Kida: Oh my fudge...Just one more chapter to go!
Naruto: I can't wait for the sequel!
Tamahome: Can't you just add on to this story.
Kida: This is the first season. One season, one story. Two seasons, two stories. Get it?
Tamahome: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Chiriko: Kida Tenshi does not own Naruto or Fushigi Yuugi. She only owns Aika Hitsubasa and possible future OCs. Enjoy!
Lady Aika, the Priestess of Suzaku, and all of the Suzaku Seven at long last have assembled in Konan. Even though he is well aware of Lady Aika's love for Tamahome, the Emperor Hotohori cannot escape his feelings for her and wrestles with his own heart ache.
"The ritual to summon Suzaku will commence shortly. Make all final preparations," Hotohori had ordered his attendant. And now the ceremony to summon Suzaku is about to be performed in the Konan Palace's shrine to Suzaku.
~0~
"Hoping to arrive in time to prevent the Suzaku's ceremony from falling into tragedy and disaster, the mysterious boy stood before the Konan Palace," Naruto read to everyone.
~0~
"Does everyone here understand? Once the Priestess of Suzaku begins to recite the spell, we seven must lower our life force to nothing," Hotohori said.
"But that would leave us defenseless, wouldn't it?" Tasuki asked.
"Then if we were attacked there would be nothing we could do about it," Nuriko agreed. Aika was thinking about her wishes as her heart beat in her ears. She was always worried about them being attacked, but was nervous.
"Aika, it's okay, ya know. Just repeat everything I say," Chichiri assured her. Aika nodded silently, not trusting her voice at the moment.
"Now pray," Hotohori said to Aika while everyone looked at her intently. Aika took a deep breath before looking at the fire. She folding her hands to pray, her eyes closed.
'Suzaku will rise up out of this flame. I can't hesitate any longer. Yui…Tamahome…I love them both. The truth is that they mean the most to me and so first: I wish for everlasting peace in Konan and for its people and the Suzaku Seven to be happy and free. Second: I wish to have Yui can and we can be granted the ability to open that shop we've always dreamed of. Third: No matter how it's done, I wish to be with Tamahome always,' she thought to herself. She then saw the look from Nuriko making her sweat-drop. 'And to add to the first wish, please make Nuriko a woman with good luck and happiness. Please, I don't wish to face his wrath without having to try!' She added to her prayer.
"We will begin! Ready, Priestess?" Chichiri asked sweat-dropping as well. Aika nodded showing she was ready. She looked at the flames and did the hand seal that Chichiri showed her.
"The four palaces of the Heavens, the four corners of Earth, in the name of sacred law, faith, and virtue, I summon thee Suzaku, Guardian of the South. I beset you to appear on Earth from the palaces of Heaven for the sake of those here who adore you and await your presence. Come to us and with your mighty power destroy all that is evil. Save us and grant us our wishes. Descend to us now from the Heavens above!" Aika said as she threw the scroll in. Everyone then lowered their life forces. They all waited and Aika frowned, her eyes narrowed in confused. 'Nothing is happening.'
"What's wrong?" Tamahome asked wondering what was going on. "Suzaku is not appearing!" Suddenly Chiriko or Amiboshi started playing his flute. Everyone looked at Amiboshi.
"Chiriko!" Aika exclaimed until she gasped. She groaned and covered her ears in pain. "My head, it hurts!" She whimpered. Kurama was laying on the ground. His ears where flat against his head with his paws on his ears. His tails were wishing around angrily. The other Warriors knelt to the ground in pain as they covered their ears, their heads in pain. Some were letting out small screams of pain while some groaned.
"My head's splitting apart!" Tamahome groaned.
"My head too, ya know!" Chichiri agreed.
"I-I haven't felt pain like this…s-since the Fourth Shinobi War…" Kurama growled in pain. He remembered the pain of being extracted from Naruto and then what happened with Madara. Soon Amiboshi stopped.
