka? Kaiya? You look like you've seen a ghost!" Nuriko observed in the corner of his eye.
In the doorway, stood a boy with spiked brown hair on his left side (think Trowa from Gundam Wing) and blue eyes. He wore a white dress shirt with a red tie, and grey breeds (these are supposed to be pants...). His hands were in his pockets and he was smiling that kind of evil smile that said, "I know something that you did and I'm going to kill you."
But who cares about that? He was her boyfriend for practically her whole life. That day she thought he died, and here he was alive again! Or just alive! Who knows if he really died? Maybe that was just a dream.
Kaiya swallowed the lump in her throat and could feel the tears of happiness spring to her eyes. She wiped them away with her sleeve and finally, she managed to get a grasp on her air to say something.
"Kenji…! Oh, Kenji…!" she cried. "I thought you were dead!"
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Author notes: Yay! I'm done! I'm happy. I feel I should tell you guys that I skipped a few things in this chapter, mostly because I didn't think they were important. But I dunno if that gives this chapter a hurried feeling or not. If it does, just lemme know and I can probably fix it. Again, I hope I haven't been speeding up Chichiri and Kaiya's relationship too fast. If they are going too fast, for the love of god, let me know and I'll use a stick to whack their hands off each other before they reach sex. Oh, and the way that Kaiya nearly got Miaka out of thar bubble and Chichiri out was that she used her powers to reverse the time of the selected object. Kinda like she isolated something and did something. She can do that. XP Please comment. Hopefully I'll get the next chapter up soon. Bye!
