Morning broke over the mountain range behind the traveling band of Konan soldiers and Chichiri was no closer to knowing what to do with his new feelings than he had been in the still of the night. He had been sure that a night of contemplation would generate a solution. Little did he realize that matters of emotions can't be reasoned away that easily. He was left with few viable options that would not jeopardize this quest or her friendship.
He could ignore it and keep acting like he had before. According to Mia, this would all be over in about ten days. After that, she would go back to her world. Was there any point in revealing his feelings to the bereaved priestess? Her thoughts were solely centered on summoning Suzaku and wishing her world revived; which included her husband and daughter. It would be wrong of him to add his confusing feelings onto her already overburdened shoulders. The poor woman already had to deal with the misguided affections of the Emperor. He had to think about what was best for her. But telling himself that did nothing to prevent him from thinking about his own interests.
Then again, he could just tell her and see where things went. If she was truly working towards allowing all the warriors the option of being reincarnated into her world, then, he would be seeing her again. He might have a chance for…. What? He ran into the obstacle of her already being spoken for. Would he want to alter her life to the point that she didn't meet or fall in love with Tamahome?
His mind bogged down at the confusing thoughts of having a lifetime's worth of memories in a new body in her world. Or, possibly several lifetimes worth, if they were reincarnated in this world until their paths were finished before moving on to her world. If three of the warriors were in love with her in this incarnation, how would that affect them in her world? Would all three of them retain those strong feelings? If Mia fell in love with someone other than Tamahome, would their remaining feelings cause problems? With as volatile and childish as Tamahome was sometimes, Chichiri could easily see him pursuing the priestess in her world even if he were rebuffed.
He tried to imagine the outcome of telling her his feelings and could only see three possible outcomes. One, she rejected his feelings outright, stating she didn't feel the same. Two, she stated it was too soon after the death of her family to form any kind of feelings. Three she felt something towards him stronger than mere friendship.
But, then again, hadn't Mia said that she wanted each warrior to be able to offer reincarnation to their family and loved ones also? He could find his fiancé in his next life and carry her with him into the future. Could he justify a pursuit of Mia when he had already committed his heart to another? Would it be fair to either woman?
By the time the early morning birds heralded the dawn of a new day, Chichiri had already worried himself into a crippling headache. As before, Lieutenant Kanai had risen at an ungodly hour and roused the camp into action. It had felt like only a few breaths since they had stopped the mad dash to rest a bit. It was actually less of a sleep break than it was a rest for the weary horses. Not that Chichiri had actually even closed his eyes. His thoughts kept circling around in his head like churning storm clouds.
Speaking of storm clouds, Mia seemed to be in a terribly foul mood this morning. Which was actually rather odd since she got the most sleep out of anyone in their column. She seemed to trail a cloud of anxiety that was affecting everyone. These battle-hardened soldiers, who had probably survived much harsher conditions, were seemingly at their breaking point as far as temper.
Already this morning, Yamane, the short man that Mia had beaten, had verbally attacked half of the soldiers, and threatened to "kick the Princess's ass" if she didn't stop slowing them down. Needless to say, this did not garner the feisty little man any fans in the crowd of Mia supporters. Even the quiet, gentle giant, Deguchi seemed to be itching to pummel the advanced scout.
Mia herself had chafed under the unwanted attention and hostility and responded by riding her warhorse even harder than she did the day they were pushed by the Nakago related snow storm. The normally calm and collected Lieutenant Kanai was caught swearing under his breath several times over the course of the morning by Chichiri's attentive ears. For that matter, those soldiers who didn't seem angry seemed to be submersed in anxiety and worry. The rear guard seemed to ride up a lot closer to Mia, Chichiri, Lieutenant Kanai and Assistant Suitani. Now, whether it was out of caution or fear, Chichiri couldn't quite tell.
To speed up the process of scouting out the correct path, two men were trading off on the duty. Nishi, the beady-eyed man who made Mia think of a rat, was sent to assist Yamane. One would ride hard out in front of the column, while the other would rest his mount when the troops would catch up to him. Then, he would ride with the others until they reached the next resting stop and then he would ride hard out in front while the other scout rested with the column. This kept them going most of the morning in an almost non-stop dash towards the pass.
