Chapter Ten
The sun was high in the sky over Yukigase by the time Chichiri stirred from his slumber, blinking and struggling into a sitting position as he tried to remember where he was. The glittering black case at his bedside soon brought memory flooding back into his sleepy brain, however, and he smiled, reaching over to brush the casket with his index finger.
"Seiryuu no Shinzahou." He reflected. "I wonder if having this is enough...to protect Kounan from disaster."
"So, you're awake at last, are you?" Tasuki's voice from the doorway startled him and he glanced up, offering his friend a rueful smile as he nodded, stretching his arms over his head.
"Suboshi really wiped me out, you know." He reflected. "I think he was drawing power off this thing - I never imagined he'd be as strong as that."
"Not just Suboshi, huh." Tasuki came into the room, shutting the door behind him. "Lookin' for Hikari all night, usin' your power to suppress our life forces an' traipse us as far as the Kounan/Hokkan border. An' you've been worryin' about what she said, too. About what she saw...when she first came here."
Chichiri eyed him in surprise, and Tasuki nodded slowly.
"I'm right, ain't I?" He reflected. "How much sleep have you even had since the kid came here?"
"Till now, none, really." Chichiri admitted. He grinned, mischief lighting up his ruby eye. "You're getting scarily perceptive you know, Tasuki. Maybe Anzu's been a good influence on you."
"Oh, shut up." Tasuki grimaced in his direction, dropping down on the end of the bed. "I've known you too long, that's all. I ain't a complete fool - I know how your stupid brain works better than probably anyone else alive - includin' my sister. I know that where Meikyo is concerned, you'll do anything it takes, too. The kids may not realise it, but I remember well enough that you didn't even know she'd live to begin with. An' all of this - what Hikari saw - it's messin' with your head. Isn't it?"
"Some." Chichiri looked rueful, nodding his head. "I won't deny it. Though with Hikari being here..."
He paused, his gaze flitting to the Shinzahou casket once more.
"I wonder if this is enough." He reflected. "I want to be able to send her home, Tasuki. Especially after she defended me like she did against Suboshi. She's missing her world and her family and I feel bad for her because of that. But I'm not sure, you know. Taiitsukun did say it was to do with all four Shinzahou. But still, if she was in the other world - I doubt the Emperor of Kutou has the kind of power Nakago had to get to the other world, or a medium to do it. So if she was there..."
"You spend way too long thinkin' about ifs an' buts sometimes, that's your problem." Tasuki said bluntly. "Stop it an' think of the realities for a moment, will ya? We're in Yukigase. We have Seiryuu's Shinzahou. Now we have it, are we keepin' it in the mountain, or handin' it over to Boushin to take care of?"
"It would probably be more secure at the palace - I don't want to make Reikaku-zan a target." Chichiri reflected. "Although if Suzaku's relic is hidden there...which is another reason I think that the mountain is a bad place for any sacred treasure. On the off-chance someone managed to get past your bandits, Tasuki - better they locate only one thing, not several all piled up waiting for them."
"It's unlikely they would, but I see your point." Tasuki nodded grimly. "Boushin it is, then. You're right in that he can lay on guards an' all of that...an' I doubt that Kutou want to be fightin' a war against us if they can avoid doin' it. So I guess this means we're going to Eiyou first, huh?"
"Probably." Chichiri agreed.
"An' as for you - are you all right?"
"I'm all right." Chichiri nodded his head. "I needed to sleep, that's all...I feel okay now, you know."
"Magic and all?"
"Hrm." Chichiri glanced at his hands. "Well, maybe not in that regard. I mean, it is there...but it's still coming back in bits and pieces. Even if Suboshi was drawing power from Seiryuu's treasure to attack me - it doesn't work the other way with our Shinzahou, you know. Hikari's power is still suppressed - and I guess my body's a bit out of practice, too. We haven't fought in this way for a while, Tasuki-kun - and I'm seven years older than you are, you know."
He smiled ruefully, shrugging his shoulders.
"Guess it catches up to you, in the end."
"Don't you start talkin' like an idiot." Tasuki snorted. "Age ain't nothin' to do with anythin'. Bustin' your brain frettin' about things we're not goin' to let happen - that's more likely what's to blame."
"I wish I knew that it wasn't." Chichiri admitted. "But I guess all we can do is fight it, huh? And hope we can do enough to save this world again."
"Hikari was worried about you, you know." Tasuki told him reprovingly, and Chichiri smiled. He nodded.
"She's a good child, for all her faults." He reflected. "I see Miaka and Tamahome both in her, you know. But there's something that's just Hikari, as well. I like her very much, to be honest...I'm glad that we've had this chance to meet her, even considering the circumstances."
"Well, you ain't sendin' her home till you're fit enough to find a safe way to do it." Tasuki warned him. "And right now, gettin' further south has gotta be our priority."
He glanced at the window, then,
"You do know you've slept the clock round and then some?"
"What?" Chichiri's good eye widened, and Tasuki nodded.
"We came here the day before yesterday." He agreed. "You've slept solid pretty much since then - since after we ate, in fact. Hikari slept for a long time too, once Shishi managed to persuade her she needed to. The kid's fine - feeling much better an' she's eaten - but you must be starvin'. Jin an' Shishi an' I have helped Tamatama with firewood an' other things in the village, while we've been at a loose end - an' Hikari too, since she roused up, she's tried to do her bit too. But we shouldn't hang around here if we don't have to. Jus' none of us wanted to wake you if you weren't ready to wake up yourself. You know? You really looked grey when we got here...s'what made me realise you weren't kiddin' the other night, when you said you were tired."
"Well, it was reckless, but I'll live." Chichiri smiled faintly. "But if we've been here that long, we really oughtn't outstay our welcome, you know. I am hungry - and I won't refuse food. But then we should think about moving south - from the sun, I guess it's only just the afternoon, and we could get at least as far as Choukou and the Shouryuu by nightfall."
"Choukou ain't my favourite stoppin' point, Chichiri."
"I know, mine either, but I do remember an old farmhouse that might still be available." Chichiri said softly, and Tasuki grinned.
