After what seemed to be a long, restless journey, Suzaku Shichi-sei finally reached Sailo Country.
"Sugeeee!!!! We’re finally here!!!" Tasuki exclaimed. "I’m SOOOO tired!! Quick Chichiri, lend me some money so I can buy some sake!!!"
"AHO!!!" Nuriko scolded him as she smacked him upside his head. "How the hell can you think of Sake when Subaru-san and Tokaki-san could be in danger!"
Tasuki scratched his head and shrugged. "Jodan deshoo!!!" He said in a child like voice.
"SHIMATTA!" Hotohori cursed, "Everyone!! Look over there!" He yelled as he pointed towards Byakko’s hall.
For a quick second, everyone couldn’t move. There was a dark cloud of smoke atop the hall; the place was definitely on fire! When the group came back to their senses they ran towards Byakko’s hall. The whole place was engulfed by blazing flames.
"KUSOOOO!!" Taka screamed. He knew that there was no way any of them could get through this barrier of fire. He clenched his fists in anger and yelled out a few more cuss words that would’ve rendered a holy person deaf… or dead.
Just then, Nyan-nyan appeared in her usual cheery mood.
"NYAN!" she smiled. "I knew it would be a good idea for me to tag along!" She beamed.
"Nyan-nyan!! Can you do something about this no da?" Chichiri asked.
"Unnn-unnn!!" She giggled and snapped her fingers. Then a huge sphere appeared over the burning place, she snapped her fingers again and the sphere burst, sprinkling loads of water over the hall and conquered the fire.
"Sugoiiii!! Nyan-nyan!!" Chiriko clapped; Nyan-nyan bowed.
Taka didn’t waste any time. He rushed inside the half burned Hall of Byakko while calling out for Tokaki and his wife Subaru.
"TOKAKI-SAAAN!!" "SUBARU-SAAANNN!!!!" The Shichi-sei called out but there was no respond. They all dug around to see what they could find but still no signs of anyone alive.
"This can’t be!" Mitsukake thought out loud. "No one’s answering…. I mean if they’re dead…"
"They are NOT dead damnit!!" Taka yelled. His eyes black with rage.
"I think what Mitsukake-san is trying to say is, if they were killed their bodies would still be lying around right? So obviously they’re NOT dead." Chiriko said.
Chichiri made a gesture for everyone to be quiet. He nodded his head in the direction of the heart of Byakko’s hall. Everyone cautiously walked towards it.
The door was half-way open. They heard heavy breathing. No, it was more like gasping sounds. It was as though who ever it was in there was having a hard time breathing…
"Tokaki-san!!" Taka exclaimed as he made out one of the figures plastered on the floor.
Tokaki was in his ‘young’ state, Subaru obviously used her magic to turn back time for both of them. His chiseled face was bloody and his eyes were shut; it seemed like he couldn’t open them even if he wanted to. His clothes ripped and burnt, and one of his legs lay limp; broken. He was gasping for air; trying hard to fill his lungs with oxygen. He looked so pitiful and ragged that you just want to kill him right there to put him out of his misery.
Subaru cradled him in her arms. Her white hair stained with blood. Her beautiful face showed pain. Pain from the injuries she acquired from the recent battle. Pain for her beloved, struggling for his life on the floor. Her clothes were torn and singed revealing claw marks that dug deep into her flesh. Her eyes were dark with anger, yet she was too weak to fight back or even lift herself up off the floor. Instead of crying tears, blood flowed; streaming down her face it stained Tokaki’s cheek. She looked at Taka and for a moment she looked like she wanted to speak; like she wanted to say something but nothing would come out. She looked at Taka for a minute longer before she let her gaze fall upon Tokaki once more.
"Subaru-san…" Taka said in a soft voice.
He took a step forward, but just as he was about to take a second step, a beast jumped up at him knocking him down and digging it’s long claws deep in Taka’s chest. Blood spewed out, soaking his torn shirt. The beast’s grip was tight on Taka. It’s claws were like that of a pitbull’s jaws; when it locked on you, it wont let go unit you’re dead or it’s dead. The two struggled for awhile, the other’s couldn’t really do anything but watch because every time they tried to help Taka and get the beast of him, it would be Taka in it’s place. The two were wrestling on the floor. After awhile the floor was stained with Taka’s blood and he seemed to be exhausted. "Taka! Don’t give up!!" A soft voice called out. "Miaka?" He called out loud. Taka looked around for a second but didn’t see Miaka there. "Don’t give up!" It said again. Taka called out for Miaka’s name a second time. But nobody answered.
"Oh God he’s gone crazy!!" He heard Tasuki say, but he was still looking around, making sure Miaka wasn’t there.
The beast was still on him, and it still had a tight grip on his chest. Taka finally grabbed it by the head and threw the beast off. Without missing a beat, Tasuki got out his tessen and tried to fry the monster. At first everybody thought that Tasuki had gotten the beast but as the flames from his tessen died out, the beast disappeared.
Mitsukake came to aid Taka, but he said he was fine and that all he needed to do was catch his breath. Mitsukake then came to Subaru’s side, obviously intending to heal her injuries. With what little strength she had remaining, she pushed his hand away.