The Lieutenant had also suggested that they might want to double the men up on a single horse and lead the other mount, so one man could rest while the other controlled the horse. Still, in Chichiri's head, this didn't really seem to save much time, since they would be constrained by how much the horses could handle, not necessarily how long the soldiers could stay awake. Still, it was an option that they might have to use during the night hours, when no one would see them acting less than "manly."
Mia woke in a foul mood and it had only gotten worse. She felt like her forehead was going to cramp with the frown that seemed permanently etched there. Nothing had gone right this morning. There had been the disgusting, pre-dawn wake up call, and then there wasn't even enough time to allow her to 'shake the bushes' before the Lieutenant had practically thrown her up on Tank. Anyone who has ever ridden in a long car ride with a female who desperately needs a restroom break would know just what state the distressed priestess was in.
Even her calm and behaved horse had been acting up. For some reason, she would be riding along, comfortably ignoring everything, when he would suddenly hop an extra step into his steady stride. It had the effect of nearly unseating her every time. She couldn't figure out what was causing the trouble, but it seemed to happen every time she zoned out and stopped truly paying attention to her surroundings.
Then there was the situation with her warrior. All morning, Chichiri had been sporting his fake calm face and totally ignoring her. Not only would he not speak to her, but he wouldn't even make eye contact. When she tried to engage him in idle conversation, he acted as if he could not even hear her. Now, she acknowledged that her friend was deep in thought, and might even be meditating, or something, but it still hurt her feelings to be so completely shunned.
Then there was the endless riding and tenseness of the group. At each rest stop, tempers flared and fights nearly broke out. What had once been a jovial, companionable group had turned into a bunch of surly bad asses that were just itching for a battle. At one of the earliest breaks, she had dismounted to dash towards the nearest underbrush that would offer her some privacy. On her return trip towards her mount, Yamane had stalked over to her and taken a wild swing at her head. Luckily for her, she caught the movement out of the corner of her eye, and twisted her head slightly, so the meaty fist connected with her helmet instead of the side of her face. Still, the force of the blow snapped her head fiercely to the side, and sent her helmet soaring towards the rear guard. She was truly fortunate that Chichiri and Lieutenant Kanai were nearby to subdue the scout since the blow had set her ears to ringing, and caused her vision to blur. Kanai towered over the shorter man and cuffed him across the face and sent him flying back towards his heaving horse. The Lieutenant proceeded to yell at his underling in such a manner that spit was literally flying halfway across the group.
It was a slightly dazed Mia who remounted her previously trusty horse and continued her battle to predict the stutter step in the horse's gait and not succumb to the pull of gravity.
The sun was high into the sky, nearing its zenith, when the column was halted for an extended lunch break. In an attempt to relieve some of the pent up tension, Assistant Suitani shouted, "Hand to hand combat practice by that tree and here in the clearing. Divide up into pairs and spar until you break a sweat. Anyone who causes a comrade serious injuries will be left behind to face the Kutou forces! Is that clear?" Grumbling accompanied the men as they chose their opponents.
Mia looked about and took note of the short tempers of all her normally kind friends, and made the decision to sit this round out. With the morning she was having, she half expected Yamane to challenge her to a fight to the death. A smirk crossed her face as she admitted to herself that it would probably be fun, but she just didn't think she had the energy to evade those meaty fists twice in one day.
Mia cautiously made her way to the huddle on the far side of the clearing where Lieutenant Kanai, Assistant Suitani and Chichiri were conversing. She avoided any direct confrontations with any of the men milling about. When she neared the trio, she hung back and waited until they were finished with their conference.
Chichiri turned and noticed a subdued looking Mia waiting patiently, and he was overcome with guilt for avoiding her, and also an intense desire to run away again. This just would not do. He knew his actions were unbecoming of a Suzaku warrior. With that thought in mind, he girded his loins and placed his patented fake smile on his face.
Mia recognized all the emotions that crossed the seemingly hidden face of her blue haired friend, and realized that something had changed to make him feel uncomfortable in her presence. She quietly sidled up to him and asked, while studying her feet, "Um, Chichiri, did I do something wrong?" When she got no response, she looked up at him from the corners of her eyes.
