Author Fangirling: In this chapter, more of the past becomes clear... or does it? Wahaha. Cookies to anyone who knows who shows up at the end of the chapter! Thanks for reading, and please review! See you next week! -Appa

Though Boushin wasn't especially familiar with the area, he could still recognize that they were on their way to Tamahome's village. "Why are we going back here?"

"To see Miaka and Chichiri."

"I could tell that much," he lowered his voice and looked back and forth at the backs of their heads, as they hadn't bothered looking back. "Didn't we just see them a few days ago?"

"Do you not want to see them after hearing about how we failed to summon Suzaku?"

"Not that I've heard everything yet," he said, still lower. However, he thought, even if the Shinzaho were already used to summon Seiryuu, can't they be used again? If they can enable Suzaku to be summoned even without the Universe of the Four Gods scroll or all the warriors, then… then I could very well order them to go out and find them again, if I wanted to…!

What if there's some other way, too?

Suzaku must want to be unsealed… he must want to be summoned!

Does Seiryuu want me to finish what I started? pondered Yui. Mayo Sakaki must have meant that wishing to get out of here wasn't a wish at all. She could probably see it clear as day in the Universe of the Four Gods that I didn't say anything specific, right? What was the word…? Kai…

A sharp pain flashed through her chest, as if resonating with the word she had just remembered.

That's right. I was afraid to say it. I wanted that more than anything else I could have wished for, but I didn't want to say it because I was afraid to get swallowed up by Seiryuu.

"Lady Yui, are you tired? Should we take a break? We should reach my brother's village by nightfall."

"I'm fine. Let's keep going."

"You sound like you've gotten much stronger."

"I hope so."

Mayo had been treated to a silk robe and a decorated room, one of the most comfortable Konan had to offer. Still, there was a draft from the window, the walls did not keep out any noise, and the bed was firm as a gymnasium floor. Actually, she thought, a modern day gymnasium probably would have been far more comfortable.

Nevertheless, she had no energy to complain. Every limb felt heavy and sapped of strength, but she was sure she felt Suzaku's physical presence instead of only his will that she had felt through the book. Perhaps her will had reached out to him as well, strong even to transcend all the barriers the failed priestess could not. She had already summoned him, and could start making wishes as soon as she felt up to it-not that she wanted everything to go so fast.

Furthermore, she knew Seiryuu must have reawakened as well, and Yui would need to make her final wish. Mayo decided to wait and see how Yui would act before deciding how to use her wishes.

After a little time in bed, she decided she felt well enough to get off the slab of rock everyone else dared to call a bed, and go explore the palace. Despite how flimsy the doors looked, however, Mayo was not able to open them. She jiggled and pulled at the handle, then pushed against the other door trying to get enough leverage to force the other open. They rattled loudly, but didn't budge. "Hey!" she finally yelled and beat against it. "Let me out! Do you mean to take me prisoner?"

A moment later, Houki opened the door with ease, startling Mayo enough to make her scream. "Lady Mayo, is everything alright?"

"The… the door, it was locked!"

"This door does not have a lock. Perhaps they were stuck."

"They were not just stuck, I'm sure!"

"I'll have someone come and see if they need repairs—"

"You're just making excuses! You don't want me to run aw—uhgh!" She put a hand to her mouth as she felt her stomach turning on her. Houki called for someone to bring a pot, and guided Mayo down into a crouching position. The pot arrived just in time for Mayo to vomit into it, and Houki stroked her shoulder to comfort her.

"It's alright. I'm sure it will pass quickly."

Mayo wasn't left with many complaints about returning to bed, and Houki stayed with her. "It certainly is surprising to have another priestess come. We all thought it would be impossible to ever summon Suzaku. I'm sure everyone will be very excited."

"How long has it been… since the last priestess died?"

"Ten years."

"You… you were going to have Hotohori's baby, weren't you?"

"I did. Boushin is but a child, but he is now the emperor, Reizeitei."

"Then I guess he stays behind closed doors or something."

"His advisors and I are still responsible for official matters. You'll meet him when the time is appropriate."

"But I already summoned Suzaku. He's here, inside of me. Do you not believe me?"

"It's still all very surprising, Lady Mayo—"

"You don't believe me! You're just as bad as every other adult that feigns care and concern. You all just want to make sure I'm not causing trouble. None of you know anything! Suzaku is free, and he called out to me! How else would I know about this? How else would I have gotten here from my own world? I'll prove it!"

"Lady Mayo, please—"

"Kai—" she started to yell, but she forcefully fell back into her bed, as if pushed down by the mouth. She had no strength to fight, and only moaned.

