Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ Seeing Beyond the Light ❯ The Truth of the Light ( Chapter 6 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Disclaimer: I no own. Idea for Mitsukake's magic is from Quicksilver, and is used with her permission :) I no own Star Trek either, and bonus points to anyone who can guess where I quoted from one of the Star Trek movies!

Warnings: Tasuki language, death, major bad ass fights, and spoilers for the end of the first season on.

"..." - Human speak
//...// - Thought speak
*...* - Godspeak
~...~ - Telepathy


Seeing Beyond the Light:

Chapter 6: The Truth of the Light

Previously on Seeing Beyond the Light:

Miaka breathed an inner sigh of relief when she finished the chant. The characters had been hard to read, but she had made it through with no mistakes, thanks to Chichiri. She raised her arm to cast the scroll into the holy flame.

"Stop!"

And now, on Seeing Beyond the Light:

Miaka jumped, startled by the sudden command. Her arm, poised in the motion of throwing, fumbled with the scroll. She let out an involuntary cry as she leaned forward to catch it...and missed.

Kizuka looked at Miaka when she heard the miko cry out. She held her breath she watched Miaka struggle to catch the scroll, and then cried out as she shielded her eyes from the blast of chi as the scroll burned. She fell to her knees, wanting to cry in disappointment. She was just a second too late. She had failed.

As one the seishi turned to the one who had disturbed the ceremony.

Amiboshi stared in shock at Kizuka. He had waited too long, chosen to speak up too late, and the ceremony was ruined. He could feel the other seishi stares, but his eyes were transfixed by the sight of Kizuka, her head bowed in defeat. Tears started streaming unheeded down his face.

"Chiriko?" Miaka turned confused eyes between the seishi and the Guardian. "Why did you tell us to stop?"

Amiboshi clutched his flute to his chest and opened his mouth to speak, to try and explain. His eyes were suddenly caught by the burning fire. The bright orange called to him; the leaping flames mesmerized him. He stared, half hypnotized by the sight of the scroll burning. It drew him in, sucking him down into a hole. Before he realized it he was trapped, and he heard laughter. Horrible, mocking laughter that seemed to echo in his bones. As if he was an outside observer he heard himself begin to speak, harsh, horrible, heart-breaking words. The words were ripped from him in an unwilling torrent that he knew he would regret later. When he felt his hands raise his flute and begin to play, he looked desperately at Kizuka, trying to convey some of his inner torment.

Kizuka was drawn out of her despair by Amiboshi's voice. "Foolish, foolish girl." The voice was hard, something she had never heard from him before. "You were fooled, Suzaku no Miko, fooled by my tattoo of Chiriko's character. You're too trusting, that's your weakness. And now it's your downfall. I am the Seiryuu seishi Amiboshi, and I will play the song that shreds souls."

As he brought his flute to his lips Kizuka saw the churning of his chi. For the first time since the ceremony had failed she really looked at him. He didn't seem to be the Amiboshi she had grown to reluctantly like. His chi was twisted with the deep black red of hate, so much so that he almost looked like...she quickly checked her chi strings. Nakago's string was flowing directly through Amiboshi! He was directly controlling the younger seishi! Without thinking she stood and ran towards him, unsure of what she meant to accomplish. About halfway there she was struck down quite literally by the force of his music. This song was meant to drive one seishi insane, and she was channeling six and a miko. She fell to her knees, clutching her head in pain. Desperately she grabbed at Mitsukake's chi string as a life-line. The rest of the seishi were locked in place by the only remnant of the spell that she had left in place, but that didn't mean she couldn't communicate with them. ~Mitsukake?~

~What is going on?~ His deep voice smoothed down her frazzled nerves like honey. ~Has Chiriko been possessed by some agent of Seiryuu?~

~No~ she said hurriedly, her mental voice tight with pain. ~That really is Amiboshi. Listen. I know you don't have much energy right now, because of the ceremony, but I need you to concentrate just a little bit to me, to take the edge off the pain. You're going to have to trust me to control the flow, because if given the chance the spell would drain you as well. You need to keep some in reserve to heal me completely when this is all over.~

~Hai.~ Kizuka heard the doubtful note in his voice and sighed, hoping that he would be able to trust her enough for this to work.

She drew the tiniest bit of Mitsukake's chi into her own, drawing directly from the mark of Suzaku. She sighed in relief from the pain, then concentrated on Amiboshi. He wasn't struggling against the spell at all. She reached out tentatively. ~Amiboshi?~

~Kizuka!~ he thought, panicked. ~Why are you being hurt? I protected you!~

~The blessings,~ she said, hoping the practical note in her voice would cut through his fear. ~I redirected the chi when I gave the blessings.~

~Why? I wanted to save you!~ She could feel the anguish in his tone.

~And it is my job to save the seishi. Now,~ she thought briskly, to shock him out of his funk, ~I can break the spell, but you'll have to interrupt your song, if even for a moment.~

~Why are you helping me? I'm a Seiryuu!~

~You're a seishi, aren't you? And you're my friend.~ She was getting tired of his defeatist attitude. ~Now fight!~

~I'll try.~ He winced as he heard Kizuka scream at a particularly harsh note. He struggled to hold his breath, to move his arms, to freeze his fingers, to do something to stop the horrible, awful music. It wasn't working. He felt the cold fingers of a foreign chi holding him fast. All of a sudden he heard another tune, other notes in a contrasting frequency.

Kizuka felt Amiboshi's struggle. She wanted to give him help, but she was using too much energy fighting his spell and the pain it caused. The pain dragged at her consciousness, beckoning her into blissful slumber. It would be so easy. To let go, relax, stop fighting, to know comfort, peace, and security. It would be so easy. But Amiboshi was still fighting, so could she do any less?

Suddenly she felt a disruption in the sound. It was slight, but it was there, and it grew. She took the opportunity it presented as the pain faded a fraction. In an instant she was within Amiboshi's chi, trying to figure out how to break the spell. When she realized exactly what she had to do, she paused. ~Amiboshi? I can break it, but to do so I'll break the connection with your brother.~

~What?~ He was beginning to get tired from the fight.