Chichiri actually froze, his mind going blank at her question. What could he tell her? He hadn't decided on a course of action yet. He didn't want to lie, but then, he didn't want to burden her with his affections if they were only one sided. He could always just fall back on his friend status, and worry about all these confusing feelings some other time. With that decision made, his mind felt suddenly clear, and he smiled a true smile, "No, Mia. You haven't done anything wrong. I'm sorry I've been so deep in thought. Things have just been happening so quickly, you know? I've been meaning to return to the palace to refresh my Emperor substitute and to contact Hotohori to update him on our progress. I guess I was just trying to figure the best time to go, you know?"
Mia sighed in relief at the reassurance that she had not driven away one of her oldest friends and responded, "You should probably go now, while everything is quiet. It seems like we have outdistanced our pursuers and still have a ways to go before reaching the pass." She huffed a bit in dismay, "At least it would save you a days worth of boring galloping." She grinned a devious smile again and asked, "Are you sure you can't just transport all of us in your hat?"
Chichiri snorted at the question that kept arising, no matter how many times he answered it in the negative. "You know, I'm sure I answered that question already… at least twice. I haven't gained any new skills since the last time you asked, you know?"
Mia sighed, with a wistful look on her face, "I know, but a girl can hope, can't she? So, since you can't play mass-transit for the rest of us, you should get your butt in gear and get going already. The sooner you leave, the sooner you can be back here having fun with the rest of us."
The playful grin that he had glimpsed before she humiliated Yamane was back in place on her face, and Chichiri felt like everything was right with the world again. He would worry about his feelings some other time when there was less at stake. Or, maybe, he would ask Taiitsukun about them. She was always good for pointing out options that he might have missed. He affected a hurt look on his face and pouted, "Are you trying to get rid of me? I'm really hurt, you know."
Mia barked out a laugh and swatted at the silly warrior as she hustled him off to his rendez-vous with other more interesting, and warmer, places. "Make sure to tell Hotohori I said 'Hi!' But don't let the others know it's me." She winked a conspiratorial wink at him and then he was gone in a swirl of blue cape and jingling staff.
At the departure of her friend, Mia suddenly felt a bit smaller and colder. She was alone among the mountains with men that she had only known for a handful of days. Was she nuts to trust her life and quest to these strangers? The strange feeling stretched on for another moment, then snapped like a rubber band stretched past its breaking point.
A frown crossed her face as she wondered how she could think such awful thoughts about these men who had risked their lives numerous times to save hers. These wonderful men who had cheered her when she was grieving, and who had listened and shared stories about families and adventures. Maybe it was the high altitude and the lack of oxygen that was causing her brain to malfunction. No matter, she needed to try and think clearly, and her first order of business was to discuss Tank's odd gait with the Lieutenant.
She approached the Lieutenant and noticed that he too seemed to be a bit touchy in this high altitude. She smiled her warmest smile and gently asked, "Lieutenant, can I ask you a question about horses?" She was sure she had approached the large man in a non aggressive manner, but his reaction led her to believe she had not.
He spun on her as if she had just insulted him and barked, "I don't have time to chit chat. Don't you have something to do? If not, I'm sure I can find you something, soldier." Anger flashed in his usually calm eyes and her mouth hung open in shock. Just as quickly, he spun away from her, his cape actually whipped against her in the motion, and stormed off.
Mia was stunned and simply stood there watching the receding figure. What was wrong with everyone today? Her eyes traveled across the clearing to notice that everyone seemed overly annoyed and angry. The sparring matches degraded into common brawls several times as she watched. In truth, the only person who seemed to be calm was the bushy-faced 'old man,' Tashima, who was preparing the lunch meal.
With a determined stride, Mia marched over to the cook fire and parked next to the older soldier. When he looked towards her with an open, questioning expression, she finally had to ask, "Are they always this way?" The good natured snort that answered her told her a lot. His gravelly voice mumbled, "Not this bad. Sometimes when a battle is looming, tempers might run high, but this is silly."
She glanced around again at the raised voices echoing from the sparring area by the tree and wondered, "It's not me is it? I'd hate to be the cause of this. Though I can't think of anything that I could have done that would cause all this."
