Chapter Seven
Well, there it was.
Chichiri raised his gaze to the first glimmers of morning light, pressing his hands together in an almost absent-minded prayer as, in the web of people and sensations, his consciousness brushed briefly and faintly against that of the young girl from the other world.
"Hikari-chan." He murmured, getting slowly to his feet as he remembered his promise to his travelling companions. "So that's where you are. To the west of here...is it a coincidence?"
"Chichiri?"
As if somehow he had heard his companion's musings, the door of the chamber flew open at that moment to reveal the bandit Kashira, a questioning, expectant look crossing his lupine features as he met the sorcerer's scarred gaze.
Slowly Chichiri nodded.
"I think I know where she is, you know." He acknowledged the unspoken question that hung between them, and relief flickered in Tasuki's bronze eyes.
"It's about damn time!" He exclaimed. "What the hell took so long - you've been at it all night!"
"I know." Chichiri admitted, stifling a yawn as he nodded his head. "It was a bit more tricky than I thought at first, and I'm more tired than I anticipated. This is my second night in a row without sleep, and it's catching up with me - but I'm pretty sure now, you know."
"Then we should go." Tasuki said frankly, and Chichiri pursed his lips.
"Jin and Shishi?" He asked hesitantly. Tasuki's eyes narrowed.
"You think they should stay here? Or come with us?"
"We don't have much choice." Chichiri sighed heavily, pressing his fingers together as he ruminated on the problem. "Hikari's travelled quite far, you know...further than a quick walk in any direction. We've only just brushed past the Hokkan border, but she's travelled a good way west. In fact, she's gone...somewhere I think we need to go. That's part of why it took me so long, I think - I had to be sure. There's something very strong almost blocking the signal...and hers is not the only life force in the area that is familiar to me."
"Meaning what, exactly?" Tasuki demanded. "Quit talkin' in riddles, will you, an' tell me what you're tryin' to say? That somethin's preventing you from reaching Hikari's chi? Or someone?"
"Something." Chichiri pursed his lips. "I think...I think it's the Shinzahou, you know. And I can reach her. It just...made it difficult to pin her down exactly. As it is, I don't think I can transport us right on top of where she is, you know...but I think it's a village - at least, it feels like a village. A village on the Western border, not far from Sairou."
"From Sair..." Tasuki faltered, as realisation dawned in his bronze eyes, and Chichiri nodded.
"Yes." He murmured softly. "I think Hikari's found Amiboshi's village, Tasuki. And Seiryuu no Shinzahou."
"That's convenient." Tasuki groaned, rubbing his temples. "What the hell did she go and do that for, on her own?!"
"I don't think it was on purpose." Chichiri reflected. "From what she's said about the other times she's seen a red light around her, I think that when she's really upset something happens with the power that's sealed inside of her. It's almost like, when her emotions are really heightened, it pierces through the seal somehow...and releases a burst of energy that she can't control. The fighting with Shishi probably triggered it this time - but I'm wondering if it's also something more than that. That as Suzaku no Shinzahou, maybe she felt a connection with the Seiryuu treasure. Like she felt one with you and I, and came back to a place we could protect her. After all, we're a lot closer to where it is now than we were in Kounan...close enough for her to subconsciously pick up its vibe. I don't believe in coincidence - not where divine magic is concerned. Hikari probably had no idea what was happening - but Suzaku's power drew her to find the Seiryuu Shinzahou. In itself, that's quite a talent - if only she was able to control it. As it is, she can't to do that yet."
"So you mean she's right in the middle of some village where a homicidal ghost and an amnesic flute player from Kutou are hidin' out?" Tasuki sighed heavily. "Great. An' that we have to take Jin an' the cub if we're goin', because it's too far for us to come back?"
"Well, we could come back this way, but it would be a long walk and there are quicker routes." Chichiri said ruefully. "I'm pretty tired, to be honest with you. I think I can take us one way - all of us - but if we have to face Suboshi, I'm not sure about two. Our best bet is to get to the village and find Hikari - and hope to reason with Amiboshi. Maybe if we can do that - make him see why we need it - he'll be able to manage his brother somehow. I don't think Suboshi would hurt Amiboshi, so I'm sort of counting on that."
"And Hikari?"