"Okay. You win. I want to move, anyway." He agreed. "You get up, an' make sure you don't lose that thing, either. I'll tell the others what we're doin', and make sure they're ready to go at a moment's notice. I don't think any of them will mind. Yukigase may be Kounan, but it's still friggin' cold up here."
With that he was gone, and Chichiri smiled another rueful smile, getting to his feet as he picked his discarded kesa up from where it lay slung over the back of a chair. Absently he fastened it around his body, moving to the window as he glanced down at the scene outside. As Tasuki had said, the three younger members of the party were busy earning their keep in the cold but bright Yukigase atmosphere, and amusement flickered in his ruby gaze as he watched Jin trying to teach Hikari to cut firewood, guiding her hand on the axe as splinters went in all directions.
"She does seem happier, today, than she was before." He mused. "Maybe after all that her adventure in the snow has been good for her. Her smile seems less forced. I'm glad...after all, she is Tamahome and Miaka's daughter. And I want her to be happy, even if she does want to go home."
He rested his hands on the sill, watching the youngsters in their antics for a while. The tension between Hikari and Shishi had clearly dissipated completely since their conversation in Makan, and the afternoon tasks were punctuated by shrieks of laughter and playful shouts as they went about their endeavours.
"One of the family, almost." The sorcerer reflected absently, turning away from the window and grasping the black casket from the unit beside his bed. Slipping it more safely into the folds of his clothing once more, he scooped up his kasa and his shakujou, pushing back the door and heading down the long, narrow hallway to the winding staircase that led to the lower level. As he reached it, he was aware of Tasuki's distinct, carrying tones as he passed on his message to the teenagers, and his expression softened as he heard Hikari's eager question in return.
"Chichiri's all right, then? Really all right?" He heard her ask. "I was worried...he's been asleep for so long - longer even than I was. I didn't realise he'd used up so much of his energy as that."
"I'll be quite all right, Hikari-chan, so don't worry about me." The sorcerer pushed back the door, stepping out into the cold sunshine as he cast his companions a faintly embarrassed smile. "You could have woken me, you know...I didn't mean to hold everyone up."
"Well, you don't look grey any more, so I guess it was okay to let you sleep." Shishi shrugged her shoulders. "After all, you're not exactly young any more, Chichiri - I told you, you need us along to make sure you and Kashira are all right, too."
"Cheeky brat." Tasuki cast a playful hand in his daughter's direction, ruffling her hair more than actually striking her, and Chichiri laughed.
"Well, I did wonder the same thing myself." He admitted. "But I'm all right, now. And once I've had something to eat, we'll move south. I can't fly us anywhere, yet, but we should be able to get out of the frost zone and into more familiar territory before it's dark, you know. I think we'll make camp by the Shouryuu tonight, if we can get there and I'm sure we can. So long as Hikari's blisters can stand more walking - I don't think we'll find horses to hire in Yukigase."
"I'd rather walk than get on a horse." Hikari said adamantly. "I'd fall off!"
"Wimp." Shishi nudged her at this, but unlike before, the term held no malice, and Hikari merely snorted, pushing the other girl away.
"In my world, I go to school, I get trains, buses, and I walk." She said frankly. "I don't ride horses and I don't intend on starting now. Besides, you'd be scared if you ever saw a train - I know you would. All this tough talk now - but I bet you'd scream like a baby, if you had to travel by the Tokyo subway system!"
"I bet I wouldn't!"
"Sure you would." Hikari put her hands on her hips. "They're ten times as long as a carriage, they travel about sixty times as fast as a horse, and they're big and loud and packed with people going to all kinds of places. The sound they make is louder than thunder, and they go under the ground, so it's all in big dark tunnels with lights that don't use fire or anything like it to keep things bright. You'd hate it. You'd freak out. So don't pretend you wouldn't."
"Your world sounds really very weird, Hikari-chan." Jin observed lightly, and Hikari sent him a grin.
"It's not like your world at all." She admitted. "But I think I'm starting to get the hang of this one, now. At least, a little bit. So long as I don't have to get on a horse."
"Noone's gonna ask you to chop firewood again for a long time, though." Shishi remarked, and Chichiri's gaze fell on the battered, abused log that had been Hikari's attempt at cutting. He laughed.
"Well, we all have our own strengths." He reflected. "I suppose there isn't much call for firewood in your world either, Hikari-chan."
"Nope. Not really." Hikari admitted. "So we're walking then, huh? How far is this Shouryuu place, anyway?"
"The Shouryuu is a river that passes through Kounan and on into Kutou." Chichiri replied. "But the place I'm thinking of is not too far from a town called Choukou - a place where Mitsukake of the Suzaku Seishi once practiced medicine, a lifetime ago. My own people were from the same area, too - so it's a good bet to aim for, you know. I' m still familiar enough with the North country to be able to find our way without too many problems. Even if we are going on foot."
"Your area?" Hikari's eyes widened as she digested this, then, "Chichiri - is that...the river that...flooded?"
Chichiri started, staring at her for a moment. Then he nodded.
"Yes." He agreed. "Rising Dragon River. But that was a very long time ago now. I don't think anything like that has happened there in years - we'll be quite safe there."
"That wasn't what I meant." Hikari looked awkward. "I mean...don't you...you know...not want to go there? Isn't it...a bad memory...for you?"
"A bad memory?" Shishi looked confused. "Why, because a little water spilled out or something?"
"Chichiri's family were killed in that flood, stupid, that's why!" Hikari retorted, and Chichiri frowned, shaking his head.
"Shishi didn't know that, Hikari." He said evenly. "It's not something that's ever been discussed with her - it's not ever been important for her to know."
"Oh." Hikari reddened, her hand flying to her mouth. "I...I'm sorry. I didn't..."
"Shit." Shishi murmured, staring at her uncle in consternation, and despite himself, Chichiri felt touched by the concern in her gaze. "Me too. Is that true, Chichiri? Your family all drowned in the river's flood?"
"My village was destroyed." Chichiri agreed. "And a lot of people dear to both me and to Mitsukake perished that day. Yes. But like I said, it was a long time ago. It's no longer an open wound - and when I go to the river, I consider it more me sending a message to those people, than anything else. Life moves on - it has to. And I have too much to hold on to in this lifetime to look back to one I left behind."
