Fushigi Yuugi Gaiden 8 Eikou Den 2

[The Legend of Eternal Light]

Concept by: Watase Yuu/Nishizaki Megumi

Japanese version by: Nishizaki Megumi
Illustrations by: Watase Yuu
English Translation by: Tasuki no Miko & Tetris no Miko
Compiled by: Annz ‘n’ Dipz
 Contents
The Main Characters
Summary
Preface
Chapter 1 - Chiriko's Brains
Chapter 2 - Mitsukake's Healing
Chapter 3 - The Fake Miko's Story
Chapter 4 - Nuriko's Pure Love
Chapter 5 - Hotohori's Courage
Chapter 6 - Fascination of Nothing
Chapter 7 - Souls' Awakening
Chapter 8 - Miko's Hail
Chapter 9 - Eternal Light
Afterward
Author Profiles
The Main Characters
 Sukunami (Yuuki) Miaka
Formally Suzaku no Miko.
She attained love with Taka (Tamahome) and happily married him in this world.
The fruit (embryo) of their love was stolen by Mayo and she went into a coma!

Sukunami Taka
Formally the Suzaku Seishi Tamahome.
In order to save his child, Mayo, and the world of the Universe of the Four Gods
that was in danger of destruction, he goes into the book.
He is trying to find the reincarnated Seishi.

Tasuki
One of the surviving Suzaku Seishi.
Co-operating with Chichiri.

Chichiri
One of the surviving Suzaku Seishi.
Playing a key role along with Taka and Tasuki.

Jo Chousei
5 year old son of a poor village's doctor.
Hangs around with a girl named Shouka and a white cat.
Maybe he's...!?

Ko Reishun
An 8 year old girl who met Taka and the others.
She's cute and has superhuman strength.
Perhaps she's...!?

Shu Eian
9 year old peasant.
Makes a habit of visiting "Shu Tendou's" grave and has a strong sense of responsibility.
He's probably...!?

Chou Gakurei
6 month old talking baby.
Understands the current situation and has memories of his previous life.
Definitely *******.
 Sakaki Mayo

Pretending to be Suzaku no Miko in the Kounan Country palace,

she goes into the book world in order to make Taka hers.
With negative power she gave birth to an evil fake Suzaku...!?

Youtaikou (Houki)
Kounan Country's Empress dowager.

Reizeitei
Kounan Country's 12 year old Emperor.
The fruit of love of Houki and the late Saihitei (Hotohori).

Yuuki Keisuke
Miaka's older brother and Taka's college senpai.

Hongo Yui
Formally Seiryuu no Miko. Miaka's best friend.

Kajiwara Tetsuya
Taka and Keisuke's friend and Yui's boyfriend.

Kawai Saori
Mayo's best friend.
 Eikou Den Vol.1 : Summary

The story takes place 3 years after the conclusion of the "Fushigi Yuugi" manga.

The former Suzaku Seishi, Sukunami Taka (Tamahome, 21 year old college student) and the former
Suzaku no Miko, Yuuki Miaka (18 years old), got married with everyone's blessing. That night, Sakaki
Mayo (16 years old), Miaka's junior who had a deep unrequited love for Taka, overheard the story of
"The Universe of the Four Gods" as the 2 were discussing it amongst themselves. Her unrequited love,
her parents' imminent divorce, being unable to devote herself to her club, lead Mayo to want to escape
reality. She thought that if she could rewrite "The Universe of the Four Gods" she could make Taka
hers so she went into the strange book that she had found accidentally. Was it because the book was
damaged that she appeared in Kounan Country when it was on the brink of destruction? Mayo was
begged by Reizeitei (Boushin, Hotohori's and Houki's child) and Youtaikou (Houki) to save the
country. The instant she proclaimed herself the new Suzaku no Miko, the fruit of Taka and Miaka's
love, in its 3rd month of pregnancy, transferred to Mayo's stomach. Miaka fell into a coma and was
hospitalized as a result of that......

Meanwhile, Taka went into the book to save his wife and child as well as Mayo and the world of "The
Universe of the Four Gods". He met the surviving Suzaku Seishi, Chichiri and Tasuki, and asked
Taiitsukun for instructions. They were told they had to bring together the Shinzahou (Taka and
Miaka's child), the Miko (Miaka), and the Seishi and then summon Suzaku. They have to find the
reincarnations of Hotohori, Nuriko, Chiriko, and Mitsukake. But Mayo's negative energy increased
until finally it gave birth to a fake Suzaku, and used violence to stop them from finding the Seishi!!
 Preface

Suzaku Summoning Prayer

The 4 quadrants of the Heavens and the 4 directions of the Earth
With deep faith, virtue, and truth
"Suzaku", protector of the South, grant us your revelations
Now I speak these words

The seven constellations revealed to Earth from the Heavens

The cause for all life that worships you
Destroy all evil here
Rescue us with your divine power

I only wish you heed this

Come down to us from the Heavens
And honor us with your presence--------------...
 1 Chiriko's Brains
"Oh. This area isn't that bad yet..." Tasuki muttered as he looked over the state of the town.

"Even so, we can't relax no da." Chichiri cautiously admonished.

Taka nodded. "Yeah. That's right."

3 days since they left the palace, the 3 Suzaku Seishi who wandered the country with the help of
Taiitsukun's hint sphere, now arrived in a small northeastern town.

But looking for only 4 reincarnated people in Kounan Country wasn't an easy task. The sphere wasn't
reacting at all and the 3 were already beginning to seem tired and impatient.

"Hey, Taka. Can we really rely on that sphere? It's pretty old and Taiitsukun's all wrinkled-up..."
Tasuki said as he tore Taiitsukun's hint sphere from Taka's hand. "Hey, aren't ya gonna say anything?
Ya damn useless sphere."

"Tasuki. Wh-what are you doing no da!?"

Ignoring Chichiri's attempt to stop him, Tasuki forcefully smacked the sphere and suddenly his beady
eyes bulged. "U-uwah~! It worked. It worked, it worked~. Check it out!"

Taka and Chichiri peered into the sphere and just as Tasuki had said, the character "wisdom" faintly
appeared in the sphere.

"......It's Chiriko...!" The 3 said together.

Taka, Chichiri, and Tasuki exchanged nods and got on their horses.

"This house. This has gotta be it."

The 3 stopped in front of the house. The character in the hint sphere clearly shone.

"But, it's such an extravagant mansion..." Taka looked up at the house that towered over the hill and
sighed.

They climbed up the several dozen steps, then Chichiri jingled his staff and called out. "Excuse me no
da."

After a long time, a female servant slowly popped her head out from the other side of the gate. "Yes.
Can I help you?"
Taka took a step forward. "Uh... actually..." Having said that much, Taka hesitated. What would be the
best way to explain the situation? "Well... um, you know... Actually... we used to be Suzaku Seishi...
Uh..."

"Ergh! What're ya stammering for?" An impatient Tasuki pushed Taka aside, brazenly stepped
forward, and said to the servant. "The reincarnation of the Suzaku Seishi Chiriko should be in this
house."

"......Tasuki......" Taka and Chichiri covered their faces with an "Aah..."

The servant, having seen the sphere in Taka's hand, suddenly replied. "Yes. He's here."

Stunned by that, Taka, Chichiri, and even Tasuki were speechless for awhile.

"He-he-he-he-he's here~~~~?!" Tasuki burst out.

"Please come in. The Master and Mistress will welcome you!" The servant smiled and urged the 3
inside at a slow gait like a cow.

"That went really well no da..."

"Yeah..."

The 3, having been ushered into an inner room, were sipping expensive looking tea.

"Hey, that was easy." Tasuki fanned himself with his halisen.

Taka nodded in agreement. "Come to think of it, Chiriko's dream was to become a civil servant, wasn't
it?"

From what they had heard from the servant, the master of the house was a high ranking government
official of the region.

"But, how come the people of this household know that Chiriko's reincarnation is here?..."

Chichiri titled his head at Taka's question. "I don't know no da..."

Everyone stiffened as they sensed the door open.

An intelligent and refined looking couple in their late 30's entered.

"Well I'll be, the Suzaku Seishi Tamahome-sama, Chichiri-sama, and Tasuki-sama. Thank you for
coming. It is an honor." The couple bowed their heads deeply before the 3.

"I am Chou..." The husband introduced himself.

"Chou-san..."

The 3 Seishi's eyes widen. Chiriko had been reincarnated into a family with the character of his former
name.

"We've heard all about your previous exploits."

"H...huh?..." Taka's head spun. Wasn't Chiriko's reincarnation this couple's child?

If he had been reincarnated right away he might be around 10 years old.

That child wouldn't have been born having memories of his previous life, would he?

"Uh... Is Chiriko's reincarnation... your child no desu da?" Chichiri, thinking the same things as Taka,
asked the couple.

"That is correct." The wife answered.

"Our son... told us his friends from before would come here."

"...Your son no da?..." Chichiri confirmed.

The husband nodded and said. "Our son said his Seishi powers would be needed again to help in the
country's crisis."

".........Chiriko..." Taka's chest grew warm.

"Excuse me. Would ya hurry up and bring him here already?" Impatient again, Tasuki pressed the
parents.

"I'm sorry. He needs constant care right now. I'll go get the wet nurse."

"Wet nurse..." Tasuki swore under his breath and whispered in Taka's ear. "Has Chiriko been
reincarnated in such a wealthy family that he's still sucking on a wet nurse's breasts?"

The woman who showed Taka and the others in earlier slowly entered. She silently stood at the
couple's side.

"Uh~... Where is...... the reincarnated Chiriko?..." Taka rather impatiently asked the couple.

"Huh? Gakurei is right there. Show them, Gyuuho."

The wet nurse, Gyuuho, gently showed them the bundle that she held in her arms.

Because it had been covered with a cloth they hadn't been able to tell but it was a baby that couldn't be
more than half a year old.
"Th-th-this is~!?" The 3 gaped open their mouths.

The mother smiled at them. "Yes. It was time to change his diaper just now..."

Turning to the still speechless 3, the baby slowly opened it's mouth. "It's been a long time, Taka-san,
Chichiri-san, Tasuki-san..."

"Wah!! What's with this baby?! He talked just now!" Tasuki's eyes bulged.
"Y-yeah. He did." Also surprised, Taka stared at the baby.

"Well it has been a long time, everyone..."

Chichiri verified that the voice was coming out of the baby's lovely pink lips and ran up to the wet
nurse. "Da! You surprised us no da. This child is definitely Chiriko no da."

The baby's parents and the wet nurse smiled as they looked on.

"This child spoke shortly after he was born. He said that he was the reincarnation of the Suzaku Seishi
Chiriko." The wife said and the husband nodded.

"We were really surprised then. But, when we heard what he had to say it made sense. On top of that,
he told us that this time he wanted to pass the civil service exam and become a useful person for the
sake of the country and to set his parents' minds at ease, so he was born here... For many years we had
not been blessed with children. Now we know how it feels to be blessed with a child of god."

"Father... Mother..." The baby said sounding a bit embarrassed.

Even the wet nurse holding the baby said with a proud expression. "Gakurei-sama is so smart that he's
read every book ever written. He would be able to pass the civil service exam even now."

Hearing that, the parents' faces fell.

But the father's face immediately returned to normal and he said. "But, now's not the time for such
casual conversation, is it?... What will become of Kounan Country now?..."

Taka answered with a stern face. "The city is almost completely in ruins already. The palace wall is
beginning to collapse..."

"That bad...?!" The parents and the wet nurse frowned.

"Just as Chiriko said, in order to save the country we must gather all of the Suzaku Seishi at once no
da." Chichiri said.

The baby said. "Father, Mother. I am sorry but would you leave us 4 alone?"

The parents looked at each other and nodded. "Alright. Gakurei..."

Then the mother said to the wet nurse. "Well then, leave Gakurei with one of them... Gyuuho"

"...Ah, yes..." She then gently presented the baby to Tasuki who was seldom next to her. "Please take
care of him."

"Wh-wh-why me?" Tasuki backed away. "I don't know nothing 'bout babies."
"Tasuki-san." Gakurei said. " Didn't you carry me on your back long ago?... I remember it well. And
the warmth of your back..."

"Th-that..."

The wet nurse then handed Gakurei to Tasuki and he took the baby timidly.

"Hey, Chiriko. Ya better not pee on me."

Caw, caw, caw......

There were loud cries outside the window at that moment. The wet nurse, Gyuuho, popped her head
outside the window and said to the husband. "Several ravens are gathering. ...It's eerie. I'll drive them
away."

Gakurei's parents quietly withdrew from the room following the wet nurse.

Having learned from the 3 about how things came to be, the baby started off. "Please call me
Chiriko..."

"But, having memories of your previous life when you were born..." Taka looked at Chiriko in
disbelief.

"It's because Chiriko was smart and the memories of his previous life were intense no da..." Chichiri
surmised.

Chiriko smiled at him, then told his friends. "Everyone. ...It took a really long time for me to be
reincarnated. ...I didn't have any self-confidence..."

"So that's why you're a baby..."

"But, while I was hesitating to be reincarnated, the country began to be destroyed by an unknown
cause. I knew the only way to save the country was to summon Suzaku again...... So finally I was
resolved to be born again in this world..."

"You reincarnated yourself to save the country?..." Taka scrutinized the baby's face gratefully.

"The country's destruction was getting worse when I was born and I figured that the cause was related
to some kind of warp of Taka-san and Miaka-san's world..."

Taka gasped at that.

Chiriko looked at Taka with large bright eyes as if they saw through everything. "And I believe the
existence of the girl, Mayo... who came here through the warp, is now creating new destruction..."
"Whaa~t!" Tasuki looked like he was about to accidentally drop the baby.

"Wah~!" Chiriko cried out like a real baby but soon returned to normal and said. "I'm sorry.
Sometimes the baby in me... comes out..."

"What? It's just like ya used to be. When the character appeared on your foot you were like a different
person from when it didn't..."

"Tasuki-san, please don't say that..."

Ignoring the exchange, Taka groaned. "Sakaki Mayo is the cause of the new destruction?..."

"Yes. So if we don't hurry, this country... this world... will disappear."

"Come to think of it, Taiitsukun was saying that the destruction would expand from every direction,
both inside and out no da..."