~You wouldn't be able to feel him as closely anymore. At least until I could set up the connection again. The reason that you were so close was partially because of this spell.~ She wanted him to be absolutely certain about his choice before he took it.

Amiboshi paused. Not be able to feel his brother? He had always been able to feel him. Never as strong since he had trained with Nakago, but his brother had always been a comforting presence in his mind. The split second hesitation was enough for the spell to take over completely again. His alter ego played louder than ever, attempting to drown out the disturbance in frequencies. Kizuka screamed as she collapsed on the floor again, and his decision was made. ~Do it.~

Kizuka fought back the pain, trying desperately to comply, but found herself almost numb.

//You can't do this, you know.// her alter ego sneered. //The weak link in an otherwise strong chain, and they put you in defense of the seishi? Don't make me laugh!//

//Shut UP! Shutupshutupshutupshutup...// Her mantra continued as she fought steadily against the pain. Suddenly she was there, amidst the connection again. With a snap the connection was broken, along with whatever threads of determination and fear that supported her through the ordeal. She found herself lying prone on the floor, unable to move.

Tasuki had been seething in private rage ever since the beginning of the spell. The little punk had dared to hurt Kizuka! Figured that the Seiryuu would do something so underhanded and cheap. He reached back to get his Tessen, but found he couldn't move. He had been on a low boil ever since. When the playing stopped and he could move again, he never hesitated. Dimly aware of Mitsukake hovering over Kizuka, with the speed born of Suzaku he had his Tessen out and primed to fire. "Rekka-

Kizuka began to feel better under the healing grace of Mitsukake. She squinted her eyes into slits to thank him, and frowned. The healing spell was the green of Genbu, not the red of Suzaku. His seishi mark was still red, but the chi coming out of his hand was definitely green. That thought faded in her mind as more pressing issues were brought to the foreground. Namely, a rush of wind that could only be Tasuki headed straight for Amiboshi. She had a split second to decide on her course of action.

Amiboshi threw his flute away and collapsed to his knees, dimly aware of the other seishi running to attack him. It didn't matter. He had failed in his duty as a Seiryuu and a friend. Too indecisive to do anything, he had done nothing and would now pay the price. He bowed his head, accepting of whatever fate they would deal out.

Suddenly he was no longer alone in his own body. Someone else was there, bonded as close as Suboshi used to be. Whoever it was threw themselves to the front, blocking him from attack.

"- Shien!" Tasuki watched, satisfied, as the holy flame sprouted from the fan, moving to engulf the bastard. He started as Kizuka gave a blood curdling scream. He turned to see the girl twitching on the floor, mouth open in a now silent scream. He whirled to face the punk that was causing her such pain. To his surprise, instead of a twisted, blackened lump, as he had expected, the brat appeared to be perfectly alright. All of the seishi paused, confused.

Into the silence they could dimly hear the former Chiriko's quiet sobs. "Kizuka... let go...I'm not worth saving. If they attack again..."

"I will defend you again," came her quiet response, laced with pain. She slowly pulled herself to her feet and stumbled over to Amiboshi. She had been only partially healed by Mitsukake; not wanting to tax his strength, she had cut off his healing before taking Tasuki's fire. She only hoped that when this was over he would have enough chi left to heal her completely. Finally reaching her objective, she placed herself between Amiboshi and any attacking force. Dimly, her shield began to glow. She almost laughed at the pathetic nature of her shield. One good puff of wind could destroy it.

"Why the hell are you defending that bastard?" Tasuki exclaimed, still unsure how his attack had failed. "And why the fuck is the little punk still breathing?"

Kizuka turned to Tasuki, and he blinked, startled by the fierce cold in her eyes. He hadn't ever seen her like that, not even when she was facing down Tamahome. For a moment he was afraid that she would attack him. He didn't like that feeling.

"Your friend," Kizuka bit out, "is still breathing because I put myself between him and your attack. I made the connection between us so strong that I took whatever injuries you dealt to him." She finished her answer absently, more worried about her failing shield than anything else at this point. It would collapse if anything touched it at its current strength. She wondered if she could get away with bluffing. Currently the shield was nearly invisible, concentrating more on force than show. Creating light was much less draining, and far showier. She glanced around at the seishi. Chichiri might know the difference, but he didn't seem inclined to attack. She decided to risk it. Dropping her shield completely, she built another out of light, one that seemed to crackle with energy.

Hotohori listened, appalled at her flippant answers to Tasuki's questions. That she would protect this traitor to the point of injuring herself was inconceivable to him. The enemy she was defending had just tried to kill her, for Suzaku's sake! The only way it made sense to him would be if she was a traitor as well. Things began to add up in his mind. She had stopped him from going to rescue Miaka when she was drowning, and those few seconds could have meant her life. She had tried to prevent him from fighting Tamahome, again blocking his duty of protecting the Miko. The more he thought about it, the more sense it made. He drew his sword to protect his priestess and his friends. A brightly glowing shield sprang up between Kizuka and the rest of the room. His worst fears were confirmed in the next sentence.

"Kizuka!" Amiboshi called, afraid because he knew that she probably couldn't see it. "Hotohori's sword!"

//Oh shit.// Kizuka's eyes widened as she stared at Hotohori. "I see it," she said for the benefit of her audience. In truth she couldn't see the sword itself, but she could tell that he was in an aggressive stance. //I need to concentrate on him completely if he attacks, but I'll be left open to any of the others. This is officially bad.//

Nuriko froze when Hotohori drew his sword. He had started to run over to them, unsure of what he was going to do, but certain that he needed to help someone. That shield looked dangerous and Hotohori looked angry enough to try and break it. Kizuka looked on the verge of collapse.

The tension built as the tableau froze. Hotohori still had his sword drawn. Amiboshi had stood up behind Kizuka, who was desperately trying to hold on to her fake shield. Mitsukake still knelt where Kizuka had first fallen, and the rest of the seishi were poised halfway into an attack. Miaka was the only one still in her original position. She felt more and more like an observer.

Kizuka knew she didn't have much time left before her shield broke. She needed to break the tension somehow. "Why are you attacking him now? Up until five minutes ago he was your friend."