He offered the girls both a smile.
"Don't look so worried, either of you." He instructed. "It's all right. The only reason Shishi wasn't told was because it didn't seem relevant. Not because of any other reason. And like I said, I don't think the river will flood for us. It's spring here, after all. And I don't think we're due any heavy rain - it doesn't feel like it to me."
"Then we'd better feed you, so we can move." Tasuki reflected. "Shishi, stop starin' at him like that an' go ask Tamatama what's to be done about it, all right? I want to be outta here in the next hour, else we won't even make the river by nightfall even if we run."
"Y...yes, Kashira." Shishi snapped herself from her reverie, hurrying into the house, and Chichiri grinned, patting Hikari on the shoulder.
"I told you. Don't look so distressed." He murmured. "I know Aidou told you and I know why she did...it's all right. Really. But Tasuki is right. We shouldn't tarry here longer than we must. The Shinzahou will be safer when we get to Eiyou and can hand it over to the Emperor...so that's what we need to do."
"The Emperor?" Jin looked startled at this. "Shit, we're going to the palace?"
"Best place for it." Tasuki nodded his head. "No enemy in his right mind would infiltrate that place, not considerin' how strong Kounan's forces are these days."
He tapped his tessen.
"Even if we ain't on hand to guard it ourselves."
"Do you think that the Emperor would allow Shishi an' I into the palace?" Jin looked doubtful, and Chichiri laughed.
"At the moment, you're doing the God's work, aren't you, Jin?" He asked playfully. "So you'll be as welcome to him as we are, you know."
"It's all right, anyhow." Hikari assured him. "Reizeitei-sama is really gentle and kind. I've already met him, and he was really nice."
She sighed.
"Handsome too." He admitted. "I didn't realise that Kings could be good looking as well as rich and powerful."
Chichiri looked amused, as Jin shot her a startled look.
"Boushin...no, I mean Reizeitei-sama looks a lot like his father, as you remarked the last time." The sorcerer agreed. "Hotohori-sama prided himself on his appearance, it's true - but he was also well known for miles around for being one of the most beautiful men in Kounan. Bou...Reizeitei-sama has inherited a lot from his father, that's all...although I'm glad to say narcissism isn't one of his failings. And Jin, Hikari is right. He wears a crown, but beneath it he's as much a man as you or I. And because of his heritage, he's always paid a keen interest in the affairs of the Suzaku Shichi Seishi and those that surround them. Shishi is Tasuki's daughter, you know. And you're one of his bandits - I wouldn't worry about being allowed in, you know. It will be all right, I'm sure."
"If you say so." Jin scratched his head, looking sheepish. "The last time I was in Eiyou, Mother was working it...the palace was the last place in the world either of us dreamed of going, although I guess she met a few of the guardsmen in her time there. I bet she'd not even believe it, if she thought I was going to meet the Emperor of Kounan."
"Your mother worked in Eiyou too?" Hikari sent him a startled glance. "Oh, wait - you did say that you travelled around Kounan a lot before she died. But...I didn't realise women could have jobs on their own in this world. I mean...well...it doesn't seem like..."
She faltered, and Jin offered her a crooked smile.
"There's one job women can always do." He said briskly. "Mother was a prostitute, Hikari."
"Oh." For the second time, Hikari's expression became one of dismay as she realised she'd crossed into taboo territory, and Jin laughed.
"You look pussystruck." He reflected. "Hadn't you worked it out already?"
Slowly Hikari shook her head.
"I didn't think..." She faltered, and Chichiri patted her on the head.
"You have an innocent mind, just like your mother." He reflected absently, and Jin chuckled, nodding his head.
"Chichiri-san's right." He agreed.
"I'm sorry." Hikari looked guilty. "It hadn't occured to me. I mean...I guess I didn't..."
"It's a fact of life in any world, I imagine - men will always want women, an' pay for it." Jin said pragmatically. "Mother had habits - she drank, an' she dabbled in other stuff, too. Plus she had me, an' she had to feed me somehow - so she worked. An' she died workin', too. So I ended up with Kashira - like I told you."
"Noisy, fiesty little brat, he was." Tasuki remarked nostalgically. "Wavin' a bit of wood around an' stealin' food from the market stalls in Souun. Kouji an' me followed him, an' found out that he'd been tryin' to support himself - he can't have been more'n five or six at the time. So we decided he'd better come with us to the mountain - I figured he had the makings of a bandit in him, an' I was right. Plus, Shishi needed a playmate - an' it worked out pretty good that way."
"I ain't got any regrets." Jin agreed with a laugh. "I think it was meant, that I was in Souun when the Kashira was, an' that he an' Aniki decided to take me in. So I've worked damn hard to repay it - an' be a good bandit. Besides, I'm fond o' Shishi - she's like a kid sister to me, an' we've literally grown up together since then. I'm better off on Reikaku-zan than I ever was trawlin' around the south with Ma tryin' to avoid bein' beaten up by her or her clients, to be honest with ya. Ain't nothin' to say sorry for."
He offered the schoolgirl another grin.
"Besides, I like that innocence o' yours, you know. It's sort of refreshin'...most people who hear about my past automatically join the dots an' make the whole picture. It's nice to meet someone who doesn't automatically hear it an' look at me as a whore's offspring. So you can relax."
"I'm putting my foot in my mouth a whole lot this morning." Hikari sighed. "In my world...well, maybe it happens, but...it's not accepted that it does. I mean, it's sort of exploitation - that's how people see it. And women who have jobs...they work like men do, in the same kinds of jobs. I mean, not all women do. Mother doesn't - she chose to be a housewife and be around when Makoto and I get home from school. But my best friend - her parents both work and they work long hours. So it didn't occur to me."
"Your world is strange." Jin remarked once more. "But you know, maybe it's strange in a good way, huh?"
"Yes, and I'll ask Taiitsukun about whether or not we can send you back there, once we've been to Eiyou." Chichiri decided. Hikari nodded.
"If it's all right." She agreed. "I...would like to go home. If...you can."