Taka and Tasuki frowned at Chichiri's words.

"Because I'm like this, I can't go with you. So please call me when you find the other 3."

"Alright..."

"If you don't hurry, I won't have any self-confidence just like when I was Chiriko..."

"By the way, Chiriko. ...Do you have any idea what became of the other 3 no da?"

Chiriko tilted his head at Chichiri's question. "I'm sure... they must have been reincarnated earlier than
me... Wouldn't Mitsukake-san have wanted to become a mountain village doctor?..."

"Right... Then what 'bout Nuriko and Hotohori-sama?" Tasuki asked Chiriko in his arms and then
tilted his head. "Huh? What the? You're drooling."

"Babu... Babu... Babu..."

"He's returned to being a baby no da..." Chichiri held his head.

At the same time, the baby cried out as if he were set on fire. "Waaaah, waaaah~!"

"Uwaaa~h!" Tasuki pushed the wailing baby onto Chichiri.

Suddenly he stopped crying. "I'm sorry... I'll... be returning to a baby as I grow up... So hurry."

"Alright no da... ...Hm?? Something's cold no da..."

"It's pee!"
And then the baby, wailing again, was passed off to Taka this time.

"Take care of him no da! We'll go get the people of the house no da."

"H-hey..."

Left alone in the room with the baby, Taka began to console the baby with inexperienced hands going
"alright alright".

"......Taka-san."

"Eek... Y-you're back?..."

Chiriko looked at Taka with round eyes and said. "Taka-san. This place is a world inside a book, isn't
it?"

"............!" Taka was left speechless at Chiriko's unexpected words.

"The destruction began because people from Taka-san and Miaka-san's world damaged the book,
right?"

"......Chiriko... you..."

The baby smiled. "I... was already very smart when I was born. So I knew it right away... Not only did
I remember all of Chiriko's memories but all the knowledge of this world was also in my head."

"........."

"But that's all disappearing. Just like Kounan Country is. That may be the fate of my reincarnation..."

"......Chiriko..."

"So please come for me while I still have my memories. Then please save the country and be happy
with Miaka-san." Even now, Chiriko's face looked like it would break out crying. He held it off and
said. "Taka-san... You're very good at comforting a baby...... I'm sure you'll make a good father..."

Before he could finish, he began to cry as if unable to resist the baby in him.

Taka, Chichiri, and Tasuki were escorted as far as the front of the gate by the Chou couple and the wet
nurse, Gyuuho.

"I'm sure you want some milk, don't you..." The wife looked at the peacefully sleeping child in her
arms with a motherly face.
"Here, Mistress..." The wet nurse beside her put out her arms and the mother gently placed the baby in
her arms.

"Well then, we'll be leaving no da."

"Please take care..."

Having gotten plenty of food and water, the 3 bowed their heads to the Chou couple and turned away.

Halfway down the stairs, Taka turned back. "Chou-san..."

"Yes?"

Taka said to Chiriko's father. "Your son... may one day... return to a regular baby without his memories
of being Chiriko or his outstanding intelligence..."

He nodded. His wife beside him also smiled. "Yes. We know. But, Gakurei will always be our precious
child."

"......Chiriko, good for you..." Tasuki murmured.

The 3 turned away from the Chou house again.

When they had gone down all the steps.

"Kyaaaaa~! Gyuuho, what are you doing!?"

Gasping at Chiriko's mother's scream, the 3 looked up at the house gate and saw an unbelievable sight.

The slow wet nurse began to quickly swing back and forth the baby in her arms. The baby wailed.

Chou desperately sprung at the wet nurse.

But before he could reach her, the baby was tossed from the wet nurse's arms to the bottom of the
stairs.

"Gakurei------------!!' The mother screamed.

"Chiriko!"

Taka and Tasuki dived trying to somehow catch the baby.

"Out of the way no da!!" Chichiri shoved aside the 2 and recited a prayer with his staff at his side.

The baby floated in the air just before it was about to hit the ground.
"Sigh. Just in time no da..."

"You put up a barrier..." Tasuki also breathed a sigh of relief.

Taka looked at the dumbstruck wet nurse.

"Ca~w, ca~w, ca~w" Behind them, the raven flock continued flying in small circles.

Note: Gyuuho means "at a slow pace" and is spelled with the characters for "cow" and "walk".
2 Mitsukake's Healing
4 days after they had set out on horseback again---------------.

"Hey. How 'bout a break? I can't go on anymore..." Tasuki unsteadily got off his horse and collapsed to
the ground, his arms and legs spread wide.

Taka and Chichiri joined him.

"We're out of water no da..." Chichiri turned the water bottle upside down and shook his head.

Taka looked at the dried up river before them with vacant eyes. "Chichiri... Will Chiriko be alright?"

"Yes. I'm sparing as much attention as I can so that the barrier around Chiriko can't be broken no da
but..." Chichiri answered with a worn out expression.

"But that wet nurse, Gyuuho, acting like that all of a sudden..." Tasuki muttered.

Taka silently bit his lip.

There was something evil near them and it was hindering them from finding the Suzaku Seishi.

He had a feeling that it was Sakaki Mayo behind it.

Taka looked at Taiitsukun's sphere.

"Hey. Try hitting it. It might make a character appear like the time with Chiriko..." Tasuki told him in
a parched voice.

Without thinking, Taka tried it but this time it was unresponsive. The 3 dejectedly looked out over the
desolated mountain village.

"Excuse me..." A small voice came from behind them.

They turned around with a gasp. A girl about 10 years old with graceful features stood in front of the
3.

"You're travelers, right? Please take this water if you want..." The girl extended a bucket filled with
water before the 3.

"But... this is your family's..."

The girl shook her head at Taka's words. "There's a spring that gushes water out here. I can get some
more so..."

"O-oh?! Thanks little girl." Tasuki was the first to greedily plunge his head into the water bucket.
Taka and Chichiri followed suit, not holding back either.

With their horses in tow, the 3 followed the girl who offered to put them up for the night after they had
filled up with water from the spring.

"We're really sorry to trouble you no da."

"It's no trouble." The girl shook her head as she smiled. "When we get to my house I'll get an infusion
for you from the man next door. It works re--ally well on fatigue..."

"Oh. The man next door is a doctor then?"

The girl nodded at Taka's words. "Yep. A really nice one. He has a boy that I get along well with. He's
always with me going Shouka-neechan, Shouka-neechan."

The 3 all stopped at once.

"Your... name is Shouka!?" Taka grabbed the girl's shoulder.

"That's right." Shouka said and pointed a bit ahead at the deserted village that had just come into view.
"See. There's my house."

"Tasuki! Chichiri! Look!!" Taka held the hint sphere in front of the 2.

"Oh, ohhhhhh~ A character has appeared, ha~sn't it!?"

Another new character appeared in the sphere.

"By the way, what does it say?"

"Heal. Healing... We've found Mitsukake no da..." Chichiri squinted his real eyes.

"Shouka-neechan!" Having found the girl, a small figure scrambled toward them. A young white cat
followed close behind the child.

"Ah... that cat... must be a reincarnation too no da..." Chichiri, reminded of Mitsukake's white cat that
had suddenly disappeared about 5 years ago, whispered to his friends.

"Chousei." Shouka said to the child who clung tightly to her. "I'm back. I'm sorry, were you lonely?"

"You shouldn't go off by yourself. Didn't I tell you I'd always be with you and protect you?" The child
said with a firm tone.
"But, Chousei, weren't you napping? You're still only 5 years old, Chousei." Shouka giggled and
patted Chousei's head.

The white cat happily rubbed it's face against Shouka's leg.

Having seen that, Taka, Chichiri, and Tasuki looked at each other and nodded.

It had to be. Just like Chiriko said, Mitsukake had been reincarnated as the child of a poor mountain
village doctor.
Then could the girl named Shouka be the infant that Mitsukake saved just before he died? If so then
because Shouka was a baby back then that must be why she can be with Mitsukake's reincarnation.

"Mitsukake! Good to see ya again. You've became a really cute boy." Tasuki patted the small boy's
shoulder. "It's me, Tasuki. Look, Taka and Chichiri are here too. You're with your cat as usual, aren't
ya?"

The boy, however, titled his head. "Shouka-neechan. Who are these people?"

"What're ya saying? Don't play dumb, Mitsukake."

The boy smacked away Tasuki's hand and glared at them. "Who are you guys?! You didn't do anything
bad to neechan, did you?"

The cat bared its fangs at the same time that the boy got angry.

"Huh!?..."

Chichiri put a hand on a speechless Tasuki's shoulder. "Mitsukake has lost his memories no da..."

"Probably the cat... as well..." Taka drooped his shoulders.

Mitsukake's father, the village doctor, Jo, listened to their story, crossed his arms, and sighed. "I see...
He's the reincarnation of a Suzaku Seishi..." The doctor, who looked just like the previous Mitsukake,
muttered as he offered the fatigue infusion to Taka and the others. "Finally I understand why he was so
fond of the next door neighbor girl, Shouka... Ever since I could remember, he's been insisting that he
would 'protect Shouka-neechan'. So it was because they had that kind of connection?... Shouka's
parents died a long time ago and she was taken in by distant relatives from this village."

"I see no da..."

So then Mitsukake was reincarnated in this family with no problems.

Taka asked Chousei's father. "Your son doesn't have any memories of being a Seishi?..."

The village doctor titled his head. "Come to think of it, I remember being surprised when he first
started talking. He'd say... 'suzaku' from time to time. But after awhile he no longer said that."

"Everyone loses their memories just like Chiriko no da..." Chichiri knit his brow.

"How do we recover Mitsukake's memories?..." Taka said as he watched the 2 children happily
playing outside the window.

"That's a problem, isn't it?..." Tasuki also crossed his arms.

"But if this keeps up, Kounan Country will be destroyed, won't it?" Chousei's father looked at the 3
with anxious eyes. "The crops of this mountain village have also withered away and there are old
people and children starving to death... There's nothing in my power that I can do."

Taka said to the doctor. "Will you entrust your son to us?"

"Chousei...?"

"Yes. We still have to find 2 more people. We don't have any more time. While we're doing that we'd
like to somehow revive his memories but..."

"Right. He might remember something if he's with us." Tasuki nodded.

Chichiri also agreed and bowed his head to the father. "Please no da."

After thinking it over for awhile, Jo said. "Alright. Please take Chousei. My wife died of an incurable
disease soon after giving birth to Chousei. My wife in heaven would also approve. If Chousei can help
save the country, she would be happy..."

"Father!" The 3 grasped the hand of the father who looked just like Mitsukake.

"But..." He then said. "Will Chousei agree to leaving Shouka to set out on a journey?..."

"No! I won't leave Shouka-neechan!"

The next morning, surrounded by the 3 Seishi, his father, and Shouka's adopted parents, Chousei clung
to Shouka as usual and wouldn't let go. Everyone was at a loss.

"Chousei. Listen. If you don't go, this country will be destroyed. You know that, don't you?..." His
father told him.

Chousei instantly fell silent.

"I told you about the Suzaku Seishi last night, right? That you were one of them..."

"......I don't know anything about that..." Chousei blubbered.

The father and mother who raised Shouka looked at the next door neighbor child in bewilderment.

Though they had heard that the child was the reincarnation of the Suzaku Seishi, Mitsukake, who
saved Shouka's life long ago, it seemed it still hadn't sunk in.

"Hey. He really doesn't want to go... It's so sad... Jo-san." Shouka's adopted mother couldn't stand by
and look.
"Chousei. Don't answer without even hearing them out!" Shouka said and suddenly pulled Chousei off
her violently. "You want to protect me, right? Then you shouldn't be here. If you don't go, everyone
will die! I'll die."

"......Shouka-neechan..."

Shouka continued. "Are you that much of a coward? I don't like that kind of boy."

The boy's small body began to tremble.

"......Shouka-chan..." Taka said to the 10 year old girl, clasping his hands together in his mind.

"Come on, let's go. You can ride up in front of me..." Tasuki pulled Chousei up on his horse.

Chousei looked over bitterly at the people who saw him off.

His eyes stopped on Shouka.

Shouka gave a great nod to Chousei. She stood there resolutely even as she desperately tried to hold
back her tears. At her side the white cat sadly meowed.

"Please take care of him..." The father bowed his head to the 3 Seishi.

Dark clouds hung over the road and dust swirled as the group silently departed.

Soon after, black clouds slowly moved over the village but the 3 on their horses didn't notice.

That night, having made a place to sleep in a hollow of one of the mountains they crossed, the 3
sighed.

"He's finally asleep no da..."

At first, bringing Chousei on the journey was OK, but then the wailing child was really giving the 3
trouble and they were unable to continue the journey.

"Shouka....nee...chan..." The child sadly talked in his sleep.

"Poor thing..." Tasuki said as he looked down at the child. "But I can't believe he's really Mitsukake...
Chiriko was a surprise too but since he had his memories..."

"Will we... be able to return Mitsukake's memories?..." Taka muttered feeling depressed.

"I'm concerned about what'll happen now. Won't he just be a burden?..."

"At any rate we better get some rest too no da... We'll sleep in shifts no da." Chichiri told the 2.

Chousei opened his eyes with a gasp.

His heart was beating loudly.

"......Shouka...neechan..."

The sky began to grow light.

The 3 Suzaku Seishi men seemed to be sleeping against a large nearby tree.

Chousei quietly stood up so as not to wake them.

If he didn't hurry, Shouka-neechan would die.

He slowly ran away.

His pace gradually quickened.

The boy began to run at full speed toward the village.

"Shouka-neechan!"

He'd had a dream. Shouka was surrounded by an evil flock and was being hurt. She was in pain... It
was a scary dream...

"Shouka-neechan!!!!"

Chousei didn't think of what Shouka told him yesterday.

He just continued to run, anxious about Shouka.

"Wah! Oh no! He got awaaay." Tasuki woke up from dozing off on his watch. It was already an hour
after Chousei had left. Taka and Chichiri jumped up at Tasuki's loud voice. "That damn bra~t."

Chichiri poked his staff at the steaming Tasuki who ignored his own negligence. "What's done is done
no da!"

