Pheonix Ashes
By otaku-no-miko
Chapter 3
((Updated December 2013))
Formatting issues fixed. Minor continuity issues fixed. Placeholders added. Original notes below!
This chapter has been so, so long in the making. I was very dissatisfied with the ending of chapter 2 and having trouble starting this chapter from that one. Literally, there was a point where I would sit down every night with both documents open, read the end of chapter 2, start typing, and go "...this is shit. I can't post this on an open forum.". Repeat ad nauseum. It got to where I was disgusted to actually look at this story. And of course on the DAY I finish it, Fanfiction decides to take a 5-day dump...that's my luck, isn't it?
Add in some personal drama the size of Rhode Island, and well, that's all excuses, point is I'M BACK. I'm sorry for the long wait, I hope this chapter is worth it. See you at the bottom!
::Tokyo::
Tetsuya was at the Sukunami residence within fifteen minutes. The door opened almost before he could knock.
"Tetsuya-kun, where've you been?"
Miaka looked tired and more than a little harried.
"Miaka." Tetsuya nodded, his eyes focusing past her, to Taka and the small book in his hands. "I was working late and I ended up getting delayed on the way home and...where's Yui?"
She slumped a little more then, but opened the door a bit wider, Tetsuya squeezing through the hole left. Taka was just beyond the entryway, pacing as he read. He looked up when Tetsuya began slipping his shoes off.
"Tetsuya, dude, you chose the wrong day to become a salaryman."
"How long has she been there?"
Miaka answered him. "Since about 11:00. I couldn't start reading until around 15:00 though. According to the book-world, it's been almost a day now."
Tetsuya took this in quietly, shoe still in hand.
"...why is she there?"
::Taikyoku-zan::
Once Yui and Chichiri had both taken their time to mull over Tai-Itsukun's proposition, they met again in the main antechamber. The Oracle, with a grand gesture, produced a teaset and three cups, two of which were taken gratefully. The remaining cup floated gracefully in front of the Creator.
"...okay. This entire situation is...surreal, but...I have a responsibility to this world to do my best to help." Yui took a sip of the warm drink; the scent was helping calm her nerves, and she idly wondered if Tai-Itsukun hadn't magically created it to do just that. "So please, once more...why am I here?"
"You're here, Hongo Yui, because you have a unique connection with the gods."
"...because I was both Seiryuu and Genbu no miko."
Tai-Itsukun nodded.
"Precisely. You have a stronger bond to the four gods than most mikos do, if only because you've been a miko more times than any other human."
"But...I don't understand. If summoning a god is what started this mess, how would another summoning fix things?"
Chichiri spoke up then. "Tai-Itsukun-sama believes that it is only through a summoning we can have any hope of reversing the damage done to this world no da. The gods are all-powerful, but unless summoned cannot do anything to alter the path this world takes; that would interfere with free will, which is something they cannot do."
To Yui, this idea seemed strange. A god, having no control over it's world? They must take free will very seriously, to deny themselves any power at all over their lands...
She looked back to the mirror, to the jumble of unclear faces. A little boy with dark-brown hair, a little girl with hair so black it practically looked purple...none of them resembled seishi to her. Then again, though, Tai-Itsukun had said these were reincarnations. It made sense that they would look different.
"Do you know where they are, at least?" The blonde nodded towards the mirror behind Tai-Itsukun. The old woman shook her head.
"The reincarnated children have been scattered over these lands. I can give you an item that will react whenever a seishi is near, but that's all the power I have."
Chichiri was glad again for the mask, which only showed vague puzzlement instead of absolute incredulity. In a land of millions Tai-Itsukun expected them to find twelve adolescents? Sure, he could sense ki, and the item Tai-Itsukun would give them would be of use, but it still seemed like a rather daunting task.
Unfortunately, while Yui might not have been able to divine all that information from Chichiri's expression, Tai-Itsukun could - after all, she had spent years training him. She sent her pupil a withering look, one that made him shrink against the wall. "Do you want the help or not, Suzaku no Chichiri?"