"Yeah, well, five minutes ago he tried to fuckin' kill ya, damn it. Why the fuck are ya defendin' him?" Tasuki exclaimed, amazed at her unconcern over her brush with death.

"It was my choice to put my life in danger." She was firm in her convictions. "I rerouted the chi, I left the bit in place that would keep you still. I knew the consequences of my actions when I gave Suzaku's blessing."

"Why do you still defend him when he tried to kill you?" Miaka was openly curious.

"Why did you defend Tamahome when he tried to kill you?" Kizuka finally began to get mad. "Because he is my friend. He was your friend too. You trusted him, confided in him." Slowly she drew herself up straight, looking directly at Hotohori, who had relaxed his stance only slightly. "Yes. I knew what was probably going to happen here. I wanted to give him a chance to stop it. None of you can truly understand the curse of this sight." She glanced around the room. "I can see everything about you. Everything. Your love, your friendship for each other. Every single one of you trusted him far more than me. Even though I saved you life in Koutu, even though I helped Tamahome fight off the poison, I could still see your doubt, your fear."

She laughed bitterly at the confusion swirling through their chi. "Every single one of you either ignored me when I wasn't useful or doubted my abilities...except him. I never caught any fear from him; he never questioned my abilities. He even wished me luck when I started the rescue from Koutu. Yes, I knew he was a Seiryuu." She ignored the gasps of astonishment and plunged on, "I knew from the instant we met. But I also saw his doubt, his confusion. He was slowly giving his loyalty over to you, and I think the only reason that he did not speak up before now was that he was protecting his brother. Tamahome, you gave yourself up to Nakago on the mere suggestion that the army might come somewhere near your village. Can you blame him for keeping up the pretense in order to save his brother, who is currently in the Koutu palace, under Nakago's thumb? I waited because everyone deserves a chance for forgiveness."

Tamahome looked ready to forgive them both, and with that last sentence Chichiri gave a start. Something about forgiveness must have gotten to him. She decided to remind everyone of a few facts. Her energy was running out. "He was going to stop the ceremony. He did stop it. He wouldn't have gone through with the plan." She slowly began to collapse, her shield finally dropping. "Don't you see? If the scroll hadn't burned then Nakago's spell couldn't have taken over. Don't you understand?" Her voice began to trail off as she collapsed to the floor. "He...wouldn't...have...done it..."

"Kizuka!" Amiboshi ran and caught her before she hit the floor. He cradled her in his arms, looking for signs of life. Her eyes were dull and unseeing, and her breath came in short gasps. He turned desperate eyes to Mitsukake. "Will she be alright?"

Mitsukake looked at the girl in Chiriko's...no...Amiboshi's arms. Kizuka was really bad. "I'm not sure if I have the energy left to heal her again. She has been controlling the chi flow of my healing so that I always had something in reserve, but now she is very low on chi. She would need a lot more for me to be able to heal her completely."

Amiboshi nodded absently, thinking rapidly. He found himself staring at his flute, which he had thrown away when he had regained control of his body. He could...but there was no way she would have the absolute trust needed for that to work. Only his brother had ever trusted him that much. His attention was drawn once again to the girl in his arms. The gasps were getting shorter, and the spaces between were getting longer and longer. Her eyes began to roll back in her head. Terrified, he shook her gently. "Kizuka! Come back! Don't die on me now!"

Startled, she blinked and managed to focus her eyes once again on her friend. Amiboshi breathed a sigh of relief, and gently placed her on the ground. It may not have much of a chance of working, but it was better than the certain death that was awaiting her now. He stumbled over to his flute. The reaction was immediate. All of the seishi save Mitsukake went on their guard.

"What the hell are you going to do to her now?" Tasuki shouted.

"If she can still trust me, I am going to save her life." Outwardly he appeared calm, but he was quaking with fear on the inside. He walked over and knelt beside her again. Stroking back her sweat dampened hair, he said in a gentle voice, "Kizuka? I am going to boost your chi so that Mitsukake can heal you. I will return your chi to you, but it will hurt. It won't work at all if you don't trust me and accept the chi. Do you understand? You have to trust me completely, or you could be hurt worse. If you reject the chi, you could die. I have to know-"

"Ami...bo...shi...Stop...talking...and...play...damn it." The voice was weak, but it still had the spark of life that he had come to associate with her.

He glanced across at Mitsukake. "I can only boost her chi for a little bit before it does more harm than good. You need to heal her to seal the chi back in." He barely caught the doubtful nod before he began to play. The song was slow, gentle, soft, and soothing, but Kizuka still twisted in pain. Tears stung Amiboshi's eyes as he watched her. There was a movement out of the corner of his eye, and he turned to find Nuriko kneeling down next to him and gently taking Kizuka's arms in his own. Chichiri came and knelt at her feet, holding her legs still.

Kizuka had braced herself for the sound, expecting it to be loud and harsh. She was so surprised by the soft and soothing sound that she almost did not register the pain. It started out as a tingle, the kind that happens when an arm or leg goes to sleep, but it soon grew to be much more than that. Her muscles began jerking sporadically, and she gritted her teeth to keep from biting her tongue as the song went on and on and on...

Suddenly the pain was gone, and she was once again cradled in the healing embrace of Mitsukake's chi. She opened her eyes and was again struck by the apparent contradiction of Genbu green with Suzaku red. She reminded herself to ask Genbu or Suzaku about that later, but for now the healing had stopped and she sat up. She felt just as good as she had before the disastrous rescue in Koutu. She got to her feet slowly, and noticed that Amiboshi had collapsed to the floor. Once again taking up a defensive stance, she hovered protectively over the fallen seishi.

"No!" Miaka finally broke out of her paralysis and ran over to the guardian. "You will not harm him! He may be the enemy, but he is not evil! No one can be evil that produced such beautiful music to comfort us!"

"I quite agree, Suzaku no Miko."

Everyone turned around to see a child in the doorway. Kizuka watched the form enter and talk with the Miko while she tried to guess who this could be. The blue of loyalty, the light blue-green of innocence, and just a small portion of the purple of grief combined to give her an inkling of who it was, but the seishi stripe made it certain. It was red.