With Chichiri's spell, the 3 returned to the village again and froze at a strange voice.
"Shouka! Shouka! Hang in there." A woman's cry came from a neighboring house.

The 3 rushed into the house. "............!"

The adopted parents continued to call out the 10 year old girl's name as they cried. The girl's entire
body was covered in blood.

Chousei's father hung his head beside them.

"What...happened?..."

Noticing the 3, Jo shook his head and said. "......She was attacked by a large flock of ravens... They all
of a sudden went after just her... There wasn't anything we could do... We tried everything we could
but..."

"Wha~t?"

Caw... Caw... Caw...

Hearing the eerie cries of the ravens, Tasuki rushed outside. "Lekka Shinen--------------------!"

The black group circling high above Shouka's house were engulfed in the flames that gushed out of
the tessen and instantly fell down. Tasuki crushed the remains under his foot in irritation.

Going back into the house, Tasuki reported to his friends in a low voice. "...I turned them all into roast
chicken..."

"Shouka~~~~..." Nearby, the adopted mother continued to rock her barely breathing daughter.

"By the way... why are you here?..." Jo asked.

Taka questioned him instead. "Chousei-kun hasn't returned here?"

"Huh...!?" The doctor shook his head with a surprised look.

"I'm sorry! He got away... when I dozed off." Tasuki bowed.

"It's your fault!" Shouka's adopted mother said to them. "Because you took Chousei. That child really
did protect Shouka! That's why this has happened..."

"Don't..." The husband tried to calm down his wife.

"No! And on top of that, you didn't keep your eye on Chousei. He's only 5 years old. What do you
think would happen if he'd gotten lost on a dangerous mountain path?! How terrible of you. You've
been irresponsible with... such a little boy..."

"Mom... stop......" The dying girl's mouth barely moved.

"Shouka, Shouka..."

"...I'm...... O...K......" Shouka said with gasping breath. "Chousei...... carried out...... his mission...... for
me......" Shouka said and gave a small smile.

Long ago, Mitsukake's lover, Shouka, held a grudge against Mitsukake after she died from a disease
and became a horrible byouma. But she was saved by Suzaku no Miko's heart and peacefully passed
away in Mitsukake's arms.

Then she was reincarnated as a girl named Shouka again.

In the violent war with Kutou Country, the weakened baby's life was saved by Mitsukake just before
he exhausted himself and died.

And then, 10 years later... The light of the girl's life was now quietly going out again.

At that moment, there was a sound of something breaking down the front door.

Everyone turned around and open their eyes wide with a gasp.

"......Chousei."

Not seeming to hear his father, Chousei ran up to Shouka's bed at full speed.

He must have ran the whole way without stopping... His breath came out in gasps, his small chest
heaving.

"......Shouka...neechan......" Chousei clung to the girl. "You can't! You can't die! I came back. I came
back..."

But, though he called her and shook her, Shouka didn't open her eyes.

Jo gently took the girl's hand, checked her pulse, and shook his head. "It's... no use now..."

"Why?! Why?! Even though I had to be with her no matter what happened. Even though, no matter
how important it was, I had to protect the person special to me..." Chousei shouted.

"......Mitsukake..." Taka softly murmured.

Chousei put his left hand to Shouka's small wounded face. "......Why? ......Why is this happening
again...... Shouka..."

Taka, Tasuki, and Chichiri had been hanging their heads. They raised their heads with a gasp at the
words that came out of the 5 year old boy's mouth.
And then they saw.

A red light came out of Chousei's outstretched palm...

Then, at that moment, Shouka's wounds vanished without a trace...

Chousei slowly turned around.

He showed his friends the character "sad" written on his palm and silently nodded.

"Mitsukake! You remember?"

He smiled at Taka's question. "Shouka will be alright now. She should wake up soon..."

The white cat also meowed in an adult sounding voice at Mitsukake's side.
3 The Fake Miko's Story
"Come get me when you find Hotohori-sama and Nuriko." Mitsukake said.

"Wha~t the? How weird. A 5 year old boy talking like a grown man." Tasuki chuckled.

Mitsukake silently looked at his palm, the character having already disappeared, and unexpectedly
smiled.

"I'm happy for you.... Mitsukake..." Taka gently placed a hand on Mitsukake's shoulder.

Mitsukake hadn't repeated the pain of long ago when his lover, Shouka, died because he had left her
for a long time in order to carry out his job as doctor.

On the contrary, this time those same extreme circumstances instead gave birth to a miracle that
restored his previous memories.

"......That girl may really be Shouka's reincarnation." Mitsukake murmured.

Tasuki answered. "Right. And she knows it unconsciously... Even though you did the same as before,
she believed you would carry out your mission... Hey, you 2 be happy this time. I know it's a bit early
for this but even a 5 year older wife is a good thing, right?"

"......Tasuki..." Mitsukake had come as far as the outskirts of town to see them off.

Chichiri said to him. "Well, this is far enough no da. Shouka-chan is waiting."

"Chichiri... Whatever happened to that holy water I gave you?" Mitsukake asked about the water he
had once given to Chichiri to return his eye to normal.

"This scar is a part of my life no da. I am who I am now because of it. And it's better I stay like this so
that I don't forget Hikou or Kouran no da... I'll use the water for some other time no da..." Chichiri
said, his real face grinning.

Mitsukake nodded. "Well then, take care."

Tasuki put a hand on the tessen. "Well, I've exterminated those suspicious looking ravens for now
but."

The eerie black birds that appeared before them had to be the dark envoy that Sakaki Mayo sent. They
probably attacked Shouka so as to stop Mitsukake.

".......Mayo..." Taka was suddenly seized by regret over whether he should have told her what he did
that night. Even though it would have been a lie back then, wouldn't it have been better to humor her?

"Taka... It's best this way no da." As if reading his friend's mind, Chichiri put a hand on Taka's
shoulder. "We can't go against this country's Shinzahou no da..."
The friends around Taka all gave a great nod.

The white cat rubbed it's face against the legs of Taka and the others as it purred.

"He's recovered his memories too?" Seeing the mother cat that brought 3 kittens next to Mitsukake's
cat, Tasuki then said. "How come reincarnated you is already married when non-reincarnated me is
still single~? Hey, it's not fair."

"What're you doing taking it out on the cat, idiot."

"What was that? Damn you Tama. That's right, you used to have a cat's name. Come to think of it,
there was one other name, wasn't there? O-ba-ke-cha~n!"

"Damn you~ Tasuki."

"Oh, bring it on."

"Come on, let's get going no da..." Chichiri said grabbing Taka and Tasuki by the scruff of their necks
with an amazed expression. "Mitsukake... You be careful too no da..."

"Right. As a Suzaku Seishi I won't let anyone around me be harmed..." A proud light that once
protected the country resided in Mitsukake's eyes.

In the gloom of the Suzaku shrine in the Kounan Country palace.

"..............." Sakaki Mayo swore under her breath and violently covered a large crystal ball before her
with a black cloth.

After the Seishi had left, Mayo was always observing what they were up to in the crystal ball.

"Damn it's useless...!"

Mayo then looked up at the Suzaku statue beside her.

The color had changed unnoticed from shiny gold to black.

It is because your hate is still too weak. The bird told Mayo

"...What was that?..."

Sukunami Taka is a horrible man for not realizing your wholehearted feelings at all. You should hate
him more more... more.

"............"
And then, with the power of that hate, make him yours.

Mayo put a hand to her stomach. But the heavenly light did not radiate from there like before. She
became uneasy. Was the child no longer there?

Was it her imagination or did the color of the ring on her left ring finger also appear to completely
fade.

She remembered the night that Taka showed her the street stand ring on a chain and he told her. "This
is my real wedding ring..." Mayo's overzealousness grew.

"...I won't lose... Would I lose to Yuuki Miaka?..." She bit her lip.

A single person entered the Suzaku Shrine then.

"Reizeitei..."

The young Emperor walked to Mayo and sadly looked up at the Suzaku statue. "When did it turn this
color?..."

Mayo tilted her head. "What are you saying? It's the same as before..."

Reizeitei looked at Mayo and shook his head slightly. "You must not be able to see it through your
eyes..."

Mayo turned her face away looking offended.

He asked the Miko. "How are the Seishi doing...?"

"They're doing well." Mayo glanced over at the crystal ball covered by the black cloth.

Seeming to have made up his mind, Reizeitei asked the Miko. "Do you remember what you said to my
mother the other day?"

Mayo turned to the Emperor and shrugged her shoulders.

"You told my mother that people's hearts change. That she should know that well."

"Ah, that." Mayo narrowed her eyes and said to the boy. "I don't know what kind of wonderful Suzaku
legend you heard from your mother but the truth is it was a story that swirled with filthy hatred."

"............."
"Shall I tell you it?" Mayo's lips raised maliciously. "Your father... Hotohori, was deeply in love with
Suzaku no Miko long before he even met her."

"With Suzaku no Miko......" Reizeitei was dumbstruck.

"Just as I thought, no one told you." Mayo laughed and continued. "Though Hotohori loved the Miko
to death, the Miko stayed with Tamahome. But a lot happened with those 2, the Miko... Yuuki Miaka,
tried many times to switch over to Hotohori. It's a shame, isn't it? Hotohori... your father, was
completely toyed with by Yuuki Miaka..."

"............"

"But, in the end, Miaka chose Tamahome. When she did, your father quickly changed his feelings too.
He soon married Houki-san. And that's how you were born."

Reizeitei's small shoulders shook.

"I wonder did your parents really love each other...?" Mayo said, remembering her own parents. "A
child is a nuisance..."

Reizeitei hung his head. Mayo glanced at him, thinking that he was also a victim just like herself.

"But Miaka and Tamahome didn't really love each other. It only appeared that way." Mayo told the
Emperor who looked at her frowning suspiciously.

"And so, in the book..." Having said that much, Mayo stopped. The people of this world didn't know
that this was a book world. Even Mayo knew she shouldn't say that. She changed the subject. "But in
the end, things weren't going well for those 2 in that world. So I guess you just don't know people's
hearts, do you?"

After a bit of silence, the Emperor said. "Are you...... really the new... Suzaku no Miko...?"

Mayo looked cross at that question. "What do you mean by that?" As revered as the Kounan Country
Emperor was, Mayo stood firm before him and looked down at the boy who was still 10 cm shorter
than her.

"Who was the one asking me to save the country?! Everyone looking at me as if blaming me!!"

"............"

"I didn't come here because I wanted to be Miko! You're the ones who made me Miko!" Mayo
declared. "Who'd want to come to a world that's disappearing?! And with no handsome Emperor to
fall in love with the Miko. How come Miaka got Hotohori and I get you, a kid?!"

Reizeitei's delicate glasswork like face twisted before her eyes. "......You... are not Miko after all..." He
shook his head. "The destruction continues unchanged... Even with the powers of those 3 it may
already be too late..."
This time it was Sakaki Mayo who began to shake.

Reizeitei silently turned his back on the fake Miko.

"I am Suzaku no Miko!" Mayo spat the words at the Emperor's back. "If it comes to it, I can summon
Suzaku all by myself!"

But Reizeitei left the Suzaku shrine without even turning back.

It was close to noon when Kawai Saori rushed into Miaka's hospital room.

"This is......"

It took nearly 3 hours to finally contact the high school girl who had been off looking for Mayo since
Sunday morning. Saori had heard what happened from Keisuke on the phone but when she saw Miaka
truly lying on the bed all she could do was stand there motionless.

"Saori-chan... You may not believe it but what Keisuke-san said, it's all true..." Yui told the high
school underclassman.

Saori looked at the old book that Keisuke opened.

"Mayo and Coach Sukunami... are in there... now?..."

"Yeah. That's right." The young man with sunglasses at Yui's side said. "Nice to meet you. I'm
Kajiwara Tetsuya."

"My boyfriend..." Yui said.

Saori bowed her head.

"Hey, help us out. We want to bring Mayo-chan back here..."

Keisuke cried out at that moment. "Hey! Mayo has brought out the handkerchief! Now's our chance."

All alone after Reizeitei had left her, Mayo bit her lip.

The girl was struck with indescribable loneliness.

Everyone turns their backs on me and leaves......

Why!? Why!?!?
I never did anything bad.

I hung in there hoping with all my might that things between my mother and father would return to
how they used to be. I clenched my teeth as much as I could and stuck with my club life.

And when all I did was love my first love with every bit of my might.

And when I finally became Suzaku no Miko and thought Taka and I would save this country, and I
could be together... with Taka......

"......How cruel..." Tears spilled down from Mayo's eyes.

Her hand unconsciously touched the breast pocket of her uniform.

Then.

"Mayo-chan! Listen up."

She heard a voice again. It was Keisuke.

"You're not alone! So come back here!" Yui's voice followed.

"You've just lost sight of yourself."

As she heard the voice of the guy named Tetsuya, Mayo lightly wiped her tears with the scrap of the
handkerchief.

"Mayo..."

Mayo stopped her hand and gasped at the girl's voice that she heard. "......Saori..."

"Right, it's me! I heard what happened from coach Yuuki. Hey, last night I got a phone call from your
mother. She said in a worried tearful voice that you hadn't come home..."

"........."

Last night...? A day hadn't even passed in the real world since then?

"Everyone's looking for you now! If you don't come back soon, they're going to request a search for
you!"

".........That's a lie..."

"What's a lie?! Don't say such foolishness and come back! If you come back now you can convince
them it was just a plain old running away from home or something."
"............"

"Besides, do you know what will happen to Miaka-senpai here?"

Mayo bit her lip at hearing Miaka's name. "...Saori... You're probably better off without me..."

"What are you saying?" Saori cried out. "Are you talking about basketball? If so... I'll quit the team.
So..."

"I don't need your pity!" Mayo responded automatically. "And I thought you were my only friend!
You're on Yuuki Miaka's side too, aren't you!?"

"Mayo"

"And the stuff about my parents, it's all lies, isn't it?! It's a plot to get me to return so those 2 will be
happy, isn't it?!"

"No! Mayo-chan. Calm down and listen."

"Mayo-chan. Please, talk to us a little longer."

"Mayo-chan..."

"Mayo..."

But Mayo was no longer listening.

She suddenly remembered the story she had overheard from Miaka and Taka.