Chichiri looked pleadingly to Yui for help, and she sighed quietly. Somehow Chichiri was reminding her of Miaka, and for the life of her she couldn't figure out why.
"Tai-Itsukun-sama, I'm sure he meant no disrespect. We're both a little exhausted, this has been a lot to take in. How about we meet with you in the morning and try to figure out a plan of attack?"
Tai-Itsukun seemed to know exactly what Yui was doing, but waved her hand in dismissal anyways. "Nyan will show you to your chambers, then."
The ever-gregarious little sprite appeared instantaneously, weaving and bopping in the air around Yui's head gleefully. "Let's go, let's go! Follow Nyan, Nyan show you the way! Come, come, come!"
Laughing now, Yui allowed Nyan to practically drag her out of the room, Chichiri bowing low before following them. Tai-Itsukun watched their departure with a slight pang of remorse. This wasn't a responsibility mortals should have had to deal with...
Yui managed to free her hand from Nyan's deathgrip after a few tries, rubbing her wrist a little ruefully before turning around to look up at Chichiri, still smiling.
"So you decided to come with me, then."
"Saa..." Chichiri looked a little sheepish, and Yui laughed.
"I'm glad. And...thanks. I don't know what exactly I can do to help but I have to try."
The monk sighed as Yui's attention was caught once again by Nyan, who was now trying to open the door. In her excitement, the little pixie kept forgetting to undo the door's latch, and was trying with all her might to pull open a locked door. Yui was trying unsuccessfully to help - somehow she had managed to miss the fact that it was locked. He left them to their shenanigans, lost in his own thoughts.
To be honest, this entire quest was something he would have much rather avoided. He knew his friends had been reincarnated, and he could have seen any one of them at any time if he chose, but...the memory of Mitsukake looking up at him quizzically, asking who he was, was painful. One of the seishi he'd been closest to treating him as a complete stranger...
It would be nice to see his friends again - he'd missed them dearly. But he'd never, in all his forty-two years, wanted to see another Seiryuu seishi. Chichiri considered himself a fair sort, but he couldn't forgive them for killing the people dearest to him, even if his seishi brothers had been reincarnated. The gods may have seen it fit to exonerate the Seiryuu seven but he hadn't. Not yet.
Still...if he'd understood Tai-Itsukun right, this world would collapse upon itself if they didn't at least try. As a seishi, he couldn't just stand aside and let everything fall to pieces if there was a chance he could fix it, no matter his personal scruples.
Knowing the logic behind it didn't make him any happier though. Chichiri shook his head, waving one hand dismissively to open the door for Nyan. All this circular thought was starting to give him a headache! He'd sort out his own personal demons in time.
"Yui-san, my room's at the end of the hall if you should need me, no da. Oyasumi."
Yui poked her head back out of the doorway, nodding. "Oyasumi, Chichiri. And...thanks again."
The last sentence was said quietly, but Chichiri still heard. He didn't look back, or acknowledge her, but he did smile.
::Tokyo::
Miaka grabbed for the can of soda in front of her, chugging it down and passing the book on. Once they'd gotten Tetsuya up to speed, the three had moved to the living room, where they had formed an informal line - Miaka would read, then Taka would take over for her, then Tetsuya would take over for him, and so on. Taka grabbed the book, looking for the spot Miaka had left off at. He shook his head at some of the translation mistakes she had made (Miaka's Chinese wasn't the greatest) before continuing.
" 'The next day dawned bright and warm, and the Lady Yui and Suzaku seishi Chichiri prepared for the long trip ahead of them'..."
::Taikyoku-zan::
"There's no way you're getting me on that thing." Yui stated, arms crossed over her chest. Chichiri sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"It's a two-day walk down this mountain - we'd go much faster on horseback no da, and we'd be able to carry more besides."
Yui wrinkled her nose in distaste, taking the pommel of the saddle in one hand and pausing. "I really don't like horses, Chichiri..."
Chichiri helped her into the saddle, handing her the reins. "You could always ride with me, no da. I don't mind."
"I may take you up on that offer later."