"Chiriko!" The Guardian and the Miko voiced their conclusions at the same instant. The named seishi blinked owlishly at the situation. Most of the people in the room appeared to be surrounding a girl and a boy. The boy was kneeling on the ground, and through the rips in his shirt a blue seishi symbol was still faintly glowing. The girl was standing over him, as if to defend him from the others. The tension finally broke as a regal looking brown-haired man sheathed his sword. The child surmised that this must be the emperor from the elegance of his attire. The entire room seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Chiriko pulled out a small leaf he had acquired on his brief but hurried journey to the shrine. Placing it to his lips, he played a short tune. The black-haired girl's eyes widened, and she dropped out of her defensive stance. Exchanging a glance with the boy on the floor, she took a step foreword and gave a formal bow.

"You are the one that played in the contrasting frequency?" She questioned in formal tones

"H-hai," Chiriko was slightly intimidated by the formality of the older girl.

"Then I, Miharu Kizuka, Guardian of the seishi, owe you a debt of gratitude. Through your intervention I was able to break Nakago's spell." She straightened and grinned at him.

"Ano..." Chiriko was confused. He had journeyed to the shrine to save the ceremony, but... "I saved a Seiryuu?"

"Hai. He was going to stop the ceremony, but-"

"Ahh!" Miaka shouted. "The fire is still burning! We can still pray!"

All of a sudden everyone was organizing quickly around the fire. Kizuka helped Amiboshi off to the side, then took up her place once again. She doubted that the ceremony would work, because the chi was rapidly burning away, but it was worth a shot. The silence stretched into the distance. Kizuka stared at the fire, hoping against hope. She caught the glimmer long before Miaka's startled gasp, and sighed when she knew it wasn't Suzaku. When Tai Itsukun did appear she sat on the floor and slumped in frustration. They were so close! This had to have been the first time the Guardian had so failed in her duty. She tried to call to Suzaku, to apologize, but the god would not respond. She began to get worried, wondering if the failed ceremony had actually harmed Suzaku. She called frantically in her mind. She didn't even hear the reprimanding that Tai Itsukun gave Miaka. She did, however, notice when the furious Creator turned her attentions to her.

"And you!" Tai Itsukun practically shouted, and Kizuka flinched away from the anger in her chi. "What gave you the right to sacrifice the ceremony to save one of your enemies?"

"You did," She said quietly, and rushed on before Tai Itsukun could comment. "You are the one who gave me this curse; you are the one who charged me with protecting the seishi. He is a seishi. What is the problem?"

"You chose to protect the Suzaku!" This was the angriest she had ever seen Tai Itsukun. "This is a special circumstance. I can only appoint on Guardian at a time, and Seiryuu should not have allowed his seishi to be born. You chose a side and were supposed to protect only it!'

"I never chose!" Kizuka shouted, getting some of her old spirit back. She stood up and glared at Tai Itsukun. "I swore to protect the seishi, and have not been foresworn. I told you, when you asked me to decide, 'Konan would probably be easier to start in.' I never chose conclusively. You assumed I did."

The tension held for a long moment. Finally, Tai Itsukun hmphed and began to turn away. Breathing a sigh of relief, Kizuka grinned recklessly at her. "Maybe you should have Nyan Nyan fix your brain as well as your face, if I could trick you," she said teasingly.

Kizuka quickly dodged away from the descending mallet. She laughed out loud from the confusion in Tai Itsukun's chi.

"You insolent child!" Tai Itsukun scolded, but there was no heat in her voice. "Now leave, I have to talk to Miaka alone."

"Ano...What about the ceremony?" Kizuka was confused. Perhaps she should have been paying more attention.

"Were you not listening to a word I said?" Tai Itsukun was indignant. "I told them of the other method for the ceremony."

"The shinzaho?"

"Hai"

Kizuka thought about it for a moment, then bowed. "Arigato, Tai Itsukun, for giving them a chance to make up for my mistakes."

She grinned and left the shrine, but as soon as she reached the relative privacy of the walkway her smile drained away. What had she done? She collapsed against the railing a little away from the shrine. She had failed to save the ceremony; defended one of the enemy. The seishi didn't trust her, hadn't trusted her from the beginning, Suzaku wasn't talking to her, and even Tai Itsukun was questioning her.

//It's only right, you know. That fool Tai Itsukun made a huge mistake when she chose such a pathetic creature.//

//Be quiet, please.// Kizuka shook her head, as if to dislodge the voice.

//Oh, brilliant,// the voice was dripping with sarcasm, //such an adequate defense of your actions.//

//Please,// she begged. //No more. I have had to defend myself from everyone today. I am tired of fighting. You may have a point, you may be completely right, but I don't care any more.// She put her head in her hands.

"Kizuka?"

She jumped, startled, and turned to find Amiboshi standing behind her. She straightened and pasted a smile on her face. "Hai?"

Amiboshi's voice was tentative. "Why...why did you save me? I could have killed you twice in there."

Kizuka collapsed against the railing again. "Not you too," she said in a despairing tone. She sighed and tried to think of a way to explain it so that he would understand.

Amiboshi watched as she thought to herself. He had never seen her so despairing, not even when he had confronted her about her sight. Kizuka blinked and straightened. He braced himself for her answer.

"The truth is that I saved you because I had to." She produced a small ball of chi. It floated above her hand, glowing a soft pearly white. "This is what I see. On plants, things that once held life. It is also the color of my spells. When it comes to people, it gets a little more complicated." The ball began to swirl with color. "Each color represents and emotion, a state of being. Happiness, joy, despair, innocence, awe, love, hate." The ball settled on a bright red. "This is friendship. A little darker and it could be love, even darker: hate. But for now, it is just friendship. The bonds of friendship between the eight of you were the strongest I had ever seen. It could not have been because of the time you had spent together, because the bonds were just as strong between you and Chichiri as they were between you and Miaka. It could not have been because of loyalty, because the betrayal of Tamahome did not break them, though Tasuki would deny it. I was amazed by the strength of the bonds between you.