The old man tugged thoughtfully at his scraggly beard and shook his head. "No, I don't think it's you. We've had tougher missions than this. Come to think of it, maybe they're just all constipated. That'll sure make a man cranky. I could always mix up something to make 'em 'go.'" His eyes that shone out from under the bushy eyebrows twinkled with mischief as he waited for what he had said to sink in.
Mia looked incredulous for a moment, and then started laughing. It wasn't a restrained, lady-like laugh, but a whole body, make your eyes tear up, kind of laugh. For some reason it was just so terribly funny that she couldn't stop. In her mind, she was picturing all those grumpy soldiers having to stop and dash for the bushes several times along the way to the pass and she laughed even harder. The more she thought about it, the funnier it got. Maybe it was just the release of tension, or that she hadn't found anything really gut-busting funny in a long time. But, she found herself slipping off the log beside the cook fire and almost rolling on the ground laughing. Her cheeks began cramping and her sides ached, but it felt so wonderful to truly laugh. A detached part of her mind thought, 'So this is what it means to be ROFLMAO.' Every time she even made eye contact with Tashima, she launched off into more peals of laughter. Her lungs were wheezing from the effort as her mirth slowly began to recede. Still, it would bubble back up when the thought replayed in her head, and she'd wheeze a bit more as she clutched her sides and wiped new tears from her eyes.
Trying to regain some sense of dignity, Mia hoisted her body back up onto the log where she had started. A chuckle still rippled through her every now and then as she watched the old man stir the meal. She kept a close eye on every spice he added to make sure there wasn't some sort of laxative slipped in. She snickered again as she remembered a prank she and some classmates pulled on some rude jocks with Ex-lax™ brownies. The coach never did seem to understand why his A-string players were suddenly unable to play. Good thing the bench warmers were good enough to squeak out a win.
So caught up in her own laughter, Mia never noticed the attention that she drew to the fire pit. The brawling seemed to stop once her peeling laughter rang about the clearing. It was fresh and bright, and seemed to dispel the dark cloud that hung over the group. Those men who had already taken a turn at beating each other senseless seemed to be drawn to the woman in their midst. Slowly, they drifted over to the cook fire, waited for the lunch meal, and listened as the two discussed pranks and jokes. When lunch was finally ready, the men ate and swapped their own stories of pulling tricks on each other. When time to remount arrived, the camaraderie of a few days ago had returned.
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In a dark corner of a dimly lit room in a distant palace, Nakago sat in a throne-like chair and watched the squirming boyish warrior plead for his life. Miboshi crouched before him like a toad poised to hop into a pond at the first sign of danger.
His evil, child-like voice hissed in distress, "Forgive me, oh great General Nakago. It seems that my enchantment over the band of Konan soldiers has been dispelled somehow. It should have been impossible. A charm such as this is impossible to counteract except by the strongest magical entities in the land. They should all be overcome with doubt, anxiety and anger by now. Please allow me another attempt to delay this party."
Nakago looked down his nose at the scene before him and tried to reign in his anger and disappointment. His voice was deep and cold as he spoke, "So, you have failed me yet again, Miboshi. It's bad enough that you can not seem to cast a spell that would allow us to view this new power. Now you can't even affect their moods. It seems that you are becoming quite useless. Why should I bother giving you another chance? It is obvious that one among these soldiers is stronger than you, or they are being protected by a greater power. Your efforts are futile."
The gold necklaces and earrings that draped over the child's body jingled as the evil spirit possessing it rose in agitation. The little top-like prayer wheel that he carried spun absently in response to its master's mood. The diminutive wizard's voice rose in anger, "None is greater than this Miboshi! I have dominion over all the evil demons in the pit of the afterworld and can summon all manner of black magic to confuse and delay the enemy. None can withstand my influence!"
Nakago simply scoffed at the outburst. "None can withstand your presence! Obviously, there is one among this strange group that CAN withstand your feeble attempts at influence. If you can not devise some way to delay them, then I will send a greater warrior in your stead. Now, leave me. I grow weary of your immaturity."
