Chapter Sixteen
The book's pages had been black.
Taka paced across the front room of the Sukunami family apartment, a troubled look in his eyes as he contemplated what it meant. He and Keisuke had arrived back at the apartment building only moments earlier, and neither one of them had been quite sure how to explain to Miaka what they had found. It had therefore been a relief to both to discover a scrawled note saying she had gone to Yui's workplace to seek her advice. Keisuke had volunteered to make tea, aware of his brother-in-law's thinly veiled distress, and Taka had been left alone with his own thoughts – an unenviable position, he realised with a bitter smile.
He sighed, crossing the small room and pushing back the door, heading along the corridor towards the small bedroom that had been Hikari's own since she had been a tiny baby. For a moment he hesitated, then turned the handle, stepping into the teenage girl's world as he gazed pensively around the unexceptional, slightly messy chamber. Hikari's school uniform still lay tossed over the back of the chair where she had left it the night before, and it seemed hard to believe surrounded by this normality that anything could possibly have happened to his daughter.
"But it did. We fought. You shouted and so did I." He whispered, sitting down on the bed and fingering the paws of the worn stuffed rabbit that had been Hikari's companion when she had been much younger. Faintly he remembered the day he had won it for her, at a carnival in the centre of the city, and for years it had trailed Hikari everywhere, until she had reached the point where she was 'too old' for such childish fancies. Still, she had never put the rabbit into storage, and gazing at it now, Taka felt his helplessness wash over him once again.
"Why would you take money from Keisuke…why would you say those things…and where are you, Hikari-chan?" He murmured. "It doesn't matter any more…whatever you've done, however angry I am. Just…we want you to come home, your mother and I. Do you know that we love you as much as we do? And if you have gone into the book – what does that mean? If you are there…I can't follow you. I can't help you – are you even all right?"
"Tamahome-kun!"
The voice startled him, causing him to physically jump and drop the rabbit down onto the bedclothes as he gazed around him for the source of the noise. The room seemed silent and empty, however, and he put his hand to his pounding heart, certain that now his worry had led him to have delusions.
"Too little sleep." He muttered. "Dammit, I'm losing my mind. Hikari-chan, where are you? Where the hell are you!"
"Tamahome-kun, can you hear me?"
The voice came again, stronger this time, and with a jolt Taka realised it had not been his imagination. His eyes widened, as he scoured the room anew, looking for the speaker – but there was noone there.
"Where are you!" He exclaimed. "Who are you – what do you want!"
"That's a nice greeting for an old friend, Taka-kun." The voice was reproachful, and now Taka's eyes widened with disbelief as at last he recognised the distinctive, teasing tones.
"Chi…Chichiri? But…how? Where? I don't…"
"You can't see me…it's a miracle you can hear me." Chichiri's voice faded in and out slightly, and Taka frowned, registering a faint reddish glimmer around the edges of Hikari's bedside alarm clock. His heart in his throat, he scooped it up, gripping it tightly in his hands.
"What the hell is going on!" He demanded. "Chichiri – is it really you? How is that…how is it even possible? Where are you?"
"Kounan, where else?" Chichiri sounded amused. "Tamahome-kun, this isn't the time for idle chatter. I can't hold this spell long – it's difficult, you know? So don't ask questions…just listen to me, all right?"
"I'm listening." Taka bit his lip, his gaze flitting to the door as he wondered whether or not Keisuke could hear his strange conversation with the battery powered alarm clock. "Go on. Whatever it is – if it involves me coming back into the book, Chichiri, I can't. There's no way. It's not possible…I can't get back."
"I said listen, didn't I?" Chichiri tut-tutted, and his voice became faint once more. "This is taking all my concentration as it is, you know – its not easy penetrating space and time to make contact with you!"
"Space and…time?"
"You're worried about Hikari, aren't you?"
"How did you know that?"
"Because she's worried about you, too. And that you're angry with her – about something she did before she left home."
"Hikari…is with you?" Hope flared in Taka's heart, followed by despair. "But…how? Why? I don't…I don't understand!"
"Dad?" This time the voice was faltering but undeniably that of his daughter, and Taka bit his lip, swallowing hard.
"Hikari-chan." He murmured. "But…"
"Dad…I'm sorry." Hikari spoke slowly, and he could hear the uneven note of apprehension in her tones. "About what I did. And…and that I…I'm not coming back. Not yet. I…I can't come back…but…Chichiri and Tasuki are looking after me. And I…I'm all right. I promise…I'm all right."
