Chapter Twelve
The fire was dying out now.
From his darkened corner, the man cast it a half-hearted glance, knowing that he needed firewood but lacking the energy or drive to go and fetch any from the surrounding forestland. Outside the small, ramshackle property, clouds hung low in the sky and the miasma of despair and disease hung heavily across the surrounding region.
And yet, even though his keen senses could feel this change in the atmosphere, still he kept his futile vigil, watching absently as the last glows of the flame flickered into reddish embers and then to blackened ash. A cool wind blew around the cramped room, sending sprays of this black dust flying onto surfaces and floor alike, but still the man sat there, unmoved.
In his heart beat only one memory. One thing which, for no apparent reason, had infiltrated his entire soul and which he was unable to forget, although remembering brought him nothing but pain and sadness. The face of a beautiful woman, young and smiling, echoed through his thoughts with every breath, and he rubbed his temples, seeking to push her away yet fearing the emptiness that her absence in his heart might bring.
At length he stumbled to his feet, moving to the door of the dusty old cottage as he cast his gaze south towards the town of Choukou. Even from there, with his substantial height and bearing he was able to see the density of the cloud hovering near the city, but although he felt detached from its clutches, somehow he knew that he and it were connected. That somehow, it had come here because of him – such knowledge brought tears to his eyes, although even then he felt detached from them, like they were being shed by another soul from another lifetime completely.
The woman's face danced once more in front of his and he sighed, shaking his head slowly.
"Shouka." He whispered, the name coming readily to his lips, and the woman in his mind smiled, as if acknowledging her identity. For a moment he let her play there, laughing and teasing and holding out a hand to him, but then, as the images grew darker, he let out a cry of anguish, as the vibrant young figure became frail and wracked by pain, screaming the name of someone who never came.
Somehow, even in his dazed state, the man knew that someone was him.
The squeal of a rodent at his feet startled him out of his nightmare state and he glanced down, seeing the small rat sniffing and nuzzling against the wall of the property, clearly looking for food. It was a mangy, flea-bitten creature, thin and covered with the scratch and teeth marks of a battle with another over the scarce supplies of food that occasionally littered the floor. Almost instinctively, the man bent down, holding out his left hand to the creature, who sniffed at it cautiously, then inched forward, nosing between his fingers as if searching for something edible on his skin. For a moment, the man sat there, just watching the rat in its ongoing battle for survival. Then, as the sadness of his situation welled up within him once more, he felt a strange, prickling sensation tiptoe across his palm, growing stronger and more decided as the memories of Shouka filled his thoughts again. He closed his eyes, seeking to shut them out as his palm burned and ached in a strange way, almost as if he had thrust it into the fire that he had so carelessly allowed to die moments earlier.
For a second, he did not move. Then, as he felt something soft and limp against his fingers, he opened his eyes, glancing down at the creature that a second before had been eagerly sniffing and licking at his fingers for food. The rat lay still, glassy-eyed and motionless across his palm, and disbelief touched his otherwise flat expression.
Slowly, almost gingerly, as if afraid of what he saw, he took the rat up in his other hand, examining it carefully as if looking for a reason for its sudden, unexpected death. Perhaps an infected wound – or maybe, in the end, starvation – but despite the creature's thin, moth-eaten appearance, he could see no reason why the animal should have perished.
He loosed his grip on it as fear rushed through him, pounding in his ears as he left the confines of the hut, suddenly suffocating in its secure, remote confinement. As his gaze was once more drawn towards Choukou, he felt the burning sensation in his left palm once more and, glancing down at it, he noticed with both surprise and alarm that across his skin had appeared vivid red lines, cutting through his palm as if carved by a knife. A character was written there, and as he stretched his fingers, he saw it brighten, and then fade to nothing at all.
Unnerved, the man left the hut altogether, heading down the hillside towards the distant town of Choukou below. Although the symbol was gone, his hand still prickled and tingled, and somehow he knew that it had been this which had taken the rat's life.