Tai-Itsukun appeared from the palace just then, holding a strange glass ball in her hands. The globe glowed with a soft red light, the character "sho" lit up in brilliant crimson on it's surface. Yui frowned, looking at the symbol. What the heck did 'well' have to do with anything?
Chichiri, now on his own horse, answered her question for her. "That's my seishi symbol. I'm guessing this is the item you mentioned, Tai-Itsukun-sensei?"
Tai-Itsukun nodded, gesturing for Yui to take the globe from her hands. "This will light up in response to a seishi's ki signature nearby and warm the closer you get. As you can see, it currently senses Suzaku no Chichiri, and the globe is warm to the touch, signifying that he is close by."
Yui made a face as she took the globe and promptly burned herself - warm to the touch, indeed! Gingerly placing the item in her saddlebags and cradling her still-painful palm, she turned back to Tai-Itsukun.
"But I'll be surrounded by seishi the entire time; how will I ever find one if it just shows me Chichiri's symbol?"
"Suzaku no Chichiri's signature is still new to the globe; after a few hours, it won't be, and the globe will return to a blank state."
So it's like a very slow computer, then - it takes time for it to process information. In any event, it's still useful!
Yui was distracted by the odd shuffling dance her mare was doing, shifting dangerously in the saddle. She grabbed for the reins clumsily, feeling the other two's attention shift to her. That was slightly embarrassing...
"I suppose that means we should get going no da. Tai-Itsukun-sensei?"
Tai-Itsukun nodded, standing a slight distance back from the two large animals. It was almost like she was afraid of horses too, Yui noted quietly, holding back a smirk. The thought of a diety actually being afraid of something was funny.
"Yes, Suzaku no Chichiri. You two will want to get going - if you ride hard today, you can reach Chokou by nightfall. Be wary of the highwaymen at the foot of the mountain, they've grown troublesome of late."
Chichiri's face was an odd mixture of seriousness and calm, the mask itself completely blank. It was, Yui decided, very strange-looking.
"We'll be careful, Tai-Itsukun-sensei." He managed a half-bow from the saddle, an impressive feat, before turning to Yui. "Are you ready no da? It's going to be a tough ride."
"Yeah, I think so."
Tai-Itsukun waved the two towards the grand gates. "Go, then! Return here when you've found the other seishi to perform the ceremony. May Suzaku lend speed to your feet, and may Seiryuu lend clarity to your thoughts."
This time, it was Yui who attempted a bow, and nearly fell off the horse for her troubles. To their credit, neither Tai-Itsukun or Chichiri commented, and Chichiri led Yui out the gate, towards the winding, thin path that would lead them to Chokou.
::Tokyo::
Taka grabbed for a cold piece of pizza, handing the book over to Tetsuya, who looked once at the pages before shaking his head, passing it back to Miaka. Miaka wasn't expecting this, stopping mid-bite to give him a perplexed look. She didn't mind reading, but it wasn't her turn yet...
"I actually can't really read this...pretty much at all." Tetsuya admitted sheepishly. "I'm guessing at every third word, to be honest...hey, why don't we call Keisuke?"
"Onii-chan?" Miaka wondered, taking the book and pausing thoughtfully. "Well, he is a Chinese History major, and he read it last time...but wouldn't he be asleep by now?"
Tetsuya smiled wryly. "Ah, Miaka-chan, the night is young! Besides, he's addicted to that new MMORPG, he'll be up for a couple more hours at least. I'll call him and get him over here - let me know if something serious happens."
::Taikyoku-zan::
Yui was surprised to find she was fairly comfortable on the horse's back, if not incredibly jolted and bouncey. Chichiri hadn't really spoken much, instead concentrating intensely on the road ahead of them as if he expected bandits or demons or any number of Bad Things to jump out at them any second.
"Hey, Chichiri-san!" she called out, amused when he practically jumped off his own horse. He whirled to face her (well, whirled as best he could while seated and moving forward). It was nice to see the normally unflappable monk could be startled.
"Yui-san, na no da!"
"Sorry." She replied, although her tone made it clear she only half-meant it. "How much farther do we have to go, anyway? I thought Tai-Itsukun said we'd make it by nightfall."
