"What's happening.. to me?.. Where am I?"

A girl surrounded by nothing than darkness, crouched naked in a foetal position, opens calmly her eyes. She holds her hands before her, looking at them.

"Who am.. I?"

She slowly extends her body and is now floating there into nothingness.

The confused girl looks around her, only to confirm she's all alone.. she thinks..

"It will all become clear to you."
A voice says out of nowhere.

"Hello?!"

Nothing.

"Where are you? Where am I..?"

Again nothing but silence, besides her echoed voice.

She suddenly realises that she feels ashamed for her naked body and tries to cover up her breasts with her arms. The girl begins to be more and more unsecure and her fear is starting to grow.

"Please.. I'm scared."

Right after she said that, she sees a little light. First she seems detached of it, then with a determined mind, she stretches her arm to the unexplainable thing, trying to grab it with her hand. As if a switch turned, the light begins to shine brighter and brighter.. Until the whole place is illuminated with clear and intense white. But when it is slowing fading away, the girl is nowhere to be seen.

__________________________________________________________________

In Konan.. unaware of what just happened, a monk walks down a path with an unusual big smile on his chibi-like face, humming. He's also known as;

Chichiri, one of the Suzaku Seven.

"Geez I wonder what's going on, no da. There's always trouble when Taiitsukun asks for you. It's never just a friendly get-together with her, no da."

Chichiri did realise all along he doesn't need to walk, while he has his cloak and hat to bring him anywhere he wants to in an instance. But he loves walking on his own, especially when it's out of the busy capitals. He's one of the few, who enjoys the small things in life.
And since Taiitsukun said there was no rush, well actually that's what the monk made out of it, it couldn't do harm, right?

Chichiri stands still abruptly. He thought he just heard someone.. breathing.. And it wasn't there a minute ago.

"But it's impossible.. If there really is someone, I should've felt his or her Chi.. But I am certain that I've just heard a living being.. no da.."

Slowly he approaches the place where the noise was coming from, behind a few bushes and trees next to the path. When he slowly pushes a few branches aside.. there he saw a figure laying on the ground, naked.

"Mi.. Miaka?"
He whispers bewildered, not making any move.

"Miaka!"

He runs towards the body. As soon as he turned it around, he knew he was watching the fine face of a girl, but it wasn't the face of his miko. With her eyes still closed, he watches her closely breathing lightly, with a confused look.

"Who.. is she?"

He reminds himself that her needs are first priority, especially since she seems very weak, after that he could try to find out more about takes his cloak off and wraps it around her naked body. Then he inspects if she has a steady pulse and heartbeat.

"Weird.. her body functions seem normal like any other person.. The only thing I can conclude out of all this is that she's fatigued. But with that weak Chi of hers she should be dead or at least close too. If I didn't even know better, I would say she doesn't even has her own aura.. no da.. *sigh* Where's Mitsukake when you need him, no da."

He feels the urge to wake her up and let her answer to his questions. But he figures she needs the rest.

"But I can't take her with me, I don't know anything about her or her state of health, so the journey might kill her, even with my magic, no da."

He slowly picks her up with his one arm under her knees and the other supporting her back. He looks around helplessly, but then when he needs it the most, Chichiri notices someone's familiar energy.

"Bingo! I feel Tasuki nearby, only a few miles away, no da! So he could take care of her while I'll go to Mt. Taikyoku.. She might even know more about this strange girl, no da!"

And with his smile on his face again, he turned around carrying the girl in his arms, into the direction of an orange haired bandit.

During the long walk, Chichiri finds that her Chi slowly is coming forward, but it isn't Chi he normally senses. And even with its present, it's still strange only such a small amount radiates.
Worried he watches the girl's face and the top of her head, leaning against his chest. For the first time he looks closely at her, distinguishing all of her physical characterizes; she has long vivid hair till the end of her back, but her hair colour was just like herself a mystery to him, it was somewhere between red and maroon, he doesn't think their 's a name for it. Her little soft hands and feet were almost cute. Her legs were long compared to her small appearance and her body was slim, maybe a bit too slim, but all in all she was beautiful. Even Chichiri, who has never watched another woman besides his former fiancé, had to admit that.

"But besides a few things off, the resemblance with Miaka is astonishing.. She even has the small indentation between her eyes, just like Miaka.. no da.."

For a minute he had the idea, afraid of the thought of course, that maybe Miaka was reincarnated and this was the result. But that scary thought left his mind soon, when he came to his senses and agreed that they would be informed if Miaka had passed away.

He just kept staring at her closed eyes, when she suddenly starts to groan and opens her eyes.. her big sparkling liquid green eyes..

__________________________________________________________________________

"I.. am moving? But.. It's not me who's moving?"

The girl in Chichiri's arms slowly starts to regain conscience. She opens her eyes while looking up against a very friendly face.

"Hello there, had a good rest? I was quite worried you wouldn't wake up soon, no da."

"Where.. am I?-"

Chichiri was about to answer her question, when she pulled herself nearer, investigating him.

"And why do you have such a strange face?"

The monk nearly trembles and falls while carrying the girl, because of her sudden strange question. But he recovers himself just in time.

"Uhhh that's for another time, no da. But you're in Konan, no da."

That question of hers only confirmed of what he was thinking earlier about that she isn't from here.

"Do you know what happened to you?"

The girl turned her head to the left and the right a little, shaking no, thinking she doesn't even know how she got here in the first place.

"Well I'm Chichiri, no da! I've found you beside the road, no da. And you, what's your name?"

The girl opened her mouth to speak out her name, but there was no sound. There was no sound because she realises at that moment that she just doesn't know.