"What do you mean, not coming back?" Taka exclaimed. "Have you any idea how worried your mother and I have been about you?"
"I have to stay here." Hikari's voice shook now, and Taka could tell she was fighting tears. "I…I miss you, Dad. And Mum. And I'm really sorry for what I said, too. And if you hate me now, I…I guess I'll understand, but…Kounan…if I go back, everyone in Kounan will…so I can't. I have to stay here. I have to help."
"Hikari…"
"Mother made me her Shinzahou, didn't she?" Hikari's voice was now no more than a whisper, as Taka strained to hear every word. "So I can't not do it. It's something I have to do – because you and she made me ShinzahouSuzaku…Kounan…they need me, Dad. And so I…I can't come back. Not yet. I…I can't."
"Hikari-chan…"
"We'll take care of her, Taka. I promise." Chichiri's voice came now, and Taka was faintly comforted by the gentle sincerity in his tones. "You have faith in Tasuki and I to do that, don't you? We'll look after her, and make sure she's all right. She's a good girl, your daughter…you should be proud of her. You and Miaka both."
He sighed.
"I can't hold the spell any longer." He admitted. "Don't worry, Tamahome-kun. Your daughter will be fine – I promise!"
With that, the glimmer around the alarm clock's plastic shell faded, and Taka was dimly aware that he was once more alone in the little bedroom. Tears glittered on his cheeks as he digested what had happened, struggling in his mind to work out whether or not it had been real.
"Was that truly…Chichiri?" He murmured. "Is Hikari really…? But…what did he mean, space and time? Why is the book repelling me? Why are the pages black – what's going to happen to my daughter?"
"Taka?" Keisuke's voice from the doorway startled him and he glanced up, sending his brother in law a dazed look.
"Hrm?"
"Taka, why are you clutching Hikari's clock like that – and why are you talking to yourself?" Keisuke asked softly. "I know you're worried – but really, you have to…"
"She's inside the book." Taka interrupted, glancing at the clock and then setting it down on the bedside cabinet. "I…spoke to her, Keisuke. She was…there. In Kounan. With…Chichiri."
"How the hell?" Keisuke's eyebrows shot up, and Taka shrugged his shoulders.
"Some kind of spell." He murmured. "Chichiri opened some kind of connection between this world and that one. I don't know how. But Hikari was there. And she…she's alive. But she…isn't coming home. She…Kounan…is in trouble. And she…she's going to stay there. And…and fight."
"She's her mother's daughter after all." Keisuke grimaced. "Although she probably inherited it just as much from you as she did Miaka. Are you certain, Taka? You do look tired – you're sure that that's what happened?"
"Yes." Taka eyed the clock with a frown.
"Then that means they must have something of Hikari's in that world – something they used as a medium to communicate…doesn't that mean you can contact her?"
"I don't…I don't know." Taka admitted. "Chichiri said it wasn't easy to cast his spell…as if there was something in his way. The book is dead, and I can't go into it…so I don't know what that means. But I don't think it's as easy to reach her as it was for you to reach Miaka or for Saori to reach Mayo. We're not able to follow what she's doing in the book this time, because of what's happening to the pages. As if where Hikari is isn't even really there…"
"Or it was there, but it isn't now." Keisuke's eyes narrowed, and Taka stared at him.
"Pardon me?"
"The book world moves differently from our world where time is concerned." He said carefully. "We both know that probably a lot of time passed in that world, since Hikari was born. Yet you said Chichiri cast the spell. Did he sound old, Taka?"
"No…he sounded much as ever, to be honest." Taka looked surprised. "I hadn't thought about that – but you're right."
"So what if Hikari hasn't gone back into the book as it is now?" Keisuke asked. "What if somehow she's gone back into the book – in a completely different time zone to the one we're in now?"
"Meaning that her tale has played out in the book, but it's long since been finished?" Taka demanded. "And that we can't find it now, because it ran while the book was in storage and noone ever saw it?"
"Maybe." Keisuke frowned. "It all seems mad to me, to be honest. But you keep saying – Miaka keeps saying – that Hikari is the Shinzahou. And those things are pretty powerful, right?"
"Hikari's never had any powers, Keisuke."
"Nor do you, in this world. Just confused memories." Keisuke reminded him. "But Hikari's not like you, Taka. You were reborn – modified – to fit this world's requirements. Hikari's a girl of this world, but even before she was born, Suzaku's power was sealed inside of her. She's a girl of both worlds – and maybe it makes her capable of things there that she's not capable of here."