"Then that's what we'll do. We'll consult Taiitsukun." Chichiri grinned at her. "And hope she can give us some advice on how best to return Suzaku no Shinzahou to her own world!"
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Well, so they were heading home.
As the group of Kutou soldiers crossed the cold mountain terrain towards the Eastern border of Hokkan, a faint flicker of a frown touched Hyoushin's normally impassive features as he remembered the Emperor's final message.
"The best thing is for me to recall you and your men to Kutou." The man had said. "If the Shinzahou has crossed into the south, as Suiko suggests, it's too risky to send our soldiers there at the moment - either armed or otherwise. So bring your retinue home, Hyoushin - an agent of Kikei's has been dispatched to Kounan to retrieve the treasure, and at the moment, I think it's best we put our faith in his success."
"An agent of Kikei's." Hyoushin murmured, pursing his lips as he considered the possibilities. "He can only mean one man. I did not know that Kintsusei-sama had met Miramu the assassin. That he would choose to send such a man into a country with whom political relations have been so unsteady...I wonder if he truly realises the kind of man Miramu is."
He sighed, twitching his reins as he urged his horse into a faster canter.
"The sooner we arrive back in Kutou, the sooner I can discover exactly what has happened in my absence." he reflected. "It is true that Miramu is discreet, and that he has ways and means that I do not understand of getting in and out of places unseen. But he is also a killer and he is not afraid to spill blood, even when it is not necessary to do so. I hope that Kintsusei-sama has been so advised - though I imagine, if this was Kikei's directive, my Lord knows little about the true nature of the man he's now putting his faith in. Involving Miramu means that there's bound to be an amount of unecessary violence - and if Reizeitei-sama takes no notice of that, I dread to think what his internal security is like. It may yet cause more complications of the kind my Lord hopes to avoid."
"Commander?"
At Aoiketsu's voice, the Meihi forced the thoughts out of his head, turning to glance at his young protegee.
"Yes, Aoiketsu? What is it?"
"Do you know why we're heading home like this now?" Aoiketsu looked confused. "We haven't found the Shinzahou - are we giving up?"
"We're recalled by the Emperor's will." Hyoushin said evenly. "Why isn't important, except that he has summoned us. I believe that Kintsusei-sama has had other information and has decided on an alternative course of action. But we only need to concern ourselves with obeying his instruction - we are told to return to Kutou, and so we are returning."
"Well, I'm glad we are." Maichu reflected at this point. "Even if Hokkan is peaceful, and Kutou wracked by war. At least it isn't so cold in the Eastern lands, and there's a colour around other than white. If I see any more snow I think I'll go blind...I'll be glad to get into familiar territory."
"I think we all will be, Maichu." Hyoushin murmured softly, as a fleeting image of the mountain Meihi flitted across his thoughts. "There's no reason for us to be in Hokkan longer than we need, after all. And as you say, Kutou is home."
He glanced up at the sky, gauging the position of the sun, then nodding his head.
"I believe we should reach the border before nightfall." He decided. "And then it will be a mere day's ride to the capital. We have made good time so far."
"I just wish we could've found the Emperor's treasure." Aoiketsu said sadly, and Hyoushin offered him a faint glimmer of a smile.
"It's impossible to find something if it simply isn't there." he said evenly. "So we won't worry about that. We have carried out our orders and searched in the places and the manner we were instructed. I have faith in the Emperor, and I'm sure that Seiryuu no Shinzahou will soon be in Kutou once again."
"It's weird to think that it's all this fuss over a girl's earring." Kayu remarked off-handedly, and Maichu nodded.
"Women's jewellery ain't my thing either." He agreed. "But I guess that's because it's associated with a Priestess...they're generally women, after all."
"An astute observation, Maichu." Hyoushin murmured, although his amethyst eyes flickered with vague amusement at his young soldier's words. "Indeed they are."
"It makes you wonder what kind of Shinzahou other places had, though." Aoiketsu looked thoughtful. "I mean, if Yui-sama left behind a blessed earring - what did Genbu no Miko leave in that cave we searched? And Byakko no Miko and Suzaku no Miko? They must have left treasures too."
"Yes...indeed." Hyoushin agreed. "And it may come to pass that we will learn more about all of those. But I'm afraid my knowledge of the Beast Gods and their magic is limited - I would not like to guess what form these treasures take."
"More girly stuff, probably." Kayu reflected.
"I wonder if the Emperor will seek those treasures out too, to save Kutou from danger." Aoiketsu wondered. "After all, doesn't he want to raise Seiryuu? And if we don't have a Miko - how can he do that? Won't he need more than Seiryuu's treasure to raise our God?"
"You are asking many questions again, Aoiketsu." Hyoushin chided. "And these are ones to which I do not have the answers. You should curb your curiosity and await your instruction - the Emperor will act in whatever way best benefits Kutou - in that you must have ultimate faith."
"I do." Aoiketsu reddened slightly at the faint snub. "I do have faith in him, Hyoushin-sama. We all do. I was just wondering. That's all. I want to see Kutou saved, and at peace, like Hokkan is."
"I'm glad I'm not Emperor, having to figure all this out." Maichu remarked baldly. "I'm happy just taking orders...I wouldn't like to be the one working it all out."
"Indeed." Hyoushin glanced up at the sky once more, as he remembered his reservations about Miramu. "But we must simply trust that he knows the best way to act. And return to the palace, where we can afford him some protection against enemies whilst he does so. That is our duty, and the only one that we must currently fulfil."
------------
"Well, this seems as good a place as any to set up
camp for the night, you know."
As the group of travellers broke through a copse of trees, Chichiri turned to send his companions a rueful grin. "It's starting to get dark, and if we're lucky, and my calculations are right, we should be within reach of both the river and the old farmhouse I remember still standing abandoned in this area. With a little luck, I might have enough of my magic back to make the transport all the way to Eiyou in the morning - but I'd rather be safe than sorry - trying it now could be risky and I couldn't guarantee a landing."
"This patch looks familiar." Tasuki reflected, and Chichiri nodded his head.
"I'm sure it does." He said wryly. "We've stayed here before...it was a long time ago, but it doesn't look like much has changed, you know."