"Saa..." There was the phrase he'd used last night, and Chichiri even looked a bit sheepish. That couldn't be good. "I'm not exactly sure. I normally don't travel by horseback, and when I do I'm with a legion of guards, so they take over the directions."
"We're lost?!" Yui couldn't keep her voice down, and they both winced as her shriek echoed off the trees. "Chichiri! It's nearing sundown!"
"Yui-san, lower your voice no da! I'd rather not find any highwaymen or slavers! We're close to the foot of the pass..."
He trailed off unexpectedly, and Yui opened her mouth to ask why when he suddenly spoke, the words a hard order.
"Yui, ride. Ride hard, ride fast, and just keep going as straight as you can!"
She gave him a look, brow raised quizzically. "Chichiri, why..."
The mage ignored her, opting instead to throw his arm out to the left, prayer beads held securely in his right hand. A reddish light emanated from his form before ricocheting out in a vermillion dome, several cries of surprise springing up from behind them. Yui bit down on a scream of her own. Highwaymen!
Her horse hadn't been doing well with the raised voices and increasingly tight hold Yui had on the reins, but the bright light show was the final straw. With a whinny, it bolted, it's rider managing to hold on for a few seconds before sliding off. She rolled as she hit the ground with a soft 'thud' before laying completely still.
::Tokyo::
Taka let out a surprised yell when Miaka jumped almost completely off the couch, the bottle of water (they'd polished off all the soda) she'd been holding now on the ground.
"Miaka?!"
She looked pale. "Taka, get Tetsuya in here now. Yui just got thrown off a horse."
Taka needed no more prompting - he was up and headed to the kitchen by the time Miaka had said 'thrown', and a few seconds later was pulling Tetsuya (still on the phone) in by one arm.
"What, guys? I'm talking to Keisuke, he wants me to pick him up - "
"It's Yui." Miaka interrupted; she was working on the new characters that had popped up on the page. "She just got thrown from her horse, and some highwaymen caught up to her and Chichiri."
::Taikyoku-zan::
Chichiri didn't curse very often - he didn't see the use in it. When he got upset, he didn't need to use words to try and quantify what he was feeling, or to blow off some steam; he could meditate, or fish, or practice his kata...
Now, though, he did curse, using several colorful phrases that Tasuki would have raised a brow at. The light show had been just that - a light show. It wasn't designed to hurt or disable, only to frighten. He had hoped that the sight of a seishi glowing with power would be enough to scare their followers off, or at least to daze them for long enough that he and Yui could get a head start.
Granted, he'd not realized that the mare Yui had been given was so prone to bolting. He had trained Tai-Itsukun's mounts himself to try and get them used to magic! Now she was starting to groan a little in pain, reaching up to feel her neck gingerly.
Slipping off his own horse, Chichiri reached for his shakujou, holding it aloft warily. Their attackers would be here soon, and he wasn't sure if Yui was okay...
"Well, well, lookit what we have here, boss."
There were six of them (six to one, I don't like these odds.), all armed with several sharp implements that looked fairly dangerous. The apparent leader looked somewhat familiar...
"I remember you." Chichiri finally spoke, voice soft. "Eiken. Why are you here no da?"
"The money's better, and unlike some other bandits around here, we don't have to worry about moral codes." He shot back; Eiken was still the same blob of a man, but with a weapon he actually looked like he could be intimidating. "Don't think I'll be giving you a discount for knowing me, though. Toll through here is high, monk."
"I have no money no da." Chichiri lied. He had a handful of ryo, but it was just enough for a night at an inn and the borrowing of another horse, if needed. "I am a monk, after all."
"Aww, that's too bad; y'see, if we can't get actual money, we take it out of our clients themselves." Eiken's voice was nonchalant, but Chichiri could see victory hiding behind those watery eyes. "I wonder how much the girl could fetch?"
Somewhere behind him, Yui suddenly cried out, and Chichiri didn't need to turn to know she was being restrained. He was getting tired of playing, now.
"Look, no da, I don't want to have to hurt any of you..." he started, before Eiken cut him off with a laugh.
"Like you could, monk. What, are you going to pray at us?"