"Which means that Chichiri and the others need her to save Kounan?" Taka breathed. "My daughter's going to be the third Suzaku no Miko?"
"Guess it's possible." Keisuke shrugged. "We can't rule it out, can we?"
"But it's dangerous! I should be able to protect her, at least!"
"As a father or as a Seishi?" Keisuke asked wryly. "Taka, there's nothing you can do. Whether we're right or we aren't, you can't get back into the book. You'll have to rely on Chichiri and Tasuki, if they're the ones who're looking after her. If she really is there, you'll have to have faith in them. And in her, Taka. You'll have to have faith in her, too."
Taka sighed, slowly nodding his head as he realised the truth in his companion's words.
"I...I guess so."
"Now you know how I felt, when Miaka disappeared into the book the first time."
"At least you knew what she was doing." Taka objected. "I can't follow Hikari's progress at all. I don't know if she's safe or if she isn't. She can die in that world, Keisuke, just as Suboshi and Nakago died in this one. You realise that, don't you? She's not immune to that."
"I know." Keisuke looked grave. "But Taka, she is your daughter. Miaka's daughter. At the end of the day, I think that'll count for something."
"Maybe." Taka rubbed his temples. "Well...at least I can tell Miaka we know where she is. And that I've spoken to her - that she's with Chichiri and Tasuki. That gives me some comfort at least...I guess if she's in the book, there's noone better for her to be with."
"Exactly." Keisuke nodded encouragingly. "And meantime, you can stop and think up some explanation for Hikari's school as to why she's absent today, can't you? Her morning classes will be beginning soon - you better start thinking, unless you want "disappearing into a book world" to go on her permanent record."
"How about going to the library after curfew without permission?" Taka said ruefully. "All right. I suppose you're right. Call Miaka, will you? I'll ring the school and tell them that Hikari's not feeling well this morning. And just hope that she's back before the day is out!"
-------
"Whew...that was tough, you know."
In the front room of the village farmhouse, Chichiri let out his breath in a rush, dropping Hikari's watch down onto the patterned kesa as he shot his young companion a rueful glance. "I've never tried to communicate through time before - it wasn't easy to do."
"I...guess not." Hikari faltered, then scooped up her watch, fastening it absently back around her wrist. "Thank you, Chichiri. At least now...they know. And they won't worry as much, I suppose."
Tears glittered on her lashes and she swallowed hard, biting her lip as she fought with her emotions. At the sight of her expression, Chichiri sighed, reaching across to hug her tightly.
"I'm sorry." He murmured. "I guess talking to Tama...Taka made you even more homesick, huh?"
"Yes." Hikari admitted, burying her head in the sorcerer's shoulder as the tears got the better of her. "I hate this, Chichiri. I hate feeling like this. And I hate most of all that I make crazy, silly decisions one minute and then want to retract them the next. I don't know what's going on in my head any more! When we rescued Meikyo, I was so focused. Now I just feel pathetic and stupid again. I guess Hikari's only strong when Suzaku's inside of her. Now he's gone again and I'm just sitting here crying like a baby."
Chichiri shook his head.
"If you doubt in yourself, you will fail much more easily. It's because you're expecting to, you know." He said matter-of-factly. He held her at arm's length, offering her a smile.
"Taiitsukun drummed that lesson into me when I first came under her tutelage." He added. "And I've always tried to keep it in mind. Being strong is a matter of mind, as much as it is a matter of body, you know."
"I suppose I've got a long way to go, then." Despite herself, Hikari smiled faintly, and Chichiri chuckled.
"Perhaps you have." He admitted. "But not today. For now we'll stay here, and you can catch your breath. It's been a manic week for us all, and you especially. You're not used to any of this, after all."
"Shishi, Jin and Tasuki have gone back to the mountain, haven't they?" Hikari murmured, and Chichiri nodded.
"Yes, for the time being." He agreed. "I think Tasuki wanted to make sure Anzu was all right, and that nothing had happened there, considering what had happened here. I think that the mountain is probably secure enough, though, with both Anzu and Kouji there to defend it...still, you can understand his concern. Tomorrow morning he's coming back here, though, and the three of us will go to Taikyoku-zan and speak to Taiitsukun about what to do next."
"Just the three of us? You, me and Tasuki?" Hikari looked startled. "Are we leaving Jin and Shishi out of things from now on?"
