Onto the reader's response since I have no messages for you…

Queen of Monkey Magic: Yep! Logs are quite useful…especially for hitting Tasuki (grins maniacally, joining you in the possible throwing of the logs)

Kyae Sohma: Why thank you. (grins) How was your birthday by the way? Fun?

caspercat22: Yep; of course, Nuriko doesn't come in until a few chapters later, so…it's Aidou!

notquiteagoddess: Ouch; sounds like you're really busy. It's okay (pats you on the head) at least you reviewed for chapter 7. I'm actually really busy too; only reason I can update this fast is 'cause most of the chapters are already written but I don't feel like putting them all up at once just 'cause I'm too lazy to edit the spelling and grammar mistakes of all of them. But once I post chapter 14 or 15, or whatever one I was on, well, it'd probably take a while for the next one. O.0…since I just finished summer school and now I have full day driving class for four days…o.0…oh well. Anyways, did I send you chapter 5 of the other story yet? I can't remember…

Enjoy and please review.

Nice shot, Kouji remarked to himself appreciatively as he caught up to the group and looked into the furious face of Aidou, who had now produced another log from somewhere or another and was perfecting an art…also known as hitting Genrou repeatedly on the head with a log.

"…Now I know why he's so dumb sometimes" Seiriko whispered, "There's gotta be 'bout a hundred brain cells killed just now"

"…there goes another hundred" Kristen commented, grinning as Genrou desperately tried to fend off his sister's blow to his head with no avail.

"Aidou!" Genrou shouted, a growl creeping into his voice, "STOP HITTING ME!"

"You deserve to be hit until some sense creeps back into that empty head of yours" Aidou huffed, "What decent man chases two innocent girls like that?"

"Innocent? THEM! You've gotta be kidding me!"

"I am not; I mean, just look at them" Aidou pointed and Genrou saw indeed that to an outsider, each perfectly angelic face could pass as innocent.

"They ain't innocent!" Genrou shouted, "They're bandits! Bandits are not innocent!"

"…so now you've started recruited innocent girls to be bandits!"

"They wanted to!"

The two looked as though they could argue about this forever but before they could continue, they were interrupted by an annoyed voice, "Aidou; keep it down will you? I heard you from all the way across town and the merchants told me to tell you and whoever you're arguing with to tone it down"

There was a young boy there, no older than thirteen, with light brown hair, much like Aidou's and large eyes that were green and seemed to have a thirst of knowledge reflected in them…quite the opposite of Genrou's.

"Oh hello" the boy said to the two girls, "I'm Ou Doukun, Shun'u's cousin"

Kristen gazed at him in confusion, "Who's Shun'u?"

Kouji laughed and slung an arm over her shoulder as if she was a child he was giving a vital talk to. Of course, no one with any sense would actually go to Kouji for advice so it was rare he did this and he was taking full advantage of it.

"Shun'u…is Genrou's real name" he explained, "He dropped it when he became a bandit"

Seiriko opened her mouth to ask something but was cut off by Doukun, "Yes, they do argue like that all the time"

"And you're his cousin?"

"More like a brother actually" Kouji cut in, "Doukun lives with Genrou's family; they don't even refer to him as a cousin when they introduce him to other people"

"Oh…I see…"

"So…" Seiriko trailed off, a questioning look in her eyes.

"Yes?"

"…how many headaches do you get a day once Shun'u's home?"

Kouji and Chiriko burst into silent fits of laughter while Genrou – Shun'u – argued on with his sister, continuing to be completely oblivious to the conversation that was going on about him.

Three cloaked figures were huddled under the shade of a tree, discreetly quietly as they talked in hushed voices, ensuring that nobody would heard them; it was most vital that nobody find out their plans after all, for if anyone should, their leader would not be pleased at all. For these people had come with one purpose in mind, and that purpose had resulted from an order from one of their leader's higher ranked minions, who had threatened them with an honest life should they come back empty-handed. Their mission was quite simple…

"If you do not bring them back, alive and relatively uninjured, do not even bother coming back at all" the minion had snapped, "Or I will leave our leader to deal with you"

One of the three cloaked figures shuddered at the mention of their leader's wrath, "But why must be bring them back?"