"But!" She snapped her fingers and the ball disappeared. "As soon as you raised that flute to your mouth in there, the bonds towards you were gone without a trace, and they were ready to kill you. I had to save you, to hope that, if given the chance, they would forgive you. If, as strong as your bonds were, they were ready to kill you at the first sign of betrayal, what would they do to me, who they show barely any friendship towards, when I fail them?"

There was a gasp, barely heard, from behind her that was all but overshadowed by Amiboshi's question, "Fail? You?" and his snort of disbelief.

"Oh come on Amiboshi! Let's review my illustrious career as a Guardian," she snapped, finally letting her irritation at herself show. "Even with the guidance of Tai Itsukun, Creator of the Universe, it still takes me two months to find the seishi. Two months! And another two weeks before I can even begin my job. At the very first test of my abilities I nearly die, and the next I barely even help, because Hotohori didn't need any help to save Miaka any way. The next time my help is needed, I get shoved aside. So I decide to help Tamahome, and I do die. It takes intervention from the Gods to save me! For all my hiding in the harem, Nakago still knew about me. Two people know my greatest weakness, one who never promised to keep the secret, and one that up until five minutes ago I could not trust not to betray me to save his brother!"

She sank to the floor fisting her hands into the material at her knees. Amiboshi tried to put an arm around her in comfort, but was thrust aside as Kizuka went on. "I am the weakest of my family. My father perfected the easiest training for me, and continued to train me in it long after my brothers and sister had mastered the more difficult routines. I don't know why Tai Itsukun chose me. All I now is that I am tired of fighting and struggling against everyone and I want to go HOME!" She yelled out the last word as she broke down in quiet sobs. It was almost a relief to get it all off of her chest. Amiboshi reached for her again, but she shoved him aside as she stood and face the courtyard, struggling to control the tears.

"Ano...Kizuka?" "Kizu-chan?" The two voices spoke simultaneously, and she stiffened, sensing Miaka and Nuriko coming up behind her. She straightened and painfully swallowed the tears, quickly using her sleeve to wipe her face.

She pasted on a smile as she turned around and said, "Hai?"

Nuriko blinked, a little stunned by the transformation. She was almost as good at hiding emotions as he was! Granted, he had only heard the last half of her rant, but the change from just a few seconds previous was amazing. And didn't look particularly healthy. "Kizuka, we heard the last piece of your worries. Please don't hide from us anymore. Everyone needs someone to support them."

"Demo...I could see you troubles. You all carry so much, I didn't want to burden you with anymore," Kizuka said, a little confused by the warm reception.

"Baka," Nuriko chided gently, "We're seishi. We can take it!" He pulled her into a hug and whispered softly in her ear, "I will keep your secret, I am sorry that I did not promise before." He was rewarded by a true smile, albeit a small one, from Kizuka.

Miaka cleared her throat, and Kizuka shifted her attention to the girl, her expression becoming more guarded. Miaka swallowed, then spoke hesitantly, "I think we got off on the wrong foot." When Kizuka glanced at her feet in puzzlement, she giggled and waved her hands in apology. "No, that's just an expression from my world, which means that I think you got the wrong impression of me. I was too excited, then worried, about Tamahome that I totally ignored you. I was wondering," she paused, uncertain, "could we start over?"

Kizuka blinked. "Start over?"

Miaka giggled and bowed. "Hello, my name is Yuuki Miaka. What's yours?"

Kizuka slowly started to smile at the good humor shinning in yellow waves from the Miko, as well as the red of friendship for both Amiboshi and herself. "I am Miharu Kizuka, and this is Amiboshi," she said, bowing and gesturing to the seishi at her side.

Miaka mimicked her. "This is Nuriko. Can we be friends?"

* * *

Later that afternoon found Kizuka warming up for some outdoor training. Nuriko had taken back the beautiful outfit that she had worn for the ceremony, and promised that she could borrow clothing at anytime. The sun warmed her face as she slowly went through the movements, calming her heart and allowing her to think. The situation was so different than when she woke up this morning that she needed time by herself to think. She felt Chichiri on the edge of her perception, out on the pond fishing. The slight buzz of the mask spell showed clearly, almost disrupting her concentration. The movements caught her up again, and she found that she could ignore it. Amiboshi was currently attempting to repair the damage to the friendships that the morning's work had caused. She had left him silently helping Mitsukake prepare medicines for the journey ahead. That was a friendship that Kizuka hoped would heal. She was a realist and knew that it would take time, but both the man and the boy needed that support. Thinking of Mitsukake reminded her of the oddity she had seen that morning. She tried to call Suzaku again to get an explanation for the green of his seishi's spell. Suzaku did not respond.

//Suzaku?// Her voice was getting desperate. //I'm sorry Suzaku, but please give me some response. Suzaku!//

The aged voice of Genbu soothed down her nerves. *My sibling still does not wish to speak, for fear of insulting you to soothe his feelings and making the situation worse. However, I am qualified to answer you question.*

Kizuka almost overbalanced with surprise. //Genbu? Why would you be qualified to talk about Suzaku's seishi?//

*Because he is also mine.*

This time she did stumble in the Tai Chi form. She didn't actually fall down, but it was a close thing. When she had gotten back into the routine, she sent an irritated thought upwards. //Care to explain that, Genbu?//

A child's voice cut in. *Oooo. Better explain quick, aniki!!*

//Shut UP, Byakko!// Kizuka shouted.

She heard a sigh from Genbu. *I always forget how impatient mortals can be. Very well. The soul that resides in the Suzaku no seishi Mitsukake was originally mine. He was a traitor. When the summoning ceremony was just barely over, when the seishi were at their most vulnerable, he left the shrine, killed the Guardian outside, and let the army in.*

Kizuka completely abandoned any attempt at keeping the form. Trying to come to terms with the bombshell that Genbu had just tossed in her lap, she stood still in the middle of the field. She could not reconcile the image of the gentle giant that she knew with the traitor the God had described. All of a sudden she was aware of the fact that the buzz from Chichiri's mask was gone. Curious, she wandered over to the pond, and noticed Miaka running off. She heard Chichiri sigh, then he started to replace the mask.

She held up a hand. "Wait!"