That's right. When her brother, Keisuke, desperately called Miaka back to the real world, and in order
to perform her duty as Miko, she took the ribbon that had become a mediation with that world and......

"......I won't go back."

The 4 in the hospital room heard her voice and shouted at the book. "Mayo---------!!!!"

Keisuke read the book with blood shot eyes. "Mayo dropped her eyes to the handkerchief. She
grabbed it. 'I am Suzaku no Miko......' Then she threw the handkerchief in the red flames that burned
before the Suzaku statuuuuuuuue............ Owowowow, ow ow."

Flames arose from the mediation that Keisuke held and it instantly turned to ash.

"..............."
Having lost their only means of communication, the 4 looked at the page of the book and their
shoulders drooped.

"Hey, Moomin." Mayo said to the maid who was combing her hair.

"Yes. What is it?"

"You hate me, don't you."

"......What brought that on all of a sudden?..." Moomin was confused. "I neither love nor hate you. I
am just the person who serves you so that you will not be inconvenienced."

"H~m... I see." Mayo answered vacantly.

"No one feels that way about you..." The maid told her.

Mayo considered her life here. Though she said such horrible things to Reizeitei, he didn't get openly
angry.

And Youtaikou would visit her everyday anxious about her health.

All the people of the palace treated her respectfully, it was an easy content life.

But something was... missing. She didn't feel any warmth from the warm hearted people there...

"I'm thinking I want to do something for this country soon... Really..."

"I know..."

The warmth of her personal maid's hand was her only spiritual anchor now.

The 3 Suzaku Seishi had already found Chiriko and Mitsukake and recovered their memories.

Now they were in the midst of looking for the other 2.

If they find Hotohori and Nuriko and recover their memories, wouldn't the child that was her trump
card return to Miaka like Suzaku said?

If so then, what would she do?...

Uneasy and lonely, Mayo felt like she was being crushed.

She wanted someone to hold her gently. It didn't matter who.

"Your hair is really beautiful, Mayo-sama. It's so shiny it leaves 2 halos of highlights... Like a pure
angel......"

"......Moomin..." Her throat tightened. "You're really... kind..."

Moomin came before Mayo and smiled. "I know that you are a kind, cheerful, brave person. You must
be. Could you become Miko if you weren't?..."

"......Moomin..." Mayo's face looked like it would break out crying even now. As if to hide that, she
gave the maid something that she held in her hand. "Take this."

"Wh-what is it? Huh~ Mayo-sama, you're so small in this..."

"It's a sticker print."

"Huh~!? C-come to think of it, the previous Emperor showed me a little bit larger picture of all the
Suzaku Seishi together."

"Yeah, that's a Polaroid. Now there's also digital cameras and other stuff but."

Moomin shook her head. "Sticker kyaba, dibatal gameras...... The things of your world... Oh my..."

Mayo had completely returned to her smiling face and the maid gently had her stand up.

"Well then, I'll bring a mirror. See, tonight's outfit really looks good on you."

She truly thought so.

She remembered feeling repulsed by this intolerable girl who stole Taka from Miaka in the beginning.
But the fact was that Mumin was beginning to feel like this girl Mayo would one day have a big heart
just like Miaka.

The maid extended a large mirror before Mayo who was wrapped in a dreamlike outfit, light like a
Tennyo's hagoromo.

Mayo instantly forgot her uneasiness and loneliness and smiled at how beautiful she looked.

But in the next instance her smile stiffened and she put her hands to her face.

".............!" Speechless panic enveloped Mayo.

Nothing reflected in the mirror from below her knees as if they had completely vanished.

Note:
Tennyo=celestial maiden, hagoromo=gossamer robe.
Watase Yuu's Ayashi no Ceres series was based on the Tennyo no Hagoromo legend.
4 Nuriko's Pure Love
"This......"

The 3 were speechless.

The place was like a desert.

"This is my village?... Hakukou Village?..." Taka fell to his knees, his vacant eyes wandered.

The home he was born and raised in, the rivers and fields, and... even the grave where he buried his
family who were butchered by Suboshi... it was all gone.

"Dad... Chuuei... Shunkei... Gyokuran... Yuiren..." Taka called the names of his family...

"...It's gotta be tough... Taka..." Tasuki put a hand on his friend's shoulder.

The hometown of Taka... Tamahome, that they had stopped by for a visit on their rough going journey
after they had left Mitsukake, was already swallowed up into nothingness.

"Dammit......" Taka clenched his fists as he held back his tears...

He had parents and siblings as Sukunami Taka, his real world reincarnation, but he was seized by
feelings of loss as if the core of his heart was being ripped apart.

It felt like his existence as Tamahome was being denied.

Being born in that village and earnestly working as the breadwinner of the family since he was little. It
felt like it was all a lie.

And introducing Miaka to his family here and his younger sister Yuiren adoring Miaka... and Yuiren
making a bride's floral decoration for Miaka... yes, it felt as if meeting Miaka itself ...as if it never
happened.

"...Taka... Are you ready to go now...?" Chichiri gently announced their departure to Taka...

"Yeah..." Taka stood up as if to shake off the ominous thoughts that had taken hold of him. "If we go a
little further, there should be a small town. How about we rest there today?..."

"...Yeah, I'm pooped..."

The 3 trudged along. Behind them came a mocking "caw caw".

The ominous black group had been following them unnoticed.

"You're still alive!?" Tasuki turned around and flung up the tessen at the flock of flying ravens.
"Hehha Hinhen~ (Lekka Shinen)" But all that come out of the tessen was a spark like a toy firework.
"Shit... I'm too starved, my power won't work very well..."

Taka shook his head as if he couldn't take it. "They're... demons with no substance... And with their
dirty ways... they eat into people's hearts..."

The town that the group staggered to was quite different from Tamahome's hometown. It didn't appear
to show any signs of destruction.

"We're looking for an inn in this town no desu but..." Chichiri caught hold of a man and asked.

"Oh, you're travelers?" Looking deeply interested, the man questioned the 3 instead. "Hey. Is it true
what they say about the country disappearing?"

"...Yes, it's true." Taka answered.

The man said with an expression of disbelief. "I see... But how 'bout what they're saying about another
Suzaku no Miko having come from the other world?"

"Yeah. She's a fake... mff mff..."

The 2 covered Tasuki's mouth.

"Well, whatever happens I'm sure she has a plan to save the country. Oh medetashi medetashi." The
man cheerfully smiled and pointed to an inn. "That way."

"What's medetashi medetashi? It's your head that's medetashi..." Tasuki threw open the inn door as he
grumbled. "Hey. Is anybody here?!"

The 3 entered the inn and looked around.

"Are they on a break no da...?"

"What a disappointment. And this is supposedly the only inn..."

"......come..."

"Huh...?"

"Did you hear a voice just now...?"

"Welcome..."
"Huuh?? Where's it coming from~?"

Taka, Chichiri, and Tasuki kept looking back and forth.

"Errrrrrrgh~~~~!" They heard a shriek and the stamping of feet on the ground.

"Huh???" The 3 looked down simultaneously.

A small girl looked up at them and grinned.

She was a pretty girl with large eyes and petal like lips.

"You're customers, right?! I've been welcoming you for awhile now!!"

"Wha~t? Little girl, are ya minding the store?"

"Uh-huh!"

"Impressive no da..."

"Uh-huh!"

"Ha ha ha, you're cute..."

"Uh-huh. Thank you." The girl smiled with big eyes.

"Well then are your mom and dad around? We're tired so we wanna get some sleep soon."

"Why are you tired?"

"We're on a journey no da..."

"H~m, what kind of journey?"

"Um. You know, that might be a bit difficult for a little girl to understand."

"Why, why?" The girl wouldn't leave the 3 alone and barraged them with questions.

Tasuki looked mean and said. "Enough, would ya hurry and get someone already...! I told ya we're
tired."

"Tasuki. You've got a scary enough face as it is... quit it no da." Chichiri scolded him.

Not frightened at all by Tasuki, the girl looked at what Taka held in his hand with big eyes. "What's
this?! What a pretty ball! And there's a character written on it."
At that, their eyes were drawn to the hint sphere.

"Wah wah wawawawawah! It's true, there it is~~~~~~" Tasuki said in a loud voice.

"It's 'bu'!" Taka had forgotten to check the sphere for awhile due to the shock of seeing his hometown
disappearing. He looked at it in disbelief.

The character "bu" appeared in the hint sphere clear as day.

"That means..."

"That's right no da..."

"Huh? Y-you're..."

The 3 men simultaneously looked down at the girl. She tilted her head, her rose lips partly open.

"Nuriko~~~~~~~~~~~~!?!?!?!?"

And then Chichiri said. "Nuriko... has been reincarnated as a girl no da..."

Taka nodded and sighed.

As she looked at the 3 customers the girl laughed. "Ah ha ha. Nuriko~? What's that? I don't have such
a weird name. I'm Ko Reishun. Where's your lu~gage?" Reishun easily carried their luggage with that
small body of hers.

Tasuki's shoulders drooped. "Damn. She doesn't remember either..."

An hour later, their tiredness from traveling forgotten, Taka, Chichiri, and Tasuki, faced Reishun's
parents with bloodshot eyes.

"Huh~!? Our Reishun is the reincarnation of a Suzaku Seishi?" The merchant like father looked at the
3 suspiciously, his balding head shining. "So you guys are Tamahime, Chiroru, and Dosukoi?"

The 3 slumped over.

"Not Tamahime, Tamahome."

"Not Chiroru, Chichiri no da."

"Who the hell is Dosukoi?! It's Tasuki! It's completely different!" Tasuki's lips trembled.

"I'm sorry. My husband doesn't have a head for anything but business." The wife said in a clipped
tone.

"Reishun-chan has great strength, doesn't she? Nuriko's Seishi power was superhuman strength." Taka
said.

The wife waved her hands. "Please stop. Reishun has great strength for an 8 year old girl but not
superhuman strength..."

"Since she's a reincarnation it's natural that she doesn't have power like before no desu da..."
The innkeeper crossed his arms and looked at the 3 suspiciously again. "I've heard of the Suzaku
Seishi's exploits long ago. But, even though you say the country is being destroyed, this place hasn't
changed at all, has it? You're saying that as a roundabout way to kidnap our Reishun, aren't you?"

"What was that?..." Tasuki stood up.

Chichiri held him back. "It's understandable that they wouldn't believe us no da..."

Taka bowed his head to the father. "Please! There's no time to lose. Sooner or later this town should
show signs of destruction. If we don't gather the Seishi and summon Suzaku, Kounan Country will
truly disappear."

"So you say."

The wife said to the sullen looking innkeeper. "Dear. Why don't we have them show us proof that
they're Seishi? Seishi a have a character on a part of their body, don't they?"

The 3 were speechless again.

"What's wrong? Where are your characters?..."

Taka hung his head dejectedly. "......We don't have our characters anymore... Because our original role
of Seishi is already over..."

The proprietor of the inn chuckled. "Because you're swindlers after all? Because our Reishun, as you
can see, is a pretty girl who'll become the prettiest woman in the country in another 10 years. Will you
go home now that we found out your true intentions? Hey, someone bring the salt." The innkeeper
made that parting remark and stood up.

"Please wait!" Taka frantically tried to stop Ko. "When Reishun-chan was still little she should've had
memories of when she was the Seishi Nuriko."

"Right! She should've said something that has some connection, like with Mitsukake."

Chichiri asked the parents. "Did she say anything repeatedly up until she was about 1 year old no desu
da?"

The mother tilted her head at that. "Yes... Even though we never taught her it... Reishun said it a lot..."

The 3 simultaneously sidled up to the mother.

"Wh-what did she say?"

The wife said. "Girl..."

"Girl~??"
"Right. She happily kept going on 'girl girl'..."

Taka and the others looked at each other.

"I see no da... Nuriko wanted to be born a girl this time no da..."

The mother asked coldly. "What? What do you mean by that?"

Tasuki answered. "Cause Nuriko was gay."

It suddenly became perfectly quiet.

"Are you saying... that my daughter is the reincarnation of... a gay?......" The proprietor slowly stood
up, the blood vessel on his temple bulging as his arms shook.

Beside him his wife also frowned and glared their way.

"......That... was her previous life so... please calm down Ko-san..." Taka tried to somehow appease the
man.

Tasuki pushed Taka aside and confronted the man. "What the?! What's wrong with being gay?! Nuriko
isn't like most gays. He was a great guy who was way way more masculine than most men and way
way more feminine than most women! Your daughter is the reincarnation of that kind of person! How
'bout having more pride, ya dumbass!!!!"

"Ergh! Quiet! Shut up and leave."

At the owner of the inn's words, several employees rushed into the room and violently threw Tasuki
and the others along with their belongings outside the inn.

"And don't come back, you kidnappers." The wife suddenly sprinkled salt.

Tasuki ground his teeth and glared at the inn door that slammed shut. "Shit~... What the hell was
that?..." He said and mumbled to his friends. "Sorry... He just got me worked up..."

"What's done is done no da..." Chichiri shook his head.

"I suppose it's a unbelievable story from a parent's perspective..." As he said that Taka looked at his
left hand and cried out. "It's gone...! It's gone!"

"What's wrong no da?..."

"The sphere... Taiitsukun's hint sphere... is gone..."

"Wha~t?!"

"Where could I have lost it!? I'm sure I had it when we found Nuriko..."

"Aah. She must've..."

The 3 turned pale. Then they heard a nursery rhyme like melody.

"1, 2, 3, 4, let's play together. Let's play ball."

".........!?"

As if drawn to that singing, the 3 made their way past 2 back alleys and cried out.

"...I knew it..."

There was the inn's daughter, Reishun, playing ball by herself.

And the ball... was that hint sphere of Taiitsukun's.

Reishun looked at the 3 who came near her, quit playing ball, and suddenly hid the sphere in her
breast.

"Little girl, that sphere is ours." Taka drew near the girl as he forced a smile.

"No! This is mine." The girl tightly held the sphere.

"Reishun-----------! Where are you?" The mother called her daughter from the house.

When Reishun turned to the voice, Tasuki quickly snatched the sphere.

"What're you doing you thief." Reishun grabbed Tasuki.

"What the? You're the one who's a thief." Tasuki angrily replied to the 8 year old girl.