"That's not clear, yet, but Taikyoku-zan isn't exactly a place just anyone can go." Chichiri pursed his lips. "Only the Chosen of the Beast Gods can go there. Your mother did, of course. Your father, too. And you." He grinned at her. "Suzaku no Shinzahou. But Jin and Shishi - brave and strong as they both are - are just ordinary bandits. And they can't go to the sacred mountain."
"I see." Hikari considered this. "All right, then."
She tilted her head on one side, eying him thoughtfully.
"Meikyo is all right now, isn't she?" She asked softly. Chichiri frowned.
"Her arm will heal." He agreed gravely. "But she's frightened, poor kid. She's never been in that position before - noone's ever tried to hurt her before. I gave her something gentle to ease her to sleep, and I'm hoping by the time she wakes she'll be feeling more herself. But it's a lot for an eight year old to handle - especially one who's never been exposed to fighting or violence on that scale before."
"Poor Meikyo." Hikari looked troubled. "And Aidou-san?"
"I'm quite all right, Hikari-chan." Aidou herself answered at that moment, and the two glanced up to see the woman of the house in the doorway. Her brow was bruised and mottling in blues and purples, but the colour had returned to her face and Hikari offered her a smile.
"I'm glad. I was worried about you, when you were knocked out on the ground like that."
"I'd like to teach the man who did this to us a lesson." Aidou admitted. "But no doubt he's miles from here by now."
"No doubt he's gone East." Chichiri reflected. "But that's all right. The further away he is from you all, Aidou, the happier I am."
He bit his lip, looking troubled.
"In those circumstances, I'm not sure what to do if Taiitsukun tells us we have to go travelling again." He admitted. "I don't want any of you hurt...I already feel to blame for this time."
"You left here to try and protect us, and if that's what you have to do, you have to do it." Aidou said pragmatically. "Next time, we'll be more prepared."
"Well, if you think there's danger, take the children and go to the mountain." Chichiri told her softly. "Even if you think you're overreacting. The bandits there will protect the Kashira's sister and nephew and niece as sure as they'd protect him or Shishi - you'd be better off there than here."
"Maybe." Aidou frowned. "But there is the farm to consider, and besides, Eiju doesn't need to be encouraged...he already wants to be a bandit far too much."
"You are feeling better." Chichiri got to his feet, crossing the floor to take his wife's hands in his as he eyed her with a mixture of amusement and relief. "I'm glad to see it, Aidou-chan."
"Mm. I'll heal." Aidou nodded. "And so will Mei-chan, Hou Jun. She's shaken now, but she's her father's daughter - remember? She'll fight back. Although she was asking for you before she fell asleep - you and Hikari both, actually."
"Me too?" Hikari looked startled, and Aidou nodded.
"Meikyo seems to have taken to you doubly since you came to her rescue this morning." She agreed. "She's lost to the world now, poor mite, but when she wakes, I think she'd appreciate it if you went and spoke to her. She really has adopted you as her big sister...whether you're ready for it or not."
"I don't mind." A smile touched Hikari's lips. "I guess, while I'm in this world, I'll be her Oneechan. If she likes."
"While you're here, you're an honorary member of the Ri family, Hikari-chan." Chichiri told her seriously. "Both Meikyo and I have a lot to be thankful to you for, and I haven't forgotten why it is you're remaining here in the first place. Our home is yours for as long as you need it - isn't it, Aidou?"
"Without a doubt." Aidou nodded, dusting her hands absently on her apron. "While you're in Kounan, Hikari, you're always welcome with us."
"Thank you." Hikari flushed at this. "I don't know if I'm as brave or as strong as you think, but I'm grateful anyway. You've been so kind to me already."
"And you helped bring my husband and my daughter safely home to me." Aidou crossed the room, touching Hikari gently on the cheek. "I told you I had faith in you, Hikari-sama - that everything would be all right, now you were here. And I believe it twice as much now. You are here to save Kounan - of that I have no doubt."
"Where is Eiju?" Chichiri wondered at this juncture. "The house seems awfully quiet...he's not gone to the mountain with Tasuki, has he?"
"Definitely not." Aidou shook her head emphatically. "No. He's out the back, piling firewood. He wasn't too keen to do it first thing, but now he's all gung-ho about 'helping Papa'. I think what happened frightened him - and he's old enough to feel that he wanted to do more to protect us. He's growing up fast - I think he's trying to be man of the house a little, now. He was really shaken by Meikyo's abduction."
"He's only twelve. There's no hurry." Chichiri reflected, and Aidou shrugged her shoulders.