Chichiri jumped. He had not felt Kizuka arrive, so focused as he had been on Miaka. He turned his scar away from her and started to put the mask back on again, but was stopped by Kizuka. Curious, he turned to her and said, "Why? Aren't you afraid of the scar?"

Kizuka blinked. She didn't quite know what he was talking about, but said, "I can feel the chi I spell that holds the mask to your face. It's gone now, and it's a little bit calmer. I would like someplace where I can sit and think for a while." She sighed when Chichiri looked confused. "I don't know how to explain it better, but...you feel better this way, without the spell buzz. When you put the mask on, well, it's not much but it's there."

Chichiri gazed down at the mask in his hand. Kizuka hadn't flinched back from the scar like every single other person he had met. She didn't ask questions, or offer platitudes, or even seem to take notice of it. The least he could do after a display like that would be to leave it off while she sat and thought. And yet...he had worn the mask so long. He had only taken it off during deadly serious situations. To do so now, when all he would be doing was sitting and fishing...

As if sensing (or perhaps seeing, he reminded himself) his unease, Kizuka waved her hands in apology. "Never mind, I shouldn't have said anything. Go ahead."

Chichiri nodded, replaced the mask, and returned to his fishing. Kizuka climbed up on the rock and sat next to him, staring into the pond, watching the glow from the fish. There were very few fish, and she wondered if Chichiri would be able to catch anything. Shaking her head to rid herself of the irrelevant thought, she sent her thoughts to the heavens. //OK Genbu. You've given me time to think about it. Just how, exactly, did I end up protecting one of your seishi?//

*You're not. Mitsukake is a Suzaku seishi.* Genbu's aged voice was dry.

//GENBU!!!!//

*Fine,* he said, sighing. *Suzaku told you of spectrum that I had my seishi on? The one that went from shattered hopes to blind optimism?* There was a pause while Kizuka agreed. *When he served me, Mitsukake was known as Hatsui, and he loved the miko, who was the first to accept him as he was. Unfortunately, he was placed more on the shattered hopes end of the spectrum, as the miko chose Naname instead. The rage he felt festered inside, unknown to all. At the very end of the ceremony, Hatsui slipped out, used his seishi power to kill the Guardian with a touch, and let the invading armies inside the shrine. Only through the quick thinking of Hikitsu was the miko saved, though he and two others died in the attempt. I wanted to send Hatsui's soul into oblivion, but Suzaku intervened, claiming the soul in the name of love. He wished to give Hatsui a second chance, and so far it appears to be working.*

Kizuka thought for a long moment, digesting the new information. A sudden thought occurred to her. //Does Mitsukake remember any of this?//

*Not that I am aware of.* Genbu thought for a moment. *He hasn't shown any signs of remembering.*

//We're going to Hokkan, your country, soon...// Kizuka started doubtfully.

There was a pause. *Watch him,* Genbu decided. *I am not certain what regaining his memories will do to him.*

//Great,// she thought to herself. //Another thing to watch out for.// She sighed and slipped off of the rock, then felt a wave of hurt and anger pass behind her. Startled, she looked back, and saw Tamahome storming deeper into the gardens. Curious, she ran up behind him and called out his name.

He whirled on her. "What," he said in a flat monotone.

//Whoa,// she thought, //speaking of things to look out for...// She crossed her arms. "What happened between you and Miaka?"

His colors immediately swirled in surprise. "How did you know it was about Miaka?"

Kizuka rolled her eyes. "I have two older brothers," she stated matter-of-factly, "who had a tendency to confess their problems to me. The only time they got into this mood, the cause was either money or a girl. And since I think you would make a little more noise if money was involved..." She let that thought trail off, and he smiled in momentary humor.

Soon he was sighing again. "I asked her to marry me."

Kizuka blinked, a little surprised at the bluntness of the statement. "That's great!" she said, smiling. "But why are you so sad?"

"Because I didn't finish." His chuckle was bitter. "I asked her to marry me, but she refused."

"WHAT?"

"She said that she didn't love me," he said, warming to his subject. "That she was only my friend, and anything she might have hinted otherwise was a product of a foolish crush. She actually apologized for leading me on! She-"

"She was lying," Kizuka interrupted quickly. "Though that would explain why she was so sad earlier. She does love you. I can see it." She pointed to her eye significantly.

Tamahome's colors calmed down significantly, then began a slow boil. When it reached a peak she grabbed his arm as he started to stalk off. "Where are you going?"

"To Miaka," he said shortly, "She owes me an explanation."

"Not with that attitude you're not," she exclaimed heatedly. "You need to get rid of some of that anger, because if you go rushing off to her with accusations and demands, you will only hurt things."

"What would you suggest, then, oh honored one?" Tamahome's anger was beginning to be directed at her.

"Fight me," she said, grinning recklessly. "At least I can fight back."

Tamahome shot her and incredulous look and started to walk off again.

"What's this?" Kizuka taunted. "Too scared to hit a woman?"

That did it. Tamahome was back and threw a wild punch in her direction that she ducked easily.

//Are you completely insane?!// the voice sounded panicked. //This is the warrior seishi, trained in hand-to-hand combat!//

//And I am a Miharu,// she bit back quickly. //Now shut up, I am trying to concentrate.//

//We're gonna die!// The voice wailed.

Kizuka ignored that and concentrated on the fight. She retreated slowly, ducking and blocking, aiming for wider ground. Tentatively, she tried a low kick, but he dodged back. They took a short break on either side of the small field by the pond. Both were breathing hard as they gazed at each other, grinning as the sheer joy of the fight pumped in their blood.

At some indeterminate point the combatants resumed, their speed increasing. Punches and kicks were thrown, blocked, and returned. Neither would give an inch, both looking for the slightest weakness.

Kizuka knew that she would have to end this soon, so Tamahome wouldn't have any energy to see Miaka. She sped up the rhythm even more, but Tamahome adapted quickly. Squinting slightly, she deliberately left and opening.

Tamahome saw the opening and lunged for it, but suddenly she wasn't there. He stepped backwards to keep from overbalancing, and his feet were swept out from under him as Kizuka completed her low kick. Before he even hit the ground she was up and sailing over him, landing to kneel on his chest and pin his arms to the ground.