Reishun cried out. "Give it baaaack." She grabbed the sphere.

Tasuki tugged the sphere saying "Ya think I'm gonna just hand it over?"

"No~~~~~~"

"Hey, would ya let go."

Crush...

"Wa......"
Taiitsukun's hint sphere had suddenly broke like glass in Reishun's hand and fallen to the floor.

"..............." The 4 silently looked at the broken pieces of the sphere.

"......It's almost the same power as back then no da..." Chichiri muttered.

Taka shook the girl. "Nuriko! Do you remember?!"

The 3 stared at Reishun thinking for sure that her memories would return when her original power
unconsciously came out, just as with Mitsukake.

But instead of remembering, Reishun's face suddenly contorted and she burst into tears.
"Waaaaaaaa~~~~~~h! You guys broke my baaaall."

"Reishun." Hearing her daughter voice, the mother walked their way bringing the inn's employees
along with her.

"............!!!!" Taka, Chichiri, and Tasuki looked at each other.

"Reishun-------------"

The footsteps were getting closer.

The girl cried out.

"Ergh!" Tasuki grabbed Reishun, put her on his back, and ran. "Let's go! This is all we can do now."

Since leaving the town and passing several villages, the 3 horses with Tasuki's horse that the crying
girl was on sprinting in the lead, finally stopped.

The 3 got off their horses and stood there silently as they caught their breath.

Tasuki gently lowered the girl that he was carrying to the ground.

Reishun stood up straight, her crying forgotten.

"......Sorry 'bout that."

Taka kneeled down and patted Reishun's head. "Sorry, that must've been scary... But we're not bad
guys."

"We just want you to travel with us a bit no da. We'll bring you home again no da..." Chichiri grinned
with his fox mask that was popular with children.

But the 3 knew it wasn't the time for smiling.

They had found Nuriko and forcibly lead her away but they didn't know when her memories would
return. As Chiriko said, the memories would fade as time passes since the reincarnation. It was a clear
fact that the recovery of memories would naturally become more difficult as time passes.

And the hint sphere that they were relying on to find Hotohori, the only one left to find, was broken by
Nuriko's superhuman strength.

Right above them the flock of ravens cawed again as if teasing the group.

The 3 surrounded Reishun at their wits end.

Returning to herself, the girl was sure to cry out again just like before.

Waiting patiently for that, Taka, Chichiri, and Tasuki tiredly looked at Reishun.

But the girl didn't burst out into tears.

Instead of bursting out in tears her large eyes began to sparkle. "Hey. Are we going on a journey
now?" Reishun asked them in a innocent voice.

"Yeah we are."

"Then, there's a place I want to go to!"

"...Hu~h" Everyone tilted their heads simultaneously.

"To the capitol?"

The girl shook her head.

"I know. To where your grandpa and grandma are, right?"

The girl shook her head.

"Where do you want to go no da?..."

"Well..." Reishun answered a bit hesitatingly. "To where the person I love is!" She said and hid her
face.

"To where the person you love is...?"

Reishun blushed and nodded. "...Uh-huh. The boy I saw the other day when I was playing at a
relatives house..." The girl gradually began to speak smoothly. "He was such a beautiful boy. As
beautiful as me... no, way more beautiful than me. I want to see him. I'm sure we're fated to be
together. "

Tasuki sighed. "Sigh~. That determination and attraction to good looks is just like before~."

"Then, you want to go to the city where those relatives live no da...?"

Reishun shook her head. "No. He just happened to have come to that city with someone. He lives
somewhere else."

Taka lifted Reishun in his arms. "I'm sorry. We're really in a hurry. We'll take you there later. Right
now Reishun-chan, I want you to listen to me carefully." Taka figured he better tell her the Suzaku
legend before anything else.

Reishun's face contorted.

"Aaaah. I can't take it anymore~" Tasuki tore at his head.

Reishun broke out crying and struggled in Taka's arms. "Nooo! I'm going!"

"......Reishun-chan. Please..."

"No no no! I'm going, I'm going to Suzaku Village~"

The 3 gasped when they heard the name of the village. "Suzaku...!?" Taka, Chichiri, and Tasuki looked
at each other.

"Reishun-chan, did you just say Suzaku Village no da...?" Chichiri asked the girl.

She nodded as she wiped away her tears.

Everyone was now thinking the same thing.

The beautiful boy that Reishun...no, Nuriko fell in love at first sight with.

And the name of the village where he lived was "Suzaku".

The 3 Seishi nodded silently, and brushed aside their hunger and exhaustion.

"......Let's go no da...!" Chichiri's kesa fluttered in the wind.

Note:
Medetashi can mean joyous or stupid
Hime=princess
Chiroru=Tyrol
Dosukoi is a sumo exclamation
5 Hotohori's Courage
"Uwa--h, wo~w. Chichiri is a magician!?" Reishun's eyes went wide as she remembered holding on to
the jingling staff, going into the kasa, and being suddenly teleported to a village she'd never been to.

"So this is the village he lives in, Taka?" A friendly smile appeared on Reishun's face.

"When did ya hear our na... That's really something." Tasuki looked at the girl with an emotional
expression thinking. She's Nuriko after all.

"Yeah? Thank you, Dosukoi."

"Grrrrr! It's Tasuki, Tasuki."

Taka looked around.

The sun had already set when the 4 of them had arrived in the village named "Suzaku".

Even here they could hear an ominous cawing from far away in the sky.

"It's too late to be looking for Hotohori-sama's reincarnation today no da..." Chichiri said.

Taka nodded. "But there's no inn here. If it was just us we could sleep out in the open but..." He said
and looked at Nuriko's reincarnation, Reishun.

"Oniichan. I'm hungry." Reishun fussed, her hand held by Taka.

"Hey. Are ya starting to remember?..."

"Remember what...?" Reishun turned to Tasuki and tilted her head.

"Like being in love with Hotohori-sama?"

"Hotohori...?"

"Yeah. You were the best gay in the world!"

"What's a gay?"

"This is no good..." Tasuki hit his hand with a smack. "I know. We need something to stimulate your
memories like with Mitsukake. Hey, in the end you bravely fought the Seiryuu Seishi Ashitare and
were defeated! Like this." And then Tasuki bared his fangs and pretended to attack Reishun.

"Uwa~n. I'm scared..." Reishun tried to hide behind Taka and burst out into tears.

"Tasuki... What are you doing scaring her no da?..." Then Chichiri suddenly fell into thought.
"Could... this village possibly return Nuriko's memories no da?..."
"I thought that too. I'm sure if she met the boy who is Hotohori's reincarnation..."

"Yeah."

The light of hope grew in their hearts at Chichiri's idea.

It was then that 2 men jumped out from hiding, snatched Reishun, and ran.

"Reishun!?"

"Hold on~."

Taka and Tasuki followed after them and soon caught the men.

Taka put a hand on the shoulder of the man holding the child, turned the man to face him, and easily
reeled him with a strong right jab. Smack! Taka grabbed him by the scruff of his neck. "Why are you
doing this?!"

The dirty farmer merely shook his head. "...I-I don't know. A voice... said... it's better if that girl's not
around..."

"...Better if... she's not around..." Taka bit his lip.

"They were being controlled no da..." Chichiri narrowed his eyes.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry... Please forgive me..." The man looked at his accomplice and desperately
begged for forgiveness.

The man's companion, held by Tasuki, was already beaten up from head to toe.

"Son of a bitch, who d'ya think we are?! Ya trying to mess with us?"

"Tasuki. Weren't you starving to death no da...?"

Tasuki suddenly stopped. "Yeah... Why d'ya hit me when I was so hungry I couldn't even move?!"
Tasuki said and weakly fell to the ground.

When the 2 farmers who had been controlled by the dark envoy staggered away, a bright burning
flame shone on the group.

"Who's there!? What are you doing in front of my home?" A boy about 15 years old holding a torch
stood before them.

*
"That was really good." Tasuki, the first to eat up the meal after a long time of no eating, thanked the
family.

"You're welcome. I'm sorry we couldn't do more. Even though you Suzaku Seishi came all this way,
this is all we can provide." The wife bowed her head.

On either side of the head of the Riku family sat his son, the boy from earlier, and his little sister.

"But what a surprise..." Having heard their story, the head of the farmer family shook his head. "To
think that the reincarnation of Hotohori-sama is in this village..."

"No. We don't know that for sure. It's just that this village's name is Suzaku." Taka said.

Chichiri asked the man. "Why is this village named 'Suzaku' no desu da?"

"Yes..." The husband nodded and began to tell them. "Long ago this place was attacked by the Kutou
army. All the villagers were killed and the village burned. We moved our family here... 2 days after the
previous emperor died..."

The wife continued. "That's when... we saw it."

"Saw what?" The precocious Reishun asked full of interest.

"......Suzaku." The boy sitting beside his parents answered.

His little sister beside him nodded.

"Suzaku!?" Taka, Chichiri, and Tasuki simultaneously cried out.

"That can't be. Cause Suzaku appeared back then in the world where the Miko lives."

The family shook their heads at Tasuki's protest.

"No. No matter what anyone says it was the divine form of the Shinjuu Suzaku." The wife decisively
replied. "So we called this place Suzaku."

The husband quietly continued the story. "It was as if... Suzaku came to show itself to the grave of
someone named Tendou..."

"Tendou...?"

"Yes. I don't know who he was but when Suzaku flew in front of his grave, 3 characters were engraved
on the tombstone that read 'Suzaku King'..."

"........." The 3 silently looked at each other.

The 3 thought... Suzaku came down to this village and there's a grave of a person called "Suzaku
King"... His true identity is unknown but, the Suzaku King must have something to do with Hotohori.

"So... is there a boy in this village... who you think is the reincarnation of Hotohori-sama?" Taka asked
the family.

"It's... probably..." The father said.

The daughter spoke up. "Eian."

Hearing that Taka, Chichiri, and Tasuki all together let out a long sigh.

"It has to be Eian... He's beautiful with nobility that can't be concealed..." The husband said.

Reishun jumped up. "His name is Eian!" And then she stared at the family's daughter. "You wouldn't
happen to like Eian, would you?"

The farmer daughter's cheeks redden and she angrily replied. "No. Eian is only 9 years old. I have no
interest in anyone younger than me."

"Ah. I see. That's alright then."

Sparks flew between the 8 year old and the 11 year old girls.

But the 3 Suzaku Seishi's shoulders drooped a little at hearing the age "9 years old".

Nuriko's reincarnation still hadn't recovered her memories. Compared to her, recovering a year older
Hotohori's memories would be next to impossible.

"Shu Eian's home is the poorest in the village. I can't believe Hotohori-sama would be reincarnated in
such a home..." The husband told the visitors. "At any rate we have to help the country out of its crisis.
Tomorrow morning we'll take you there right away."

The next morning the group left the farmhouse and shook their heads upon seeing with their own eyes
the terrible state of Suzaku Village.

"Wa--h. This place is full of sandboxes. Tasuki, let's play." Reishun said, her eyes sparkling.

Tasuki patted her head. "That's right. Your town hasn't shown any signs of destruction yet..."

"Reishun. This isn't the time to be playing no da. We're going to go see the boy you like now no da..."
Chichiri said.

"OK..." Reishun nodded seriously.

"Please recover your memories..." Taka thought out loud.

"Well then, follow me." Standing in the lead, the farmer boy, Riku Kenshin, urged the 4 on.

Concealed behind the door, his little sister, Keirin, saw the group off.

They went through the withering fields, glancing at every crumbling house. After awhile the boy
stopped in front of a poor looking house.

"Excuse me! It's Riku." He knocked on the falling apart door.

A skin and bones woman soon popped her head out. "Oh, Kenshin." She looked at the unfamiliar
group lined up behind him with an uneasy expression. "Who are they...?"

"...Obasan. Please don't be frightened. ...These people are 4 of the Suzaku Seishi..."

"Wha~t?" The woman put a hand to her mouth. She looked confused when her eyes shifted from Taka,
Chichiri, and Tasuki to Reishun.

The boy said. "Uh... is Eian here...?"

"Huh? Yes, Eian is probably back there..."

"Back there...?"

"The grave in back......" The boy turned to the Suzaku Seishi. "Behind this house is the grave of Shu
Tendou... Come to think of it, by coincidence this family has the same name."

".........!"

"I'll explain it to Obasan so please go on ahead." Kenshin said and pointed toward the back.

The Shu Tendou grave in back of the house was in the middle of 3 graves.

A boy wearing rags was quietly kneeling in front of the tombstone engraved with "Suzaku King"
under his name.

Reishun looked at his back and put a hand to her chest.

"Is he the boy?" Taka asked.

Reishun silently nodded.

"Go on..." He then gently pushed the in love 8 year old girl's back.

Reishun slowly walked toward the boy.

"...Please, Nuriko. Recover your memories together with Hotohori-sama, if ya can." Behind Reishun,
Tasuki swung up his fist.

Reishun stopped just behind the boy. She turned back looking helpless.

"......Idiot, don't stop. Go, go. He's the person who even though you loved him so much in a previous
life and with all that happened he never knew your feelings..." Tasuki spurred on Reishun with his
hands.

"......Uh. You're Eian, right?..." Reishun hesitantly said.

The boy slowly turned around at that.

"Oh......" The 3 sighed as they watched over the situation from a far off place.

"Even his reincarnation is beautiful no da......"

Even though she had seen him before, Reishun blushed.

"How do you know my name...?" The 9 year old boy said.

"And he's noble too no da..." Chichiri muttered.

The 3 were already convinced that this boy was Hotohori.

"Who are you?" Eian asked Reishun. Seeing the 3 adults nearby he then tilted his head.

"I'm...... Reishun..." Reishun hesitated a lot, being the first time in her life that she had declared her
love.

"Did we happen to have met before in the city...?"

"Uh-huh!" Reishun's face suddenly lit up.

Taka, Chichiri, and Tasuki nervously clasped each others hands.

"Um, you had a mirror back then, didn't you? I thought it was nice..."

Hearing that, Eian took out a small hand mirror from his breast. "It was the first time in my life that I
had gone to the city so my mom bought it for me..." Eian said and looked into the hand mirror with an
enraptured expression.