Another image of the woman – of Shouka – permeated his confused brain, and as he reached the city limits, he sank to his knees, aware of the cries and calls of the townsfolk in their plague-haunted crisis. The darkness that had invaded his heart hung heavy around him, and the people that had become his neighbours, and in the distance, the sound of her voice was so real that he almost thought she was calling to him on the wind.
"I let you die." He murmured. "Shouka…I…let…you…die."
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"You know, we could easily have found an inn or somewhere within the city to spend the night."
Aidou glanced up at the sky overhead, then frowned, turning to send Chichiri a questioning look. "Is it really necessary for us to have left the town so soon? Since it was getting late, I thought…"
"I don't have much money with me." Chichiri admitted. "And I think it's unlikely Tasuki has any. There are five of us, and it would be expensive, even to share one room – which you and Anzu might not appreciate, in the long run."
He smiled.
"Plus, it's a nice night, and it's easier for me to use my sensory abilities when I'm not being crowded by a thousand busy traders hurrying home for the night." He added. "And if we'd stayed in town, we'd have lost Tasuki for the evening, you know? Too many sources of alcohol – I've been there and I don't need a repeat performance."
"Bandits drink. It's one of the things we do." Tasuki objected, stretching out on his back as he slipped his fingers beneath his head. "Besides, Aidou, shut up whining, will ya? All you've done is complain since we left Reikaku-zan. It's not like you've got a farmstead to go mooch around in right now anyway, so quit it already!"
From her position beneath the spreading branches of a nearby tree, Anzu inwardly winced at the brusqueness of his assessment, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Hotohori flinch slightly at the mention of the village fire. She pursed her lips, getting to her feet as she crossed the grass towards him.
"Hotohori-sama, in the city, you promised to help me use a sword." She said hesitantly. "I know you're probably tired, and it's been a long day. But…I'd appreciate it, if you don't mind. I want to be able to defend myself properly – I don't want to have to rely on other people to protect me all the time."
"Anzu." Hotohori glanced up at her, surprise in his expression, and Anzu was relieved to see the shadowed look leave his golden eyes. He nodded his head, getting to his feet as his hand drifted absently to the hilt of his sword. "Yes, of course. I remember…I did promise you, and I do not like to break a promise."
"I guess now I know why you hold it so naturally." Anzu sighed, shrugging her shoulders. "If you were Saihitei-sama, then you must have been trained by the best in the land."
"Probably." Hotohori admitted. "They were just teachers, as far as I'm concerned. I don't remember faces or names – but I do remember working hard to perfect the art. I think I believed, in my naïve youth, that if I could hold the sword well and use it to defend my own person, I could use it to defend Kounan, too."
He smiled ruefully, pulling his blade from its scabbard and laying it down on the grass.
"This is not like any other sword, however." He added. "It has…some kind of sense about it. Some kind of…power, I think. I do not know how to explain it, but it is like…like I flow into it, when I use it. Like it is a natural part of myself, rather than a weapon."
"That's because it was given to you by Taiitsukun, you know?" Chichiri overheard this, casting him a grin. "It's a holy sword – a shinken – not just a random warrior's blade. That's why you feel connected to it."
"I do not know who Taiitsukun is, though I feel I should." Hotohori sighed. "But my fear is that you will not be able to use it, Anzu-san. If it is so tuned to me…"
"Chichiri?" Anzu turned, sending the sorcerer a questioning look, and he smiled, holding his hand out towards the blade, then shrugging.
"Last night it seemed like a cursed blade. Today it seems like normal." He said evenly. "I don't think it's a problem, you know? You're not going to wield the power of Suzaku, but then, when Suzaku was sealed, Hotohori-sama could still hold it and use it to wound Nakago in battle. Besides, Miaka also used it against Soi, once. I don't think it will hurt her to touch it, Heika. It's a blessed sword, but Anzu's not a demon. Her intentions are true and honest – Suzaku wouldn't mind."
Anzu bent down, hesitating, then picking up the gold and red hilt in her fingers. Slowly she lifted it, glancing at the gleaming silver of the blade.
"It is beautiful." She murmured. "A holy sword? I can believe it."