With that dismissal, the demon in the child's body shuffled away back to his own quarters to formulate new attacks that would be even harder to deflect. In his wake, he left a fuming and curious general who only focused on the flickering flame in the brassier beside him. His eyes grew distant and unfocused as he reached out with his formidable aura. He could only just barely detect the whisper of an enormous power far off in the northern wasteland of Hokkan. It washed over him like a forgotten scent.
Anger spiked in his cold, lifeless eyes as the blue kanji mark on his forehead shone with his effort. No matter how hard he tried to isolate this new power, it slipped away from him like a slimy eel. If he could fix its location, he could launch a directed attack to obliterate this threat. And he knew it was a threat. Any power this great could easily derail his intricate plans to manipulate this world to achieve his goals.
He steepled his fingers before his face and considered his options. Miboshi and Soi had failed to stop this band of Konan soldiers. Amiboshi was on assignment to infiltrate the Suzaku warriors. That only left Suboshi, Ashtare and Tomo as possible contingency plans if Miboshi couldn't formulate an effective strategy for stopping them. So, his choices were to send out an angry, reckless kid with a yo-yo, or the wolf-like killing machine, or a sadistic, condescending illusionist. An evil smile crossed the beautiful face of the general as he spoke to a distant attendant, "Send for Ashtare."
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Chichiri made his first stop the palace. As he suspected, his imposter had taken sick and stayed in bed for a few days. It was funny to see the ministers fussing about the bed occupied by the three dimensional image. In truth, it wasn't hard to imitate an illness. Since sleep was the best medicine, the imposter just pretended to sleep most of the day away. Still, he didn't want the kingdom to fear that Hotohori was gravely ill, so he would have to heal the fake Emperor and find something else to do that would occupy a great deal of time and keep him away from important decisions. Hmm… meditation or prayer and fasting. Why not both! It was no trouble to reinitialize the sutra that he used to create the three dimensional image and he was on his way in moments.
His next stop was to visit Hotohori. He knew that with all the questions he had for Taiitsukun, he might be there a long time. He needed to get these other errands out of the way so he could return to Mia as soon as possible.
He located Hotohori and the others wandering about the country side. There two new warriors that he had not met. One was a shorter, red-headed man, and the other was a tall, older gentleman. Luckily Miaka was no longer riding with his Highness, so it would be easier to get his attention. Chichiri stood behind a grove of trees and closed his eyes in a chant. A small bird flew down towards the regal person of Hotohori and landed gently on the shoulder of the beautiful man. None of the others seemed to notice, so he spoke softly through the bird. "Your Highness, I need to update you on the happenings with the other quest. If you could possibly stop for a break, I will await you by the stream to your north, you know." A slight nod acknowledged the message.
It was only moments later that the Emperor called a halt for the band of travelers. He used the excuse that Miaka needed to rest after having suffered such a debilitating illness. Just the thought of the previous days made the young ruler shudder. Hotohori excused himself stating that he needed to stretch his legs and headed for the little stream to the north. In a small clearing he found Chichiri crouched beside the swift moving water, gazing vacantly into the reflective surface.
The troubled look fled from the blue-haired wizard's pensive face as he turned towards the approaching emperor, "Your Highness. I'm reporting as you requested."
A deep frown of concern crossed the porcelain face of Hotohori. "Chichiri? Why are you reporting in person? I thought you were able to communicate over great distances as you did before with an illusion?" Chichiri shifted his position beside the stream and sat facing the young ruler. "Well, about that, some developments have made that type of communication a bit dangerous."
With a gasp, the regal young man folded himself up to sit beside Chichiri. A concerned hand grasped the blue haired warrior. His voice was tight, "What has happened? What types of developments?"
Chichiri removed his army issue helmet and ran a nervous hand through his blue locks. The gravity defying bangs sprung back up to wave to the world, "It seems that General Nakago is aware of our presence in Hokkan, and has set traps and sent forces to hinder our progress, you know. But so far Mia has handled the traps, and we are maintaining our distance in front of the troops. Luckily he doesn't seem to know who we are yet, you know."
His agitation mounting, Hotohori looked sternly at the older man and stated, "This is unacceptable. Why have you not kept her safe? She shouldn't have to handle anything! That is why you and the Lieutenant are accompanying her!" In an unconscious manner, the emperor gripped the hilt of his sword.
