Chapter Seventeen
The sky over Tokyo was dotted with clouds as Hikari got slowly dressed for school, pausing to eye her alarm clock pensively as she pulled on her socks, reaching for her hairbrush to brush out her thick dark hair. For the first time since she had begun at her first school, she had not needed the reassuring chime of the alarm to wake her - in fact, she had barely slept at all, despite the fact she had been ready to drop.
Jin's sacrifice still haunted her thoughts, and try as she might, it was impossible to bring her mind back to the real world.
"While I was there, I wanted to be here." She murmured, sitting down in front of her mirror as she ran the brush methodically through the ebony waves, no real enthusiasm in her gesture. "And now I'm here, but I feel like...what do I feel? That I should be there? It's messed up. Because of me, Jin is dead. Because I'm stupid and useless. Why would I go back? What the hell use am I anyway, after that?"
She frowned, tossing her brush across the room in a fit of sudden pique, burying her head in her hands as she sought to gather her scattered composure.
"This is stupid." She muttered, running her fingers through her hair. "Get a grip, Hiki...else you'll never get through a day of school."
She got to her feet, pausing as she realised that she had used Shishi's affectionate name to address herself.
"Hiki." She murmured, biting her lip as her gaze fell on the shinken. "Dammit...I don't like feeling like this!"
"Hikari-chan? Arina's here!" Her mother's voice echoed through the apartment and she swallowed hard, settling herself as best she could.
"I'm almost ready!" She called back. "She can come in if she likes - I'm just doing my hair!"
She scooped up her schoolbag, and as she did so, her kanji dictionary tumbled out of the unzipped top, falling onto the floor with a thud. A frown crossing her face, Hikari bent to scoop it up, flicking idly through the pages.
As she reached a particular entry, she paused, fingering the page.
"Hikari." She murmured. "Light. That's what Myoume said...that I was light. That I was the difference. But Jin...did he die because I have to stay alive? I wish I knew what to do."
"Braid it."
A voice came from the doorway, startling her and she swung around, dropping the book in her surprise.
"Arina!"
"Well, who did you expect?" Arina lounged up against the doorpost. "What happened to you, Hi-chan? Wednesday night your Dad phones in a panic because he can't find you, yesterday you skip school - and today your Ma's all like normal - as if nothing was ever wrong. What gives?"
"Nothing. I wasn't feeling well, but I'm fine now. And Dad didn't know where I was because there was a misunderstanding. He didn't know I'd gone to the library with...with Aunt Yui and Uncle Tetsuya." Hikari said slowly, inwardly thanking her lucky stars that she had seen her adoptive aunt there that evening. "They had an Ancient Chinese display, and they wanted me to go."
"Ancient China, huh? No wonder you were sick yesterday." Arina pulled a graphic face. "Well, are we going? Much as I'd like to bunk off, we've a quiz second period and if you're not sick, you're not skipping. Not if I have to do it...and I can't afford to miss another quiz this term."
"I'm coming." Hikari frowned, eying her reflection for a moment, and Arina snorted.
"I already told you. Braid it." She said categorically. "It's what you always do, after all - it's not like it's a major decision. Yeesh, Hikari - are you that desperate to get Haru-kun to notice you?"
"Haru-kun?" Hikari started, staring at her friend in confusion. "Why would you think that?"
"Only because you've been crushing on him for ages?" Arina retorted. "Where are you this morning, space cadet?"
"Ugh. Sorry." Hikari rubbed her temples. "I really did not sleep well last night."
"No kidding." Arina grinned. "Oh, come here, you idiot. Let me do it."
She grabbed up the discarded brush, pushing Hikari down onto her bed as she ran it through her friend's waves. "Got the ribbon? I swear if you got it cut you'd have less to do in the morning."
"I don't want to cut it." Hikari said absently. "I like my hair long."
"But it would suit you. And it'd get people to notice you." Arina said reflectively. "You keep complaining about that - and you look too sweet, this way. A new hairstyle might change all of that...you should think about it."
"I said I didn't want to, Ari. I'm happy with my hair like this."
"Well, you're the one who says you don't get noticed."
"Maybe there are more important things to me right now than how I look." As Arina tied the ribbon into the end of her friend's braid, Hikari stood, tossing the thick plait over her shoulder. "And I can do my own hair...you don't need to nanny me. We're not running late yet."