"Those girls are becoming more and more of a…threat" the minion disclosed, "They have come by two of the phoenix's chosen ones already; we are still unsure whether they really are that clueless about these things and are that lucky or they are acting"

There was a awkward pause.

"Either way, they must be stopped"

"They can't be that difficult to capture" Cloak Figure One scoffed, "They're just women"

"They are not women of this world!" the minion hissed threateningly, "Have you forgotten that incident we managed to witness with the slave traders? They are neither timid nor scared; they are cunning and have more than one trick up their sleeves…"

"Or they could just be lucky" Cloak Figure Two pointed out.

"Yes…that too; but…GET GOING!"

With three identical squeaks, the cloaked figures ran off as if their leader himself was on their tails.

"I still don't know why they had to send us; surely, one of the lower ranked could do it"

"The leader must still be mad about that incident two months ago"

"Which one?"

"It was the month that he told us our missions were to bring in money from our own schemes and we tried to, but we ended up having a town chase us out, throwing tomatoes at us and it was then that the leader came to check up on us and he got hit with tomatoes too…"

"Oh yeah…I wonder where they get all these tomatoes"

"Let's get going" the third one said irritably, "Before the leader finds us doing this slower than he expected and punishes us anyways"

"Right"

Kristen glanced out the kitchen window of the Kou home, grinning as she watched Aidou get considerably more frustrated as her brother began to beat her in a game of cards; Doukun was alternating between studying his books and playing the game. Cursing slightly, she realized that she had finished the tea that had been in her cup. Lifting the teapot, she found that it was empty and cursed again.

"Genrou, the teapot's empty" she stated.

"Go get the water yourself"

"But I don't know where you get water around here!"

"Well, I ain't going!" Genrou growled, "Help her, Aidou"

"I'm playing" Aidou said through gritted teeth to her brother, "You go and get it; be polite"

"NO"

As they started another argument, Doukun spoke up, "I'll go with you" he closed his textbook, glared at his siblings and rolled his eyes when they continued to ignore everything else around them, "Sometimes I wonder how I'm still sane" he muttered to himself.

Kristen snickered, "Really?"

"Yes…how are you sane, living in the same building as Genrou for that long?"

"Who says I'm sane?"

Doukun paused, thinking it over as they walked, "Well…" he finally said, "You're not an idiot at least"

Kristen grinned, "Ha! Shows what Seiriko knows!"

"Where is Seiriko anyways?"

"Kouji's teaching her how to throw daggers and shoot arrows properly"

"I thought she already knew"

"Nah; she just throws them everywhere" Kristen explained, "So do I for that matter…" she paused, "But at least mine didn't accidentally go through a bird's nest" at Doukun's look, she added, "We were aiming for the targets on the other side"

Doukun laughed and he held the wooden bucket in his hand up, "Unfortunately, we don't have a well around here so we use the river" he explained, "It's a bit more work but it's the best we have"

"So who usually gets the water?" Kristen asked curiously.

"Definitely not Shun'u; you know that he's afraid of water"

"Unfortunately, the bandit base is on a mountain, so I've only had Kouji's word on it"

"Well, it's true; ever since we took a trip to the lake once when he was about eight or nine. He was being his usual idiot self and said something to his second-eldest sister, Li'an – she lives somewhere in Sairou now but visits a lot – and Li'an, of course, got angry and threw him into the lake…right in the middle of it. Shun'u was too short back then to reach the bottom so…you can imagine" Doukun finished, grinning.

"Ah…that's why" Kristen grinned manically. What great blackmail material. Doukun dipped the bucket into the water and then brought it back out, letting the overflowing water splash onto the ground before handing it to Kristen, "I don't suppose you could carry this could you? I always manage to spill it when it's this full"

"No problem" Kristen took the bucket. As much as she usually disliked children and people who counted (in her mind) as children(such as anyone younger than her who was annoying), she liked Doukun; he was not a spoiled brat like most other children were and most of all, he did not annoy her. Besides…he held a lot of blackmail material in that head of his.