"Well, memories of this place are kinda mixed, but it'll do - I'm hungry, an' I seem to remember this stretch ain't bad for fish." Tasuki contemplated, sending his Seishi companion a wicked grin. "If you don't mind doin' a little bit of huntin' on our behalf, Chichiri."
Hikari cast Chichiri a glance, noting the look of reservation that flickered across his features at Tasuki's remark. She frowned.
"Is something wrong with the fish here?" She asked tentatively, and Tasuki grinned at her, shaking his head.
"No. Chichiri jus' has an original way of fishin', is all." He said frankly. "He hoicks them out an' then throws 'em back. He's not so keen on landin' an' killin' them."
"I'm not much of a hunter." Chichiri admitted, offering Hikari a smile. "But in desperate times, I suppose...I might not have a choice."
"It's all right, Chichiri-san. I can fish." Jin said at that moment. "An' Shishi an' I can always find food. We both know the kind of things to be lookin' for an' I'm not bothered about landin' or guttin' fish if the need arises."
"Besides, you still look kinda tired." Shishi added, eying her uncle critically. "If you're zappin' us all over Kounan tomorrow, you oughta be takin' it easy tonight. I keep tellin' you - s'why Jin an' I are here, to take care of you agin' Suzaku folk - right?"
"Shishi..." Tasuki sent her a warning look, and got a mischievous grin in return, and he sighed, shaking his head.
"Well, at least I'm pretty sure if we send you two, you'll come back with somethin' we can eat." He admitted in resignation. "All right...but don't fall in the damn river, will you? It moves pretty quickly, an' I ain't jumpin' in after anyone who's fool enough to lose their footing. You got that?"
"Understood, Kashira." Jin nodded his head. "Come on, Shishi. You heard him - let's make ourselves useful, huh?"
"Right with you." Shishi nodded. She paused, casting Hikari a doubtful glance. "Hiki, do you want to come too? Jin's good at fishing and I'm sure he'd be able to teach you."
"I...I'd rather not." Hikari pinkened slightly. "I...I don't swim very well, and...well...I'm not sure how I feel about...gutting fish. It sounds...sort of gross."
"You are a wimp." Shishi sighed, but the expression on her face belied her words. "Fine. It'll probably be quicker that way anyway...just if you wanted to..."
"Hikari can stay with us and help set up camp for the night." Chichiri said, amused. "There's quite a lot of stray wood around here, and I have another job that she can do. We have a little time before the sun sets completely, and we ought to start a fire. The farmhouse is a roof over our heads, but it's basic, dusty and rotting in places. It's probably better if we can camp somewhere outside among the trees - and only have the old building as a potential retreat in case of storms."
"A fire?"
Hikari glanced at him curiously as the two young bandits disappeared down towards the river in search of fish. "Chichiri, you saw what happened when I tried to cut firewood in Yukigase - why do you think I'd be able to start a fire?"
"You don't have to do any cutting, you know. Just gather some stray branches and leaf dirt together." Chichiri assured her. "With Tasuki's tessen, we don't even need to worry about how to start it. But there's plenty of debris around - there must have been a storm in these parts in recent weeks. So much to our benefit - it makes setting up camp a lot easier from our point of view."
"Look for the dry, brown twigs, Hikari." Tasuki added, as he began to clear a space on the ground to build the fire. "The green ones'll smoke some, but they won't burn."
"They all look brown to me." Hikari looked helpless, and Tasuki grinned at her, scooping one up and snapping it in two, holding it out to her.
"See?" He indicated. "Green."
"Oh." Hikari pinkened, then nodded her head. "All right. I think I get it now."
"You really think you'll be full strength by the morning?" As the schoolgirl set to her task, Tasuki cast his Seishi companion a glance, and Chichiri nodded his head.
"I think so, you know." He agreed. "I feel a lot better now, even for walking from Yukigase. I think that all that sleep did a lot more for me than anything else. I imagine by tomorrow we'll be able to make up a little lost time by taking the short cut."
He looked rueful.
"I am sorry it worked out like this." He added. "I didn't realise how much of my energy I'd used until I couldn't use it any more."
"You've always been that kind of idiot." Tasuki said easily, shrugging his shoulders. "It's normal for you - don't worry about it. You always use more power than you have an' then wonder why it wipes you out."
"Maybe." Chichiri glanced at his hands. "It makes me wonder, though, if it is possible for a Seishi to draw power from a Shinzahou. And if so, if it comes to the point where we have to go to find the other two Shinzahou...are we going to be put in a similar position?"
"Guess that depends on the kid here, doesn't it?" Tasuki flicked his fingers in Hikari's direction, and Hikari turned, her arms full of wood as she registered the gesture.
"Me?" She asked, dumping the pile down beside the two Seishi as she cast the bandit a confused look. "But...aren't I going back home, when we get back to the mountains?"
"That depends on Taiitsukun, and what she says about it." Chichiri admitted. "But I think what Tasuki means is that we really need to try and draw more of your power out of you, Hikari-chan. If other Seishi can use their Shinzahou to strengthen themselves..."
"You should both be able to use me to do so, too?" Hikari sighed. "I'm sorry...I guess I still am a little useless, huh?"
"You're not at all useless." Chichiri assured her. "And it's not your fault you haven't been trained how to use this magic before. Don't look so tragic, Hikari-chan. It might be irrelevant. It may be that, since we have Seiryuu's Shinzahou and since we know where Suzaku's is, we can send you home. We'll see. Right now there are more questions than answers, and it makes no sense to worry about them."
"I suppose you're right." Hikari acknowledged, watching as Tasuki carefully built the wood she had gathered into a fire. "Is that stuff all right, Tasuki? I did try and check whether it was, you know, dry or not."
"It looks good to me, kid." Tasuki grinned at her, nodding as he pulled his tessen from his back. "Take a step or two back, will ya? I don't want to fritter you at the same time."
"I...all right." Hikari did as she was bidden, her eyes on the silver fan as it glowed and shone with hot flickers of flame.
"Rekka Shin'en!"