"Hey...don't bite my head off." Arina stared. "What is it, that time of the month? Because you're seriously in a mood this morning, Hi-chan. Did your Dad ground you over the library or something? Tell me you're still coming to the party!"
"I guess so." Hikari nodded slowly. "I'm not grounded. So yeah, I guess I'm coming."
"You guess?" Arina's brows knitted together. "What do you mean, you guess? How long have we been planning this?"
"Ari, I'm really not in the mood for this right now." Hikari said tiredly. "Can we just go already? We'll get the earlier bus, if you like."
"Are you sure you're feeling all right?" Arina demanded. "Because right now you aren't sounding like it. You're freaking me out, Hikari - even considering it is first thing in the morning."
"I'm fine."
"Yeah, right. Like hell you are." Arina frowned. "Did you miss the memo about confiding in your best friend, huh? You can tell me anything, you know - so start spilling already. Something's bugging you - did you talk to your Dad about the dress? Let me guess - he said no, and you took off to the library with your Aunt to get back at him - right?"
Hikari stared at her friend for a moment, and Arina grinned.
"Bingo." She murmured. "Damn, I didn't know you had it in you. So did he waver? What happened?"
"Nothing." Hikari got a grip on herself, shaking her head. "Mum and Dad can't afford it. And I can't just take what isn't mine. So I guess it's tough."
"I already told you about that." Arina scolded. "It's only borrowing, if you intend to give it back after."
"No, it's not." Hikari shook her head, and Arina tut-tutted.
"You never get anywhere if you don't take risks." She pointed out. Hikari pursed her lips, raising serious hazel eyes to meet her friend's dark ones.
"It's stealing." She said softly. "And I don't want to do that. My family isn't like yours, Ari. Your Dad might not care. Mine would. All my family would. We don't do things like that. And I don't need a new dress just to go to a classmate's party. It's not that important."
Arina stared at her, dumbstruck by this sudden, serious rejection, and Hikari steeled herself for the comment she felt sure was coming. However, before Arina could find a retort, her gaze seemed to fix on something behind her friend and her eyes widened.
Hikari frowned.
"Ari?"
"Hikari, do you know that your alarm clock is kinda...well...glowing?" Arina murmured, raising a finger to point in the direction of the bedside cabinet.
"Glowing?" Hikari stared at her friend as if she was mad, but as she followed her friend's gaze, she saw that the other girl was right. There was a faint reddish aura glittering around the edges of her alarm clock, and she swallowed hard, darting across the room to scoop it up.
"I guess I forgot to turn it off properly." She murmured, grabbing it up off the unit. "That's all. Don't look so freaked."
Almost as soon as the words were out of her mouth, however, her fingers made contact with it and as they did, the light flared and glimmered more brightly, causing Arina to start in surprise, tripping over Hikari's discarded dictionary and falling back onto the girl's bed. She swore softly, her gaze not leaving the strange red haze that now engulfed Hikari's hands, and Hikari found she was scarcely any less stunned.
"What the..." She murmured.
"Hiki?"
At that moment, a voice seemed to crackle from somewhere inside the alarm clock, and at the sound of it, Hikari's eyes almost fell out of her head.
"Sh...Shishi?"
"Hiki, are you damn well listening to me? You better be! How dare you take off and abandon me! You got a lot of explaining to do, dammit - where the hell are you?"
"Hikari, why is your alarm clock talking to you?" Arina asked unsteadily, and her face seemed suddenly lacking in colour. "And how does it know your name?"
"Shishi..." Hikari cast Arina a troubled glance, then, "I'm at home. That's all. I came...I came home."
"Dammit, I know that! I'm not stupid!" Came the snappish response. "It was rhetorical!"
"Look, Shishi, I...can't...really...talk." Hikari murmured slowly, as she registered her classmate's growing incredulity. "Arina...is...here."
"Arina?" The voice let out a snort. "That idiot girl who got you in shit with your Dad? Forget her. This is more important - do you really think that Jin sacrificed everything so you could run home to Mama and Papa? If you do, you're more of a wimp than I thought you were. Dammit, doesn't Kounan mean a damn thing to you, even after everything we've all been through?"
"It's not that." Hikari bit her lip. "Shishi...it was my fault. Because of me...and I didn't mean to come back, it just happened."
"It wasn't your fault." Shishi said frankly, though Hikari could hear the uneven note in her friend's voice and she realised the girl's anger was an act, thinly veiling her own grief.