Chichiri blanched at the anger coming his way and raised his hands, palms outward, to ward off any perceived attack. His mask reverted to his fake, innocent smile as he explained, "Well, your Highness, she is as prone to finding trouble as Miaka is, you know."
Hotohori relaxed a bit and huffed at this comment. His mind struggled with the horrible incidents from the past few days when he had nearly slain the brave young girl to save her from the horrible disease that wracked her body. It was true, trouble seemed to dog the girl's every footstep. Why would it have changed as she aged? If anything, the trait seemed to have worsened. He took a moment to gather his thoughts and reflect on the horrors the older Mia had survived. Nothing that happened in this world could compare to the sacrifices she had made for this quest. He closed his eyes and continued the interview in a calmer voice, "What has happened?"
With the air of a master story teller, Chichiri folded his hands together and began to recount their journey. "Well, first we encountered Taiitsukun who seemed prepared to delay us. Mia countered the energy with holy lightning from Suzaku and Taiitsukun departed. It was odd, you know? Priestesses aren't supposed to be able to do such things." He paused a moment as the image of a fierce and indignant Mia yelling at Taiitsukun replayed in his head.
Hotohori usually didn't interrupt a speaker when they were recounting a tale, but it seemed that warrior needed a bit of a nudge to return him to the present. So, the emperor asked the first question that came to mind. "I wouldn't see why not. Isn't it the very same power that all Suzaku warriors can call upon when they are protecting their Priestess?"
Startled out of his daydream, Chichiri's eyes refocused on his liege and pondered this question. "True. I intend to ask Taiitsukun about that when I travel to see her later. But the troubling event was when Mia detected a storm approaching that was being influenced by one of the Seiryu Seven. Right after that, Nakago's aura was detected, and Mia dispelled that also. It seems that Nakago knows of our presence since he destroyed a spy we found and were interrogating. I just don't know what to think, you know?" Insecurity did not sit well with the wizard, and he grew even more determined to figure out this mystery.
With what seemed to be the end of the report, Hotohori asked another leading question, hoping to get more information on the progress of the older priestess. "But has she retrieved the Shinzaho that she needed?" That was the most important goal. All the rest was merely incidental. If Mia couldn't retrieve the Shinzaho, she would not be able to restore her world and life.
Chichiri leaned over and dangled a finger into the cool stream as he remembered the scene in the cave tomb. "Yes, she succeeded but it nearly cost her life! I'm not truly sure what transpired, but we thought for sure she had passed away. Then suddenly, she broke the ice encasing her with another blast of holy fire, and the guardians allowed her to take the Shinzaho."
The sound of a couple fussing over something insignificant reached their ears and Hotohori glanced back at his traveling companions to determine if any had seen his interactions with Chichiri. Tasuki's harsh voice echoed around the clearing with a boast and a threat. As a precaution, the blue haired warrior donned his helmet to hide his identity. It wouldn't do for anyone of the other warriors to wonder why he was not at the palace where they had left him.
After determining their presence had gone undetected, Hotohori let out a deep breath and whispered, "That is a relief. Now what is the column's current status?"
Chichiri straightened and uncurled his body to stand before his emperor. In a business-like voice he reported, "There is an army of 100 men following us through the mountains and 50 or so more somewhere along the border of Konan and Hokkan. Nakago has blockaded the lower mountain pass and we are galloping hard to reach the westerly pass before it can also be closed. We should be through sometime tomorrow." Just the thought of traveling in the mountains made the warrior suddenly appreciate the crisp warmth of the early summer day that surrounded him. Guilt tugged at his heart as he knew Mia would give just about anything to be warm at this moment. She may have stopped openly complaining about being 'colder than a popsicle' but her movements betrayed her indifferent attitude.
With a hand thoughtfully toying with a lock of his luscious hair, Hotohori paced back and forth deep in thought. He was, after all, first and foremost a military tactician. So, it was only natural for him to think in terms of troop movements and risk analysis. "Perhaps I should commission another regiment to leave the palace and rendez-vous with you at the border? If there is any danger of a skirmish, you must make sure to remove Mia from harm's way. I have full confidence in Lieutenant Kanai and his men to survive a battle with such high odds, but we can not risk her life." After issuing his orders, it was only then that he realized there was a deep, uncharacteristic frown on his friend's face. "Is there anything else? You seem troubled."