"Right now, she's alive and safe, somewhere within this village to the west." Chichiri assured him. "She's come to no harm so far, so we're not too late. Wake Shishi and Jin, Tasuki...and I'll get ready to transfer us. Even though that's the case, we can't guarantee that she won't be found by Suboshi or that she won't wind up in some other kind of trouble."
He sighed.
"Besides, the girl is scared and stranded here, and I feel sort of responsible for her, you know?" He added absently. "Because she's staying to help Mei-chan and Eiju as much as she is anything else. I did give her my word I'd protect her - that we both would. So we better make sure we keep it."
"You don't need to tell me twice." Tasuki said brusquely. "At least if the brat's got herself to the place we need to be, we aren't losing any time. Make sure you're ready quickly, Chichiri. I'll make sure Shishi an' Jin understand what we're doing...although when it comes to it, I want to keep them both out of any fightin'."
"Me too." Chichiri reflected. "And Hikari too. So we'll find her first, and then worry about the Shinzahou. Okay?"
"Okay." Tasuki nodded his head. "Let's hope its as simple as that sounds!"
-----
Daylight.
Hikari pulled her robe more tightly around her body, descending the steps cautiously as she made her way down towards the main room of the Bu family home. A pleasant smell of fish mingled with the faint smoke of a wood fire drifted up to her as she pushed open the door, realising that despite her adventures the night before she was more than a little bit hungry. As she stepped hesitantly into the chamber, she realised that her host was already around, and plates waited on the table as he cast her a smile.
"I thought you'd be up soon." He said softly. "Take a seat, Hikari-san. Touka's taken the children to the market, and I haven't forgotten my promise to help you find your friends. But I do want to talk to you, also. About last night."
"Last night." Hikari echoed, doing as she was bidden and scooping up her chopsticks as she glanced up at her companion. "Yeah. Me too."
"Did you sleep all right, in the end?"
"Not too badly." Hikari admitted. "Considering."
"Mm." Koutaku pursed his lips, then shrugged, taking a seat opposite her. "Hikari-san, last night you saw both Shunkaku's spirit and the glow from the barn. I don't understand how that's possible...noone else can, not even my children. They've never known their uncle and it's been difficult for Shunkaku to accept - that his nephew and nieces run around this farm, growing and laughing and playing and he's never been able to make himself seen by any of them. But you...for no apparent reason, you saw him straight away. I need to know...why."
"Like I know." Hikari sighed. "I'd have been happier not. He might be fond of you, Koutaku-san, but he looked at me like I was some kind of devil. I was really afraid he might hurt me, if you hadn't have sent him away. He had a weird glint in his eyes...I didn't like it."
"Shunkaku..." Koutaku's expression became troubled, and slowly he shook his head.
"No, I don't think he would have." He said slowly. "I mean, this is my home...in front of my children, my wife...I'd like to think that he wouldn't, even if he took a dislike to a guest. But my brother..."
He faltered, and Hikari felt a faint flicker of unease creep up her spine.
"So what was that blue light?" She asked softly. "If it wasn't Shunkaku - what was it?"
"Something that I wish was miles from this farm." Koutaku admitted. "Because I'm afraid that it will bring people here...people who might seek to cause trouble. Its a memento from a life long since left behind - a life that tainted both Shunkaku and I irrevocably, in the past. I don't want it here, but I've had no choice in the matter."
"I don't understand."
"No...I don't suppose you do." Koutaku reflected. "You're too young to remember the war, after all."
"War?" Hikari looked startled, pausing with her chopsticks part-way to her lips as she registered his words. "But I thought the North was peaceful - there's not been any wars here for a long time - has there?"
"This village was attacked once, in my memory." Koutaku admitted. "But no, as a rule, Hokkan is at peace. But that wasn't what I meant. Shunkaku and I - and Touka, for that matter - none of us are from Hokkan originally. We were born in Kutou, to the east - a country which never seems to tire of ripping itself to shreds over the least excuse."
"Kutou." Hikari breathed, and Koutaku nodded.
"But this farm...didn't you say your father left it to you?"