"Twelve is moving closer to adulthood." She reflected. "Perhaps it's time he did learn to do more than just play with wooden swords."
"You think so?" Chichiri sighed. "I'm hoping that if we save Kounan this time, he won't ever need to use one. But...if that's what you think...he'll have to go to the mountain. I've never wielded a sword, and I don't intend on starting now."
"Eiju can't protect himself with spells like you can, Hou Jun." Aidou said frankly. "And teaching him his letters might get him a good job in Souun or somewhere roundabout, but it won't help him chase raiders and villains away from the farm. You should give it some thought - after all, he's twelve now, but in five or six years he might be bringing home a bride."
"I don't deal in blades." Chichiri said firmly. "But I will speak to Tasuki, if you like. I'm sure he or Kouji would be happy to give the boy some lessons in how to wield a sword, if you think he needs to learn."
Hikari eyed the couple with a faint smile, sitting back against the wall as she surveyed them.
"You two are so different from Mother and Father." She murmured. "They never have conversations like this."
"How do you mean?" Chichiri eyed her in confusion, and Hikari shrugged.
"Worrying about my future, or Makoto's." She responded. "I have major exams at school this year, but neither Mother nor Father seem too worried whether or not I pass or what school I get into. And Makoto's the brainiac of the family - without a doubt - but even though I've heard both Uncle Keisuke and Uncle Tetsuya tease him about top league colleges, Mum always just laughs it off and says he's not old enough to worry about things like that. Makoto's the same age as Eiju, you know...but Aidou-san, you talk about him like he's almost an adult. Makoto...well, me too...I guess it seems a lot more like we're children."
"People grow up too fast in this world, that's a fact." Chichiri said ruefully. "They have to, you know. It's a matter of survival."
"I suppose." Hikari rested her chin in her hands. "It's not just here, though. Shishi's a year younger than I am, isn't she? But she seems as old as me, or older. And she said that she could even be married in a year or two, if she wanted to be. She thought the idea horrific, and so did I. Married at fifteen or sixteen? I couldn't even imagine it."
"I was engaged at eighteen." Chichiri reflected. "Although...I didn't actually marry until I was twenty seven."
He paused, casting Aidou a rueful glance, which was met by an amused smile.
"I was twenty four." She agreed. "Although like Hou Jun, I was betrothed once before to a man who died during the war with Kutou. We were both rather unusual in that - I'd all but given up on finding a husband, to be truthful, until I stumbled into Suzaku's business and encountered Hou Jun as more than just my stupid brother's Seishi comrade. Marrying young isn't uncommon in these parts. Shun'u was nineteen when he allowed Anzu to go to the mountain - and she was seventeen, I think...she can't have been much older."
"Shishi said that, too." Hikari remembered. "But how can you know, that young, whether or not you're always going to love someone?"
"This sounds like it's a question with a personal edge, Hikari-chan." Chichiri regarded her thoughtfully, sitting back on his hands as he eyed her keenly. "Is this something to do with Miaka and Tama...Taka's connection?"
"No...well, not exactly, although I guess it happened for them in the same kind of way...Mum was fifteen when she met Dad, I know that for sure now." Hikari bit her lip. "I just...I thought I liked this guy back home, right? I really thought I did. But since I've been here, I've...I've thought about everything else. Everyone else. Even my damn brother, who I always fight with. But not Haru-kun. So now I wonder...do I even like him all that much after all? It's confusing. How can you tell whether or not you love someone, anyway?"
"I think when you do, Hikari-chan, you just know." Chichiri said reflectively. "It has a habit of creeping up on you, I think. But you'll know when it does...I'm sure of that. You don't need to worry about it too much just at the moment. When you go back to your world, I'm sure things will be clearer. And after all, like you said, things are different there. Just because Aidou and I are talking like this doesn't mean the same applies to you. You're a special case, you know?"
"Perhaps." Hikari drew her knees up to her chin, hugging them tightly as she considered. "I suppose things do just work differently in this world from mine. I guess it must have been really hard at first, then, for Dad to live in that one. Mustn't it? He must have had to have learnt a lot of new things."
"It's complicated, you know." Chichiri pursed his lips. "Suzaku's work often is. It was Miaka's final wish to Suzaku - for them to be together, somehow. And Suzaku did his best to grant it. Sukunami Taka was the solution to the problem - as I said, it's difficult to really understand the process. But I'm sure it wasn't as hard as all that - considering that he was with Miaka."