"Listen, Hiki. Jin did it for you. No kidding that he did. But he did it for Kounan too. An' if you ain't here, it's all been a waste. I won't let that happen. I won't let my damn brother die because you're a chicken who can't get her head straight. Understand me? You stop messin' around with that airhead friend o' yours an' get yourself back here where you belong. This world needs you. That one don't."
"Hikari...what the hell is going on?" Arina whispered. "Your alarm clock is insulting me...or do you have a ghost in your room you haven't told me about? Dammit, Hi-chan, if that's a joke, it's sure not a funny one."
"Shit, I can hear the bitch whining in the background." Shishi remarked, and Hikari winced at her bandit friend's bluntness. "Look, I ain't got time to argue it with you, Hiki. Chichiri's goin' all out to keep this spell goin'... So listen. An' listen good. We're back in the village. An' I know you got Hotohori-sama's shinken. Chichiri thinks if you take it an' focus hard on comin' back, you will. An' dammit, Hiki, we need you."
There was a pause, then,
"Shit, I need you." She added softly. "I don't like it on my own...Jin ain't here, an' I can't bring him back. But you...dammit, if you don't come back I'll never forgive you!"
With that the light around the clock flared and hissed as it faded, and Hikari sank down on her bed, staring at it as tears pricked at the back of her eyes.
"Shishi." She murmured, setting the clock gingerly down. "She's right. What am I doing? Jin said it himself, when he died...he said...that it was because Kounan needed me. And all I've done is hide and cry about it. If I stay here, it won't mean a damn thing, what he did. For his sake...I have to go back. For his and for Shishi's. We're a team...for Kounan, I have to!"
"Hikari, what the hell is going on!"
At that moment she was startled out of her reverie by her friend who forcibly grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her roughly as she met her gaze with confused, fearful dark eyes.
"What the hell just happened - what was that? What was that light? Who were you talking to? And why the hell did your alarm clock call me a bitch?"
Hikari swallowed hard, chewing on her lip as she realised Arina had overheard the whole exchange.
"If I told you, you'd never believe me." She said softly, and Arina's brows knitted together.
"So it's okay, then, having secrets and...and weird stuff going on, and playing whatever tricks you're playing on me?" She demanded. "Do you think it's funny to freak me out and insult me, Hikari?"
"Shut up." Hikari said impatiently, and Arina stared at her, struck speechless by the tone in her friend's voice. "Listen. This is more important right now. If you're mad at me, then you'll have to be mad at me, but I can't explain. There's somewhere I need to be right now, that's all. Somewhere other than school."
She grabbed her satchel up off her bed, tossing her schoolbooks out of it one by one, as Arina stared at her in disbelief.
"What do you mean, somewhere?" She demanded. "Hikari, what the hell has gotten into you?"
"Suzaku." Hikari paused momentarily, shaking her head. "I told you. I can't explain. Just...tell Mum I went to Kounan. Okay? She'll understand...it'll be all right."
"Kounan?" Arina repeated, non-plussed, and Hikari nodded, rummaging in her drawers as she pulled out odds and ends, tossing them into her bag. At length she fastened it, testing it for weight then pulling it onto her back.
"Hikari?" Arina reached out a hand to touch her friend's arm, but Hikari shook her off.
"If it's all right, I'll be back before the party." She said softly. "If not, then I'm sorry. But this...is more important. Right now...I have something else I really need to do."
Before Arina could respond, she had scooped up Hotohori's shinken, clutching it tightly between her fingers as she focused her thoughts on the mountain she had left behind.
"Shishi. Chichiri. Tasuki. Meikyo. Eiju. Myoume. People who are counting on me." She mused, as she felt something odd flare up inside of her. "And Jin. I'm sorry, Jin. I almost wasted your gambit...but I won't do so again. For your sake...I'm going to save Kounan. Mum was right - it's about more than individuals. And I'll find a way to be what Myoume said I was there to be, I really will. So then you won't have died in vain...you gave me your life, so I'm going to do my best to do what you wanted to do with it. I promise, Jin - I will save the Shijin-Tenchishou. No matter what it takes!"
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"And then there were two."
Maichu dropped the heavy drapes back against the window, an uncharacteristically pensive look on his youthful features as he turned back towards his companion in the centre of the chamber. "Well, Kayu. You an' me are it, it looks like. Providin' Aoi gets there in one piece, of course."