"He left it to a boy he called Kaika." Koutaku said with a rueful shrug. "Which, in the end, I came to be. It's a little complicated, to be honest. Shunkaku and I were orphaned by Kutou's civil war, and I was adopted by the family here later on. They called me Kaika, after their own son who had passed away - it's become something of a local nickname, because it was the name they wanted me to have. Most of my neighbours hereabouts still call me by that name, because they knew and loved the mother and father who took me in. And I loved them too, to be honest. I wanted to be Kaika - for a long time, I managed to forget about Kutou and the things that had happened there. But...when the blue light..."
He faltered.
"Between Shunkaku, my duty and Touka, it's been impossible to forget Bu Koutaku completely, and I'm definitely more him than I am Kaika these days." He reflected. "And I still remember war vividly enough to want to keep my children miles away from it. That's why this whole thing disturbs me. I need to know who you are, Hikari-san - and what power allows you to see what can't normally be seen by ordinary people?"
"Sukunami Hikari." Hikari said with a shrug. "I don't really know how else to answer that. I don't have any other names. I'm just Sukunami Hikari. That's all."
"But you're not from the North, are you?" Koutaku eyed her curiously. "You're far too susceptible to the northern cold - you don't look like you're from Hokkan. In fact, now I look at you closely, you remind me of something...but I can't place what or who. It might be my imagination - it's hard sometimes to piece together the still fuzzy areas of my memory into something real and tangible. But looking at you there, I almost think I've met you before. Somehow."
"I don't think you have." Hikari said ruefully. "I've never been to Hokkan before this, and believe me, I'm not loving the experience. You've been kind to me, but I don't really like this country much at all. So far I've almost frozen, I've been separated from my companions and I've been scared half to death by a ghost. It couldn't get much less appealing."
Koutaku laughed, shaking his head slightly.
"No, I suppose not." He reflected. "The impression is still there, though. Of someone I knew a long time ago. Where are you from, Hikari-san? Maybe that will stir my memory...if you can tell me where you've travelled from."
"The south." Hikari looked startled. "I mean, I suppose I'm not really from..."
She faltered, remembering Chichiri's advice about concealing her true origins, and she frowned, shaking her head.
"The south." She repeated. "Kounan."
"Kounan." Koutaku's eyes widened, and Hikari could tell that something was sliding into place in his mind. He smiled, nodding his head.
"Then I believe your coming here cannot be a threat." He murmured. "I once spent time in your country, Hikari-san. I liked it very much - the people were kind and they forgave a young boy who was too scared and foolish to truly know what he was doing."
He got to his feet, moving to the window as he glanced out towards the stone hut.
"My brother was killed fighing for Kutou, in the war against Kounan." He said without turning around. "I did my best to persuade him otherwise, but he saw things so differently from me at the time. I think that maybe I ran away from my obligations, but I didn't want to fight. It was enough...the things I'd already been forced to do. I didn't want to fight against Kounan any more. Not when they'd told me that we were friends..."
"They?" Hikari looked confused, and Koutaku nodded.
"People who are long gone now." He reflected, and Hikari could hear the wistful note in his voice. "I regret so much that I couldn't convince Shunkaku to come to Makan-mura with me...then maybe we would have grown up together. We were twins, and we were so connected - even when he died, I could feel it inside of me, as part of myself was ripped away forever. I wanted us to share in so many things which are now impossible. Instead, only I've grown up. He's trapped in the same state he was when he died - still stuck in his resentments and regrets, his emotions and convictions as wild and driven as they were then. I've moved on, but he can't. He's still there. I know my brother better than anyone, and I know - I've always known - that he's not evil. But war makes people do evil things. And my brother was slain before he could atone for the things that bastard Shougun made him do. Even now, I don't know if we entirely agree on this. But...if I could forget Kutou forever, sometimes...I think that I would."
"Shougun?" Hikari murmured. "Do you mean...Nakago?"
"You know about Nakago?" Koutaku turned, looking surprised, and Hikari nodded.
"I've heard a lot about him." She agreed. "Did he kill your brother too?"
"No...but he sent him to his death, in a strange world that Shunkaku couldn't possibly understand." Koutaku's voice was bitter. "A fifteen year old boy, who didn't understand his emotions and acted rashly on them. My brother...the twin brother I swore to my blood father I'd protect...in the end, I couldn't protect him from himself. But without Nakago pushing him, I know it wouldn't have happened."
Hikari's eyes widened, her chopsticks slipping from her grasp as a sudden realisation hit her.