"Chichiri-san, I think there's a stream nearby." Aidou came to stand beside him, casting the sword and Anzu a doubtful look, then turning her attention fully to the monk. "You said you fished, didn't you? I'm pretty sure I saw life in it - it would be a quick and easy solution to an evening meal, if you could catch something."
"Catch something?" Chichiri looked momentarily taken aback, and Tasuki smirked, amusement crossing his face.
"Whenever he catches a fish, he tosses it back, Oneechan." He said lazily, not taking his gaze off the starry sky above them. "I don't think I've ever seen him land one and gut it, yet."
"Well, that's going to be a lot of help if we starve." Aidou said pragmatically. Chichiri rubbed his chin ruefully.
"Tasuki has a point, you know." He admitted. "I don't usually like killing things unecessarily."
"I'd call filling my stomach a necessity - just go do it, huh?" Tasuki's eyes flitted in the monk's direction, and Chichiri sighed, shrugging his shoulders.
"All right. Fine." He agreed. "I'll try and catch some fish."
"I'll gut them and cook them, you needn't worry about that." Aidou said frankly. "I just thought maybe you could use those sensing powers of yours to detect them more easily."
"I don't think I've ever tried to sense a fish's chi before." Chichiri looked bewildered, and Tasuki snorted appreciatively.
"First time for everything, buddy." he said with a casual flick of his hand. "It's safer not to argue with her, anyway. What she got from the market wasn't much, really, when you consider there are five of us."
"I don't believe I need to eat." Hotohori raised his head at this. "If my body is not like yours, then surely I'm not going to sustain it with food, so you need not waste it on me."
"We don't know what your body is running on." Chichiri admitted doubtfully, and Hotohori shrugged.
"I do not feel hungry." He said simply. "So confine your catch to providing for the four of you. That will be less of a strain, anyway - and I am quite content."
"All right." Aidou nodded her head. "Then you catch some fish, Chichiri-san, and I'll see what I can gather in the way of wild fruit. The market was already starting to close by the time I got to buying food -" At this juncture she sent her brother a pointed glare, "But I'm a farmer's daughter and I know what's edible when I see it. I'm sure we'll manage all right, so long as it doesn't rain. Chichiri-san, I'll show you where I saw the fish - it's just this way."
With which remark she grabbed the startled monk by the arm, leading him away towards the distant sound of running water that permeated the atmosphere.
Tasuki chuckled.
"Now he knows how I feel." He said with a grin. "He'd better keep an eye on her fist, that's all I'm saying."
"Really, Tasuki, you and your sister are startlingly alike." Hotohori observed mildly, and Tasuki sat up with a jerk, casting the former Emperor an indignant look.
"What the hell's that meant to mean?" He demanded. "And hey...are you teaching Anzu to use that thing or are you trying to find a good way to grope her? Because unless you'd forgotten, you're both married and dead!"
Hotohori started from where he had been guiding Anzu's grip on the sword, and Anzu pulled a face, eying the bandit impatiently.
"He's showing me how to hold it." She snapped. "What's wrong with you? I thought you'd be glad that I was learning to fight for myself."
"Fine, learn to fight, but yeesh, there's something perverted about a girl hanging all over a dead guy like that." Tasuki folded his arms, a look of disapproval in his eyes.
"Are you jealous?" Anzu raised an eyebrow, and Tasuki bristled indignantly.
"Jealous of what?" He demanded. "I just think it's kinda gross, that's all. First you're hugging all over him, now this - doesn't it weird you out even a little bit that he's been dead and buried two years or more?"
"Thank you for reminding me of that fact, Tasuki." Hotohori said evenly. "I'm sure I had forgotten."
"With your memory the way it's been lately, anything's possible." Tasuki muttered.
"Genrou, stop it. He's your friend, and he's been kind to me." Anzu objected. "Stop being grumpy just because you're hungry or jealous or...whatever's eating you, I don't know. Don't take it out on him."
"I'm not being grumpy and I'm not jealous!" Tasuki protested. "I'm just saying it like it is! You're alive and he's dead - it's sick! Don't you get it yet? He's pretty much a walking corpse!"
"But still beautiful." Hotohori reflected absently. Tasuki groaned, rubbing his temples.