Tasuki flicked the tessen in the direction of the wood, and a steady, controlled stream of fire licked out around the branches, setting them ablaze in a moment. He nodded approvingly, and Chichiri chuckled.
"After all these years, you've finally got control of it properly." He teased. "And Tamahome's not here to see it."
"Tamahome?" Hikari looked startled. "Dad...?"
"Mm." Tasuki looked sheepish, glancing at the fan, then returning it to its holder. "Well, let's jus' say that ol Tama did get in the way of my tessen a few times, in the past. I seem to remember him bein' a little bit pissed about it too, on a coupl'a occasions."
"You...fried my Dad with that thing?" Hikari's eyes widened, and Tasuki spread his hands.
"Not on purpose." He objected. Then he grinned, a wicked, wolfish expression crossing his face as he caught Chichiri's eye. "Well. Much."
Chichiri looked amused.
"It's just what happens when you give one seventeen year old a fire-throwing harisen and another the ability to get in the way." He said nostalgically. "It's such a long time ago, Tasuki-kun - but talking about it like this makes it seem like yesterday that we were all together."
"I know what you mean." Tasuki acknowledged. "Seems odd that it's been as long as it has. Seein' Boushin really did bring it home."
"It seems strange to me." Hikari pulled her knees up to her chest, hugging them tightly as she contemplated. "That you both and my father and the others who are dead...you seem to have been really close. And you'll drop everything to do Suzaku's work again, almost as if you enjoy doing it, despite the dangers."
"I suppose it's part of who we are as Seishi." Chichiri looked surprised. "It's instinct, that's all. And besides, we were all very close as friends, Hikari-chan. All of us, despite our wide differences. We shared a bond of friendship which at times was more like brotherhood - for their sakes as well as our own, Tasuki and I have to continue the fight. Whilst we exist in these forms, it's part of the deal, you know."
"Chichiri's right." Tasuki nodded his head. "It's just our way of keepin' them alive, as well, I suppose. Since they ain't here to fight themselves."
"It's just, Koutaku-san seemed so different." Hikari leant back against the trunk of a nearby tree. "Like he hated it. Like his mark was a curse - and he wished it had never been him or his brother. Was it so bad, being a Seiryuu Seishi? And...if it was...I don't understand. I mean, shouldn't it have been...the same?"
"Seiryuu had one major problem that Suzaku didn't." Tasuki said darkly, and Chichiri nodded his head.
"Nakago." He agreed. "I suppose you might say he manipulated the role of the Seishi to his own bidding. It twisted the whole of the situation - even twisted Seiryuu no Miko and made her fight against her friend instead of saving Kutou. I don't blame Amiboshi for feeling the way that he did. Or for running away from it as much as he did. In the end, he fought more as one of us than one of them. That was Nakago's fault too, though. Amiboshi first came to Kounan as a spy against us, in order to kill us when our guard was down. But I think he grew to realise the bond we shared, and wanted to be a part of it. In the end...it backfired for Nakago and his warriors. Once one of the seven's will was contrary to the others, any kind of unity they had would have broken down. I know that Amiboshi fought Tomo, one of the other Seiryuu Seishi, to rescue Miaka from his spell, and Suboshi killed Tomo to protect Amiboshi from being slain. In a sense, I suppose, the division of Kutou's ongoing civil war became reflected in the Seiryuu Seishi themselves."
"It's sort of sad, when you put it that way." Hikari sighed. "I liked Koutaku-san. He asked me not to call him Amiboshi, even though he showed me his stellar mark and I knew it was who he was. And he didn't try to fight - even though I got the feeling he could have, somehow, if he had had no choice. It just seems like for both of you, being Suzaku's chosen worked out as a good thing. But being Seiryuu's brought him and his brother nothing but pain."
"I'd say that's probably true." Chichiri nodded gravely. "Amiboshi is probably the stronger of the twins, if he chooses to fight, Hikari. But most often it seems he chooses not to. He was never cut out for war...I imagine the memories scarred him badly."
"So he does have powers, like you and like Suboshi did?" Hikari looked curious.
"He has his goddamn flute." Tasuki grimaced, and Hikari's eyes opened wide with confusion.
"His flute? But...he plays really pretty music. How is that...is that his power?"
"Amiboshi's music is harmless enough these days, probably." Chichiri spread his hands. "But in the past...he uses it to push his life force into other people's and interfere with them and their brainwaves. If he wanted to, through his playing, he could kill a man without even touching him. Maybe many men - Miaka did say that he brought down a unit of Kutou soldiers that dared to attack Makan-mura during our war with the East. I don't know exactly what makes it work, but I do know that it's not a nice way to be attacked, you know."
He shuddered, and Hikari got the feeling he was speaking from personal experience.
"It bursts something in the brain, I imagine...either way, if Amiboshi really wanted to kill someone...I don't think it would be hard for him to do."
"Burst the...?" Hikari whitened, and Tasuki nodded.
"I'm tellin' you, I've never looked at a flute the same way again." He admitted ruefully.
"But Amiboshi is peaceful by nature." Chichiri said, offering the alarmed Hikari a smile. "Like I said, his music is probably harmless these days. I imagine the only time he'd ever use it in any other way would be if something threatened his family - he doesn't have the same wild temperament that his brother did, so you needn't look so alarmed. He's a good man, Hikari...tainted by war, but a good man nonetheless."
"But he...killed a whole...unit of soldiers?" Hikari said faintly. "With his...his flute?"
"When you come to it, I guess most of us have blood on our hands somewhere or other." Tasuki said pensively. "You already know your Pa brought down Nakago, right?"
"Yes...but...wasn't Nakago...a monster?" Hikari asked softly. Tasuki grinned.
"More than." He agreed. "But in war, there are casualties. Fightin' for Suzaku, there are casualties. On both sides. That's somethin' in this world that just happens to be true."
He shrugged.
"They killed our Seishi. We killed theirs." He added. "It kind of balanced out, after a while."
Hikari shuddered.
"This world really does seem to be full of killing things." She said with a shiver. "I don't like it. It isn't nice."