"Aoi will. He's a better soldier than most of us." Kayu did not look up, his gaze instead fixed on the map that he had stretched out across the uneven stone floor. "Maichu, come look at this, will you? It's the chart Hyoushin-sama left with us...our routes into Kounan. He said to avoid Reikaku-zan, and I think we can...if we take this path, here."
He indicated, and Maichu sank down beside him, following the trace of his companion's finger as he did so. At length he nodded.
"It'll add a few hours but I guess that's okay." He reflected. "All right. An' we can split paths once we get well inside southern territory. Eiyou an' Kahou - they aren't that far apart, are they?"
"Jus' don't lose yourself in a brothel and forget your duty." Kayu warned, sending his companion a playful grin. "I know what you're like, and Eiyou's Kounan's capital. Since the war it's meant to have gotten real profitable an' it's probably teeming with pretty girls. Don't let them distract you from business, huh?"
"Hey, give me some credit." Maichu was offended. "If the Commander didn't trust me, he wouldn't have chosen me! And besides, when something's important, I'm not so easy to distract."
He shivered, biting his lip.
"Tell you the truth, Kayu, I'd do anything rather than get on that damn boat again." He admitted. "If spyin' on Kounan is it, well, count me in. At least it's on land."
"You and Aoi are a funny pair." Kayu reflected, sitting back on his heels as he rolled the scroll up, setting it aside. "You get seasick, he gets blood-sick. Although..."
He frowned, then,
"Do you think he's for real, when he does that?" He asked doubtfully. Maichu looked surprised.
"Why wouldn't he be? Yeesh, it makes the guy look like a freak...why would he want to appear weak like that?"
"Well, I know." Kayu looked thoughtful. "But see, that's the stupid part about it. Aoi's probably the best soldier in the retinue - you know that I'm right. He's been trainin' with the Commander since before any of us were...and it isn't just that, either. He's a natural - he picks things up quickly and you know that in practice bouts there aren't any of us who can beat him consistantly except the Commander himself."
"True enough." Maichu nodded. "But I don't see what that has to do with anything."
"Well, why would someone that good - who'd been training that long - puke up at the sight of blood?" Kayu shrugged. "Doesn't make much sense to me."
"Kayu, I promise you, it ain't an act." Maichu said ruefully. "Listen. Noone could pull that off so well for so long - and what'd be the point, anyway? Believe me. He's been that way since I've known him...I don't think it's pretend."
"Maybe you're right." Kayu acknowledged. "You know the kid better than me. I just wonder, sometimes, whether he's doin' it to avoid battle, or to try and hide how good he really is for some reason. I can't put my finger on it, you know - but there's something about Aoi."
"Sure." Maichu frowned. "He's a damn good soldier, for such a pretty face. But that's about the size of it. He's a natural soldier with a really bad weakness. It sucks for him, but I guess all things balance out."
"I suppose so." Kayu reflected. "If that's the case, then, I hope he can handle himself in Kounan."
He bit his lip.
"I think I'd rather assumed Aoi was faking it, because of how Kikei-sama speaks of him." He added. "I think he thinks the same as me - that someone that good with a sword couldn't be that much of a wimp."
"Kikei-sama thinks so?" Maichu was startled. "Really?"
Kayu nodded.
"He told me that Aoi near passed out in the shrine one time." He agreed. "He asked me whether it was something he always did...he seemed sceptical that the Commander would allow a weakling into his retinue. An' that's why I started to wonder, I s'pose. Since it's right. Hyoushin-sama wouldn't be that reckless."
Maichu was silent for a while. Then he shrugged.
"Guess it's not like that, really, with Aoi and the Commander." He said at length. "Kayu, you should get it better even than me...I mean, I have a family, right? You an' Aoi, you both lost yours in the war. Kikei-sama took you in, when he took in the war orphans an' did what he could to educate 'em an' send them out into the world. You owe him everythin' you have, right?"
"Yes." Kayu looked surprised. "What about it?"
"You'd die for him, then, right?"
"If he asked me to." Kayu agreed. "Not that I think he would...he's a Priest, not a soldier. What are you getting at, Maichu?"
