Miaka stood in place and quivered. "Chichiri," she reached out and touched his arm. "There's got to be some way to help him, right? You said he used his scroll in his inner space to help Juan, right? So you can just put a talisman in there to help him!"

"Given enough time I might be able to reach him with my life force, but…"

"But what?" she took to shaking him. "Would it do any good or not? Say it!"

"Even if I found him…"

"Then we just sit here and wait for him to die from the inside out?" she flushed red. "We don't need to run off anywhere this time. He's still there, there's still time. You have your powers back, think of something!"

"That doesn't mean I can do the impossible, Miaka!"

"When did you become so hopeless, Chichiri!"

"If you want to help so much, then why can't you just summon Suzaku?" snapped Tasuki.

The sea was quiet.

Without a wind to push their sails, the boat Yui and Kaika took was slow and tedious. It gave her plenty of time to think about how ironic it was that she was on the same see in another boat, headed in the opposite direction and with the other twin. She could almost laugh out loud with pity for Suboshi and poorly his plans had gone.

Plans. Those were the last things she wanted to be part of now. Fate might have handed her a role to play, but now she was going to play it as she chose and write the book as she in dictated.

Kaika yawned. "The sea sure does drag on."

"You'll survive it. You have before."

"Oh."

"You probably don't want to know why, do you?"

"I'm curious, but I don't know how much I really should know. It was for good reason that I forgot, right? Still, knowing that I left my brother behind makes me anxious. It makes me want to know more about the place we grew up together, and how his life is now."

"Does the name 'Nakago' mean anything to you?"

"…Nakago?"

"It's the celestial name of the current emperor of Kutou. He won rule in a coup after staging a war against Konan. It's anyone's guess why he stopped when he did."

"Then he knows who I am too, doesn't he?"

"Correct. I don't think you need to worry about him coming after you in Sairou, though. I would be his only concern at this point." Me, and who I'm still coupled with. "You look tired. Why don't you get some sleep? We might not even hit shore tomorrow."

Her chaperone dozed, and Yui was free to contemplate silently again. Strangely, she hadn't been very homesick until this point. Poor Tetsuya was probably still waiting for her. "I'm sorry," she breathed.

Yui!

With a gasp, she looked around. The voice had to have been her imagination, she decided. It simply meant that she missed him.

Yui, please tell me you can hear me!

The voice didn't sound like it was inside her head—it was more like a whisper in her ear. "Tetsuya?"

It's me. I'm so glad you're safe.

"Tetsuya!" she looked skyward. "I'm sorry, I'm…"

Back in the book, I know. Are they taking good care of you in Sairou?

"Actually, I'm on my way to Kutou."

Kutou!? The book didn't say anything about that! Did Nakago kidnap you?

"No, but any longer and I'm sure he'd mean to. I can feel him, Tetsuya. That means he can feel me, too."

Yui, you're running yourself right into danger! He'll get you!

"No! I'm not going to let this go according to Nakago's whims anymore. I think I can do it this time, Tetsuya. I think I can be the priestess I never was."

While the others had left the room to cool their heads, Boushin stayed at his counselor's side. Juan approached with silent steps. "Uncle Chiriko is still fighting right now, isn't he?"

"That's what I think, too," he frowned. "I can't save him like he saved me."

"I don't… I don't think he'd want us to try."

Boushin returned a weak nod. "I wish I really was a Suzaku warrior, Juan. I can't do anything. I still need to rely on people like Chiriko for everything."

"Maybe Suzaku warriors just wish they could be like you sometimes too, Boushin." When Boushin looked back curiously, he elaborated. "Uncle Chiriko and the others are all Suzaku warriors, aren't they? I figured it out. Uncle Chichiri told me that Uncle Chiriko saved me so that I could live a long life. Maybe that's all they want for you, too."

He frowned as his glance fell back down to Chiriko. "It's simply easier for everyone if I live a long life and have lots of heirs."

Feeling awkward that he wasn't able to cheer his friend up and not confident enough to say any more, Juan went to the bedroom to keep himself busy taking care of Mayo. She had been holding her tongue while Miaka and Houki were untalkative, but let it loose while the boy was rubbing her shoulders.