"You...you..." She murmured, and Koutaku frowned, eying her keenly.
"Are you all right?" He asked, concerned. "You're not choking...do you need a drink of water?"
"No...no." Hikari gathered herself, staring at her companion as if seeing her for the first time. "It's just...you...you're Amiboshi...aren't you?"
At the sound of his Celestial name, Koutaku's face drained of all colour and he stared at her in disbelief.
"How on earth could you possibly know that?" He whispered. "I stopped going by that name before you were even born - who are you, Hikari-san?"
"You are Amiboshi." Hikari swallowed hard. "And that means...Shunkaku...is...Suboshi? Before and beyond the grave...Taiitsukun said..."
"Taiitsukun?" Amiboshi's eyes flashed with faint recognition. "But..."
"Then the blue light...is Seiryuu's Shinzahou?" Hikari hazarded. "That's what it is, that you wish was miles from your farm? That's what's hidden in the stone barn? Yui-san's holy treasure? The teardrop earring?"
Koutaku sat down heavily, staring at her in complete bewilderment.
"I don't understand." He murmured. "How do you know all these things?"
Hikari bit her lip.
"Because Chichiri and Tasuki told me so." She admitted. "And because we came north...to find...that Shinzahou. To see...you and...your brother. Only..I guess...I found you rather more quickly than we planned."
"Chichiri-san...Tasuki-san..." Koutaku's clever eyes flickered with remembrance. He pursed his lips, hesitating for a moment, then carefully he reached up to unbutton the collar of his shirt, pushing the fabric back until his right shoulder was exposed and Hikari let out a gasp, her hand flying to her mouth as she made out the glittering blue character burning against his skin.
"You really are." She murmured. "We came all this way...of all the farms in the whole of Hokkan, how did I end up here, on yours? Was it...magic that brought me here?"
She faltered for a moment, remembering for the first time since she had woken up in the snow that a red glow that had engulfed her during the fight with Shishi, and she swallowed hard.
"Are Shinzahou attracted to other Shinzahou?" She wondered inwardly. "Is that really the reason Chichiri and Tasuki brought me along - why Chichiri hesitated to use his sensing power, even when we had crossed the border? Is it because...I'm some kind of radar?"
At her expression, Koutaku nodded, re-fastening his clothing.
"Shunkaku bears his character on his other shoulder." He agreed. "I'd noticed that mine had started to shimmer again, when the light began in the barn...I had a feeling something was coming. But...was it you, Hikari-san? Was it you that made the Shinzahou glow, or Seiryuu's power stirring somewhere in Kutou?"
"I don't know." Hikari admitted. "Really, truly, I don't know anything much at all and that's the truth. I just know that we have to find the Seiryuu Shinzahou before the Kutou Emperor does."
"Kounan and Kutou...are fighting another war?" Koutaku's brow creased in consternation and Hikari shook her head.
"No. It's not that." She replied. "But...Amiboshi-san, you said that Kutou was a country that fought a lot among its own people. Well, now the Emperor seeks the power of Seiryuu and the other Gods and...and if he gets it, then something terrible is going to happen to this world. And I...I don't know how or why, but I know we have to stop it. So Chichiri and Taiitsukun said that if we got the Shinzahou first, it wouldn't be able to happen."
She swallowed hard.
"I saw it - the future of this world." She whispered. "Everything was dead, including Chichiri's children...they were skeletons, Amiboshi-san...and...and if it happens, your children...you...your wife...everyone might end up that way too. So we have to stop it. That's why we came all the way here. I don't want to be involved in a war and I don't think we are, not yet. But I...I...I can't let that happen to Chichiri's children. They're so young and innocent - I just can't!"
She swallowed again, realising that tears had welled up in her dark eyes as she remembered the tiny, sleeping skeletons, and she pushed the image back, forcing herself to remain calm. Koutaku eyed her for a moment, and she could see a mixture of emotions flitting through his gaze. Then he sighed, rubbing his temples.
"So you came to take Yui-sama's Shinzahou to Kounan, so that it wouldn't end up in Kutou." He murmured. "And so long as it's here, my farm is a target. I left Kutou and their wars behind a long time ago, Hikari-san. And I trust in the word of someone who's a friend of Suzaku's Celestial Warriors. I was...almost one of them, at one point. I was sent as a spy to bring them down, but I grew to like them and respect them and in the end, my drive to protect Miaka-san was stronger than my desire to fight for Nakago and his twisted aims. If it was up to me, I'd give you the earring right away. I don't want it here, and if you speak the truth - if you taking it can prevent people suffering - then I'd rather you had it."