"What I mean is, you respect Lord Kikei because o' that. Because of the shit he's done for you an' stuff." Maichu replied evenly. "An' Kikei-sama's always favoured you, even above his other waifs. That's why you got drafted into Kintsusei-sama's notice, an' it ain't like you're not good enough to be there, but it was Kikei-sama who did it. I think it's sort of the same with Aoi an' the Commander. Aoi's a war orphan too, really. His family got slaughtered - his ma died when he was born. Hyoushin-sama more or less raised him. There's bound to be a difference."
"Mmm." Kayu pursed his lips, considering. "Hell, I hadn't thought of it like that. Maybe you're right. Jus' the Commander doesn't seem like the kind of person...well, he's strong an' logical an' as a tactician and a soldier I respect him like crazy. We all do. But he ain't...a warm person, Maichu. He ain't someone...you'd imagine was family."
"Perhaps." Maichu tilted his head on one side, considering. "Sometimes I wonder about that. He sent Aoi to Kounan an' he sent him with Miramu as escort. The whole thing's a pretty damn fine plan - crafty an' probably the only thing we can do to get ahead of those Suzaku bastards. But you said he didn't seem like he wanted to do it. That he was pissed about somethin', the Commander. An' I bet you anythin' you like it was sendin' Aoi into enemy country. He never shows favouritism, because he's a better leader than that. But I dunno - I've always thought...well, Aoi sure as hell looks up to him as a father figure as much as he does as a Commander. An' I would be surprised if it didn't go the other way. Hyoushin-sama ain't completely cold - least, I don't think so. If he was, he'd kill anyone in our way, an' he never does that. So sometimes...maybe it's crazy, but it's what I think."
"I guess so." Kayu smiled ruefully. "As I said, you know Aoi better. And the Commander's never been so fond of me - he and Lord Kikei don't get along that well. I was surprised that he picked me for this, in fact...I guess I've finally made him notice what kind of a soldier I am, huh?"
"This is more than soldier duty. This is Imperial espionage." Maichu grinned. "We've been promoted, Kayu-kun. You, me an' Aoi - when we get back to Kutou, we should demand a pay rise."
"Yeah, and I'm sure you'll go tackle the Emperor yourself about that." Kayu snorted. "We haven't succeeded yet. We ain't even hired horses...lets do one thing at a time, huh?"
"All right, I get it." Maichu shrugged. "We'll pull it off without a hitch an' then - we'll sting the Emperor for some extra coins. Okay?"
"If it does go all right."
Kayu frowned, his gaze flitting back to the folded map, and Maichu cast him an odd look.
"What's with that?"
"I don't know." Kayu admitted. "I just...can't help thinking about that Toroki bitch an' the weird stuff she spouted at us in that cave."
"Hyoushin-sama said we weren't to dwell on that. Or talk about it." Maichu reminded him, and Kayu nodded.
"I know. But he ain't here to hear us." He replied. "And nor is anyone else."
He bit his lip.
"Did you really not tell even Aoi about it?"
"I ain't said a word, because it was an order." Maichu said simply. "Don't tell me you're freakin' out over her knowing our names, Kayu! Come on - you're sounding like that idiot Ouno at this rate!"
"No, it ain't that." Kayu sighed, leaning back against the wall. "It's just...she said about someone dying, or being betrayed...by a man of a tribe. Doesn't that kinda...worry you a bit? That she'd say something like that - with Hyoushin-sama standing right there?"
"Not really." Maichu shook his head. "That dame could've spouted any kind of crap for all we know. She probably said it because he was there. That's what I think, anyhow. To confuse us. Throw us off our game."
"But she knew our names, though." Kayu looked troubled. "And when she said...about Byakko...mercy on my soul...what the hell was that about?"
"Shit, Kayu, quit it already." Maichu instructed. "Toroki was blowing hot air. We got the Shinzahou. That's what matters. And listen. She's working on Suzaku's side. She's in league with Kounan. She could've known who we were before we got there...who knows what spies Reizeitei-sama has at Kutou's court? You're getting spooked over nothing. It was probably just a game on the part of the south. That's all."
"I suppose so." Kayu acknowledged. "But what if it wasn't?"
"Hrm?"
"What if there is more to it than that? Miramu did say...about her power."
"We make our own future, don't we?" Maichu demanded. "Ain't much point in living if we don't. Don't sweat on it, Kayu-kun. Nothing's going to happen. Besides, the only tribal man in the Emperor's retinue is Hyoushin-sama - right? And can you see him betraying Lord Kintsusei? He'd sooner swallow his sword than use it to strike our King!"