"I suppose so." Hikari sighed. "Maybe one day I'll feel like that about someone. It's...sort of romantic, when you think about it like that. I always thought Mum and Dad were annoyingly devoted to one another. But I guess...now I know a little more about what they had to overcome to be together...it's not so bad."
"I don't think truly being in love with someone is bad." Chichiri shrugged his shoulders. "So long as noone gets hurt in the meantime."
He smiled.
"Well, you have the rest of the afternoon to do as you please." He added with a grin. "I'm sure you don't want to stay here and be roped into helping Aidou with the herbs, when you've been through as much as you have of late. Is there something you'd like to do?"
"Do?" Hikari looked blank, and Aidou smiled.
"Why not take her to Souun, Hou Jun?" She suggested. "There are a few things I need, in any case...and as for the herbs, they're all done - while you've been away, I've been able to keep Meikyo's attention more on the farm than on scribbling on bits of parchment. Besides, if Hikari's staying in Kounan, she'll need something to wear while she's here. You might be hopeless with such things - but I'm sure that choosing fabric for clothing is a girl's talent in every world."
"Clothing?" Hikari started. "But...won't that be expensive? And I...I don't have any..."
"I told you. You're part of the family." Aidou shook her head. "And besides, we have a trade agreement with a supplier in Souun."
She smiled again, her bronze eyes twinkling.
"He receives fabric direct from the capital." She added. "From one of the most well known emporia in the Textile Quarter. It's always been an unspoken agreement between us and them...since Hou Jun's an old friend of the Chou family's second son."
"An...old friend?" Hikari looked bewildered. "I...I see."
"Nuriko's real name was Chou Ryuuen, and his family run that warehouse in Eiyou." Chichiri explained. "And its like Aidou said. Nuriko has one surviving brother - Rokou - who runs the business these days, since his father's retirement and his mother's death. He's...not really much like his brother, to be honest, but he's a good man nonetheless. The business has blossomed under his control, because he's such a careful, precise kind of man when it comes to detail - and they've outsourced to suppliers in various other cities in the near area. Because of my connection to Nuriko, it's always been an understanding between us. You needn't worry too much about cost - it's been arranged that way for years, and it's always proven helpful. In some respects its an alliance built out of former acquaintance, but it's more than that."
He shrugged.
"When Nuriko died, we buried him on Koku-zan, in Hokkan." He added. "We didn't have a chance to return him home to his family, which was a matter of some friction for a while. But I projected a spell around his resting place - a barrier to preserve it and the wood that marks it from the elements of Hokkan's weather. So no matter where he lies, noone can ever disturb his remains. In some respects, Rokou's agreement with my family stems from that - my continued protection of his brother's final resting place. But in truth, I would do it, regardless. Nuriko was a close friend of mine, after all - I'd have done it for any of them, if it was the last thing I could do for them in this world."
He sighed.
"The Chou family are very wealthy, these days. Fortunately, they're of the generous persuasion, and more than once Rokou has been convinced to supply warm cloth for many of the villages around these parts during the winter months."
"He sounds nice." Hikari smiled. "I see. I suppose being a Seishi means you have connections all over the place. Like Tamatama-san in Yukigase."
"Yes. Good and bad, as you're finding out." Chichiri reflected ruefully. "And we could go to Souun. But...I'm not sure I should leave the house so soon after..."
He trailed off, and Aidou shook her head.
"You said it yourself. The man's gone East." She said softly. "Take her, Hou Jun. It's all right."
"I'll protect Okaasan and Mei-chan, Papa." At that moment, Eiju emerged from the outhouse, his face smudged with dirt and sweat from his wood-piling exertions. "I promise. I'll protect them this time...I won't let anyone come and hurt Mei-chan again."
At the sight of the determination on Eiju's face, Chichiri laughed, getting to his feet as he touched his son gently on the shoulder.
"Very well." He agreed lightly. "We won't be away long - I'll use the kasa, and I'll put a barrier around the house - from Souun, I should be able to keep it strong enough to ward against most trouble, in any case."
"Then it's decided." Aidou glanced at Hikari. "Well?"
"All...all right." Hikari nodded her head. "It would be nice, and maybe...I could bring something back for Mei-chan, too?"
"I think she'd like that." Hou Jun grinned, holding out his hand to his wife and she grimaced at him, producing a scrawled-on scrap of parchment.
"Here." She said frankly. "Everything on it is important, especially if you want to eat tonight."
"Understood." Amusement flickered in Chichiri's ruby eyes. "Okay, Hikari-chan. Hold on tightly - we're on our way."