"No, it isn't." Chichiri agreed pensively. "And that's why we don't want there to be another war, Hikari-chan. For the sake of people like Shishi and Meikyo and Eiju who haven't really seen that kind of conflict...we want to keep Kounan as peaceful as it is now. That's our job as Seishi, even if it costs us our lives."
"Chichiri's probably one of the few who can say he didn't take anyone's life during the war with Kutou." Tasuki added. "It ain't just fish he shies from killin', Hikari. He an' you, you're on the same wavelength...he ain't big on the rubbin' out of enemies, even if there ain't no other choice."
"And you?" Hikari sent Tasuki a trepidant glance. "How many...did you kill?"
"As a soldier, fightin' for my Emperor? Couldn't tell you." Tasuki shrugged his shoulders. "Demons an' monsters? Again, couldn't tell you. In terms of Seiryuu Seishi? Jus' the one. But it was an accident. The wench got in the way of my blade - I was aimin' for Nakago. Stupid girl - a lot more could've been prevented if she had just let me hit him."
He grimaced.
"I ain't proud that I killed a girl, for the record. I don't generally fight women, not even women like Soi." He added. "But there ain't much you can do to change the angle of a blade once it's thrown...an' she just shoved herself right in front of it."
"Soi loved Nakago." Chichiri reflected. "And maybe Nakago loved Soi. It's hard to say, you know...but he seemed to take it personally, when she died."
"And my mother was here, involved, during all of this?" Hikari bit her lip. "I guess I never thought of her as brave or anything, but I suppose she must've been. To be wrapped up in a war where people were getting killed - where she could have been killed...maybe I've underestimated her a whole lot. Maybe she isn't who I thought she was either...maybe I have things to ask her, too."
"Miaka was clumsy, too trusting and she had a penchant for food." Chichiri sent Hikari a grin. "But she was also probably the strongest person that Kounan has ever had to put faith in. She believed in us, in the cause we fought for...and that we were as real and as important as her own problems in her own world. She gave Kounan hope, Hikari. No matter how unusual she was, or what flaws she had...she was a truly good person. And a truly strong one, too. Thanks to her and her constant faith in us...Kounan is now at peace."
Hikari sighed.
"I guess there's really so much I still don't know." She murmured.
"Well, if you go back, you can ask them. And if you don't, you can ask us." Tasuki said comfortably. "No big deal."
"I suppose so." Hikari pursed her lips. She hesitated, then, "Thank you."
"For what, exactly?" Tasuki sent her a confused glance. "What did we do?"
"You've been kind to me since I got dropped in this world." Hikari pinkened. "I wanted to say it now, in case I...I forget, later, and don't get another chance. You...I know you're doing it because of whose daughter I am, and because I'm Shinzahou. But I...I'm still...grateful."
Chichiri grinned, reaching over to pat her on the head playfully.
"You're a good girl." He reflected. "Even if you don't think so. Have you forgotten that I owe you my life, Hikari-chan? You're more than welcome."
He eyed her keenly.
"And for the record, it isn't because of who you are, entirely." He added. "I'm getting quite fond of having you around, you know."
"Really?" Hikari looked startled. "You mean I'm not just a bother to you?"
"Who was it who came out to find me at the crack of dawn, to tell me she'd decided to stick it out here rather than run away back home?" Chichiri asked her lightly. "Given that, Hikari-chan, you could never be a bother."
"I hope Mum and Dad feel that way too, when I go back." Hikari rested her chin in her hands. "I did...do something...really really stupid before I left. Something I'm embarrassed to even tell you, to be honest. But Dad was really, really angry. And with me running off..."
She hesitated, then steeled herself, shaking her head.
"No. Whatever they do to me, I deserve it." She decided. "I shouldn't have let Arina persuade me, anyway."
"Arina is your friend, isn't she? In your own world?" Chichiri asked. Hikari nodded.
"Yes."
"Not much of a friend, if she made you do somethin' to make Tama mad at you." Tasuki reflected bluntly. "Maybe you should be the one yellin' at her, if that's the case."
"Maybe it is Arina's fault, some." Hikari acknowledged. "But I never know how to overrule her when she has a bright idea. It seemed simpler when she said it - I guess her family and mine have different rules and, well, standards. But I never thought about it before. Mother's always saying how we're better off than Ari's family because there's always someone at home for Makoto and I, whereas Arina's parents are off all over the place working all the time. And I thought that was crazy - but being here, not being able to see them...I guess I'm realising maybe what it's like for Ari for the first time. That her folks aren't there and she never really knows whether they care or they don't. So maybe...its not her fault. It's...my fault. Because I...I should know better."
"You're makin' no sense to me, kid, but so long as you're happy, go with it." Tasuki advised. Chichiri laughed.
"Tasuki-kun." he said reprovingly.
"What?" Tasuki objected. "I don't understand girls an' I sure don't understand teenage ones. Especially ones from Miaka's world. What else do you expect me to say?"
Chichiri opened his mouth to reply, but then he hesitated, tensing as he raised his head towards the sky.
"Chichiri?" Tasuki was alert in a moment, his fingers flexing for his tessen as he read the expression on the man's face. Hikari glanced between the two Seishi, alarm flickering in her own heart as she registered that something was wrong.
"What...what's up?" She whispered.
"Something..." Chichiri's ruby eye narrowed, and he sighed, slowly shaking his head. "For a moment...I felt something. Something strong...and dark...coming this way."
"And now?" Tasuki's grip tightened around the end of his tessen, and Hikari could tell he was ready to spring to his feet the moment anything changed. "Should we go find Jin an' the cub?"
"No..." Chichiri faltered, then he closed his eyes, holding up his hands as if trying to sense something on the wind. "No, it was coming this way. Not towards the river. Towards us. Here. But..."
"But?" Hikari echoed fearfully.
"I can't feel it now." Chichiri opened his eyes, shaking his head. "It's like it...vanished into nothing."
"Are you sure your senses are firin' on all cylinders?" Tasuki asked quietly, and Chichiri nodded.
"I think so. I can feel you, and Hikari, and I can sense Shishi and Jin." He agreed. "I just can't...whatever it was...I can't get a lock on it now. But whatever it was...it had a strong chi. I didn't like how it felt."