"You really are coming back to yourself." He admitted with a grimace.
"Well, I'm not bothered by the fact he's dead." Anzu said firmly. "I mean, he's not really, is he? Saihitei-sama may have died, but Hotohori is still here. Because otherwise, he wouldn't be here like this. Even if it is some kind of messed up magic - he's still real. And he still saved my life earlier today."
"I'm glad I did." Hotohori offered her a smile. "Although in the end I feel you've helped me more than I have you. I've felt more...settled, since I met you."
"Hotohori-sama, what did I just say?" Tasuki exclaimed, and the former Emperor laughed.
"You really do sound jealous, you know," He reflected absently. "For someone who says he hates women."
"That doesn't mean I believe in dead people and live ones getting it on! Especially if they're already married - what about Houki and that brat of yours, huh?"
Hotohori frowned, then shook his head.
"I have left Houki's life for good." He said quietly. "And I have no designs on Anzu. I simply respect her kindness to me and wish to repay it, that's all. I am, as you correctly said, dead. My existance here is temporary. And if I can use that time to help her learn to better protect herself, so be it. It's not a foolish plan, really...a young woman is always at risk in a busy city like Eiyou if she doesn't know how to do that."
He turned his attention back to his pupil with a slight smile.
"Anzu, you've almost got the grip right - but you have to be more decisive in your hold. It won't bite you."
He stood back, eying her keenly.
"You said you were a circus performer, didn't you?" He asked softly. Anzu looked startled, nodding her head.
"Yes." She agreed. "For a long time. Why?"
"When you first performed a tumble or something of that nature, I'm sure you were tentative and afraid of it." Hotohori said slowly. "But with time and experience, you grew to trust in your own body and skill. I won't have the time to devote to you that kind of training - much as I wish to help you, I don't know how much time this body has, or what it will have to face. So you must try yourself to push past that first, frightened step. You must believe you can wield this thing, or else you never will manage to do it. Belief is a big part of doing anything - if you do not have faith you can hold the sword, then you will never be able to do so."
"Blah, blah, blah." Tasuki grimaced in their direction. "Girls don't make good swordsmen, you know. They're not built that way. They swing their arms and boom - there's something there gettin' in the way. Besides, they have their own, inbuilt weapons system. You'll see, spending time with Aidou. They don't need swords...they're damn lethal in their own right."
"I can't be a swordsman, Genrou, because I'm not a man. I'm going to be a swordswoman." Anzu said defiantly. "And I'm going to be a good one, too. You'll see."
"I'll believe it when I do." Tasuki snorted derisively. He flopped back onto the grass, staring up at the sky once more with a dissatisfied sigh.
"Tama's stars are still missing." He said frankly. "You know, I could throttle that jerk, running off to his little love nest with Miaka and leaving us with all this to deal with. Whatever 'this' even is. It's nuts...how do stars disappear, anyway? Can they do that - just vanish overnight?"
"I don't think so, you know." Chichiri answered him, as he returned from the stream, Aidou in tow. Tasuki's sister had three or four fish strung over her arm, and as she settled herself on the grass, unsheathing the practical knife she carried at her waist, the monk frowned, shaking his head slightly then moving away to sit beside Tasuki on the ground. "But all the rest of us are still up there...that's a good sign, at the very least."
"So all those stars...are your stars?" Anzu's eyes darted towards the sky at this. "Which is yours, Genrou? Which is Tasuki?"
"That one." Tasuki lifted his right hand lazily, his symbol blazing on his forearm as he flicked his fingers in the direction of the most star-studded constellation. "That's Tasuki...right there."
"And Chichiri? Hotohori-sama? Which are you?"
"They're just stars, Anzu." Aidou frowned. "Chichiri-san and Shun'u and the other Suzaku warriors may have their names, but they're not constellations themselves. I mean, they're human...like you and me."
"I know that." Anzu admitted. "But still, it must be kind of nice to be connected to the sky like that. The stars are so beautiful."
"That one is Chichiri, you know." Chichiri indicated, giving her a grin as he did so. "And the serpent is Hotohori."
