"The Empress, unaware of the Vessel's other recent conversations, was speaking gingerly. The Vessel paid her little mind, as her thoughts were occupied by her ghostly encounter the day before."

"This is so dry. Why is the Universe of the Four Gods dragging on so much now, Keisuke? What is this, 'Dream of Red Chamber' now? Alright, she's a whiney teenager, we've got it! It can move on now."

"Her parents are probably separating."

"So? Yours divorced too while you were little, right? She should just hurry up and get over it. …Keisuke?"

"…I must seem hollow to her, too. As a teacher."

Tetsuya frowned. This was not the time to hear Keisuke turn into an over-sympathetic sap. "I'll read now," he took the book, and found a place to start. "Determined to take action, the Vessel pressed the Empress about where she would have looked for her late husband, celestial warrior Hotohori."

"She's doing what now?"

"She's sneaking out to find more reincarnated warriors—or ghosts, I guess. And she's taking Houki with her!"

"She kidnapped the empress?"

"No—Houki's willingly being her guide!"

She could tell it would cause some uproar for the empress to disappear, but it seemed that having a large fanfare wasn't going to be effective either. What had started as innocent conversation about something Hotohori had once said—about wanting to see Houki's home village if he ever had a chance—brought out am irrationally rebellious side of Mayo.

"If you must go, do you plan to have Chiriko accompany you?"

"No, he's still waiting for Tasuki to come back with Chichiri, or waiting for something that's never going to happen if it hasn't already." Besides, I want to hurry and find the other warriors now that I know I can communicate with them.

"Then please bring a guard—"

"That will only complicate everything. Miaka was fine going off by herself when she needed to accomplish something. You should have some faith in me, too."

"If you insist on going, then I insist on guiding you. I would know it better than anyone else here, after all."

"You can leave the palace?"

"I have free will. Who would stop the empress? To prevent anyone from trying, I'll just leave a note."

Houki's note did not go unnoticed long—and it wasn't taken lightly.

"Why did she only take my mother? Doesn't she know it's dangerous—isn't that why there are celestial warriors to protect her?" Boushin threw the note back down against the table it had been left on. She had explained in her letter that Mayo was under stress in the palace, and Houki wanted to take her to retreat at her family home. "I haven't even been there to meet my material grandparents," he scoffed.

"It does seem strange for her to do this all of sudden," mused Chiriko. "Perhaps Mayo forced her?"

"She's not malicious. Even if she was the one with a motive, perhaps she would have been more patient if you had allowed her to be more proactive. She was likely stir-crazy," he shot back. "I wish she would have had the sense to bring someone along to protect her. What if something happens to my mother?"

"Usually I would not be as concerned, but with Mayo, she might be a target."

The color drained from Boushin's face as he imagined the danger she could be dragged into. "I need to go find my mother, Chiriko. We're leaving right now before anyone can stop me."

"Boushin, you've just returned! Please leave this to me, and your soldiers!"

"My mother, Chiriko. This is an order. Come with me right now or I will go by myself."

"You're getting quite accustomed to using your authority now, aren't you," he grumbled, and wrote an additional note to leave with Houki's.

Suboshi was keenly alert upon his return. There was an extra spring in his step, but even that was something to keep in check if he didn't want to give any news away. Naturally, upon his return Nakago had asked about his brother, and he calmly stated that he was able to watch and verify that he was leading a happy life, completely unaware of his past.

"If I may ask, Nakago," he looked up from where he was kneeling. "How were you aware of my brother having survived? Did you know all along that he had never died?"

"At the time, no one would have had more knowledge than you. For his life force to have been so depleted so as to convince his twin brother, I could only assume he had perished."

"But I became aware of him again only recently."

"You think I couldn't tell why you massacred Tomo?" he shot him a knowing smile, making the general flinch. "There is no reason to discipline you for holding a harmless secret. Amiboshi is no threat to the empire."

"You're right," he smiled, relieved. "With only you and I left, the time of Seiryuu has ended anyway."

"You sound so certain."

"Am I mistaken?"

"You might not be aware of it, but you should be able to sense it. Seiryuu was merely asleep, but he was reaching out, using whatever was available to revive himself."

Suboshi quivered.

"Don't you think it's about time he would return?"

Yui felt a chill down her spine.

"Are you alright?" asked Miaka.

"I'm fine. The thought of that last wish just ran through my mind again," she smiled bravely. "It seems strange. Seiryuu has likely been within me this entire time, sleeping so soundly that I hadn't even noticed. Or bothered to notice, perhaps."

"…Does it hurt?"

"It did at the time. Draining, more like it. Tetsuya and Keisuke explained to me later on about how the priestesses are meant to be sacrifices. You knew that too, right?"

"Yes, but it didn't it bother me. Not about me, anyway—I wouldn't want it to happen to you! Anyway, that's only happened once—the Priestess of Byakko had a strong will," she looked out the window at the farmers tending their desert-suited gardens. "Her will is still protecting this place, even after she's gone."