"You have all failed here in your mission. Now Suzaku will never appear," he said to them with a cold tone. Aika narrowed her eyes at him.
"Chiriko…y-you did this?" She asked betrayed.
'He's not Chiriko. That's why the summoning didn't work!' Kurama glared.
"Maybe you will understand better now why I have played my flute so much all along, Priestess. You're bodies now react to the flute's sounds. I had you listen to it constantly to prepare you for this moment. Bit by bit, I have introduced my life force and will into your conscience," Amiboshi said. Aika's eyes widened as she remembered the day they met him, when he played the flute to kill the bats and the assassin.
"You…you mean those bats that attacked us where…"
"Yes, my doing. The man I killed there in the forest that day had traveled with me from Kutou for that very purpose. I didn't want to kill him, really, but I had to, to earn your trust and confidence over and over all that time. Everything I did until today was laying the ground work so that I could cast this spell upon you at this exact moment. All the time, I was just pretending to be Chiriko. Your great weakness is that you trust people too easily, but it's all over now," Amiboshi said before playing his flute. Aika winced and tried to bite back a cry of pain. It was unsuccessful and she let it out.
"You cad! You're one…of the Seiryuu!" Tamahome glared. Tasuki grabbed his fan.
"Re…Rekka Shinen!" He shouted before fire came out. It his Amiboshi's right shoulder and revealed his mark.
"I am one of the Seiryuu Seven. Amiboshi," Amiboshi smirked.
"Aha!" Tasuki hummed.
"I knew something wasn't right about him," Kurama muttered. "Someone about him always rubbed me the wrong way."
"This song will split apart your souls," Amiboshi smirked before playing the flute. The flute glowed blue. Tasuki and Kurama screamed in pain. The others joined in on the screaming.
"W-we can't defend ourselves against this sound! I-it's killing us!" Aika exclaimed as the sound got higher.
"My head!" Nuriko screamed. Aika glared at Amiboshi and started making her way over to him, shakily. Tamahome saw her.
"Aika! Aika, wait! This pain…is there some way to stop that awful noise?!" He grunted out.
"If I knew…he would be…in a pool of his own blood!" Kurama growled in pain. Aika made her way over to Amiboshi as the ground began to crumble by her.
"A-Amiboshi…please! You-ah!" The jewel ornaments and crown broke off her, her hair down. There was suddenly another flute playing. "W-what's that? I think I hear some other flute!" Amiboshi stopped playing as he heard it.
'What is that sound? It's disrupting my sound waves,' Amiboshi thought. The screams of pain stopped and everyone felt relief from the lack of pain. "It can't be, that music has broken my spell and released them from my control," he said shocked. His eyes widened and he turned to see Tamahome coming at him. Tamahome then kicked him. Amiboshi groaned and jumped.
"Stop there!" Tamahome called before going after him.
"After him!" Tasuki shouted following after them.
"Tamahome! Tasuki!" Aika called as Chichiri helped her up with Kurama. Three guards ran in.
"Your Highness! Is everything all right?!" Amiboshi attacked the one in the middle as he jumped over them. He jumped up and suddenly disappeared onto the gate. Tamahome and Tasuki glared.
"He's outside the courtyard!" Tamahome stated.
"Let's get 'em!" Tasuki said to him before the two took off. Aika, Kurama, and Chichiri ran down the steps.
"Wait a minute, both of you! Chichiri, take me quick and catch up with them!" Aika ordered.
"You got it, ya know!" Chichiri agreed.
"Me too! I want to sink my teeth into that scum!" Kurama growled.
~0~
Through the village, Tasuki and Tamahome were chasing Amiboshi on the roof tops.
"Stop right there!" Tamahome shouted.
"Rekka Shinen!" Tasuki shouted as he used his fan in hopes of roasting Amiboshi….he accidentally got Tamahome instead. Amiboshi jumped away and Tamahome picked Tasuki up by the collar.
"Scum bag!"
"Sorry, homie. Pay back's hell," Tasuki retorted.