"Yes, that's true." Kayu realised. "Hyoushin-sama is the last person to betray the Emperor. And I don't think I thought that, anyway. It's just...oh, I don't know. It unsettled me. And now we're not going back to Kutou...but it doesn't matter. We've got more important things to worry about than some vague prophesy spouted by a half-mad Sairou witch anyway."
"Now you're on my wavelength." Maichu grinned. "So on that note, lets head downstairs and drink on it, huh? We've no Commander to snap at us and it's late - definitely late enough to be considered off-duty. We've made our plans for tomorrow - and if it makes you happier, you can be the runner into Kutou and I'll hold back for communications. I don't mind. So you've nothing to worry about."
"I suppose you're right." Kayu agreed sheepishly. "All right. We'll go get a drink and finalise details. But don't get smashed...it'll take two of us on our wits tomorrow to get through the border without causing suspicion and I don't want you nursing a hangover."
"Yes, captain." Maichu saluted teasingly, and Kayu swiped his hand away.
"Moron." He retorted. "You'd not act that way if the Commander was here."
"But he ain't. He's heading back for Kutou as we speak." Maichu sobered, looking thoughtful. "He really has put a lot of trust on us this time, Kayu. On all three of us. Let's make sure we deliver, huh? For Kutou's sake - let's make sure we find out what he wants to know."
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Kounan.
As Arina stumbled out of her friend's bedroom, the word echoed hauntingly in her mind, as if taunting and teasing at her senses. She leant up against the wall, rubbing her eyes as if somehow she could reverse what she had just seen, but inwardly she knew that she could not.
"Red light." She whispered, shaking her head as if to clear it. "Hikari…vanished into…red light. A talking alarm clock. And Kounan…shit, what the hell is going on? This is a dream. It had better be some half-assed dream, I swear. People don't just friggin' disappear!"
"Arina-chan?"
Miaka came out of the kitchen at that moment, pausing as she registered the schoolgirl's distress. "What's the matter? Aren't you and Hikari going to catch the bus? You don't want to be late."
"Hikari…" Arina raised her gaze to Miaka's quizzical hazel ones, and the older woman frowned.
"Yes?" She said softly. "Arina, you look white as a ghost – are you sure you're feeling all right?"
"There was…light." Arina whispered. "And Hikari said…to tell you…she was going to Kounan. She was acting…strange, Miaka-san. And then…hell, maybe it's me. Maybe I'm the one acting strange. But I swear…she disappeared into the red light."
She gazed at her friend's mother apprehensively, waiting for Miaka to either scold her for lying or burst out laughing. Much to her surprise, however, the woman did neither. Instead she pursed her lips, a pensive look entering her gaze. Slowly she nodded.
"I see." She said quietly.
"You don't think that's screwed up?" Arina demanded. "I think I sound crazy, so why don't you think so? I haven't a clue what I'm talking about…why are you so calm when your daughter just got sucked into a big red light?"
"I'm not." Miaka admitted, offering Arina a rueful smile. "I'm as worried as any mother can be. But Hikari…knows what she's doing. And I think…she's made the right choice."
"Huh?" Arina looked bewildered, and Miaka sighed, shaking her head.
"It's a long and complicated story." She murmured. "And you'll be late for school, Arina. I don't want that."
"But Hikari…!"
"Hikari will be fine." Miaka said slowly. "I have faith in it – there are friends who will make sure of it, I'm certain of that."
"But she disappeared!"
"Yes…" Miaka hesitated, then, "What exactly happened, Arina? What exactly did you see?"
"Her alarm clock started talking. It was some girl and she was really rude about me." Arina frowned. "At least, it sounded like it was…a person. Although…I thought it was some kind of joke Hi-chan was playing on me. I don't know why – she seemed out of it this morning anyway. Then she grabbed something – it looked like some kind of a sword. And she said she was going to Kounan, and vanished in a red haze of light."
"Then there's no doubt." Miaka nodded as if confirming something to herself. "Hikari's gone back to Kounan."
"Miaka-san, what is going on?!"
Miaka sighed, then glanced at her hands.
"You will get into trouble, if you miss classes." She murmured, and Arina shook her head.
"Noone cares if I pass or if I even turn up to school." She said frankly. "Dad'll just sign any letters they send home without even reading them. They won't be bothered at all, Miaka-san – they're not like you and Taka-san are with Hikari."