"I'm sure I wouldn't have made it then. I didn't even have a strong enough will to choose my own wishes," she chuckled at herself. "Nakago made me wish for the success of his war, and to seal Suzaku. Looks like that one's already been undone, though!"

"Yes," Miaka's glance fell. "This girl, Mayo… do you think she's alright?"

"Maybe not in the head."

"In any case, she trampled all over how I hoped things would end," she had a wry smile. "I understand now that there was more to it, but at the time, it seemed like the whole war was between the Suzaku warriors and the Seiryuu warriors, not Konan and Kutou. I thought that if you and I weren't in the picture anymore, that they would give up."

Yui frowned and felt uneasy as the wartime images shot through her head. "The last I saw, you were charging at Nakago. A suicide charge, just like Tamahome had tried, but you never even got close. Nakago hit you with his life force, and then you fell far away from where I could see you. What happened after that?"

"I was barely conscious when my warriors found me, and probably close enough to death to convince anyone of that. Hotohori held me for the last time, armor and all. He told me I'd be alright, and I smiled and told him I was going to see Tamahome. He told me I wouldn't. I told him to tell everyone I was gone—I believed that would stop all the senseless fighting. He didn't want to, but he agreed. Chichiri escaped with me so I could heal in seclusion, and then I slept… probably… probably until the entire war was over and peace terms were settled. I don't remember any dreams or anything."

"The word spread quickly. I was told almost immediately someone had confirmed you had died and that the Konan army was mourning for you. It was such a haze. I remember crying and screaming at Nakago, and then maybe fainting, and seeing Seiryuu, and then waking up in my room back in Tokyo. And now we're both back here."

"Yes," she meekly replied..

"Miaka, I think there's a reason for that. Our stories never reached their conclusions. We—"

They were interrupted by the sound of someone calling Miaka's name outside. The girls looked at each other, and then to the window. "Is that Tasuki?" Miaka wondered aloud as she stepped over to peer outside. "It is! Tasuki!" she smiled brightly and bolted out as if she hadn't even been in a discussion with Yui. By the time she reached him, Chichiri was already there.

"Tasuki! What you are doing here?"

"What are you doin' out here in the middle of nowhere!?"

The commotion had summoned Kaika out of the fields. "Oh, Miaka," he smiled. "Is this another one of your friends?"

"And what are you doin' hangin' out with the traitor!?"

"Traitor?"

"Don't tell me you didn't have any idea anything was up," he growled back to the object of his search, pointing to the red character on his arm.

"I came here because I knew something was happening," she replied, and stood back to reveal Yui a few steps behind her. Tasuki stared for a few moments before he recalled who she was, and once it dawned on him, his anger melted into utter surprise.

"Oh. There's a lot more happenin' than I thought."

"What's going on elsewhere?" asked Chichiri.

"We've got a new self-proclaimed priestess, that's what."

Yui invited herself into the conversation, and Kaika only stood and darted his glance between them all as they spoke. "Mayo Sakaki is in Konan?"

"Yeah, and she's a real nutcase."

"Then she must be fine," Yui heaved a resigned sigh.

"And," he started, but paused and shot a look back at Yui cautiously. "…Sorry. I have some other things to talk about with my comrades here. Would ya mind?"

"No, not at all. Kaika, let's leave them alone."

He could only nod and follow her off a distance. Looking over his shoulder he saw his additional house guests looking very concerned about something else Tasuki was saying, but it was out of his ear shot. He turned back to Yui and spoke in a low voice. "That was a little rude of them, wasn't it?"

"We weren't exactly their friends the last time you or I saw them."

"But isn't the war between Kutou and Konan over now?"

"Not everything has been resolved."

"Oh," his tone sank.

Yui took note. "Don't worry. I don't think anyone in Sairou will get caught up in this again."

"Right, Suboshi said we just need to lay low…"

Kaika might not have understood what Suboshi meant by that, but it immediately jumped to Yui's mind. Nakago… as I am now, he might be able to sense me again.

"It's not too late to go back and ask Counselor Chou to help us," advised Chiriko.

"We'll lose them if we do that. Besides, I know you plan to have him take me back so that you can stay with Mayo if she won't come willingly."

"The safety of the emperor is a national concern. I wish you would consider your own safety." Despite using his most admonishing of tones, he was ignored, and sighed in defeat. "I'm proud of how assertive you've become in a short time. That will be a good trait for leading your country-if only it's not your most stubborn trait."

"I'm not leading it yet. This is how I can protect Konan before anyone will listen to me. But I still need help-if Tasuki thought he could sense where Miaka would be, could you focus and see if you could find Mayo?"

"So you didn't just bring me along to navigate the way to your mother's village."

"I'm fairly certain I can read the map myself. I was hoping you could make yourself useful as a celestial warrior."

"I apologize for my usefulness being so limited."

Chiriko's curtness made Boushin feel he might have offended him, but his expression lent nothing to that. Not wanting to risk being misunderstood but too proud to apologize, he continued. "There are certain abilities I lack. In addition to the responsibilities I've inherited, at least I also hold my father's sword. So long as we can locate Mayo, then perhaps I can prove useful as well."

The counselor chose not to respond.