"......He's 500% Hotohori..." Tasuki nodded his head.

"Let me see..." Reishun reached for it.

Eian held the mirror to him with a swish. "I'm sorry. This is very important to me."

Reishun's strategy to try and get him to talk about the mirror was interrupted.

".........Eian..." Reishun hung her head.

Looking troubled, Eian looked at her.

"Uh...... I, I, uh, love........."

Tasuki silently struck a "GO~~~~" pose.

But the boy cut off Reishun. "You're awfully carefree when the country is being destroyed..." Eian
looked at Reishun with a bit of contempt.

Reishun's face gradually contorted.

"It didn't work?...... Aah, she's gonna cry." Tasuki ran up to the 2.

Taka and Chichiri followed after him.

Eian looked up at the 3 men with a cool dignified glance. "Did you know the person from this grave?"
Eian asked.

Taka shook his head slightly. "No... We're just passing through..."

The 3 silently looked at each other. What should they tell him beyond this?

Reishun clung to Tasuki and sobbed "Wa--h wa--h".

Looking at her, Eian elegantly tilted his head thinking. What's the matter with her?

"Excuse me but who are you?"

Taka, Chichiri, and Tasuki shut their eyes tightly having lost their last hope that Nuriko and Hotohori
would regain their memories together.

"I'm sorry. I have to go look after my father..." Eian tried to leave.

Taka then cried out to him. "Please wait, Hotohori-sama."

".........Hotohori-sama!?" Eian turned around and muttered.

Taka continued. "Ergh, forget the honorifics! You are the reincarnation of Hotohori. I'm Tamahome,
and they are Chichiri and Tasuki. And this girl is Nuriko. We've already found Chiriko and Mitsukake.
We are the Suzaku Seishi!"

Eian beautifully knit his brow. "Suzaku Seishi...? You guys are? And I'm......?" The boy had an
expression of disbelief, having already heard the Suzaku legend from his parents.

"Right! And we're gonna protect the country by summoning Suzaku again with the Miko's power!"
"Protect the country...?" Eian said. He looked at Taka's waist.

"Taka. He's looking at the divine sword no da..." Chichiri told him.

Taka hastily pulled out the sword. "This is... the sword that... you had long ago. With this you fought
together with us in order to protect the country..."

Taka then let Eian take hold of the divine sword with his small hands.

"............"

In that instant, Eian's body appeared to be imbued with a soft light.

"Hotohori-sama!"

"Please remember no da!"

A large chi flickered up from Eian's body.

"Oh, way to go! Just a little more. Hotohori-sama, you can do it! Remember, your gorgeous palace!
Your hot harem! You were Saihitei! You married Houki-san and had a kid named Boushin!"

"Hotohori-sama! In the end you confronted Nakago for the sake of the country even though you had
lost your Suzaku Seishi power!"

"......Look no da. At his neck...!" Chichiri pointed at Eian's neck.

A red character now faintly appeared there.

Then the dull overcast sky was instantly full of dazzling brightness.

Everyone wondered what had happened as they looked up at the sky lost in the unbelievable sight.

"............Suzaku...!?"

The bird flew high above the village, its golden wings spread wide.

"Why is Suzaku..."

Suzaku slowly landed before Eian. Not knowing what to make of it, everyone's mouth gaped open.

"No! It's not Suzaku!!" Kenshin yelled out as he ran to them.

With its leg, the bird snatched the divine sword that Eian held up.
"Wh-what're you doing?!"

The instant it stole the sword, the bird turned from gold to jet black.

"............!"

And then its body split into dozens of ravens. Holding up the sword in the center of the flock of birds,
they disappeared into the thick clouds.

Everyone stood dumbstruck.

"How did you know it wasn't Suzaku...?" Taka asked Kenshin beside him in a hollow voice.

He answered. "I saw Suzaku here long ago. He...... how do I say... was full of endless love..."

At those words, the area was enveloped in silence.

"That was a fake Suzaku... Mayo is controlling it with dark energy..." Before Taka finished talking,
Tendou's grave and the graves on either side of it soundlessly turned to dust.

Eian clutched his chest painfully.

They could no longer see chi flickering from his body and there was no longer any sign of the red
character on his neck.

And when it looked like the memories of his previous life would be miraculously recalled due to the
divine sword, it was stolen by the fake Suzaku.

"Just a little longer and... Shit." Tasuki stamped his foot.

Eian slowly walked to his mother standing behind Kenshin.

"Mom... I'm going with these people." The place went silent again at Eian's words. "I am the Suzaku
Seishi, Hotohori... So, I have to fight to protect the country."

Having heard everything from Kenshin, Eian's mother held her son's shoulders as her eye's glistened
with tears. "......Go Eian... Your father and I will be thinking of you with pride..." And then the mother
said. "Your previous memories have returned?"

Eian shook his head slightly and said. "But I will protect the country as the Suzaku Seishi, Hotohori.
And help you, Dad, and the people of this village."

".....Eian..." The mother hugged her son tightly and sobbed...

Why was the previous dead emperor reincarnated as her son in such a poor village? She was surprised
and puzzled.

The mother, not to mention the others there, didn't know that the owner of the grave that her son
visited every day, a person named Shu Tendou, was the true older brother of Saihitei who had been
taken out of the castle and raised as a farmer's child, or the full account of the sad story of the reunion
with his older brother.

Then Reishun rushed to Eian's side. "I'll protect the country together with Eian! And defeat that black
bird from before that did such a terrible thing!" Reishun sided with Eian. Perhaps she had finally
begun to have a sense of purpose, having heard the legend the night before. "Suzaku Seishi are cool!
I'm one of them too! Wa--i, Eian is Hotohori and I'm Nuriko."

Reishun was in a good mood knowing that she could now be together with Eian but there wasn't any
sign that her memories would return.

"Hey hey, where are we going next?!" Reishun asked the active Suzaku Seishi.

Chichiri put his hand on his kasa. "To the capitol's palace of course no da...!"
Chapter 6: Illusion of Emptiness

Mayo, who had been softly gazing into the crystal inside Suzaku's Mausoleum, suddenly began to
shiver.

"…Suzaku's Seven are coming here…"

At last, they had all been assembled. And though Nuriko and Hotohori had still not retrieved the
memories of their past lives, they had still vowed to fight…

She placed a hand on her belly. However, since the masterful presence called "Suzaku" had appeared,
that spot had ceased shining. While that was enough to make her uneasy, she now had the problem that
assembling all Seven Warriors would cause the baby to leave her for good.

And if that happens, what in the world will happen to me…

If her last resort, the baby, was returned to Miaka, Taka would leave Mayo in an instant.

And also… how much longer will the Kingdom continue to dissolve? When Suzaku came inside of
me that time, He promised he would stop the destruction. But according to Yotaiko, the destruction is
spreading quickly from area to area.

So was Taka right all along? Can this world only be saved by Miaka becoming the Priestess and
summoning Suzaku again?

Mayo's head swam with confusion.

If that's the case, then was that being that came inside of me really "Suzaku"? Was it really Suzaku
who told me the only way I could capture Taka's heart is to give birth to his baby in this world?

Mayo gazed up at the statue of Suzaku. It glimmered with golden light.

"Suzaku…" Mayo spoke to the phoenix. "If I'm unable to stop the Seven Warriors from assembling…
do you plan to… destroy me?" she spoke with a shivering body and voice.

Since then, Mayo had stopped looking in mirrors.

From outside the mausoleum, Mayo saw the beautiful, golden birds returning. Forming themselves
into a single bird, they offered Hotohori's Sacred Sword to her.

"…But even if I steal it…" Anger began to boil up inside of Mayo. "All you did was delay Hotohori
regaining his memory… How useless!"

Mayo faced Suzaku and yelled, "Hey, you're supposed to grant your Priestess's wishes, aren't you?!
But all this time, you've been giving me the orders. If this keeps up, my story will become a train
wreck! Why the hell did you bring me here in the first place!"
Suzaku said nothing and merely stood in front of Mayo.

"Are you really on my side?!"

At the sound of her own question, the seed of doubt inside Mayo began to sprout.

"…Tell me… what is your…real motive…"

Mayo heard a voice inside her. I no longer have use for you.

"What was that?!…" Mayo murmured.

"What the hell do you mean by that?!"

The voice let out a slow cackle. You have cultivated me long enough inside of you.

"Cultivated…?!"

Leaving these words behind, Suzaku spread His wings and flew from the inside of the mausoleum to
the door.

"Where are you going! Hey, come back!!"

Watching Suzaku disappear instantly into the clouds, Mayo fell dumfounded to her knees.

"Mayo…"

Yotaiko stood quietly behind and gently tugged on the Priestess who lay on the floor.

"What has happened?"

"N…nothing…" Mayo answered with a pale face.

"I just received word that Taka and the others have returned to the Palace."

Yotaiko stole a quick glance at the crystal. Though Mayo claimed she had been using the crystal to
contact Chichiri every day, Yotaiko knew this was a lie. She also knew that Mayo had been attempting
to hinder Taka's assembling of the Seven Warriors…
"Inside of you is the Talisman our Priestess left behind."

Yotaiko had reasoned this from Taka's parting words. However, she had pretended not to notice
Mayo's true intentions.

Yotaiko continued, "I am certain you are already aware of this, but the four reborn Warriors have been
found. Mitsukake and Chiriko are still at their homes, and Nuriko and Hotohori have returned here,
but their memories have still not returned…"

"…I know…" Mayo answered quietly.

"What is the matter? Do you not wish to see them immediately?"

Silence.

Yotaiko said, "Reizeitei and I are not allowed to see Hotohori and Nuriko. We wish that you would
meet them in our place and inform us of their condition…"

Mayo began to shake her head furiously, and placed her arms protectively around her midsection.

"No… I can't… no… I won't let anyone take this baby…"

Yotaiko gently patted Mayo's back. "Fear not. Who would take your baby from you? … Come, calm
yourself…"
"No…no…no…"

As Mayo continued to murmur protests as if in a trance, Yotaiko gently stroked her back. Suddenly,
Mayo threw herself into Yotaiko's arms.

"…Mayo…" Motaiko whispered into her ear as she held her tightly.

"I believe that to love someone…means that you wish happiness for him… Even if it means
sacrificing something."

Yotaiko continued, "And then, even if he does not return your love, I believe that if you truly love
him, you will be happy…"

Mayo slowly raised her face and looked up at the Empress.

"I loved Saihitei with all my heart… Even while he concentrated all his thoughts on Miaka, I still
loved him… And then, when he came to return my love, I believed it was genuine. We had little time
together, but I was truly happy…"

Mayo whispered slowly, "Did Reizeitei…tell you…? That I told him about the past…"

Yotaiko shook her head. "No. He did… experience being held by his father once. I am certain he
believes in the love of his mother and father."

Mayo continued to whisper slowly, "…I hear Hotohori's reincarnation visits Tendoh's grave every
day…"

Hearing this, Yotaiko's eyes filled with teras.

"…What's…wrong?"

Yotaiko wiped her eyes and answered, "Tendoh was a man who bore the Mark of Suzaku on his
neck… He was Saihitei's full-blooded brother… Unaware of his lineage, Tendoh was raised in an
indigent farming village, and one day turned a sword on Saihitei…"

"…But during his final moments, the brothers gained acceptance of each other… And the village that
has Tendoh's grave… was also the village of my birth…"

"…I had…no idea…"

"Then, when His Majesty passed on… he wished to be reborn in the village where his brother
lived…"

Mayo remembered the bravery Hotohori's reincarnation, Eian had displayed. Even though his past life
memories had not yet returned, he still declared he would defend his Kingdom. Then, the girl who had
been reborn as Nuriko displayed the same courage…
Surely the pride they had felt as agents of Suzaku still lived on in their souls. And the Priestess to
whom they had sworn their loyalty… was not Mayo.

Mayo suddenly realized she did not deserve inclusion in such patriotic and firmly bonded group.

Sensing this feeling, Yotaiko said, "Mayo… If you truly love Taka, then please do what will make him
happy… Please return Miaka's baby to her…"

Hearing this, Mayo suddenly pushed herself away from Yotaiko's chest.

"…Hou…ki…"

"What lies inside your body is Konan's treasure. It is our Talisman…"

"Talisman…?!"

Yotaiko nodded. "Yes. It is the Talisman that was left behind after Miaka summoned Suzaku. I am
certain that what became the Talisman was her love for Tamahome…"

"No…"

"And with its sacred power, Suzaku can surely be summoned once more. But Mayo… you must return
this Talisman to Miaka at once…"

Mayo took a step back. "Wh…what're you saying? That doesn't make sense. How do you explain that
the baby inside of me belongs to someone else?… And besides…besides… even if you are right…
then why doesn't Miaka come back here for her child by herself!…"

"That… I cannot answer…" Houki apologized as her gaze fell to the ground.

"Listen, we don't have to do anything fancy to summon Suzaku, because He's been here all along.
He'll always come to the rescue of his Kingdom… So I want to give birth to this baby… and stay
living here with Taka forever… After all… I am Suzaku no Miko now…"

Mayo's voice had grown more and more faint.

"But I do not believe that was really Suzaku…"

"What?!…" Mayo's sinking head was jolted up from Yotaiko's words. "No way… If that wasn't
Suzaku, then what was it?…"

Yotaiko pointed at the Statue of Suzaku. Seeing it, Mayo let out a cry. For some reason, the once
golden statue had been dyed in black.

"It has looked like this for quite some time now, Mayo. You just could not see it until now…"
"…Ah!…" Mayo suddenly remembered what Reizeitei had told her earlier. "So what the hell is this
thing?!"

"It is probably an evil being who used the name of Suzaku to take over your heart…"

Mayo was at a loss for words. That horrible creature had been controlling her… And just minutes
earlier, it had told her it no longer needed her…

What at first might have seemed like a retreat in defeat might have actually been its plan all along.

It's plan to encourage her own hatred in order to cultivate itself until finally, the large mass of evil
inside of her had escaped.