There was a note of bitter wistfulness in her tones, and Miaka offered her a slight smile.
"It's rough for you, isn't it, Arina-chan?" She said softly, and Arina shrugged.
"I'm all right." She said frankly. "But I'm worried about Hikari. Whatever the hell's going on – is she in some kind of trouble?"
Miaka sighed, shaking her head.
"I hope not." She reflected. "All right, then. Come into the sitting room – I'll pour some tea and then I'll try and explain what you saw. I don't think that we can avoid you knowing, since you were right there…but you'll have to trust in me that I'm telling you the truth. Is it a deal?"
"Yes." Arina nodded, looking surprised. "I suppose so."
"Then go and take a seat." Miaka gestured towards the sitting room door. "I'll be right back."
Arina did as she was bidden, and was carefully settling herself among the cushions in the Sukunami front room by the time Miaka returned bearing two steaming mugs of tea. One of these she held out to her young companion, who took it wordlessly, and the other she kept for herself, taking a sip as she sat down in one of the empty seats.
For a moment there was silence, then,
"What I'm going to tell you is a Sukunami family secret." She said quietly. "Whether you believe me or not is up to you. But either way, Arina-chan, it must not go beyond these four walls. Is that understood? It's very important."
"All right." Arina nodded. "Like anyone would ever believe that my friend vanished in front of my eyes, anyway. I'll keep it quiet."
"Good girl." Miaka smiled, setting her mug aside. "Well, then. Where to begin."
She frowned, pursing her lips.
"I suppose, to really begin, we have to go back a long time before either of you were born." She admitted. "When I was your age, and just as afraid of failing my school exams as any of you."
"When you were…our age?" Arina's brows knitted together, and Miaka nodded.
"My closest friend then was – and actually still is – a girl by the name of Yui. Hikari's probably mentioned her as her aunt." She said thoughtfully. "And at the time, Yui was miles ahead of most people in our class. Keeping up with her was difficult and I was so keen to do well on my exams. But I wasn't a natural student – not like she was. And at that time, I thought that was more important – to pass my tests and get into a really high level school."
She sighed, folding her hands in her lap.
"It really starts one evening when Yui and I were in the National Library." She reflected. "To cut a long story short, we wound up in the restricted area, where we discovered a book called the Shijin-Tenchishou. What neither of us realised until we opened it was that this wasn't an ordinary book but a form of a spell – a gateway, if you like, into another world beyond this one."
"Another…world?" Arina, who had been going to sip her tea paused, glancing up sharply at this. "Miaka-san, that sounds nuts."
"It does, and it is, but it's true all the same." Miaka shrugged her shoulders. "In this other world, Yui and I were charged with the responsibility of saving two separate nations – two nations who were destined to go to war with one another. They were Kutou, in the East and Kounan, to the South. As the war got worse, so a rift developed between Yui and I. And in the end, many, many people suffered before there was finally peace."
She sighed, glancing at her hands.
"It sounds like a fairy tale, but it was real and it happened." She added. "And more, Hikari's father was someone I met in that world. Someone I met and felt so completely connected to that I didn't want to ever be separated from him. He felt the same way, and we fought tooth and nail to overcome the divide and be together. In the end, we succeeded. And returned to this world, with everything – we thought – finally over."
"But…" Arina faltered. "You're serious? You met your husband in a world inside a book?"
"Yes." Miaka agreed. "It sounds somewhat cliché, doesn't it? But that's where Taka and I first met."
She shrugged.
"Maybe because of that, maybe because of my own actions, it's in Hikari's blood too." She added. "This connection to that world. When I was there, to help bring Kounan peace, I had to find the strength to summon a God called Suzaku – a phoenix who represented rebirth and love. That God now calls Hikari in my place…to help save Kounan once again, although in what respect I really don't yet know."
"Suzaku." Arina's eyes opened wide as she realised she'd already heard that word once that morning. "Hi-chan…she said…when I asked her what had got into her, she said Suzaku. Did she mean…?"
"Hikari is now Suzaku's representative in Kounan." Miaka sighed, running her fingers through her hair as she nodded her head. "Yes. I know it's far-fetched – but that's truly where my daughter has gone."
She bit her lip.
"It worries me." She admitted. "Time moves differently there, and when she came home last night, many things had already happened to her. Although she was inside the book for only a day in our time, it had been three weeks for her, in Kounan."