He hesitated, then,
"Please don't call me Amiboshi." He added. "I've left that life behind me now...I am no longer Seiryuu's Celestial Warrior, even if this task has been conveyed upon me. When I chose to fight Tomo to defend Miaka-san's life, then I turned against my Celestial identity. I am no longer Amiboshi. I am either Kaika - or I am Bu Koutaku."
"I'm sorry." Hikari bit her lip. "Koutaku-san, then. I didn't realise, but I...I won't do it again."
"And Tasuki-san and Chichiri-san must be looking for you." Apprehension flickered in Koutaku's expression.. "But if they come here...Shunkaku..."
He faltered, and Hikari nodded her head.
"Chichiri and Taiitsukun both said that Suboshi loved people too much, and did rash things because of it." She said slowly. "That to defend you, or to defend Yui-san - that because this is Yui-san's treasure, he might not be willing to give it up. And that he...he hated Suzaku's people. A...a whole lot."
She glanced at her hands.
"Tamahome is...my father." She admitted slowly. "And Miaka...Suzaku no Miko...my mother. Chichiri thought that if Suboshi met me, he'd be violent towards me, because of that. Because he hated my parents more than anyone."
Consternation flared in Koutaku's gaze, and he reached out a tentative hand to touch Hikari's cheek, his eyes widened as he realised the truth in her words.
"Miaka-san and Tamahome-san were both kind to me, and friends to me even though I didn't deserve them to be." He murmured. "And now I see it - it's Miaka-san I see in your face, when I look at you. But Shunkaku went to Miaka-san's world...in order to try and bring them down. He felt that Tamahome-san had hurt me, somehow...and that both of them had hurt Yui-sama."
"Do you think...will he try to...kill me?" Hikari asked fearfully.
"If you try to take the Shinzahou, I don't know what he'll do." Koutaku admitted. "As you said, it was Yui-sama's treasure. And my brother is still in love with Yui-sama...his death has meant it's difficult for him to move on in any emotional regard. Whilst I was always more drawn to defend your mother - my brother...his devotion to the Priestess of Seiryuu was unmatched. In the end he gave his life for it...and I imagine that he would fight as hard as he could, if he thought that someone was trying to interfere in Seiryuu's work. It's something he feels that, even dead, even as a spirit, he can still do. Watch over my family, and watch over Yui-sama's sacred treasure. The two things that bind my brother to this earth."
He sighed, getting to his feet.
"You should leave here." He said softly. "And find your friends, before you try to come back. I meant what I said - that if it were just me, I'd give you the damn thing in a heartbeat - I hate it, and I think it's cursed, dragging Shunkaku's emotions out so much, and forcing potential danger on my family. But he feels differently, and I can't force him to relinquish it. I don't know what you're going to use it to do, and to be honest, I don't much care. For it to be away from here...I don't want the taint of Seiryuu's magic anywhere near my family, not now or ever again. War destroyed my childhood - I won't have it happen to my own children. But if you are...Tamahome-san's daughter, you...Shunkaku shouldn't learn about it while you're undefended. You're just a child, Hikari-san...even if you are a child of a Miko. It's not something you can do on your own."
"You think Shunkaku will hurt me." Hikari paled, and Koutaku sighed.
"I don't want to risk anything happening here." He hazarded at length. "Shunkaku's weapons are...Ryuuseisui...controlled by the power of his will. Even as a spirit, he's capable of wielding a fair amount of life force into them, and doing a considerable amount of damage. I know he would never lay a finger on me or my family - but yes, if he thought you were an enemy...I'm afraid that he might. Much as I love my brother...he's not the same boy I grew up with, at times. And I don't want you to be hurt, Hikari-san. I was very fond of your mother, once upon a time. And she was very kind to me, too. I'd like to repay that favour, if I possibly can at all."
"So you'll still help me find Tasuki and the others?" Hikari asked. Koutaku nodded.
"Yes." He agreed. "And I think it's something we should do as soon as possible."