~0~
Amiboshi landed close by the bridge that was over running water before jumping over to a boatman who was smoking his pipe.
"Launch your boat! Hurry, launch your boat!" He said to him.
"No, I can't do it today. The river's swollen from the heavy rain we had lately. A few people have even been swept away by the strong undertow. Sorry, kid," the boatman said making Amiboshi frown in frustration. He heard footsteps and his eyes widened as he turned to see Tamahome and Tasuki.
"You can't escape now," Tamahome said while Amiboshi gritted his teeth. "Your name is Amiboshi? How many of the Seiryuu Seven besides you and Nakago have been gathered together so far?"
"We don't need to ask this loser anything!" Tasuki snapped through clenched teeth. "After we took you in as our friend, and after Aika opened up to you about her past, how dare you sucker us in like that?!" He glared at the younger male.
"Tamahome! Tasuki! Leave him alone! Don't fight!" Aika called. Suddenly, she, Kurama, and Chichiri landed on Tasuki. "Chichiri, you really need to practice your landing!" She scolded. Amiboshi jumped up and went to attack her. Aika glared and took out her kunai to block the hit.
"Aika!" Tamahome shouted. He got in front of her and blocked the hit.
"Stop fighting! Amiboshi, I know the real reason you play music! You do it to comfort others! Otherwise, why play that tune when I told you about my mother? You don't want to hurt others with it!" Aika said surprising the Seiryuu Warrior as he landed on the ledge of the river bank. It suddenly crumbled and he started falling in. "NO!" She shouted as she ran over. She grabbed his flute while he fell, him holding onto it. Amiboshi looked up at her with shock. "Amiboshi…just hang on," she smiled that warm smile as she tried to pull him up. Amiboshi stared at her for a moment before smiling. He then let go of the flute. Aika's eyes widened as he fell into the river with a smile. "Amiboshi!"
"Aika!" Tamahome stopped her from going in to save him. The others looked at the rough currents and Kurama looked at Aika to see her gripping the flute.
~0~
Suboshi's eyes widened as he suddenly felt something in his left arm.
"Amiboshi?...Amiboshi! My brother's life force has vanished! I-I don't feel anything! He's been killed by that Suzaku Seven!" Suboshi glared at the ground, his eyes filled with hate and sadness. "Brother! Brother! NO!"
~0~
Aika, Kurama, Tamahome, Tasuki, and Chichiri made it back to the temple, Aika was holding the flute close to her.
"Aika, what happened? Where's the boy?" Nuriko asked. Aika looked down, her bans covering her eyes now that her hair clip was out. She shook her head.
"He fell into the river. There was no way we could save him from the rapid current," Tamahome said for Aika.
"I see…" Nuriko looked down. "It's hard to believe he was one of the Seiryuu Seven."
"I cannot say I am happy he is dead, but we were very naïve not to realize we had an impostor in our midst," Hotohori said.
"What are ya talkin' about?! I'm glad that, that guys out of here for good! You reap what you sow, right?! He deserved to die!" Tasuki shouted.
"Don't talk that way about him!" Aika snapped at the red head surprising him. "He may have been our sworn enemy, but deep down he wasn't evil at all! Someone evil could…someone so evil could never play such beautiful music that was sweet and clear. It's as I told him, the way he played his flute reminded me of the way my mother used to play. It was beautiful, sincere, and sweet!" Aika stated as she clutched the flute close.
"I agree with you!" A young boy said making everyone snap there heads over with question.
"Stop there! It's off limits!" The guard said as he and another guard blocked the way.
"Stand down!" Hotohori ordered. The boy brought a leaf to his lips and suddenly blew into it creating a beautiful melody. Aika's eyes widened as she recognized the tune from when Amiboshi had tried to kill them.
'He's going to kill us!" Aika had shouted. Suddenly there was another tune. "Then you're the one. It was you," Aika said looking at the young boy. She saw he had light brown hair and green eyes, dressed in green robes.