Chichiri's good eye narrowed. He wasn't very prideful, but he'd worked hard for the last twenty years to hone his powers. He was a powerful mage and a fair fighter, and was justly proud of that. Besides, his status as a monk didn't make him defenseless!
Still, he might as well use that to his advantage. With an over-exaggerated sigh, he held his hands out, looking defeated. "You've got a point no da..."
Eiken laughed, stepping nearer as he did to taunt the mage. "Damn straight I do!"
Gotcha no da.
Quick as lightning, his staff was firmly back in hand, and with a sharp jab to the left, the butt of the staff rocketed across Eiken's face. Off-balanced, the bandit stumbled a couple of steps, and Chichiri used the opportunity to pinch the carotid artery with his free hand (considering how heavy Eiken was, he was lucky to have found it). Eiken never had a chance - he hit the ground with a thud, deathly still.
The other bandits looked fearful, and Chichiri whirled the staff once, twice in front of him before bringing it to rest behind his back, free hand forward and beckoning. Okay, now he was showing off a little.
"Still, I have picked up a thing or two na no da."
One of the bandits looked ready to take him on, but the other one pulled at his arm, already starting to run. "Dude, no way in hell I'm getting my ass kicked for a few ryo. Come on, it's not worth it!"
The two in front of him retreated, and when Chichiri turned, it was to a bewildered Yui - apparently her captors had been frightened off by his show already.
Yui blinked a couple times. "How in the hell did you..."
"Lots of practice." Chichiri replied, catching his mare's reins and giving her a pat - his horse, to her credit, just looked bored. "Let's find your mount, shall we?"
Speechless - how many more secret talents did Chichiri have, anyway? - Yui could just nod, following the mage wordlessly in the direction her horse had gone.
The sun sat low and fat on the horizon, but luckily they were out of the woods now. Yui's horse still hadn't been found (Chichiri's theory was the animal had, after calming down, headed back to Tai-Itsukun's palace).
Yui let out a soft whoop of joy as they rode past the treeline, their destination illuminated red-orange by the setting sun. "This is Chokou?"
Chichiri nodded.
"Yes. It's not a large village, but there is a fairly good-sized inn and a good stable here. We can find you a replacement mount in the morning and be on our way to the capitol."
Before Yui could reply, her stomach did for her, rumbling loudly. Chichiri laughed outright, and Yui just glared, feeling embarrassed.
"So this inn would have food, I hope."
Chichiri just shook his head in response, smiling. Regardless of who the miko was, some things never changed.
::Tokyo::
Miaka let out a whoosh of air she hadn't realized she'd been holding, giving the book back to Taka. "Your turn. I need to get my heartrate down after that. Geez, how Keisuke made it through this without getting a heart attack is beyond me..."
Taka started to respond before stopping to think. "...you've got a point, y'know. Anyway, speaking of Keisuke, he and Tetsuya should be here soon. Want to take five real quick?"
Miaka shrugged, but she still looked a bit upset. "I guess, but I don't want to stop reading. Not yet, at least." She yawned, suddenly, and looked to the clock. "Dear gods, it's almost 3 in the morning. Are we skipping work tomorrow?"
"You'll have to call it in; I had tomorrow off originally anyway. The guys might not stay."
"Oh, no way am I leaving, Yui's in there!"
The new voice came from Tetsuya, who was in the entryway struggling with his long overcoat (winter in Japan wasn't something to be taken lightly). Keisuke was behind him, eyes bloodshot. Miaka's face split into a wide grin, and she barreled over to her older brother, catching him in a bonecrushing hug.
"Onii-san!"
Keisuke returned the gesture half-heartedly. "Miaka, I'm barely awake and can't breathe. Why you felt the need to discover an ancient text and not tell me until the buttcrack of dawn, I'm not sure..."
Taka had taken the aforementioned text back up and had been reading quietly during the interlude, but suddenly spoke up. He couldn't hide the excitement in his voice. "Guys, guys, Yui just found another seishi!"
::Chokou::
"Sir, I'm to show you to your rooms. Please, follow me."