As she carried the bucket back toward the Kou home, she heard a sudden whizzing sound, another sound that she could not identify and then a loud laugh coming from the direction of the field.

"Damn it! How come I missed!" Seiriko's frustrated yell could be heard, "It's like that dagger – or my stupid hand – has a mind of its fucking own!"

"Now, now, Seiriko; you know that's not true…"

"The hell it's not! Then why the hell do I randomly turn around and throw it in the opposite direction? 'Cause I can't explain it myself!"

"…I'm sure…okay, okay; no need to get violent Sei"

"STUPID DAGGER! WHERE'D IT GO NOW!"

"Sei…you do realize that those daggers seem to return to you and Kristen after a few seconds, right?"

Silence.

"Of course I knew that! Geez, Kouji!"

"Alright, let's practice that again; I don't understand it though…" Kouji said and Kristen could imagine him scratching his head, "It's definitely not the daggers…the last few daggers went the right way and even hit the targets…"

Kristen smirked to herself. Typical Seiriko. She saw Doukun's mouth opening and closing in something akin to disbelief, "You're right" he finally said, "You are crazy. Not idiots. But not sane either"

As they walked away from the river, two cloaked figures stepped out from behind a tree and quickly climbed their way up a tree where their comrade had hidden. Their mouths opened and closed in shock, disbelief and fear, for their comrade was…well, dead. He had a hole in the shape of a very sharp knife (or dagger) going from his back, right out through his front where his heart was located. The two remaining assassins gulped. They were definitely dealing with someone very dangerous here.

Doukun quickly closed his textbook as he heard a set of footsteps approach him. He narrowed his eyes and sighed resignedly when he realized who it was. It was definitely not anybody he wanted to talk to at the moment, or in fact, for the rest of his life.

"Oi; Doukun"

Not exactly strong, but stronger than Doukun, fourteen year old Chen was the classic definition of a bully; grimy, large and constantly harassing the people who annoyed him. He only had one target, however: Doukun. It was perhaps the way that Doukun always managed to confused Chen long enough for him to walk back to his house, leaving Chen incapable of doing anything. Today, it was something else.

"Think you're so smart, huh?" the boy demanded, "Showing off like that every class!"

"Do not blame others for your own stupidity and being the very image of an imbecile" Doukun replied smoothly. Chen looked confused for a moment, and then, "Hey!" he growled, "I understood that!"

"Really?" Doukun's eyes widened, "Congratulations! It only took six years of me saying the exact same thing since I was seven!"

Chen glared, but Doukun was not fazed. Who would be? After seeing the glares his brother received from the two female bandits, he now knew that no mediocre glare such as that could scare him. He smirked at Chen, which confused the boy.

Chen growled and made a gesture as to hit him, although it never came. He found himself in a steel-like grip of a redheaded girl who was glaring at him with the most frightening glare he had ever seen. Giving what sounded like a cross between a mousy squeak and an rather feminine shriek, he ran off quickly. Kristen shook her head amused, "Not very brave is he?" she commented.

"You're just scary" Doukun countered, feeling embarrassed that Kristen had to help him out of that scrape; usually, he was capable of it himself, but when he was not today, he felt oddly…ashamed.

"Who was that brat anyways?" Kristen muttered, "This is why I hate all other children; annoying spoiled brats"

"Why are you here anyways?"

"Kouji said he felt something 'ominous' in the air" Kristen rolled her eyes, "And insisted I go check out the town and possibly stop by the market and buy some carrots for dinner" she held up the carrots, "What'd you think? If we dye your brother's face green, they could be twins"

"I'd like to see that" Doukun nodded slowly, smiling.

"I gotta get back before Seiriko accidentally gets carried away while cutting up the other stuff for dinner" Kristen shuddered, "Never trust her with a knife"

"And never trust you with anything possibly deadly" Doukun recited.

"Where'd you hear that?"