Chichiri was unsure how to address this next issue, so he simply blurted out what was bothering him. "Well, actually, there is. We have had two visits by Suzaku himself into our camp." The uncomfortable silence that stretched out between them was only broken by the sounds of the birds in the trees and the good-natured bickering and joking from the camp.
When he felt safe to continue speaking, Hotohori's voice was quiet and reverent. "How is that possible? The great beast gods cannot be seen until they are summoned by their Priestess? We have not even attempted such a ceremony!"
Now it was Chichiri's turn to pace a bit, although, he didn't have any long, luscious hair to amuse himself with. "I know. But you have to remember that Mia has already summoned him in her past. Maybe there is something going on that we don't understand. That is one of the reasons I desperately need to confer with Taiitsukun. If anyone would know what is happening, it would be her." Chichiri had a list of questions for the old, grizzled wizard, and the list just seemed to get longer every time he turned around.
With a curt nod, Hotohori turned to begin his walk back to his traveling companions. "That sounds like a good plan. Keep me informed on anything Taiitsukun may impart. Is there anything else?"
At this point, the disguised warrior looked truly uncomfortable. He knew the next part would not go over well with this man who openly admitted to loving the Priestess of Suzaku, no matter what her age. "Actually, in his last visit, Suzaku told us that Mia is ill and his powers are keeping it at bay. The more she uses his powers, the more likely she will die before he can restore her."
The look that crossed the beautiful emperor's face was fierce and determined. "Then we must ensure that she is not overusing her powers. It would be tragic if her quest ended before she could complete it. She has sacrificed so much already just for this single opportunity. I would hate to know that our sweet innocent Miaka is destined for such a horrible, broken future. You will keep a strict eye on her condition, and if it worsens, you are to return her to my palace. If need be, we will continue her quest for the second Shinzaho for her."
"Your highness, do you think that is wise? If Mia were at the palace, there would be more chance of her encountering her younger self. Who knows what the ramifications would be for the two to meet." Just the thought of the destruction two Miakas could cause made the wizard shiver. Not even his advanced training and knowledge could prepare him for that eventuality. If it hurt Mia to change her past in the small increments that she had so far, how much worse would it be to have an actual impact on her younger self?
Hotohori seemed to be thinking along the same lines as a shudder ran down his spine. "We will just have to take that risk if the situation worsens. Possibly Taiitsukun can advise you on what to expect and what options might be available." A loud laugh rang though the clearing. Chichiri looked back at the group of Suzaku warriors hovering over the young Miaka. "What has happened on your quest since my last report? We saw you battle zombies, and the fire bearing warrior appeared. After that, the image disappeared."
Hotohori's face pulled into a drawn mask of pain. "As you can see, we located the sixth Suzaku warrior, the healer Mitsukake. There was a deadly plague in the town we visited, and Miaka was struck down. A fake healer promised to bring her back from the dead if she was not cured and I almost took her life to spare her the agony. Luckily, we were able to convince Mitsukake to accompany us and he was able to use his powers to heal her." He looked lovingly at the young girl resting in the glade behind him and sighed, "She is still weak, but she is unwilling to delay our search in order to rest properly."
Chichiri nodded in understanding and empathized, "A trait that she still possesses in her older self." When someone from the group called out to the emperor, Chichiri bowed slightly and donned his grinning mask, "Well, that's my cue to disappear, you know. Wouldn't want to have to explain where a soldier suddenly appeared from. God speed, your highness, and I'll contact you with any information that I might receive from Taiitsukun." And with a flourish of his previously hidden cape, the wizard stepped into a hole in the shrubbery and vanished from sight.
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AN: I PASSED THE BAR!! I'M OFFICIALLY A LAWYER! Woohoo! Happy dance all around!
Please review, it motivates me to write more...
Thank you to Ayriel who noticed I accidentally had Tamahome in the group in the clearing. All I can say is "oops."