"Yes! I disrupted the soundwaves of his melody with a simple leaf whistle. It caused distortion in his vibration and intensified his confusion," he smiled at her.
'What is that sound? It's disrupting my sound waves,' Amiboshi thought. The screams of pain stopped and everyone felt relief from the lack of pain. "It can't be, that music has broken my spell and released them from my control," he said shocked. Aika smiled warmly at him as she bent down a little.
"May I ask what your name is?" She asked him. The boy revealed his foot that had a red mark glowing. Aika gasped a bit in shock.
"A sign!" Tasuki said surprised.
"So you're him?!" Tamahome asked. The boy smiled.
"Yes. I'm Ou Doukon known as Chiriko of the Suzaku Warriors," Chiriko replied surprising the Warriors.
"You're the real Chiriko?! What are you doing here now?!" Tamahome asked.
"Well, I was studying for the Kakkyo Exam," Chiriko replied.
"'Kakkyo'? Wow, for as long as I've been around, I've heard of such a thing. How about you, Kit?" Kurama asked as he jumped onto Aika's head.
"No, I haven. What is Kakkyo if you don't mind my asking?" Aika asked curious.
"It's an exam for high government officials," Nuriko told her.
"You were trying to become a government official at such a young age?" Chichiri asked Chiriko as he sweat-dropped. Chiriko nodded.
"Oh, I remember. It was Shoushi part," Hotohori mused.
"Okay, now what's a Shoushi?" Aika muttered. Nuriko whispered in her ear.
"The second exam in the Kakkyo," he whispered.
"Two parts to an exam….not like the exams back home. We normally have three exams if we want to reach the next rank of ninja…but they're not all on paper," Aika mused as she thought about the Chuunin, Jounin, and Anbu Exams.
"It's almost impossible to pass the Kakkyo Exam, isn't it?" Tamahome sweat-dropped.
"How should I know that?!" Tasuki retorted.
"Oh yes, I heard from some religious pilgrims that there was a thirteen year old boy genius who excelled at the Kakkyo Exam. Where they speaking of you?" Hotohori asked Chiriko.
"Yes. The stars appeared disturbingly to me recently in a vision," Chiriko said before thinking back. Chiriko was writing in his notebook and dabbed his brush in the ink. Some dropped onto the paper and grew. "What's this?" He asked until he suddenly saw the Stars of Suzaku. "The Stars of Suzaku foretell misfortune!" Chiriko explained it to them.
"Of course, the ceremony!" Aika realized before looking over at the cauldron. "The fire's still burning. If we try again now, we might still have a chance," she said to the Warriors. She then thought of Amiboshi. "Amiboshi…goodbye, my friend," she murmured as she held the flute. She made her way up to the cauldron again, the Warriors standing around it. "Everyone, this is our last chance. Concentrate with all you've got!" She said to the Warriors with determination. They all did hand seals to concentrate. 'Please Suzaku, hear our prayers and come to us please!' Aika prayed before opening her eyes. She saw something forming in the flames. "Suzaku?" Suddenly Taiitsukun appeared.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOW, YOU CELESTIAL IDIOTS?!" She asked them. Suddenly everyone screamed in fear of having not expected her arrival. "Oh get over it already, you big bunch of babies," Taiitsukun said to the people who had anime fell.
"T-T-Taiitsukun!" Nuriko stuttered. Aika got up and looked at her.
"Ugh! Why did that ugly old hag appear before us instead of Suzaku?!" Kurama growled.
"Why do you think, fox?! Because the Priestess forgot to accurately perform the ceremony to summon Suzaku! That's why!" Taiitsukun snapped at Kurama who spazzed out.
"I-I see," Kurama stuttered sweat-dropping. Aika frowned and looked down.
"I…I failed to assemble the Suzaku Warriors in time and it's too late now," she said ashamed. Taiitsukun frowned at her and nodded sadly at that.
"Suzaku can never be summoned now," she told her.