Despite herself, Hikari shivered, and Tasuki frowned, sending her a sidelong glance.
"S'ok, kid." He murmured. "If Chichiri says it's gone, then..."
Before the sentence had left his mouth, however, an arrow came flying out of the darkening sky, and Hikari let out a shriek as it embedded itself in the tree inches from her head, almost leaping on top of Tasuki in her hurry to get away from it. Tasuki grabbed her firmly, pushing her behind him as he shot Chichiri an accusing glance.
"You said it had gone!" He exclaimed, even as he primed his tessen, scanning the trees for the archer. Chichiri shrugged helplessly.
"It had gone! It's still gone!" He protested. "I told you I couldn't feel it any more...and I can't!"
A second arrow came blazing out of the darkness, and Tasuki's eyes narrowed as he flexed his arm, bringing the tessen down hard against it and knocking the barb back against the tree.
"Come out an' face us like a man, you coward!" He exclaimed. "If you want a fight, come get it already and stop lurking in shadows like a little girl!"
"Impressive words, Tasuki."
At this, a figure dropped down from the trees, landing before them neatly on his feet, a bow slung lazily over his arm as he gazed from one Seishi to the other. "Well, here I am...what are you waiting for? Aren't you going to set me alight and send me on my way?"
"Who the hell are you and what do you want?" Tasuki raised the harisen warningly. "Tell me, or else I'll do exactly as you just said."
"We seem to have gotten off to a bad start." The man seemed amused, bowing his head almost mockingly towards the irate bandit. "My apologies."
He flexed his fist, and in a moment the bow was between his fingers, an arrow slipping neatly from finger to finger of his other hand. As Hikari ran her gaze over him, she felt a cold chill go down her spine for, although he was not so very much older than she was, there was a cold glitter in his strange dark eyes that told of someone who was not at all afraid of killing if the need arose. In the darkening evening light, the red across his collar seemed almost like a splash of blood, and she shivered, biting her lip as she fought to keep her fear under control.
"Let me introduce myself properly." The stranger raised his gaze once more. "My name is Miramu, and I've come to claim something you have. Something that doesn't belong to you, or to Kounan."
"What the hell's all the screamin'?" At that moment, Shishi burst through the trees, Jin in tow, and Tasuki held up his hands, casting them a dark look.
"Stay where you are, both of you." He said sharply. "This joker thinks he's going to mess with the Suzaku Shichi Seishi. And he's about to get a rude awakening as to why picking a fight with us ain't a good idea."
At this, Miramu laughed, shaking his head slowly in appreciation of the bandit's fighting talk.
"You know, I've heard of you - both of you." He said evenly. "Tasuki, who shoots fire, and reacts just as impulsively. And Chichiri, the sorcerer - the one who prefers to stalk the shadows - just as I do. Really, I have no personal grudge to bear with either you or your companions. As I said, I've only come for one thing - I've come to claim the object in your possession that does not belong to you."
"What object would that be, Miramu?" Chichiri spoke this time, bringing his fingers up before his face as he projected a barrier around his companions. "You're not being very clear, you know...about your true objective."
"You're not so stupid as that." Miramu's indigo eyes narrowed, and he shook his head. "But if you insist, I'll spell it out for you."
His lips twitched into a smile.
"Seiryuu no Shinzahou."
"What makes you think we would have a treasure belonging to Seiryuu?" Chichiri asked levelly. "We're warriors of Suzaku."
"I'm not a fool, either." Miramu cocked his bow. "And talking is all very well, but I'm not one for long, drawn out confrontations. Hand it over, or else it might get nasty."
"You think you can pierce my barrier?" Chichiri asked softly. Miramu laughed.
"I know I can, sorcerer. Just as I concealed myself from you in the trees." He responded lightly. "I can suppress all trace of my presence, and slip an arrow through your magic shield. And if I do, it's death to anyone I hit. My aim is pretty good, you know, especially at short range. Those shots before were just a warning - to tell you I was here. But now it's serious. I'm not afraid to kill if I have to."
"We've faced archers and arrows before. We're not that weak." Tasuki snapped, and Hikari, hiding behind the bandit's brawny body hoped inwardly that his words were true. Miramu inclined his head in acknowledgement of his words.
"Probably." He agreed. "But I don't take chances. My arrows are unique - they're specially designed to conceal a special, surprise gift within the tip."
He smiled, and Hikari shivered at the cold malice in his glittering eyes.
"Poison." He whispered. "And none who have ever been pierced by my arrow have lived to tell the tale. Do you want to pit yourselves against those odds for the sake of an earring that doesn't even belong to you?"
He twitched the bow in Shishi's direction.
"Or maybe, the life of one of your young companions?"
"You even try and I'll char you to cinders before you even loose that wire." Tasuki snapped. "We've nothing to give you and nothing more to say...I've done listening. Rekka Shin'en!"
At his command, a flood of flame roared from the tessen, and Hikari's eyes widened as the fire flared out around them, licking up trees and branches as it coursed through the forest land. Far from being a tame lick of flame to light a campfire, the scared girl realised that this was the true power of Tasuki's tessen and that, to defend his daughter's life, he was quite willing to use it to burn the archer to a crisp on the spot.
Miramu leapt neatly out of the way of the flame, perching on one of the untouched branches as he gazed down at them.
"So you're going to make it hard for me?" He asked sadly. "You do realise, my killing you is contrary to my orders. But if that's the only way to get the treasure...I'll have to do what I have to do. If I don't take the earring, I don't get paid...and if you don't give it to me, you don't get to live. I don't see any benefit for anyone in that arrangement - do you?"
His eyes narrowed, although there was still the glimmer of amusement in their depths.
"Besides, stealing some other country's holy treasure is a low blow, you know. Tut tut."
"Amiboshi gave us the Shinzahou, you creep!" Shishi exclaimed. "We didn't steal it from him at all! You're the one trying to steal it!"
"Not if I persuade you to hand it over." Miramu chuckled. "That's not stealing. That's an amicable business arrangement in which I get what I want, and you get to live. Sounds fair, doesn't it?"
He cocked his head, eying them coldly.
"Last chance." He murmured. "The earring...or someone is going to die."