"Wh-why are you telling me this…"

Yotaiko spoke with a sad face. "Please think carefully over it. Over what you have done in order to
steal Taka's heart…"

She once again fell to her knees. "…I… I hated Miaka… Just because she coincidentally became
Suzaku no Miko, she got to meet Taka and fall in love with him… I always wondered why it couldn't
have been me instead… So I thought if I became Suzaku no Miko, then… Taka would…"

Yotaiko lowered herself to Mayo's level and placed her hands on her back. "Miaka was ready to
sacrifice her love for Tamahome in order to fulfill her duties as Suzaku no Miko to save the
Kingdom…"

Yotaiko spoke of the ordeals Miaka faced when she learned Suzaku no Miko must be a virgin.

Mayo spoke with a broken voice. "So I guess… you're saying I don't deserve to be Suzaku no Miko…
Since I only wanted to use the position to help myself…"

There was no answer.

"Fine… I'll just stay alone. I don't have any prospects, and I don't have Seven Warriors to take care of
me… All I've got are hate and jealousy and lots of bad feelings… And no one in the other world is
even waiting for me to come back… I'm not needed… and I know it…"

"That is not true," Houki said bluntly. "I believe that you are fully deserving of being a Priestess…"

Mayo wobbled to her feet. "Forget it. I lose… I'm gonna go tell Taka everything…"

"Mayo…" Yotaiko squeezed Mayo's hand. "So you understand?"

As Mayo smiled lightly and nodded back, Houki bowed her head deeply.

"Thank you… Thank you so much…"

Mayo silently shook her head, then left the Mausoleum.

Mayo's feet carried her in the exact opposite direction from where Taka and the others were. Unaware
of her own consciousness, her feet carried her aimlessly along.

She could not even remember much of what Yotaiko had just told her. After a while, she arrived at the
palace pond. Stepping inside the gazebo, she gazed at the water's surface.

Despair had overcome her. She could not even see her own reflection in the pond.

She glanced at her surroundings. About half of the palace had already fallen to ruin. The once
beautiful gardens had given way to a desert, making the pond before her somewhat mysterious.

Emptiness not only consumes things, but people as well… Mayo was well aware of this. And the first
to go would be herself…

At last, Mayo realized why this had been happening. The Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho book had been severely
soiled and neglected. The careless attitudes of people in her world had triggered the destruction of this
one. And what had accelerated the destruction most of all was her own heart.

In order to claim Taka for herself, she stole the Talisman of their love, and tried to rewrite the story to
cater to her own happiness. It was her soiled heart that had given birth to the Pseudo Suzaku, the evil
being that would lead this world into an emptiness of darkness.

As punishment for bringing such a creature to this world, Mayo would be the first to disappear. Just as
she had told herself earlier; that she was not needed in this world…

"I know this pond… it's the pond where Miaka nearly drowned when Tamahome was under the
influence of the poison kodoku from Seiryuu's side… Oh, and it's also the same pond where Nuriko
tricked Miaka into searching for a lost earring…"

Mayo whispered, "…But both times, Hotohori or Tamahome came to rescue her."

Then, she smiled faintly. I'm sure no one would bother coming to my rescue.

Mayo took a step towards the pond.

Even though her surroundings had dried up, it seemed that the pond had been waiting for her.

I want to end things fast. I want to escape this pain.

Mayo's feelings were as tangible as the pond. But her insides were all empty. The frightening
emptiness had also seeped into her heart.
She had completely forgotten that Konan's Talisman was inside of her.

Splash, splash, splash…

An emotionless Mayo slowly lowered herself into the water. She did not notice, however, that an
outside force was guiding her to do this. What was causing her to move was the evil being she had
created - Pseudo Suzaku. In order to accomplish its goal of erasing everything, first it must erase the
Talisman that was lodged inside of her body.

When the waters reached her neck, her entire body was pulled under by an invisible force.

It was then that Mayo heard someone call her name.

Oh, it's that voice…

So someone was waiting for me after all…

Mayo faintly thought this before she lost consciousness.

"Mayo!!!!" Keisuke yelled as loudly as his voice would allow.

"Hey, stop it! The nurses will yell at you again!"

Keisuke shoved Tetsuya away. "You idiot! Mayo is…she's dying!…" His voice was distorted with
tears.

"What should we do?" Yui held her head in her hands. "We don't have the linking handkerchief
anymore… So how can we help her?"

Tetsuya glanced at Saori. "Yeah, too bad you aren't wearing your school uniform. Then we might've
been able to use that as a link…"

"Ummm, what do you mean by link?" Saori asked with tears in her eyes.

"A link is something like that piece of handkerchief that was just burned that exists in both worlds,
linking them together."

Suddenly, Tetsuya snapped his finger. "That's it! Don't we have something that links to Taka?!"

"That's right! Tetchan, I like your thinking!" Yui answered.

The four proceeded to hurriedly check themselves, when Keisuke suddenly shot from his seat.

"I've got it!"

What he had pulled from the breast-pocket of his jacket was a cell phone.
Everyone chimed in, "bingo!"

Tetsuya gave a thumbs-up. "I'm sure Taka still has his."

Then, Keisuke dialed Taka's number.

"Please work… Because if you don't, I'll have to yell so loud the nurses'll have to kick me out."

Mayo realized that it was true that people often see their lives flash before their eyes as they die.

Memories of her parents taking her to amusement parks when she was little.
Memories of summer vacations.
Memories of her mother holding her right hand and her father holding her left.
Memories of happiness and warmth.
Memories of fun times at school.
Memories of basketball in junior high.
Memories of finding her best friend, Saori, through basketball.
Memories of being able to talk about anything with her.
Memories of Taka were painful, but it was from him that she learned the bitter-sweet feelings of
romance…

I didn't have a bad life.

I have so many good memories…
So why did I think that I wasn't needed?… I'm not that kind of person… or at least, I didn't used to
be…

Dad…Mom…

Did you guys file a missing person's report, like Saori said you would…?
Are you really worried about me…?
That reminds me, what did you want to talk to me about?
I guess I ran out without listening to what you had to…say…

Taka…Miaka…
Believe me… Believe me when I say I didn't intend to split you two apart….
If I hadn't accidentally heard your conversation that night after the wedding…
Then I would have been able to be content wishing you both a happy marriage… Or so I thought…

Mayo's thoughts ended there.

----------

Notes:

*There are probably some differences in terminology between mine and Tasuki no Miko's translations,
as well as some differences in the spelling of names. While most of these should be pretty clear to
understand, here's a quick reference for some common terms:

-"Seishi" - I chose to translate as "Warrior" or "Suzaku's Seven" or "an agent of Suzaku".

-"Miko" - I chose to translate as "Priestess".
-"Suzaku no Mon" - I chose to translate as "Mark of Suzaku".
-"Shinzaoh" - I chose to translate as "Talisman".
-"Shinken" - I chose to translate as "Sacred Sword".
-"Ese Suzaku" - I chose to translate as "Pseudo Suzaku".
Chapter 7: Awakening of the Spirit

"…yo…! … Mayo…"

From far off, she could hear a voice calling her. A voice completely different from the one she had just
heard…

Mayo slowly opened her heavy eyelids and saw above her, the blurred image of a man with a worried
face, leaning over her.

"Taka…"

Taka, soaked to the skin, smiled broadly. "…Thank God… you survived…"

By his side stood the other four warriors, who had returned from their journey.

Mayo said, "Why… Why did you save me?…"

Then, she suddenly chuckled slightly.

"That's right… it wasn't ME you were saving, was it…"

Taka shook his head. "It was… you who I wanted to save… I saw you suffering… and I wanted to
save you from that…"

"Taka…" Mayo slowly brought herself up into a sitting position. The pond she had thrown herself into
minutes earlier had turned to sand.

"We're glad you're alive, you know…" Chichiri took his mask off and smiled at her.

"…Chichiri…"

"Taka looked fucking awesome, too! He dove into the pond like he was rescuing his lover or
something. Made me almost believe you were," Tasuki said with a grin.

"…Tasuki…" Mayo's face shivered.

"Well, I guess I'd have rather saved you myself, but I thought it'd be only fair to let Taka do something
cool for once."

"He's lyyyyyying. I think Tasuki can't swim. He was shivering the whole time he watched!"

"Aw, shut up, you shitty little brat!"

"Never mind them, are you okay?"

"You'd better change your clothes…"

The two little boys peered into Mayo's face, with concerned eyes.

Mayo covered her face in shame… Miaka was always rescued like this by her companions… And
now, I also… have been rescued by them… even though I'm not really their Priestess…

"Keisuke told me what was happening through my cell phone…" Taka said.

"…Coach Yuuki did that?…"

An image of the face of the final voice she had heard calling out to her revisited her mind… He must
have continued to read the book the whole time, worried over her.

"…I'm…sorry…" Mayo mumbled in a choked voice.

"It's my fault your Kingdom ended up in this mess… It's my fault…"

Tears began to pour out of Mayo's eyes. "I took your beautiful Phoenix God… and turned Him into
something so ugly and evil…"

"Never mind that…" Taka held out a hand to the wobbling Mayo, as she tried to rise.

Mayo stared at the ground. "And your baby… I almost drowned it in that cold water… What should I
do…"

Everyone stayed silent. A pale-faced Mayo gazed down at the hem of her skirt blankly. "Taka… that
wasn't what I wanted… I didn't want to kill your child… I just felt some force… making me go into
the pond…"

But then, it happened. Mayo's midsection was suddenly engulfed in a red light. Sighs of relief escaped
the three adults.

"It's alive… What a relief… What a re…lief…"

Swallowing her tears, Mayo tugged firmly on Taka's sleeve. "Call Miaka over here right away. I want
to give her baby back to her!"

Taka faintly shook his head. "Miaka… is in a coma at the hospital…"

"What…?!" Mayo was shocked. "Did this happen to her just after I took her baby…?"

As Taka nodded his head quietly, Mayo's head dropped. "…What…have I done…"

When Saori had told her about Miaka, Mayo had angrily burned her handkerchief, losing the link…

"…I need to hurry… and give Miaka her baby back… If I do… then she'll probably wake up… I'll
give it back… right now…" While saying this, Mayo's body collapsed into Taka's arms.

Once inside the now empty Suzaku Mausoleum, Chichiri bit his lip as he examined Mayo's body.

"… She really has weakened quite a bit, you know… Her body is in a state of conflict…"

Mayo's heavy eyelids forced themselves open, allowing Mayo to gaze drearily at the others. "I'm
sorry… I don't think… I can make it…"

"Don't gimme that crap. You're awake, aren't ya? So concentrate really hard and give Miaka her baby
back!

Mayo weakly shook her head. "…My body… it's slowly disappearing… I'm sure it will be completely
gone soon…"

Mayo held her right hand up for everyone to see. There was a collective gasp as the company noticed
it was transparent.
"Mayo…" Taka remembered what it had been like for him when he was losing his body. The
unspeakable pain that came from the notion that existence was rejecting him flooded back into his
body.

"Don't let it get you! Hang in there! If you think for a second that you shouldn't be alive, you'll lose! If
you think that way, that's exactly what that Pseudo Suzaku wants!!"

Mayo's lips quivered as she looked at her own hand. "… It's too late… I…deserve this…"

As if her conscious had ended then, Mayo's mouth shut and her entire body began to grow transparent.

"Big Sis! You can't die!"

Reishun and Eian frantically crowded around her.

As Tasuki and Taka fell to their knees in panic, Chichiri swiftly moved towards Mayo's pillow. Then,
pulling something from his pouch, he sprinkled it over Mayo's body.

"What… is that…"

Chichiri answered. "This is Mitsukake's sacred water… I only hope it will revive Mayo's body…"

Everyone stared intently at Mayo… but there seemed to be no sign of relief…

"So it didn't work… Shit… Just when I thought we'd finally made it…" Tasuki then turned to Taka,
"You should go back to your world with her. If ya don't, you, her, and your baby will all disappear…"

The outside scenery was also disappearing rapidly, in unison with Mayo's body. Screams of panicking
palace staff and nobles could be heard.

Chichiri simultaneously nodded at Taka. "Miaka is waiting for you… You now belong to her world…"

But Taka shook his head.

"You think…it's that simple?…"

He turned to Tasuki, Chichiri, and the still forgetful Nuriko and Hotohori. "This is where I was born.
And you are my very precious friends… And I am also Tamahome, one of the Seven sworn to defend
this Kingdom… You think I can just leave all this behind?…"

Finally, he added, "I'm sure Miaka feels the same way…"

"What?!…" Yui cried out. "Look! Miaka's mouth just opened…"

"It did?!"
Keisuke, Tetsuya, and Saori sprang out to look at Miaka's face. Just as Yui had said, her mouth was
moving slightly.

"…Don't…wor…ry…"

The four people in the hospital room exchanged glances.

"She just said, 'don't worry', didn't she…"

"Keisuke… Your phone. Use your cell phone to send Miaka's voice over to them," Tetsuya
commanded.

Keisuke responded, "No, I don't have to… Mayo's saying the same thing over there… This must be
the power of Mitsukake's sacred water."

Reading the book, Keisuke let out a cry of joy. "…Miaka and Mayo… are now linked together…"

"Don't…worry…"

The party swarmed to watch Mayo's lips move.

"I…am…Suzaku's…Priestess… I won't lose… I will…protect the Kingdom…"

Taka whispered, "…Miaka…?!"

Then he realized that Mitsukake's sacred water had prevented Mayo's spirit from disappearing. And it
was now her spirit that Miaka was using as a vehicle to send herself over to their world.

Mayo continued. "Taka…Chichiri…Tasuki… Nuriko… Hotohori…"

Hearing this, both Reishun and Eian simultaneously perked up.

Reishun cocked her head. "…Is that lady called Miaka?"

"Suzaku no Miko…" Eian whispered.

"Let's work together…to protect…our Kingdom…"

The bodies of the 8 and 9 year-olds began to tremble.

"I've seen that pond somewhere before…" Eian struggled to say as he held his head painfully in his
hands.

"That's right, kid!…er, I mean, My Lord… you dove into that pond to save Miaka once!"
"I also felt strange when I saw that pond!" Reishun cried almost happily.

"That's the pond where you lured Miaka once…" Taka answered quietly.

"Never mind, just remember, you two!"

First Chichiri, then Tasuki and Taka frantically prodded the children.

Just then, voices could be heard from outside the mausoleum.

"Korin! Your Highness!"

"Father!!"