There was a burst of laughter, and for the first time Kizuka realized that she had an audience. She glanced up and saw that Tasuki, Mitsukake, Amiboshi, and Chiriko were on the side of the field, and Chichiri had paused in his fishing. Joy and good humor flowed from all.

Tamahome tried to get up, but Kizuka did not get off. After several failed attempts to remove the smaller girl, he looked over at the still chuckling Tasuki. "Is there something here that you find amusing?" he said with as much dignity as possible.

That set off Tasuki again. "She whooped your ass!" He shouted when he got his breath back. "That tiny little girl whooped your ass!"

Kizuka raised an eyebrow at that. She glanced at Tamahome with an expression that said, 'Shall I teach this punk a lesson?' Receiving a small nod she grinned ferally.

Tasuki didn't know what hit him. One minute he was enjoying a joke at Tamahome's expense, and the nest he was lying flat on his back right next to Tamahome. Kizuka had stood up and shook herself off, then flipped over to him, caught his head with her feet, and flipped back to slam him on the ground. She quickly pinned his arms and sat on his chest. She crossed her arms over her chest and said in a haughty tone, "Don't call me tiny."

At that Tamahome began laughing, but offered Tasuki a hand up as they both limped over to Mitsukake and looked at him with pleading eyes. He actually chuckled and called out to Kizuka, "Any war wounds that need treatment?"

Kizuka winced and rotated her shoulder. "A sore shoulder from a lucky hit, but I'll be fine. You take care of the children."

There were nods and assorted groans, and Mitsukake and Amiboshi led the victims inside. Kizuka smile in true happiness. The bonds of friendship were back, not as strong as before, but the rift between the rest of the seishi and Amiboshi was slowly healing.

"Ano...Kizuka-san?" She looked down to find that Chiriko had some up to her while she was watching the others.

"Hai?"

"Your fighting...that was wonderful!" He grinned up at her. "Could you teach me to fight like that? I know I won't ever be as good as you, but I would like to learn to fight. Before you say anything," he added quickly, "I want you to know that I am not a weak as I look. Just because I am not as strong as some of the others..."

"Wait a minute," Kizuka interrupted. "Who called you weak?"

"N-no one," he said, a bit awed by the fierce expression on her face. "But I'm the youngest, and I don't know how to fight. I'm thirteen years old but I look eight, and the only reason anyone would ever take me seriously is a stupid mark that appears on my foot without any regard to my intention or desire. I can't even control when it appears and disappears!"

"Whoa, slow down Chiriko." Kizuka knelt down and looked directly into Chiriko's face. "You have intelligence, something that I for one am profoundly grateful for. Can you imagine the leadership around here without your smarts? I wouldn't trust my life to the intellectual capabilities of those two idiots that I just threw around. And as for the rest..." There was a burst of surprised chi from behind her, and she grinned. "I have the utmost respect for their capabilities. Especially Chichiri."

Chiriko hid a giggle at Chichiri's expression as he realized that he had been caught sneaking up on them. When he went chibi and began waving his arms around in a random fashion, Chiriko did laugh, and Kizuka's grin softened to a smile.

"Now," she said, getting back to business, "from what I've observed and what you've said, your symbol glows most of the time, right?" Chiriko nodded and began to speak, but Kizuka cut him short with a wave. "Then you don't have much to worry about. If it does fail, then there are six other people well qualified to protect the Miko. What you need to learn is control. And control," she said, rising to her feet, "is something that I have been taught since age three."

Chiriko grinned up at her in gratitude. She knelt down and arranged his feet in a wide stance. "I will start with the Yang form of Tai Chi, because it is the easiest to learn. One of the most important principals of Tai Chi is relaxation. Root you feet firmly in the ground and allow your body to relax so that the slightest puff of wind will move it." She tapped lightly on his shoulder and he look up at her curiously. "OK. Take a deep breath and let it out slowly..."

* * *

The next morning saw Kizuka accompanying the seishi down to the harbor as the helped ready the ship for transport across the sea. Kizuka saw Amiboshi in earnest discussion with Hotohori, and wondered what they could be talking about. She was about to head over when she was hailed by Tamahome. She waited patiently for him to run over.

"I wanted to thank you," he said breathlessly, "for talking with me yesterday. I really needed it."

She grinned up at him. "So are you thanking me for beating you up? Glad to oblige. Feel free to utilize my services again anytime."

He laughed and started to walk away, but she grabbed his arm. "Seriously," she said. "Did you get to talk with Miaka?"

"Yeah," he grinned wryly. "Seems Tai Itsukun told her that, as a Miko, she had to remain pure until after the ceremony. She took that to mean that we couldn't be together at all, but I convinced her that it was perfectly alright for us to love each other as long as we didn't...well...LOVE each other."

Kizuka blushed. "I am very happy for you both."

"Hey Kizuka, why aren't you married?" Tamahome asked, then winced at the rudeness of the question. "Never mind, you don't have to answer that."

"It's ok. I lived in a rather isolated valley on the northern side of Tai Itsukun's mountain," she explained hurriedly. "When Shinji was born my parents were informed that the time for another Guardian was drawing near. That would be about the time that Chichiri was born. As such we weren't allowed to marry until a Guardian was chosen. Not that we ever had much selection, as the only company we had was a small village a little further down the mountain. I think Rei felt it the hardest, as she is a more social creature, and actually got a job in town to help us cover expenses."

"Maybe we can visit your family when we go north," Tamahome suggested gently, knowing how much he missed his own family.

"No," she said thoughtfully. "From what I understand from Chiriko, our route lies east of my home." She began walking towards Hotohori and Amiboshi, who were finishing up their discussion.

"Wait!" Tamahome jogged a bit to catch up. "You mean to say that your home isn't even on Konan soil?"

"No," she said. "Why do you ask?"

Tamahome just laughed in response, and Kizuka remained puzzled until Hotohori and Amiboshi came over and demanded a reason for the hilarity. Tamahome took Kizuka by the shoulders and thrust her in front of the emperor. "May I present to, heika-sama, the only girl insane enough to remain in your harem for two months without even being your rightful subject?"