"Seiriko"

"Bitch" Kristen muttered under her breath, "depriving me of precious deadly weapons"

Laughing, Doukun followed her to Kouji's home, which was right next to Genrou's. Seeing as Kouji's parents had passed away a year ago, the house had been empty and the two girls had been staying in there for the time being.

Seiriko met them at the door, pouting, "Kouji took away the knife"

"YOU WEREN'T CUTTING THINGS UP PROPERLY! WE DON'T NEED STAR SHAPED MEAT!"

"But stars are shiny!"

"SO!"

"…SOOOOOOOOOOOOO THEY'RE SHINY!"

"ARGH!"

Kristen rolled her eyes and Doukun laughed quietly to himself as he headed for his own home. As he opened his door, he heard a shout of, "I'VE GOT YOUR STUPID CARROTS! WHY DID WE NEED IT ANYWAYS!"

"Maybe we can pretend we're cooking Genrou?"

"IDIOTS!"

"Good job" one of the two remaining cloaked figures snickered, congratulating the other one, impressed, "I never thought of this"

"What? Taking the most vulnerable person around them and making them come here?"

"Nope; I figured it was too obvious and simple"

"Simple is good in this case"

"Yes it is"

Doukun glared at them from where he was gagged on the ground. Vulnerable was he? I'll show them vulnerable, once I get my legs free and we'll see how they like it when I put them in a world of pain! He growled much like his elder brother, And then I'll make sure that I give you to Aidou!

Doukun continued to plot as chaos reigned over the Kou household when they realized that Doukun was missing. The only thing they had to go on was that he had been taken from the schoolhouse by two black cloaked people, both seemingly male and had declared that the two girls from another world go to a certain address to exchange themselves for him.

Unfortunately, however, the aforementioned girls did not find about such a thing right away because they had been by the river, sparring with each other, using their strange weapons; every so often, they would switch weapons to get used to using different ones in case their current weapon was unavailable. They had not heard of the news of Doukun's kidnap yet.

Suddenly, Kristen paused.

"What's the matter?"

"Do you smell that?" she sniffed the air. Seiriko followed suit and then suddenly covered her nose with her sleeve, looking revolted, "That's disgusting!"

"It's not a skunk; I don't think there are any skunks around here" Kristen muttered, "Besides, skunks don't smell like that…"

"Nobody else is around…?"

Intent on figuring out what the source of the smell was so that they could get rid of it, they headed straight toward it, making a note to themselves to get Taiitsu-kun to give them some sort of gas mask next time they saw her.

"It's coming from up there" Kristen pointed up a tree and without waiting for an answer, climbed it swiftly. Seiriko followed, trying to cover her nose and climb at the same time. Remarkably, she managed it.

"Holy –"

" – shit"

There, before them, was a dead body of a cloaked man, bloody staining the branch he was laying on and from the looks and smell of it, he had been dead for a few days already.

"Hey" Kristen nudged Seiriko, "Look at that wound…" she pointed the hole in the man's chest out.

Seiriko's eyes widened and she took out one of the daggers. One might wonder how it had appeared out of seemingly nowhere seeing as Seiriko had no pockets nor a bag on her, but the answer was quite simple. Taiitsu-kun had liked Seiriko and Kristen more than she did Miaka and had given them all the things she thought would be helpful, including something akin to a holster, that could be strapped to their legs and could hold daggers and equally small swords.

"…it's definitely from one of our daggers…"

"But…I don't' remember hitting this guy…have you?"

"No…but remember…that time you were practicing with Kouji and your 'randomly' turned and threw it in the opposite direction. Maybe this guy was a danger…and…it's…like an instinct and so you threw it"

"…I've never thrown made an instinct for throwing knives, Kristen" Seiriko retorted, "How the hell is that possible?"

"Seiriko…how the hell is it possible for us to be stuck in Ancient China?" Kristen countered.

"Good point; alright, let's just blame it on the Gods"

"Right; it's probably their fault anyways"

Before they could speculate anymore, they saw Kouji running up to them, looking more serious than they had ever seen Kouji look.

"What's the matter?"

Unfortunately, the bandit was panting too hard to do much at the moment and the girls had to wait patiently for the blue haired bandit to regain his breath.

