Houki and Mayo traveled simply, but Houki had still prepared enough to make sure that Mayo would be comfortable. The carriage they had hired was a slow and mostly smooth ride, leaving them time to sit in silence. The soft bumps in the road brought Houki back to a time when she had first come along that rode in the back of a carriage—at that time, she was leaving her village to join the imperial harem.

Over the course of their short marriage, Hotohori had mentioned to her that he'd very much like to see the place where she had spent her childhood, and that maybe he could live his next life a little simpler if he was born there.

Will I see you there? Happy, and oblivious? she wondered. Would you recognize me?

Once Houki had nodded off to sleep, Mayo was still awake, but not aware of any coherent thoughts until a very distinct voice caught her attention. "So you think you're pretty clever running out into the middle of the unknown, huh?"

"Nuriko," she looked over her shoulder and saw his faint figure sitting with her, a little clearer than he had been before.

"It used to drive us crazy when Miaka would do this."

"I'm doing more out here than I would if I just stayed in the palace."

"You're already doing more than enough by staying put."

"You're encouraging."

"And you're sarcastic."

"If I remember correctly, I'm here to make sure Suzaku is summoned, and you're tagging along to make sure nothing happens to me, so how about we both do our jobs?"

"You don't need to act so tough, Mayo," he smiled. "I'm sure Suzaku wouldn't have asked for your help if you were rotten to the core, so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt that deep down you're actually a good girl."

"You'd be the only one to think that," she rolled her eyes and hugged her knees to her chest. "At least here I'm important."

"I'm glad you're here. I think someone a little stubborn like you is exactly what we've needed. Without you, our story might have never gone on."

"You can't even begin to understand the irony in what you just said," she couldn't help but smile. "Do you really think so, or are you just saying that to win me over?"

"I'm dead, what good does it do me to lie about anything now?"

A giggle escaped. "You're not quite like I imagined you, Nuriko."

"And how about Tasuki? I noticed you had the hots for him."

"Yeah, that only went one way."

"You're still just a kitten. You can't expect to have men falling for you everywhere… well, Miaka was a strange case, but she was strange to begin with. Still, with a little fine tuning, I could picture you with an older man."

"Well, they're all older now—ah!"

Mayo's words were cut off as the carriage abruptly shook and they heard the carriage driver cry out. Houki—startled awake—and Mayo held each other in fear as something seemed to lift the carriage and the horse outside whinnied in fear. Nuriko's armlets appeared in an instant and he held the cart as still as he could. Being on the outside, he saw a demon trying to lift it, and a boy floating some distance away and watching with intrigue. With the carriage relatively still, Mayo looked out the window and noticed him. "Miboshi," she gasped under her breath. "We have to run!" she took Houki by the wrist, and they fled from the other side of the carriage.

She wasn't sure how far they had gotten, but she wasn't willing to look behind her. For the first time since she had entered the Universe of the Four Gods, she felt gripped with fear, but there was still an expectation that a warrior would arrive to save her. Before seeing any warriors, she saw another monstrous foe appear in their path.

"Demons? Here?" gasped Houki, unsure of how they should defend themselves. For lack of anything else, she picked up a dried branch and brandished it while yelling at the demon to get back. Just as Mayo was thinking that this wasn't quite the warrior she expected, they heard a boy's voice order the demon away. They caught sight of Boushin just as he attacked the demon with Hotohori's sword.

"Boushin!" Mayo smiled and yelled out to him. As the demon fell, she saw Chiriko behind him, having contained it with this scroll.

"Don't move!" the boy called back to her. "Miboshi must be nearby!"

"Present," said warrior appeared in the air, fully revealing Juan's small frame and his own off-putting cocky expression. "Now this is certainly interesting. That doesn't look like the Priestess of Suzaku I knew."

"And maybe I'm not," she retorted, though at little surprised at her own choice of words. "And you should know better than to attack on our territory."

Miboshi roared in laughter. "This territory belongs to Kutou, Priestess. No…" he took a more discerning look. "Maybe that's not the right title after all. Suzaku doesn't seem to have been summoned."

"What?" Boushin looked back at her briefly for any doubt, but he quickly thought better of believing him. "You wouldn't know anything. Be gone, monster!" he pointed his sword.

"Attacking me? Go ahead."

As Miboshi expected him to, Boushin flinched at the thought of striking Juan. Despite his distorted expression, his face still had his features. He hoped that somewhere inside Juan had the celestial strength to fight against Miboshi, but he was only a child, and did not seem to have any recollection of his warrior past. "Juan, this is a battle you have to win!" he cried. "You're my fellow Suzaku warrior, remember? Don't let him beat you!"

Miboshi showed no signs of internal distress, and turned his attention back to Mayo. "If Suzaku's not going to come out, then I'll just have to go there first." Mayo could only assume he meant to possess her, and she flinched and concentrated on not letting anyone enter her. With her eyes clenched shut, she didn't notice the vapor Miboshi was releasing from his spindle. The cloud picked up speed as it floated towards her, and Boushin stepped in front to guard her with this sword, yelling as if to scare it off.

Perhaps as he should have expected, the vapor hit him first, and he inhaled it. Mayo, curious as to why nothing had happened, opened her eyes to see him tottering in front of her. "Boushin!" she yelled and reached out to catch him. "Bou—" she was cut off as Houki clasped her mouth shut from behind.

"Don't breathe," she whispered from behind her sleeve.

The spindle continued to release the vapor until it was wrapped in Chiriko's scroll. Slightly irked, Miboshi tugged to try to get his hand free. With a glower over his shoulder, "Cute. Very cute. Do you plan to stand here all day like this?"

"So you do need that."

"Did you think it was décor? Don't worry, it'll still be a few decades before I run out of surprises for you."