"So the others are Chiriko, Mitsukake and Nuriko, yes?" Anzu frowned. "And Tamahome is gone?"
"Tamahome's should be there." Chichiri agreed, flexing his finger towards a gap in the sky. "I'm not quite sure when it disappeared, but I imagine it was when Sukunami Taka went to Miaka's world to begin his life there."
"To think that Miaka and Tamahome's love should still be blighted even now." Hotohori said sadly, and Chichiri shot him a sidelong glance.
"You remember Miaka, then? And Tamahome, too?" He asked gently. Hotohori nodded.
"I do, now." He agreed soberly. "That is the reason I died, Chichiri. Not just to save Kounan, by attacking that monster. But because he sought to go to Miaka's world and put them in danger. I remember it very clearly, now. Miaka and Tamahome...after everything they have endured, is it really wrong for them to have a future together?"
"The world can be a cruel place, regardless of which world you're talking about." Chichiri said sadly. "It's just how it is, you know?"
"I know." The former Emperor said darkly, and Anzu saw a shadow touch his eyes once more. "Whenever I think of Houki, I remember it only too well."
"You know what I don't totally understand?" Tasuki put in at that moment.
"What's that?" Hotohori looked startled, and Tasuki sat up, gesturing in the former Emperor's direction.
"You being here like this, and stuff." He admitted. "I mean, before, you were there, but as spirits. What happened? How did you get to have a body but lose your memories? What kind of screwed up power did that?"
"I'd like to know that too." Hotohori admitted. "But I don't know the answer."
"Actually, I think this is a bigger deal than just resurrecting Seishi." Chichiri reflected. "I've said it before, but I think it does have something to do with the makeup of our world."
"Like what, exactly, though? Trees and animals and villages and stuff?" Tasuki frowned.
"Not quite, but sort of." Chichiri pursed his lips. "Remember when we tried to get to Taikyoku-zan? And we couldn't?"
"Yes. I remember. I fell in a ditch and you didn't." Tasuki grimaced. Chichiri laughed.
"Right." He agreed amiably. "And that weird light that came out - that I said was like the world was bleeding. That too?"
"Uh-huh."
"I'm thinking that the world really has got hurt somehow. Properly. In some way."
"So what? We get a giant bandage and wrap it round Taikyoku-zan?" Tasuki frowned. "How do you heal an entire world, Chichiri? It's too big. Even Mitsukake's fist couldn't do it."
"I didn't mean it literally. At least, not like that." Chichiri sighed. "Look...let me see if I can make it clearer. You remember when we were riding from Souun, and I noticed the change in the stars?"
"Tamahome was missing." Tasuki nodded. "What about it?"
"Well, Tamahome is missing." Chichiri reminded him. "Just like we already said. He's left this world. He became Sukunami Taka, and that's where the trouble lies - I'm pretty sure. Sou Kishuku was a man of this world. He had a family here, and a past, and all of those things. But Sukunami Taka's history and roots exist in Miaka's world. He may be Tamahome, but there's still a conflict. Now he's gone, there's no part of Tamahome remaining in our world. All his past, memories, everything about him have gone."
"And so therefore it's as if Tamahome never existed at all?" Hotohori asked softly. Chichiri shrugged.
"No, not that exactly." He said carefully. "More that he did exist, but then was ripped out by Suzaku trying to grant Miaka's third wish."
"So it really ain't just to do with the stars goin' funny, and our friends coming back from the dead half nuts?" Tasuki demanded. Chichiri spread his hands.
"I thought it was big before, but now we've found Hotohori-sama, I'm starting to think it's huge, you know?" He said helplessly. "That the entire structure of this world is slowly falling apart."
"So what you're saying is that because he's taken off with the Miko back to their weird, claustrophobic world, this world is gonna fall to pieces?" Tasuki snorted. "I'm glad Tama can't hear that. His ego would have a field day."
"It's not Tamahome himself, exactly. But the fact that he's not there." Chichiri reached across to tap Tasuki's left hand.
"For example, if someone took a sword and cut that off...you'd be pretty annoyed about it, wouldn't you?"