"Doukun…kidnapped…Genrou….something….stupid…"

"Right" Seiriko nodded. Kristen blanched, "I didn't understand a word!"

"Well, it's like when I was trying to understand Miaka enough to speak her language and tell her to fuck off" Seiriko explained, "But that was because she was just huge, not out of breath. Anyways…he said that Doukun was kidnapped and Genrou's doing something stupid"

"Alright…where are they?"

"The abandoned house on the other side of town"

"Alright; let's go!"

It did not take long to reach said house, nor was it hard to find. Genrou had left a lot of destruction in his wake and all they had to do was follow the splintered wood, the destroyed carriages, and so on before they reached the house, which was surprisingly quiet considering the fact that Genrou was there.

" – not the girls; where are they?"

"Dunno who the hell you're talking about! I want my brother back!"

"We'll give him back if you give the two girls to us!"

"Shut up and give me my brother!"

"Fat chance; you're our prisoner now"

"Two on one from behind ain't fair, you bastards!"

"Sentimental feelings and putting your brother's safety before your own usually ends up like this" one sneered. Kristen huffed at the sight of Genrou tied down and Doukun next to him.

"Are we gonna make a plan?" she asked her friend.

She got an 'Are you kidding me?' look for an answer.

"I'll take that as a no"

So without a plan, recklessly, idiotically, stupidly…

As they were doing this however, Genrou had grown angrier and angrier as these bastards kept his brother tied up; there was obvious bruising on his brother's cheeks and neck, suggesting that they had held him by his neck at one point, which could very obviously result in the thirteen-year old's death. As he felt his rage build, he barely noticed the two girls walk in.

The two kidnappers did though and they immediately smirked as if the mere entrance of the two girls signified their victory.

"Well…looks like your plan worked"

"Of course it did!"

"We've got them, and now…to ensure that they don't manage to kill us, we'll bring the boy with us too"

"Right. If they don't come peacefully, the boy dies"

This was of course, the wrong thing to say, for along with Kristen and Seiriko steadily getting angrier and glares getting deadlier, Genrou was now a blazing inferno heap of uncontrollable anger. A red rune traced itself onto his wrist while he struggled to get out of his bonds. The rune glowed brightly and the rope was charred. The two kidnappers suddenly found themselves in a choke hold by the redheaded bandit as his golden eyes shone with fury.

"Hey…didn't Taiitsu-kun mention something about glowing runes and seishi?" Kristen asked.

"Yeah…" Seiriko remarked casually as Genrou – Tasuki – began beating the shit out of the kidnappers as though it was perfectly normal for Genrou to start beating two people up to possible death; knowing Genrou's temper, however, it was possible that it was. They quickly went over to where Doukun was and untied him, which he was grateful for as he rubbed his red wrists. He was immediately asking them questions, however – very typical of the young boy.

"What's that sign on Shun'u's wrist?"

"Oh…he's a Suzaku seishi"

"…um…I thought the Gods were dead?"

"They're back…uh…well, they will be…"

"And you're the two girls from another world that those insane idiots talked about?"

"Yep"

"…uh…you know that rune thing?..."

"Yes?"

"There's one on my foot every time I have to think hard" Doukun admitted, "Or if I concentrate on it"

Shocked looks were exchanged before the two girls grinned at each other, "That's two seishi!" Kristen remarked.

"Who says we're not productive?"

Genrou walked over, smirking, "I'm done" he said proudly. The two kidnappers lay on a heap on the ground, bruised all over and muttering what sounded suspiciously like prayers under their breath; if insane asylums existed in Konan, or any of the other three countries, rest assured, these two would be going there. To them, at this point, there were only two things in the world that scared them now. The lesser fear was of the leader, who had yet to punish them for failing…and then, there was this group. They shuddered in fear; anything but this group again. As their eyes surveyed the group, Genrou turned back toward them and his eyes glowed slightly as he made a growling noise.

Despite their grievous injuries, the two kidnappers made it quite far, shrieking very femininely in the direction that took them far, far away from the town.

And finally, finally, there will be the official finding of the seishi...