"What?" Hotohori glanced at Kizuka, but she rolled her eyes and ducked out of Tamahome's grip. He was still laughing to hard to answer the question.

"Oh shut up and go tease Tasuki," Kizuka exclaimed.

Tamahome gave her a salute and wandered off. Someone grabbed Hotohori's attention and left Kizuka with Amiboshi. She pulled him to the side and asked, "What were you and Hotohori discussing so fiercely back there?"

"Nothing really," he said. "Since he is staying here to defend the country, Hotohori wanted to know what I knew about the Koutu army." He paused. "I didn't know much, really, but I hope I was helpful."

Kizuka nodded and moved to board the ship, but was stopped by his hand.

"I was wondering if you could connect Suboshi and me again." He shrugged. "It feels really weird not having him around."

"Sure," she said. "Why didn't you say something before? After you kept my nightmares away last night, it is the least I can do."

She stood in front of him and placed a hand on his forehead. Slowly, carefully, she traced along the weakened connection between the brothers. This required absolute concentration, and twice she almost lost the thread. She was interrupted by an indescribable scream of terror.

She snapped out of it quickly. Exchanging a glance with Amiboshi that agreed that they would continue this later, they both raced up the gang plank and onto the ship. The sight they were confronted with made them all face fault. The scream was nothing more than the result of Tamahome holding Tasuki over the water. Kizuka rolled her eyes at Amiboshi. "Can we do this this evening? Most of the bond that you shared was a spell created by Nakago, or someone close to him. I need peace and quiet to reconstruct the spell, and I don't think I'll get it here."

Amiboshi nodded, and they joined the others. All of a sudden she heard a snap and a whir, and she looked over at Miaka. The miko took in her confused look and handed her a piece of paper, which Kizuka stared at...well...blindly.

"It's a picture," Miaka explained. "Kind of like a painting, but faster."

"It's very pretty," Nuriko said, and Kizuka turned to find him at her shoulder. "It's a portrait of you and Amiboshi, and it looks very good," he whispered softly to her.

"Arigato, Miaka," Kizuka said to the girl, grateful for Nuriko's explanation.

After they convinced Tasuki that the pictures were perfectly safe, Miaka got several group and single shots. Finally she arranged everyone in one big group and had one of the sailors make ten copies of that picture, so that everyone could have one. Then the group broke up, and Hotohori offered to shelter Tamahome's family in the palace. Nuriko and Miaka left with him, and the rest headed back to the palace to finish the preparations for the journey.

* * *

"Ahhh! I'm soooo tired!" Kizuka exclaimed, flopping into a chair. It was nearing sunset, and the group was gathered in the room, basically resting before supper. They had worked hard all afternoon, and now only awaited the return of Tamahome and his family to be ready to leave.

"Not too tired, I hope," Amiboshi tossed out from his position on the floor. "You still have to remake the connection with my brother, remember?"

Kizuka groaned and pointed a finger at the Seiryuu. "You are going to be the death of me, Amiboshi." No one mentioned that just yesterday he nearly was the death of her.

She got up to kneel next to Amiboshi, but just as she was about to put her hand on his forehead she felt a tweak on one of the chi strings. She paused and looked out the door towards the East.

The grin faded from Amiboshi's face at the look of concern on Kizuka's. He sat up as Kizuka stumbled to her feet. "Kizuka?"

She silenced him with a wave and took a few steps toward the door. "Something's not right."

All of a sudden the emotions hit her like a storm. Shock. Pain. Horror. Sadness. Grief. Despair. Anger. All hit her from three sides as she dropped to her knees with a cry. Not wasting a moment, she dove into the missing seishi's chi strings. She went so far that she could see exactly what Tamahome saw. The children! Their butchered bodies lay scattered over the hut. The was blood everywhere. She barely acknowledged Miaka and Nuriko's presence behind her as her vision focused on the youngest one, the only one left alive. She drew back a bit to be able to see with her own eyes, so didn't hear what Tamahome said, but she felt his despair as the glow that she knew to be his sister faded out. She began to get angry, no, furious at the one responsible for this. She saw red as the house collapsed around her and she confronted the Seiryuu responsible for this outrage.

Suddenly her world shook and turned black. It didn't matter. When her vision cleared the Seiryuu was still there, his chi swirling with confusion and fear. Good. He should be afraid. He would be punished.

Kizuka had caught the attention of the entire room with her statement and subsequent cry. Amiboshi ran over to kneel in front of her, and exchanged a terrified look with Mitsukake and Hotohori, who had come up behind her. He gently lifted her face, but her eyes would not focus on him. He shook her slightly, confused and afraid.

Suddenly her eyes snapped over to focus on him, and her face twisted in hatred. He backed away as she stood up. He glanced at the seishi behind her. "Wh-what's going on?"

"They're dead." That chilling statement came from Kizuka. "They're all dead."

She raised her arms in an aggressive stance. "And shortly," she said calmly as she began to glow with a pearly white light. "You will be too."

********************************


Author's note: Idea for Mitsukake's magic was from Quicksilver in her story "Things long past". She is an excellent author and one you should read! I had no guesses on the bonus points from last time, so here is the answer. I quoted from Pride and Prejudice when I said, "the selfish disdain for the feelings of others" at the beginning of the last chapter. It is a quote from the first time Mr. Darcy proposes to Elizabeth, but that is really trivial information. The one for this chapter, from Star Trek, is a little easier. I'll give you a hint: I quoted from Star Trek 3: The Search for Spock. Let's have some guesses this time!

Questions? Tell me in a review and I will answer them in an email (if you leave one). If more than one person asks the same question, I will post the question and answer at the top of the next chapter.

Translators note: I am too tired to try and find all the Japanese words I used. If you have a question about any of them, see above note.

And now...

Seeing Beyond the Akugi!

Wingsong narrates: Kizuka began to feel better under the healing grace of Mitsukake. She squinted her eyes into slits to thank him, and frowned. The healing spell was the green of Genbu, not the red of Suzaku. His seishi mark was still red, but the chi coming out of his hand was definitely green.

Kizuka: (singing) It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Everyone else: ...