They were the voices of Yotaiko and Reizei from the other side of the door.

"Korin, it's me. It's Houki. We used to live together in the Harem… We looked alike and were great
friends… And you loved the Emperor very much…"

Tasuki shook Reishun's body. "That's right. You took on the name of your dead little sister and joined
the harem in her place…"

"Father…" Boushin's steady, yet trembling voice sounded. "I still remember what you told me. You
told me to become a strong and noble man. Then you told me to become a gracious Emperor who
loves his people, and to love my mother… I even remember the warmth of your body…"

Taka embraced Eian's body. "Just like this… Just like this, you used my body to hold your son… to
tell him that…"

Eian brought his fine eyebrows together.

"Your Majesty… Only a month passed during our time together… But to me, that month was like an
eternity of paradise… For a long time, I was paralyzed with grief, but… when your spirit came back
down to Earth, both Boushin and I were given hope…

"And Korin, you were the one who led me to realize my love for him… And you were the one who
gave me strength… You were the best friend I have or ever will have had in my life…"

From the voice outside the door, the two children felt their past life memories start to flood back into
their minds.

"…Nuriko…"

This time, a startled Reishun looked at Mayo's mouth.

"…At first, you really… bullied me a lot… But… You cared for me, and encouraged me, and loved
me more than anyone else… Nuriko… You were like a big brother… and also a big sister… You are
one of a kind; the Nuriko I love…"

Reishun unconsciously made way to Mayo's bedside. The voice from the other world passed not only
to the wide-eyed girl next to her, but to the other side of the door as well.

"…Hotohori…"

At Mayo's call, Eian's body stiffened suddenly inside Taka's arms.

"…You were warm and gentle… and full of endless love… which you gave to me… And in the end…
you prayed for my happiness with Taka… Thank you… For what you did for your Kingdom, your
friends, and for me… Hotohori… I will never forget… your love and courage…"

In Chiriko's town and Mitsukake's village, and in Hotohori's Suzaku Village as well as Nuriko's city,
dark eerie clouds were forming.

Unable to escape in any direction, the people could only stand dumbly and watch as the darkness
enveloped them.

"Gakurei… I suppose they didn't make it on time after all…"

In the Cho household, Chiriko's wet-nurse held him tightly.

"The one that tried to kill me… is this unidentified emptiness… Father, Mother… My memories are…
no longer helpful…"

Chiriko's parents covered their faces in grief.

Mitsukake and his father awaited the End together at Shoka's house.

"Just when Chosei saved me, it seems it doesn't really matter anymore…" Shoka whimpered as she
squeezed Mitsukake's hand.

"If this very world disappears, we won't be able to be reborn, I guess…"

Mitsukake could only bite his lips silently in response.

It was only in Nuriko's upper-middle class city were panic was erupting.

The dark emptiness had suddenly invaded with no warning at all.

"Darlinnnnnnng! What's going onnnn?!"

The ordinarily prim and proper ladies had abandoned their high-class ways and now cried, clinging to
their husbands.

"Shit, so what they said was true, then."

"Never mind! Just take all our money to a safe place!"

"What a stupid thing to say in a time like this! You and me and our money is going to disappear
anyway!!"

Hotohori's parents sat quietly on the floor with their legs folded under them, eyes closed.

"… I'm sure he will save us…"

Unshaken by the fear of the empty darkness that approached them, the parents who bore Saihitei's
reincarnation strongly held hands. Though a poor farming family, they did not give up hope for an
instant.

"Don't worry…"

His wife and two children nodded in response.

"I'm sure Suzaku will appear again…"

By then, the darkness was no longer limited to Konan, but had begun to spread to other Kingdoms.
The people trembled in fear over what appeared to be an excessively long eclipse.

"I've lived nearly 110 years, but I've never seen the likes of this…" Byakko warrior Tokaki murmured
as he gazed up at Sairoh's sky.

"Darling… It's coming from Konan's direction…"

Tokaki nodded at Subaru's words. "Tamahome… You and your Suzaku fellows had better do
something fast!"

Tamahome's former mentor raised a fist and yelled towards Konan.

"Kaika… What is this?…"

In the same Sairoh Kingdom, in Magan Village, the elderly couple prodded their son.

At that time, he was suddenly overcome with a strange sensation in his heart.
It feels just like that time…

Though drinking the Bokyaku herb had caused him to forget everything about his former life as one of
Seiryuu's Seven, Amiboshi's body still remembered the sensation it felt when his brother, Suboshi, was
killed.

Just like when his brother had died so far away, he now felt the same thing… But not only that his
brother was in danger, but that many more people's lives were in jeopardy.

He sadly shook his head.

The first person to suddenly raise a determined head was Eian. All innocence had disappeared from
his eyes.

"…Lord Hotohori…!" Taka cried.

Hotohori slowly nodded in response. "I apologize… I cannot realize why it took so long to
remember…"

"Y-Y-Yahoooooooo!!" Tasuki jumped up into the air and mindlessly flung his arms around Reishun.

"What's the big idea! Are you suddenly gay now?!"

Tasuki jerked his body away and pointed a shaking finger at Reishun.

"Take a look. I guess Hotohori and I really are quite a bit alike. Regaining our memories at the same
time and all!"

Reishun… or, Nuriko, rather… raised her eyebrows and tossed the Sacred Sword that had gone
missing in Suzaku Village back at Hotohori.

"Nuriko!!"

Taka raised a fist in joy.

Nuriko gazed shyly at Hotohori. "Even though I've been reborn, I guess I still can't quite…"

"I'm glad to see you all again…" Hotohori told his four comrades with a nostalgic gaze. Then, his eyes
fell on the door.

"Houki… Boushin…"

Simultaneously, Nuriko felt the presence of her old friend from the other side of the door.

"May I see them?…"

Taka quietly shook his head at Hotohori's question.

"The power that brings sleeping spirits awake does not come from the memory… it comes from the
heart of someone who loves others…" Chichiri murmured.

Yotaiko and Reizeitei held each other as they collapsed to the ground, their throats choked with tears.

Houki lightly tapped on her son's back. He nodded back.

"My father… and the rest of the Seven… and Miaka and Mayo… surely they will all protect our
Kingdom…"

The two quietly turned their backs on the mausoleum and walked back to their rooms.

It appeared as though Mayo was smiling slightly. But her body had grown so transparent by then that
it was difficult to decipher where it began and where it ended. The light from her midsection, too, was
gradually dying out.

Though all Seven of Suzaku's Warriors had regained their memories, the cruel god of time was already
moving them towards the End.

Chichiri spoke to his comrades, "I will go to fetch Mitsukake and Chiriko…"

The rest of the party saw him off.

"Mayo… Miaka… don't leave us!" Nuriko said.

"We have faith in you…" Hotohori whispered.

Then, Taka muttered as he looked down at Mayo's disappearing body. "I won't let… I won't let anyone
make you disappear. Our hearts and our spirits will never disappear… no matter what happens!!"

----------
Chapter 8: Calling of the Priestess

Pg.165 - Suzaku Seishi reunited

Pg.175 - Hotohori gets to hold Houki and Boushin again
Chapter 9: Eternal Light

Pg.181 - Mayo glad to be back home

Pg.193 - Taka and Miaka happy together again
(*last 3 pages only)

That evening, Mayo sighed in relief as she set out the Shi Jin Ten Chi Sho she had painstakingly
mended.

I’ll take this back to the library tomorrow. Just like Keisuke said from the very start, this probably is a
very dangerous book. But if a girl with enough love and courage enters it, I’m sure she can come back
to her own world with an immeasurable treasure.

Anyone can become a Priestess.

Any girl has the potential to be Suzaku no Miko, and have a pure and beautiful heart.

Mayo remembered the Suzaku she had seen in her own heart earlier.

Maybe another girl will come along someday who will also be able to see Suzaku fly in her heart… A
new Priestess who will embark on a journey of adventure and love…

Mayo hugged the book to her chest and gazed out the window.

"…The Suzaku constellations of the Southern sky…"

The Seven Warriors, Yotaiko, Reizeitei, and Mumin…All those faces are smiling at me on the other
side of those stars.

And so are my parents, Keisuke, Saori, Yui, Tetsuya…

Mayo imagined all the important people to her in this world.

"Taka and Miaka, too… I’m sure they’re watching over me right now…" Mayo murmured finally with
a bright smile.

Taka and Miaka sat beside each other on the verandah outside their apartment. The two sat in silence,
staring at the stars. The atmosphere was far too fragile and beautiful for either of them to speak. Their
feelings for each other, too, were too deep and too vast to put into words.

"Taka…"

"Hm?…"

"I’ve been thinking about what to name our baby…"

"Me, too…"
The two firmly clasped hands.

"Just thinking about our baby makes the inside of my heart shine…"

Taka nodded. "You’re not the only one, Miaka. I feel the same way, and I’m sure… everyone else…
feels the same way…"

The two exchanged smiles.

"Never changing, our child will illuminate the world with love and hope…"

"…With light…"

"Hikari…" Miaka gently spoke to her stomach. "Hurry and come be with us soon…"

Then the two gazed up at the sky again.

Eternal light…

The light of the stars from thousands of light-years away shined brightly on Taka and Miaka.

-The End-

Suzaku of the South, Genbu of the North, Seiryuu of the East, Byakko of the West…

The Heavens hold twenty-eight stars, waiting…

Waiting for the new door to this everlasting story …

To be opened by you…

----------

Notes:

"Hikari" means "light". "Eikou" (part of the title of this book) means "eternal light"
Freetalks
Freetalk by Nishizaki Megumi (author)

Hello!! Nishizaki Megumi speaking.

With this book completed, this means Fushigi Yuugi is completely over [*yeah, right ^^;] . Ahhhh,
looking back, the process was so long, yet so short, and it’s really confusing me.

It started with Tasuki’s "Genroh Den", then books were written about Chichiri, Nuriko, Amiboshi and
Suboshi, Hotohori, Nakago… And finally a book about Tamahome and the rest of the cast. What did
you think of Miaka and Taka from 3 years in the future, Tasuki and Chichiri from 10 years in the
future, and the reincarnations of the other Seven?

And then, there was the girl who entered the book, Mayo. Actually, Mayo is supposed to be "you".
Anyone and everyone experiences hard times and sad times. But instead of running away from reality,
we should be brave and fight. Those were the feelings I had as I wrote this book.

Don’t worry, you’re never alone. You have Seven special warriors who are watching over you all the
time. Yes, the Fushigi Yuugi world will always exist everywhere.

And all it takes is a little imagination and we can all go there. But we shouldn’t use our imagination
just as Mayo did in the beginning of the story - as a vanity service to our egos-

but we should imagine how others feel and how we can help others. Anyone with those kinds of
feelings will make an excellent heroine of a story.

And I’m sure you have plenty of friends around you just like the Seven Warriors!! Ahhh, while writing
this book, even I took a second to think about all those people in my life. And when I did, I felt I could
almost hear Tasuki saying, "Ya don’t need to worry about that. I’ll always be here for ya." Then, I hear
Nuriko say with a laugh, "You big silly. I’ll always protect you!"… And then Chiriko says, "Miss
Nishizaki, you’re the most beautiful woman in the worrrrrld!" Sniff, sniff…

They exist for me, too. They’re not just for young girls!! I really do feel like Miaka’s warriors have
helped me out and held my hand over the years. Of course, I can’t begin to say how much of a help
the fan response has been, either. I really really thank you. And I also thank the Mother of all things
Fushigi Yuugi, Watase Yuu, and the editors of Pallete Bunko.

Fushigi Yuugi is everlasting and indestructible. I hope you all treasure it in your hearts.

Well, I’ll see you all again very soon in the form of "Ayashi no Ceres".

Much love and thanks, and ciao!!

-Nishizaki Megumi.
Freetalk from Watase Yuu (concept and illustrator)

At last… at last this time has come…!! To all of you who sent letters and all of you who read
faithfully… a million thanks!! Yes!! And to Nishizaki-sensei… who has been with me ever since the
"Shishunki-miman Okotowari" books, thank you very much. (… of course, she’s going to stay on and
write the new Ayashi no Ceres novels, so it’s not like we’re saying goodbye…)

At first, she said she only understood about 70% of my vision, but I kept prodding her with my plot
and we both had a fun time sorting out all the details of the stories. And whenever she sent me her
drafts for their final checks, I always go to enjoy them just as an ordinary reader *heart*

And drawing the illustrations was painful, yet fun! It seems like there are still many (rude) people who
complain that my art style has changed, but that’s just the way art is. Someone once said that what we
draw comes from our inner psyche, so we can’t help it if our drawings change with time… and I
totally agree with that!! Even those in the anime sector say that if more Fushigi Yuugi is animated,
they’d have to change the art style. We can’t stay stuck in the same place forever. Miaka and her
Seven are moving towards the future.

…And this might be the end (?), but memories of this story will always stay with us!! …And so I
guess the cliché, "I don’t want a goodbye" fits here… I hope to see you all again soon!!

Editor O-sama, thank you so much! And so… Please read my new stories, too! (laugh)
 Please send your thoughts about "Fushigi Yuugi Gaiden - Eikou Den - "

For Nishizaki Megumi-sensei:

Nishizaki Megumi-sensei
Shogakukan Palette Bunko
2-3-1 Hitotsubashi, Chiyoda-ku
101-8001 Tokyo
For Watase Yuu-sensei:
Watase Yuu-sensei
(At the same address)

Author Profiles

Watase Yuu
A Picses born on March 5th, born and raised in Osaka. Blood type B. Her interests are music
appreciation and games. The kind of games she likes are RPG and puzzles. As for music she likes
techno, ethnic, and classical. She likes listening to stuff that matches her work. Presently very busy
working as a manga artist for "Shoujo Comics" and others!

Nishizaki Megumi
An O type Picses born on February 29th. Either because she is cursed with an ultra capricious
personality or merely the fault of not having any talent, she's become a (self proclaimed) multi part
timer making a living as she likes. She finds it difficult to get excited and easy to lose interest. And
yet, she's a free person with a romantic side and she loves a simple life. She has written "Shousetsu
Shishunki Miman Okotowari Vols. 1-4" and "Fushigi Yuugi Gaiden 1~8" for Palette Bunko.