As if she's about to cry, she says trembling:
"I don't kn –"

"Hikari.. You're name is Hikari."
An unknown voice whispered inside her head, echoing.

"Hikari."

"What?"

"That's my name.. Hikari."

She knows that is was really strange and mysterious how a sudden voice interrupted her mind, telling her what to say. But she was already happy she got a name.

"Okay, heey Hikari! Where are you from? You don't look like from around, no da."

Hikari trusted upon the voice again, telling her more about herself, but it was gone.

"I don't.. know."
She said disappointed.

"Oooh.. That's okay, no da. Shall I tell you where I come from?"

Chichiri was telling her enthusiastic about his hometown and several other happy aspects about his life so far, anything to make her a bit more relaxed. And it worked, word after word she became more at ease. Chichiri turns out to be a hell of a storyteller!
But in reality all the monk's really thinking about is questioning her more, especially because of the strange way she said her name. But he realised that wasn't going to work when she's all stressed out, not even knowing where she comes from. Questions will be for later, he thought, right now he just wants to make the poor girl laugh.

And while she was laughing, The Suzaku Seishi couldn't help thinking how much her smile resembles Miaka's.

___________________________________________________________________________

"And you're one of those Suzaku Seishi's?"

Chichiri nodded heavily.

"Wow sugoi.. And where are the others?"

"Only three of us are left, the other four.. well not, no da."

"Oh.. I'm sorry."

"I still see them now and then, so it's okay, no da."

Hikari didn't really understand what he just said. In her eyes if someone's dead, you can't see them anymore, can you? It's confusing. Well she hasn't been for a long time in this world yet, so she doesn't need to understand everything so soon.

"And your priestess?"

"Our miko, Miaka, returned to her own world with one of her protectors, Taka or Tamahome. But it's to complicated to explain the difference between those two, no da."

"You mean.. There are other worlds out there?"

"Well yes, no da."

Hikari's eyes starts to grow bigger, full of wonderings.

"Could it be.. that I'm of another world?"

"Well it is possible, no da. I think that might be the explanation for you having such a strange Chi, no da."

"What's Chi?"

"*Sigh* You sure don't make this easy for me, no da. Well I guess it can't be helped, you don't understand much yet.. In short Chi is the energy one person radiates and everyone has a different kind, no da. Only yours is a little bit strange, because of the fact that.. blabla.. no da.. blabla..blabla.."

"Too much information at once.. Pfew I'm starting to have a headache."

"Uhh Chichiri.. Where are you taking me anyway?"

"Don't worry, you can trust me, no da."

Hikari looks at his reliable happy face and knows in her heart that he wouldn't abuse her.

"I'm taking you to another Suzaku Seishi, Tasuki, no da. He's one of us, no da. Just don't look too surprised when he's a little bit.. funny and weird.. That just means he's drunk again, no da."

__________________________________________________________________________

All of a sudden he stops.

"What's wro-, hmmmuhmmmm."

Chichiri put a hand before her mouth, signalling her she must be quiet. After she calmed down, the monk put his hand away.

"Can you run, or even stand?"
He whispers with a change of tone to seriousness.

"I.. don't know.. I'm.. sorry."

"Shimata.. It looks like I have to do this, while carrying her. But how?"

"What's going on, Chichiri?"

"Look out!!"
The mage yells, when he ducks right in time for an incoming arrow, while putting a hand above her head for protection.

"That.. That was aimed at us!!"

Hikari starts panicking and yelling, trying to struggle herself free.

"Stay calm Hikari, I'll put you down here behind me, okay?"

Hikari stared at him with terrifying eyes.

"I will protect you."

The girl swallowed and nodded dubitable. And in a second, Chichiri manages to lay the fragile girl on the ground and to deflect another attack with his staff.

"Show yourselves!"
He demands powerfully.

And within he says that, a group of assassins dressed in total black appear out of the sky, the trees.. actually out of anywhere.

"What do you want from us?!"

Then Chichiri sees something terrifying. One of them was creating a seal.

"They are mages too?!"

Chichiri quickly begins with his magic, but is being interrupted by another two fighting assassins. He has a hard time dealing with their martial arts and bounces off the most kicks and punches with his mage staff. Meanwhile the threat of the almost completed seal approaches.

"I need to do something, but it's too late to get out of here or preparing a same kind of seal!"

Then he manages somehow to push them off by a strong smack of his weapon. While the assassins lay a few metres from them, trying to get up again, Chichiri mighty strikes his staff into the ground.

"Get as close behind me as you can!!!"
He yells at Hikari, not even looking at her, concentrating on his spell.

The staff begins to glow and it seems to be under tension. Hikari sees that Chichiri is in pain, because of whatever he's doing to protect her.

"AAAHH!"

Chichiri screams as loud as he can, while the strain and voltage ensure that his mask rips apart, causing all kinds of little cuts in his face besides his huge scar.
Hikari watches him fearfully.. not fearfully of his own face, but whether he's going to make it or not.

Whatever he did, it worked and a blue-ish barrier appears around them.
And just in time; The bad guy had just finished the seal and aims an incredibly large beam at them, where Chichiri could just deflect it with a lot of effort. After the first big attack was now ceased, the monk collapses from exhaustion and has to rest on a knee.

"Chichiri! Are you alright?!"

He looks anxious around his surroundings, only to find out the mage was launching a second attack and the two other assassins got back on their feet.

"They're with.. too many.. I can't fight them off."

He awaits the next attack, then he quickly turns around putting his arms around Hikari like a shield. Hikari squeezes her eyes closed, afraid of what's going to happen.

"This is it.."
He thinks, assuming it was all over.

_________________________________________________________________________