"Thank you, Juan, that feels nice. Ah, it's good to have Mitsukake here."

"Oh. I'm not… that's just a game Boushin and I play."

"Oh, then I guess Mitsukake's not here anymore. He couldn't be bothered to wait around for Suzaku to be summoned."

"Don't talk that way about Mitsukake!" Miaka turned from the window and snapped. "He had something more important to him than fulfilling some ancient legend!"

"Nevermind that your other warriors would wait around forever."

"That's not true," she pursed her lips and turned away.

"Oh? You seem upset that they wouldn't."

"They shouldn't. I only want them to be happy."

"Of course you do. I'm sure they were happy to die for you."

"There's no reason for any of that."

"You know what the nice thing about that is? They'll never really be far. They'll keep coming back and coming back until their destiny is fulfilled. They can't rest until it is. Even if you really did die, maybe you'd just have to be reborn, too. Ha, or not!"

"Come on, Juan," Miaka abruptly tugged him away from her. "You don't need to listen to this."

Outside, Miaka kept to herself as she leaned the little hut of a house and faced the graves of Tamahome and his family. She felt her spirit sink even further and would have plunged into ruminations had Tasuki not approached her. "Hey."

"Oh. It's you, Tasuki."

"I'm… sorry 'bout what I said back there."

"You were just upset."

"And what I said on the way here, even though I meant all that."

"Then don't bring it up."

"Look, we're all touchy here, Miaka. But there's somethin' I wanna know. Do you have somethin' against Suzaku ever being summoned? Don't you think it's weird that, now that we finally might be able to, we're just… not?"

"We already decided we didn't need Suzaku, right?"

"You're the one who decided that."

"Hotohori said it, too! Right before the war began! "

"Well, we just couldn't try anymore in that kind of situation. But if we can do something right now, nobody gets hurt! But if we wait too long, everything's gonna move on without us. You saw that Yui's here, and you know that can't be good news."

"Yui's safe."

"I wouldn't trust that. I'll bet she's meetin' up with Nakago right now. I mean, how many times did ya' get played by that girl?"

"You're really getting on my nerves, Tasuki! I know you're worried, but why do you have to take it all out on me? I don't want to talk about it. The others aren't here now anyway. Soon it'll only be you and me and Chichiri."

"What? Tamahome's long gone now?"

"Tamahome is dead, but he's never been gone!" she pointed to his grave. "And you know what he is to me. You know what that means about summoning Suzaku. That means it's not even worth trying, so just save your breath."

"You know," he eyed her, "Mayo seems to know something. Maybe that rule wasn't important in the first place."

"Leave me alone, Tasuki," she flinched and took a few quick steps away from him to crouch in front on Tamahome's grave, as if he would defend her. She buried her face, but couldn't mask the sound of sniffles.

The bandit watched for a few moments and could not help but take some pity. "Fine. I'll leave ya' alone for right now. I know you're worried too. But Chichiri and I have both already talked about it, and we think Mayo's worth listenin' to, even if she is crazy. The only thing I know is that Suzaku is already here."

With a little bump against the dock, Yui and Kaika had arrived in Kutou. Yui was in an especially bright mood, having gotten to speak with Tetsuya openly while Kaika slept.

I'll keep an eye on things from here, but I can't hear you unless you call out. Keep yourself safe—I trust you, Yui.

The words ringing through her head made her feel warm.

"You sure seem pleased to be back here," Kaika noticed her smile. "Did you miss it?"

"While I can't say it ever felt like home, it's good to be back to tie up lose ends," she said. "Thank you for taking me this far. It might be better for you to go back now."

"I'll tie up lose ends too. After all, you're my priestess."

Yui flushed as he stared directly at her. Not having spent much time with him before it was easy to look at him as a safer version of Suboshi, but he had his moments when the similarities were too striking. "If you insist," she replied. "Though I intend to go straight to Nakago instead of having him find me."

"And where Nakago is, my brother must be, too."