"Please, save your strength," pleaded Houki. "I need to you to wait until your warriors are here to assist you. We need you to take care of yourself-and Suzaku."

Mayo was quiet, and gave her a slight nod.

"Miaka! Chichiri! Where are you guys?" Tasuki was on his third loop around the house, having already gone through the house twice. "Where are they, on a picnic?"

Chiriko furrowed his eyebrows. "I don't like this."

"They've been laying low for ten years. Shouldn't they be used to moving around a bit?" offered Boushin.

"Not at a time like this!" Tasuki barked back. "There's no way they wouldn't have been able t' tell we'd be coming! What'd they do, get too giddy about everything an' go take Chichiri's cloak out for a spin?"

"What do you mean?"

"You might be right, Tasuki. They might be looking for us instead."

"No. Chichiri wouldn't have any trouble with that, even bein' this rusty."

"What are you talking about?"

"Chichiri's powers, what else?" yelled Tasuki, before Chiriko could stop him.

Boushin's eyes were wide. "His powers? Aren't they sealed?"

Tasuki stared back at him, then shifted his glance over to Chiriko. "Haven't ya been telling him anything over the past few days…?"

"I've told him plenty!"

"The last I heard was that Tatara died, but I've heard nothing of Chichiri having his powers," the boy took a firm tone. "I believe you need to continue telling me things right away."

"Tasuki has already told you what happened after that," Chiriko answered, rubbing his temple. "And immediately after Seiryuu was summoned that night, we returned to Konan by way of Chichiri's magic cloak. Then there was the war, and I didn't want to get into that until things calm down…"

"Then he just had a magic cloak? There's nothing to say about his other powers?"

"There's plenty to say about his powers, because they're back!" Tasuki raised his voice. "Sheesh, Chiriko, quit beatin' around it. Suzaku must have been unsealed, because we all have our powers back."

"What?" his mouth dropped, and then he immediately turned his attention back to his counselor. "How long has this been true? Why didn't you say anything? Don't you think that would have been important for me to know?"

"No, it's not," he argued back. "I knew that you were going to get carried away with false hope, and I was trying to protect you."

"What false hope? How could it be impossible now if Suzaku is unsealed? You were finding Miaka so that you could hurry and summon Suzaku, right? You have to!"

"We can't!"

"Why not? Just tell me why not!"

"Because that night we returned to Konan, Miaka slept with Tamahome!"

The argument stopped for a moment, as Boushin wasn't sure what to say. "But… how is that…?"

He carried on more calmly, "Do you recall when you I told how the Seiryuu warriors tried to fool her into her giving herself over to them?"

"…Yes. You used a word I didn't understand… inter…"

"Intercourse. It's not something to explain right now, but it means that Miaka willingly gave her purity to Tamahome, thereby making it impossible for her to summon Suzaku, no matter what the circumstance."

Boushin still wasn't entirely sure what to make it, but didn't bother getting caught up in the details. "Is that what she meant by being Tamahome's wife? But… why did she…? Didn't she know what she'd be doing? That she'd never be able to summon Suzaku?"

"Hmph. She might have wanted it that way," Tasuki rolled his eyes and folded his arms.

"How dare she? After everything everyone had already been though… no matter how much Konan needed Suzaku! Even after Nuriko gave up his life, and… and Mitsukake, and Tamahome, and my father all died after that because they didn't have Suzaku to help them fight… how could she!?"

"Boushin," Chiriko's tone sank as he frowned back at him. "I was very angry when I found out, too. I couldn't believe that she'd be so quick to lose hope. What she did may have been wrong, but I blamed her for things she didn't deserve to be blamed for. We already had no way of summoning Suzaku by then, and the war was overwhelming to everyone. There's was no way Miaka could have stopped it even if she had chosen to remain pure."

"…You're just covering for her," replied Boushin, frowning tightly, trying to hold back tears.

"It was everyone else's strength that eventually ended the war. Miaka had even less hope once Tamahome died, but she still had enough hope to think that her death might be enough for the fighting to end. However, that was fruitless. Nakago knew that she couldn't do anything anymore, and it didn't matter if she was alive or not."

"Except that it did matter," Tasuki joined in. "After the Priestess of Seiryuu saw Nakago attack her and she thought she died, that was enough t' make her abandon Nakago and go back t' her own world. That took Seiryuu away from 'im, too."

"It did make that difference," nodded Chiriko. "But the fighting still went on. Miaka had asked him not to let it go on, and Hotohori… your father went out into battle to face Nakago directly. He didn't face him as a Suzaku warrior, but as the emperor… no. As a man who took pride in his country. Though Hotohori was killed, it was only after that encounter that Nakago withdrew his troops and was willing to engage in a peace treaty. I believe that Hotohori's conviction was what defeated Nakago, and scared him more than Suzaku ever could."