"Hey!" Tasuki pulled his hand away hurriedly. "I thought you were against all the violent stuff - noone's cutting off my hand, thank you!"
"My point being that you'd be incomplete without it." Chichiri said patiently. "And the world's missing Tamahome. Maybe that's why it's 'bleeding' too."
"Because someone cut off its arm?" Tasuki blinked. "The world has arms?"
"Tasuki!" Chichiri groaned. "Do you have to be so literal all the time!? No, of course not. Because there are only six Seishi left in Kounan, that's why! One of us is missing and it's upset the balance!"
"Even though Nuriko and I and Mitsukake and Chiriko are dead, we still exist here. And when we are reborn, we will continue to exist." Hotohori said thoughtfully. "Are you saying, then, that we will remain Suzaku's Seishi, even beyond rebirth? That it is as Anzu says - Saihitei-sama has died, but Hotohori still exists?"
"That's the theory I'm working on." Chichiri admitted. "But what the implications are - I'm still a little fuzzy on those. And on how to fix it, too. All I can think of is that we need to find the others. I'm hoping then what we need to do will become clear."
"Mmm." Tasuki frowned, then. "I suppose I see what you both mean. Kind of. Tama's skipped out and left a great big hole somewhere - not just in the stars over Kounan, but in everything. In the whole world itself. Right?"
"I think so." Chichiri nodded. "Remember, this was the one wish Byakko refused to grant Suzuno-sama and Tatara. The Beast Gods grant any wishes – any at all. But not that wish. I'm wondering if that's why. It's not just a case of time moving differently in this world, and Tamahome's reflection and shadow in Miaka's. Some element of all of the Seishi needs to be in this world. I haven't quite pieced together how that's possible, or why it even matters so much. But it's the only thing that makes any sense to me. Suzaku – and Taiitsukun – broke the rules somehow, and this is the result. Even though they tried to get around it, creating Sukunami Taka and splitting Tamahome from his memories – the end result was the same."
"So how do we fill it in? Go to Miaka's world and yank Tama back here?"
"We can't go to Miaka's world." Chichiri shook his head. "It's not like the last time...there's nothing here of Miaka's for us to use as a medium. And besides, if we brought him back here, that undoes everything those two have overcome to be together. It seems a bit harsh, you know?"
"I know." Tasuki admitted. "But if this world is gonna fall apart without Tama being here - what else can we do about it?"
"As yet, I'm not sure. But finding those of us who are in this world has to be a priority - which means we have to track down Nuriko, Chiriko and Mitsukake." Chichiri said with a sigh. "I'm pretty certain now that the reason they're here is some kind of safety measure. The world is collapsing in on itself, and so this was a last gasp attempt to restore balance. If they'd been reborn properly, they'd have been nothing more than babies at best - if that, even. We'd have been truly stuck."
"So is this just happening in Kounan?" Anzu looked frightened. "Or in the other places too?"
"Since the hole is in Kounan's sky, I'm guessing that it's ultimately us who have to handle it." Chichiri sighed. "But to be honest - I don't know. I've no idea whether the Seishi for the other lands have been reborn. I doubt it. Like I said, this is Kounan's problem. Suzaku's fault. There's nothing the other quarters of the sky can do about it...they have no connection to Tamahome. It's down to us."
"And that's why Hotohori-sama and the others got spewed out of Taikyoku-zan, before it went nuts and started a Seishi free policy?" Tasuki asked. Chichiri nodded.
"Like I said, I think it was an emergency measure by a wounded world to try and mend the damage." He agreed. "Even if it meant they came back disjointed and missing their memories somewhat - at least, if they were here, we'd be able to find them and hopefully, get their help. I think it's all been deliberate, you know? Hotohori doesn't remember everything, because the process of rebirth was interrupted. He was flung back, instead, and he'd already lost a part of himself somehow. But the world - whatever force is powering this - it must have banked on the fact that those of us left could reach him when we found him."
"And you have." Hotohori admitted. "You were the one who broke through my delusion, Chichiri - since then, I have begun to remember more and more of my true self."
"That makes sense." Tasuki looked uncharacteristically thoughtful. "I get it. I think."