"Do you still think of him as your brother?"

"I'm sure it's not quite like I used to, but I still feel a tie to him. I feel like I can't abandon him again. The thought of Kouei and Shuuei someday having to endure separation makes me ache for them, even though I don't feel it myself."

"To be honest, I was happy to abandon Suboshi. And I'm not back here for him."

"Come again? I couldn't imagine that you hated him."

"I didn't hate him. But I didn't love him, either."

"Then he really is alone."

"Yes. Perhaps that always was his fate."

"Oh," he changed tones. "I never noticed your earring."

"Earring?" she asked and immediately put a hand to her ear. With a startled scream she pulled her hand away from it. Nakago's earring? I threw that away!

"Yui? Are you alright?"

She hurriedly unfastened it to throw it on the ground, but Kaika caught her wrist. "What are you doing? Is there something wrong?"

"This! It's—" she started and looked up at it in her hand. The light reflecting through it caught her by surprise. "No. This isn't… but how…"

Yui!

Tetsuya's voice flashed back through her mind, and she thought the better of dropping it. "It's nothing. I was just surprised to find it there, that's all," she cooly said and put it back in place. "Maybe Miaka slipped it there while I was sleeping."

"It seems like the kind of thing she'd do," he smiled and agreed. "Do you remember your way around here? This city seems so crowded."

"More or less," she said as she walked confidently in front of him. "The ways of the streets don't change much, just the people filling them. The only important thing is to figure out the way to the palace, not necessarily our way around—ah!"

Yui stopped abruptly in front of an alley where a few men were standing and telling jokes. Shaking, she took several steps backward and reached out for Kaika's arm. "Yui! Yui, are you alright? What is it now?"

At a loss for words for a few moments, Yui couldn't even initially recall why she had recoiled. "I… I'm not very comfortable finding my way around here after all."

"You're so pale! Do you need to find a place to lie down?"

"No! No… just stay close to me. Don't let me get separated."

He was bothered by her sudden change in disposition. "We don't need to go anywhere if you're not ready."

"I'm alright! I'm alright, I'm just afraid we stick out like this in Sairou garb. Let's find a safe place to exchange our clothing."

"You're afraid," he looked back at her intently. Not wanting to be seen through, she looked away. "I'm sorry that I don't even remember what my power might have been to protect you, but I will stay with you and make sure nothing happens."

"Thank you. That's already more than enough. Did you bring your flute?"

"My flute? Yes, I did happen to bring it."

"That's right, I heard you playing it on the boat. Just keep it with you."

"It's only a flute, Yui. What will I need it for?"

"Hopefully for nothing. But be prepared if you need it to escape."

"Alone, you mean?"

"You could take Suboshi if you want. After all, a part of you came here searching for him, right?"

"Tighter formation!" bellowed the general. Riding his horse among aisles of soldiers, he spotted one whose posture displeased him, and he whipped the man, also catching the cheek of the soldier standing next to him. "I will not tolerate such sloppiness."

Sleepless for two nights, Suboshi was taking his frustrations out on his troops, and none dared to note that his own responses were sloppy.

First Seiryuu, and now Suzaku? Suboshi inwardly growled. To hell with all these gods and their sacrifices. I'd like to follow Nakago to Lady Yui's world just to demolish their whole screwed up arrangement!

Still, he couldn't help but acknowledge that he was only able to meet Yui due to their being warrior and priestess. If only those roles could end—if only his current role as an underling to Nakago could just end, he could go start a new life with Yui, now that she had finally returned. So long as Nakago—and however many of the Seiryuu warriors might have been left that he didn't know about—was still in his way, there would be no ending.

This all should just hurry up and come to an end.

He mentally scoffed off the idea of suicide (or more homicide) to solve his problems, blaming it on his unhealthy state of mind, starved of sleep. That was why when he had the inkling that he sensed Yui and his brother that he blamed it on his own craziness.

If they could hear me and they were here, what would I tell them? he mused. Pulling down his sleeve to reveal the skin on his forearm, he traced words into it.

Don't come. Not yet. It will end.