The boy bowed, looking nervous at the prospect of actually meeting and speaking to a Suzaku Seishi. Chichiri, for his part, was puzzled - something about this boy's ki signature seemed familiar, and he couldn't quite place it...
There were a few moments of awkward silence before Yui spoke up (Chichiri reminded himself to thank her later). "Thank you, um...Chosei, right? I'm sorry, my companion's a little worn out from traveling..."
The boy, for his part, simply looked pleased to be remembered. "Yes, ma'am. No problem; if you two just came down from the mountain, that's understandable. If I may, where are you two headed? If you were returning from a pilgrimage to see Tai-Itsukun-sama, you'd have taken the North road."
"We um, got lost." Yui muttered, shooting a glance to her companion. She didn't know this world's geography, he would have to cover for her. "We're going...well, I'm not sure. The capitol is our first stop, I think. We're trying to gather se-aaaaah! What was that for?"
Chichiri, who had just stepped squarely on Yui's foot, looked innocent. "Gomen no da. I should pay better attention to where I'm going. Chosei-kun, is this the door to the room?"
"Oh, yes. Both beds are made up already, and my okaa-san already sent your things up. If you need anything else, just call for me - I'm usually around here." Chosei bowed once more, blue eyes honest and bright. "Good night, Chichiri-sama, Yui-sama!"
Yui stiffened immediately, forcing herself to calm down before entering the room. That particular honorific had way too much baggage attached to it. Well, at least I'll only be seeing him once more, at most...too bad, he was a pretty nice kid.
"Chichiri, why'd you step on my foot? I think there's permanent damage now..." She was whining, yes, but it had hurt!
He turned to face her, and she realized that at some point he'd decided to remove his mask. Strange...then again, he probably didn't sleep with it on - Yui couldn't imagine that would be very comfortable.
"Yui-san, I realize that the people of Konan are mostly good-hearted, but we still shouldn't go around announcing our mission to every stranger we meet. That young man seemed oddly familiar for some reason, and I don't know if that's good or bad yet."
"Well, I thought he seemed trustworthy." Yui retorted, rifling through her saddlebags for the change of clothes Nyan had provided her. "Besides, if you can't trust a twelve-year-old, who can you...whoa, Chichiri, I think we've found someone."
The blonde held the glowing red globe aloft, the leather she'd wrapped it in earlier partially concealing the crimson character within. After a few seconds of careful manuevering, she managed to hold the glass ball in such a way that she could see the entire character without burning herself.
" 'Chariot'?"
End Chapter 3
*bounces* Guess who guess who guess who! =D I know, it's not difficult, but I'm happy to finally introduce him - he's one of my favorites. I really, really wanted to finish this scene, because the interactions are delicious, but couldn't see a feasible way to do it and segue into next chapter semi-smoothly. I'm also trying to stay consistent with the original and the pacing I had going there, so that's another challenge - if I'd continued I would have technically gotten past where I was at this point in chapter 3 originally. ((This is where my old reviewers go "but what about Chiriko?" and I just sheepishly laugh and change the subject.))
To be honest, I feel like I'm losing the characterization of some of these guys. I don't want them to sound like me, but they end up that way anyway, and it's a little disheartening, because I'm trying quite hard to avoid that.
I worked harder than I really feasibly should have on that dumb fight scene. It lasted maybe half a page and I agonized for nearly an hour over it. The carotid artery (well, arteries) are found roughly on the sides of your Adam's apple - they supply blood and oxygen to the brain. If one is hit hard enough, it can cause loss of conciousness.
I nearly forgot! There's a couple things in here I need to explain. The phrase Chichiri keeps using, "saa", is a rather useful little Japanese colloquialism that basically means "yeah, I've got an answer, but I'd really rather not share it right now". It's a very cool phrase, and very Chichiri, so I plan on using it. Also, highwaymen are simply thugs that hang around pathways and routes and force you to pay a toll to pass. Similar to a bandit, but not exactly.
Oh, I had one little review; I'll be sure to e-mail my response to you, dear. Rather not have Fanfie Nett get mad at me now =] In any event, please, feel free to review if you want, and until next chapter, I remain
otaku