"Right." Chichiri nodded. "So we have to find the others...and restore them the way we have Hotohori-sama. Then we'll think it over and see what our options are. Perhaps one of them will be able to tell us more than we already know - will remember more about leaving Taikyoku-zan - but I imagine that whatever we have to do, it requires the powers of all of us."
"But you haven't even sensed Chiriko's chi, have you? Or Mitsukake?"
"No, not once." Chichiri admitted. "But if Hotohori and Nuriko are around, they must be too. Surely it's a matter of time before I pick them up too?"
"If you think so, I won't argue." Tasuki shrugged. "So we find the others and then try and build a Tamahome-shaped block to plug up Taikyoku-zan's red light leak or something. Right?"
"I think it'll be a bit more complicated than that, you know..."
"Figures." Tasuki sent his companion a rueful glance. "Chichiri, I don't mind being a Suzaku Seishi. Actually, most of the time, I get a kick out of it. But it would be really nice if for once we began a mission I totally understood!"
Chichiri laughed.
"Don't worry too much about it. I think it'll get clearer as we go on." He said reassuringly. "For now we should..."
He stopped in mid-sentence, his body tensing suddenly as he raised his head towards the sky.
"We should what?" Tasuki frowned. "Earth to Chichiri - what's with you now?"
"Shut up." Chichiri held up his hands, and Tasuki bristled, ready to retort. However, his sister was too quick for him, dropping down beside him and clamping her hand over his mouth.
"He said shut up, so shut up, idiot." She hissed. "Come make yourself useful, instead. I'm done cooking the fish - if you want to eat, you can help."
"Chichiri, are you...all right?" Anzu asked hesitantly, as the monk's silence seemed to stretch on into more than a couple of minutes. He frowned, shaking his head as if to clear it, then raising his gaze to the young girl's.
"Sorry." He said, offering her a smile. "I was just...trying to ascertain whether I'd felt something significant...or whether it was just because we'd been talking about it under the stars like this."
"Felt something like what?" Tasuki wrestled himself free of Aidou's grip, eying the sorcerer expectantly. "Nuriko again? Did you get a fix on him at last?"
"No. Not Nuriko." Chichiri shook his head. "Mitsukake."
"Mitsukake?" Tasuki blinked. "What in hell happened to tracking Nuriko? You need to reset your signals, buddy - you're aimin' far and wide!"
"But Mitsukake is as good a person to go after as Nuriko, if Chichiri can locate his position." Hotohori pointed out. "Surely, at this stage, one Seishi is as good as another?"
"He's in Choukou. Or thereabouts." Chichiri frowned. "I'm pretty sure...no, I'm very sure. That's where he is."
"That makes sense. His woman died near there, didn't she?" Tasuki frowned. "But you weren't with us when we found Mitsukake - how would you know where Choukou was?"
"I grew up not far from there myself." Chichiri flashed him a vague smile. "Choukou was less than an hour's ride from my home village...Mitsukake and I come from a very similar area of Kounan, you know. So I know the area."
"Then tomorrow we go to this Choukou place?" Anzu asked. Chichiri hesitated, and Tasuki frowned.
"Well?" He demanded. "Are we going or not? In case you'd forgotten, my Dad still has a broken leg back at Reikaku-zan, and I'd like to be able to fix it so he and my Ma can get the hell out of there and Aidou can stop stalking me everywhere I go!"
"Shun'u...!"
Aidou raised her fist threateningly, and Tasuki grimaced at her.
"All right, all right, I'm helping with the fish. Geez." He said darkly. "Get a grip, woman, would ya?"
"Chichiri?" Hotohori pressed. "Are we going to Choukou? Surely finding Mitsukake is a positive move?"
Chichiri frowned. Then he nodded his head.
"I think we have to." He agreed. "The feeling...wasn't a good one. But then, when I first sensed your life force, it wasn't a good feeling either. We managed to break through yours...so if Mitsukake is similarly confused, we should be able to do something for him too. I...I hope."
He sighed, shrugging his shoulders.
"Either way, we need to go." He admitted. "So yes. Tomorrow...tomorrow we go to Choukou."