"Three weeks?" Arina's eyes widened. "And…dammit…that's why she wasn't at school yesterday? That's why Taka-san phoned in such a crazy stress wondering where she was the night before? She'd gone into this other world and you guys didn't know about it?"
"It was a bit of a surprise." Miaka agreed. "Although, when she went in – we both knew that's what had happened."
"So she was lying to me after all – she said she went to an Ancient Chinese display with her aunt and uncle."
"Well, it was only a half lie." Miaka reflected. "The world inside the Shijin-Tenchishou is effectively Ancient China in its design and social values. And she did go to the library – to find the book to take her there in the first place. I expect she didn't know how to tell you what really happened…you'd have thought her crazy."
"Right now I think it's me that's crazy." Arina groaned. "All of this stuff…it's nuts."
"Yes." Miaka nodded. "And it's more than that. Before she left to come back to this world, one of her allies had been killed protecting her life. To be honest, I wasn't sure whether or not she'd want to go back – and as her mother, I'm fearful for her safety. But…as Suzaku no Miko…"
She spread her hands.
"It's in her blood." She said simply. "And Kounan are counting on her in the same way they counted on me."
"Wait a minute." Arina held up her hands. "Hikari…can die inside this place? It's…not just some story book world - it's real?"
"It's real." Miaka agreed. "The rules and society are somewhat different, true, but yes, it's real. The people live and die as we do. And while she is there, Hikari's life is as much at risk as anyone else's."
"Then that sword…"
"The treasured, blessed possession of an old friend of mine and Taka's." Miaka smiled wistfully. "He died in battle during the war, but his sword has long since been a talisman protecting Suzaku's people. That Hikari had it at all is a sign that she has a special purpose in that world. And that it helped take her back – I can't imagine Hotohori would have minded her using his shinken to transport herself to the place he gave his life defending."
"Shit…" Arina murmured, then, as she realised whose company she was in she blushed, putting her hand over her mouth. "Sorry. I didn't mean to swear. It's just…"
"It's all right." Miaka shook her head. "The question is, Arina-chan – can you believe me?"
"I…haven't a choice." Arina swallowed hard, her throat suddenly dry. "I saw her go. I heard the voice in the clock. And the sword. The red light. Everything you said…now makes sense. I mean, it doesn't, but…it explains what I saw. And I can't…think of any rational explanation that would change that. Besides…"
She frowned, pursing her lips.
"If it was just Hikari saying it, I'd think she was kidding." She admitted. "But the fact it's you, Miaka-san…I have to believe it."
Miaka smiled.
"I'm glad." She said thoughtfully. "Hikari was very upset last night. I haven't ever seen her quite like that, so I think the young man who died had come to mean a lot to her. It might be, when she comes back properly, that she'll need a friend who understands. And now, somewhat, you do."
Arina bit her lip, a flicker of guilt stirring in her heart as she remembered their conversation that morning. Slowly she shook her head.
"I'm not…as good a friend to Hikari…as you think I am." She admitted haltingly. "I…I guess…I never thought about it. I mean, I could tell she wasn't happy but…I didn't even think…"
She trailed off, and Miaka rested a hand on her shoulder.
"Noone is a perfect friend." She said softly. "Believe me. But you are worried about her, and that's enough for me."
She smiled.
"When she comes home, maybe you'll have things to talk about." She reflected. "Things she won't want to tell me, because I'm her mother."
Arina glanced at her hands.
"Maybe." She murmured. "All…all right. I guess so."
She sighed.
"I wish she'd told me someone had died and that she was feeling sh…bad about it." She added. "Sometimes it seems like she doesn't tell me anything, either."
"Do you tell her everything?"
"I guess I don't." Arina sat back in her chair. "So I suppose it's fair in the end."
She frowned, glancing up at the clock.
"I should go to school." She said unwillingly. "Even without Hi-chan. I've a quiz second period and I can't miss it else I'll be in real trouble."
"Then you'd better go." Miaka told her. "I'm sorry for keeping you."
"No…Hikari's more important to me than school anyway." Arina managed a ghost of a smile, getting to her feet. "She's probably the only real friend I actually have, so…so she better not go getting herself killed in this Kounan place."
"I'm sure Hikari's stronger than that." Miaka murmured. "And I know…she has people looking out for her. It will be okay, Arina. I have faith in that…and in Suzaku's people in Kounan to protect her. I'm sure…Hikari will be fine."