The young emperor hung his head to his hide his face as he struggled not to cry, but whimpers escaped his throat. His knees gave out just as quickly as his pride, and he sank, hiding his eyes behind his forearm as he cried and gasped quietly in frustration. The warriors stood and watched with deep frowns, not having the willpower to comfort him. They had had years to process everything that had happened, but it still made their spirits sink.

When their powers returned they both could not help but feel a glimmer of hope, but bringing the matter up again served as a reminder that their hope was unfounded. Though the pain of being unable to summon the beast god lingered, it served as another reminder: Above all else, they were to fight for the good of Konan, even without the strength of Suzaku.

What Konan was in need of since the war was a person to rally behind. That person was not a priestess, but an emperor. At last, Chiriko stepped over to Boushin and knelt down before him. "I wanted to protect you from this pain, Your Highness. I didn't want to have you carry this. My only hope is that it will make you stronger."

Yui was surprised at herself for feeling a twinge of excitement when she recognized the landscape of Sairou and the cityscape of the capital bellowed the cliffs. This was where she had summoned Seiryuu, off in an unrelated desert land.

Suboshi had finally lost the smile he had been wearing for the past couple days, and she noticed. "What's the matter? Are you having trouble finding him?"

"No, now that we're this close, I can't mistake his presence at all. I'm just nervous. He hasn't seen me in so long, and… he shouldn't even remember having seen me at all."

"It'll be interesting then, won't it? We'll have so much to explain…"

"I… I had hoped he'd never have to know about it again… I forced him to drink that forgetfulness juice so that he wouldn't have to leave the peaceful life he found."

"I see."

"He… he'd still care about me if he remembered me, though, I'm sure," he forced a smile back on, but his nervous tone made it sound like he was trying too hard to sound convincing—not that Yui was the one who needed it. "After all, he asked me to drink it and join him, too."

"Why didn't you? Didn't you know how much you were going to miss him?"

"There was no way I could leave you, Lady Yui."

His stare made her freeze with simultaneous guilt and fear. Suboshi had likely spent this entire time obsessing over her, and he was still unpredictable. "Yes, well, and then I went and left you, so it looks like that didn't work out very well," she replied, trying to move on without affirming him much for his feelings. "But we're here now, and you need to decide the best way to speak to him again. We could make up a story to cover things up, or you could pretend you don't know him either…"

"No," he shook his head. "I'll tell him the truth. I wouldn't be able to fool him…"

"Let's wait and see what his situation is, first."

Suboshi found the house with ease, though he had never actually been so far into the village after ensuring that Amiboshi's adoptive parents would find his unconscious body. All the neighbors were inside for the night, so there was no one to grow suspicious of two strangers standing outside the door. Suboshi took a deep breath and knocked.

A woman with fair skin and dark hair carefully opened the door and peeked out the visitors. She started to ask who they were, but gasped when she saw Suboshi's face. So as not to alert anyone prematurely, she stepped out and silently closed the door behind her. "…You're here for Kaika, aren't you?"

"Yes, I think that's his name now."

"Did you know him as Amiboshi?" she asked. Yui and Suboshi shot each other quick glances. The woman noticed their surprise, and went on. "My husband doesn't remember anything about it, but we are aware that he is a celestial warrior."

"Oh! Then you must be his wife," Suboshi looked embarrassed. "Um… thank you for taking care of my brother all this time."

"I could tell you were related."

"…He's my twin."

"I'm not terribly surprised. Would you mind telling me what you're here for?"

"I was hoping that he could hide the priestess here…"

"Priestess?" her eyes grew wider, and she switched her focus over to Yui, staring her up and down. "The Priestess of Seiryuu?"

"You have every reason to be suspicious, what with us showing up here out of nowhere," said Yui. "It's still a secret that I've returned, so I don't want to go to Kutou for the time being."

"Didn't you already summon Seiryuu?"

"I did… we're not sure yet what is going on. I understand if you'd prefer we don't bother him."

"Wait here. I can't leave you stranded, so I'll arrange something," she turned, sighed, and continued in a low voice. "It's very surprising to see you face to face like this. Have you had any contact with any of the other warriors?"

"None at all. Only Suboshi knows I'm here."

"I see. That's good." She disappeared back inside, and returned a few minutes later wearing a decorative cloak and carrying one for Yui. "Put this on. You'll stick out too much like that."

"Oh, thank you. I haven't even run into anyone else yet, so I hadn't thought of it…"

"Kaika is already asleep," she whispered. "I'll take you to my old home in the capital for tonight."