"Never?" Aika's eyes widened.
"Even after I gave you the mirror to search for the Suzaku Warriors, it has come to this," Taiitsukun said upset.
'I failed….It's too late,' Aika thought.
"Now that you've thrown the Universe of the Four Gods into the fire, that course is impossible, you little fool," Taiitsukun said to her. Aika looked down with tears in her eyes. Tamahome frowned at her. Kurama's ears flattened against his head as he looked down as well.
"Hey grandma! You don't have to be so nasty and rough on her! Aika gave one hundred percent of herself! She tried hard!" Tamahome shouted at Taiitsukun.
"WHO'RE YOU CALLING 'GRANDMA'?! ANSWER ME!" Taiitsukun snapped.
"I-I-I only meant it…" Tamahome sweat-dropped in fear. Aika wiped her eyes.
"No wait. Tamahome, it's okay," she said making Tamahome look at her surprised. "I'm so mad at myself," Aika said looking down.
"Kit…" Kurama frowned.
"But why?" Tamahome asked Aika.
"It's not because I don't get my wishes granted, but because so many people had to get hurt for the sake of this moment, for the sake of summoning Suzaku. Yui did, so did Miss Shoka, and Amiboshi, You Tamahome, and Hotohori, Nuriko, Chichiri, Mitsukake, Tasuki, and Kurama. You have all suffered so much for this and yet as Priestess, I couldn't fulfill my obligation to summon Suzaku, could I? I didn't carry out my final duty and I hate myself for it," Aika said looking down with tears streaming down her cheeks. Tamahome walked up to her kneeling form.
"Aika," he said going to touch her shoulder.
"Aika," Taiitsukun said making Tamahome stop. "It seems your journey has changed you. You've finally learned to let someone in other than Yui and Naruto. I never said there weren't any other possible ways to achieve your goal." Aika's eyes widened before looking at Taiitsukun with narrowed brown eyes.
"What do you mean by that?" She asked.
"Oh yeah? So why didn't you say so earlier, ya old hag?!" Tamahome glared at the ruler of the universe.
"YOU CALLING ME AN OLD HAG, HUH?!" Taiitsukun snapped at him.
"No! Taiitsukun, I'm sorry!" Tamahome stammered before falling.
"Hah!" Taiitsukun smirked.
"But you still let Aika beat herself up! You're lucky you're not really here, lady!" Kurama growled.
"Priestess of Suzaku," Taiitsukun said ignoring Kurama.
"HEY! I'M TALKING TO YOU!" Kurama snapped as he flailed his arms.
"Things will no longer be as easy as they have been for you and will become difficult. Are you willing to accept that?" Taiitsukun asked Aika. Aika stood up.
"Yes, I am," Aika replied.
"You have to firmly unite in the bond between you and the Suzaku Seven must grow even stronger if you are to succeed. You must prepare yourselves for the worst. Can you handle it? Do you still want to try?" Taiitsukun asked her.
"I do. For all the people who have been hurt and for all those who have encouraged us, it is my sworn duty as Priestess of Suzaku," Aika vowed.
~0~
"The Priestess of Suzaku made a heroic heartfelt pledge to Taiitsukun. She had not a single bit of doubt in her mind and the Suzaku Seven looked on transfixed by the beauty of her strength," Naruto smiled a bit as he read.
~0~
"Very well. I will tell you then. First you have to travel north to the Hokan Empire which is protected by Genbu. There you must gain possession of the holy relic known as the Shinzahou or Holy Celestial Gem," Taiitsukun instructed.
"The land of Genbu."
Kida: To the land of Genbu, people! Let's go *Holding sack with a stick and ready to go*
Kido: *Sweat-drops* You know it's not real, right?
Kida: Don't ruin my imagination!
Kido: What's next? Going to say you're a pixie?
Kida: *Putting on pixie wings* Hm? You say something?
Kido: *Anime falls* How is this idiot my twin sister?!
Kida: I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Please favorite and comment!