Chiriko glanced over to check on Boushin. He was unconscious in Mayo's lap, and all Chiriko could think to do was stall. "I hope to return the favor."

"You're not being threatening, you're just being annoying," he rolled his eyes and continued tugging to try to free his weapon. "We both know you can't surprise me anymore."

"Maybe I'm not able to."

"What? You think your little friend inside here will?" he continued talking as he reached for the scroll with his free hand to try to rip it off. "It hasn't happened yet. You—" Miboshi was cut off by a cold rod forcing his arm against his back. Before he could even yelp in surprise, he whipped his head around to see Chichiri holding his staff against him. Mayo and the others were already gathered on his tunic, and Chiriko ran to join them. "Chichiri," Miboshi growled, and accepted temporary defeat as they escaped.

After putting up a fight with Chichiri's horse, Tasuki had gotten it to behave well enough so that he could match Miaka's pace—usually. Catching up for the sixth time in one hour, he rode close enough to talk to her. "Sorry for draggin' you away from your friend back there."

"It's alright. I know she's safe now with Amiboshi. I have to meet Mayo."

"Ungh. She's just a big teenage pain."

"I'll bet I was a big teenage pain when I first got here, huh?"

"Yeah, I can't argue there. And gettin' all the way out here was a pain too. Phew! But it's fun to be traveling again—you an' Chichiri have all the fun without me."

"Now it'll be even harder to keep an eye on that man. I should see if I can hide his hat."

"Aw, come on, he's not even your husband, ya don't need t' keep that close an eye on him!" he leaned toward her with a playful grin. "You could even head out on your own an' come hang out with the bandits for a while."

"What, are you lonely?" she smirked.

"Well, is that bad?" he growled back, quieting her. "It's been ten years already, Miaka. You can move on already. Maybe Suzaku comin' back is the slap in the face we all needed."

"What are you saying, Tasuki?"

"I like you, Miaka, and I wish you'd just get over the past already."

"Then you're asking me to marry you?" she shot him an angry look. "I'm quite happy with my life as it is right now."

"What, babysittin' Tama's grave? Ya' didn't die there with him—you should live your own life now, and go find some real happiness! If that means really getting married, sure, fine, great! All I'm sayin' is for you to stop bein' stuck on him."

"You're saying you want me to forget about Tamahome and go make you happy."

"Don't make me the bad guy for liking you."

"I am still in love with Tamahome. And Chichiri would be lonely! What would he think if he knew you sent him on to the palace so that you could put the moves on me?"

"Chichiri wouldn't take it that hard. We've all had time to move on—and now that things are moving, then we might as well just get them all movin'! I don't want to pretend the stuff between you and Tamahome never existed, but let's just stop pretending that none of it ever happened, and just do what we need t' do now. Like that Mayo girl—hell, if she's really able to summon Suzaku, then maybe we just gotta go with it. This might be a good thing after all."

"It can't be good. Not if Yui's back here, too. And not if Nakago already knows and has Miboshi after Mayo!"

"What do you wanna do? Change course and go assassinate Nakago? I'm game if you are."

"I wouldn't be able to do what you're asking, Tasuki, but I don't want you getting killed either. Let's just get back home to meet back up with Chichiri."

Chichiri had arrived at the palace only to find everyone in an uproar when they discovered two notes in place of four people. Though they noticed him there, they did not have long to say anything to him before he flashed away to find Chiriko and the others in battle with Miboshi. Back safely in the little house he shared with Miaka, he moved the furniture between the two little rooms so that Mayo could have the bedroom to rest in and Boushin could be observed in the other.

Exhausted though she was, Mayo couldn't stand to lie down until she was sure the young emperor was alright. Leaning in the doorway, she watched as Houki stroked his forehead with a damp cloth and Chichiri felt his pulse and exchanged glances with Chiriko. "Well?" she finally asked. "What is it? Poison?"

"Some form of it, likely. It doesn't affect the body so much as—"

"The mind," she finished. "It's kodoku, isn't it?"

"Maybe something similar to it," Chiriko looked back down at Boushin's wincing face. "Since he was aiming at harming Suzaku inside of you, I wouldn't be surprised if it's some form of a demon."

"Well, what are you just standing there for? Get it out of him!"

"Mayo," Houki looked up to her. "I wish I could demand that even more than you do, but we cannot assume it's so simple."

"Why shouldn't it be? You're both Suzaku warriors, time and space shouldn't have any limits on you. Just go in there and beat that thing."

"You talk about this like it's a game or a fantasy, you know."

"You have no idea, do you, Chichiri? At least I take it you're Chichiri."

"That's me, you know."

"Now that you mention it," Chiriko thought aloud, "There might be some possibility of entering his inner space." His statement earned him stares from around the room, and continued. "I've been entered by a living spirit before too, after all. Perhaps it's only that he's lost in some mental fog and needs to be led out."

Houki glanced down at his pained face. "It wouldn't hurt either of you if you attempt that, would it?"

"If done benevolently, I don't think it would. I'm just not sure how much good it would do."

"Then just do it already!" Mayo shouted. "Which one of you is going to try? Or should I? Well?"

They looked to each other suggesting the other do it, but Chichiri was the first to speak. "It could be a maze we're running into inside his inner space, but you're likely to find your way first, you know? I can see what I can do make it easier from here," he said. Three talismans appeared in his hand, and with them he set up a red barrier surrounding Boushin's bed. "This can help show you the way back and weaken any demons that might be inside of him."

"I understand. I'll try," he responded and took a seat, then took Boushin's hand. "This might not work, but I'll do my best, Houki."

"I know," she said softly, doing her best to stay strong. Your Highness, she prayed. Upon that thought, she looked around the room for his sword. The fact that she couldn't spot it bothered her, but not enough to draw her away to go look for it.