"Tokaki… cure Tokaki first." She pleaded.
"Subaru-san, I’ll heal him after you." Mitsukake assured her.
She shook her head lamely, her tears of blood flowing steadily down her face. "My life means nothing without him…. I’d rather it be me who dies than him…so please…." Her voice trailed off.
"Subaru-san, don’t talk that way." Taka said as he walked himself towards her. He placed his hand on her shoulder to encourage her. "Tokaki is not going to die!! And neither are you."
She smiled at Taka even though it made her face ache. "You were always a sweet boy Tamahome. Don’t ever change…." "Mitsukake… Onegai…" She pleaded.
Mitsukake nodded. He uttered some words and began healing Tokaki. It must’ve taken a little over five minutes until Tokaki was just about fully recovered.
Tokaki opened his eyes. He saw different faces surrounding him. It took a few seconds before he realized that it was Suzaku’s Shichi-sei. He couldn’t remember a time when he was more happy to see them as he was now.
He felt a loving hand brush his hair away from his face. He looked up and there she was looking at him with her loving eyes that were crying tears of blood. Even in the state Subaru was in, she was beautiful.
Tokaki sat up and with his left hand he held the hand that brushed his hair. With his right hand he brushed her blood stained face. She smiled at him and said, "Yokkata…. I knew you wouldn’t die…. You wouldn’t leave me."
Tears streamed down his face. He realized that she was the reason that he was alive. He knew her well enough to know that She insisted on Mitsukake healing him first. That’s just how she was, that’s how she’s always been. He knew that she was why he was still alive. She made it possible for him to go on living. He remembered what happened clearly now. The beast struck him down first, no matter how hard he fought back and injured it, it kept coming back. When all seemed lost and he couldn’t find the strength to fight any longer, she kept on fighting. Fighting to protecting him. She stood ground against the monster. She fought with all her strength, considering how dangerous it was to go back to their younger bodies, she did well. He remembered the sacrifice she had to make. Subaru gave up the Shinzaho in exchange for Tokaki’s life, but the monster tricked her for after she surrendered Byakko’s Shinzaho, it attacked her. Tokaki made a silent promise to himself to kill the monstrous beast that inflicted so much pain to his beloved wife.
He looked at her with warmth and love. Tears still streaming down his face he stroked her hair and said, "Of course I wouldn’t die! And you wont either!" He wiped the tears off and smiled. He whispered softly, "Aishiteru."
She smiled at him and replied, "I know." Her eyes closed, her face relaxed, and her body went limp in his arms.
"OII!! Subaru!! This isn’t funny… open your eyes." He shook her desperately.
"Tokaki, let Mitsukake see if he can do something ne…." Nuriko said as he tried to pry away Tokaki from Subaru.
Mitsukake knelt over and recited a few chants. Warm green light emitted from the palm of his hand. After a few minutes, he started coughing and he crouched over.
"Mitsukake no da!!!!" Chichiri exclaimed and ran towards his friends side.
"I’m fine… I just can’t heal two people who were severely injured at the same time." He got up again and got his pouch of holy water out. He sprinkled some over her body and made her look as good as new yet she still did not open her eyes.
"Why isn’t she waking up???!!?" Taka and Tasuki asked simultaneously.
"She’s not dead, but her body is still weakened. I simply restored her appearance to look as though she was never hurt, but the psychological, and a few of the physical injuries are still there…"
"What’s that supposed to mean??" Tokaki asked, his face grief-stricken.
"It means, she’s in a coma…. If her spirit is weak… she wont snap out of it."
"Subaru!!! I know you can hear me!!! WAKE UP! WAKE UP DAMNIT!!" he was yelling in desperation, hoping that she would open her eyes.
"WAKE UPPP!!" he ordered her. "You can’t…… you can’t leave me!"
All the Suzaku Shichi-sei felt powerless, they couldn’t do anything but shed tears and hope for Subaru’s recovery.
"Ahem!" Nyan-nyan, interrupted. "I think it’s best if you guys left Subaru-san with me. I’ll take her back to Taiitsu-kun and we’ll make sure she gets better… in the mean time we have some other urgent matters to address."
"Nyan-nyan is right. Tokaki why don’t you go along with them." Hotohori asked him, although it sounded a lot more like an order than a request.
"Hell no!! I’m out to get that bastard that did this to her!" Tokaki said in a determined voice, his eyes flashed with rage.
"I think Hotohori is right…" Taka started to say but Tokaki cut him off.
"Listen, Subaru is the only thing that means ANYTHING to me and I’m not going to let what happened to her go unanswered!!!"
"Tears of anger and pain formed at the corner of Byakko Shichi-sei, Tokaki’s eyes. He tried hard to hold them in for as long as he can, until he lost control and the tears started falling and wouldn’t stop. He carried Byakko Shichi-sei Subaru to where Nyan-nyan was and held her for awhile. He thought about the days when they were much younger. How ever since they were little he knew that he loved her. And no matter how many girls he’s chased as he was a teenager, he always had his eye on her, and she would be the only one for him and he knew that she knew exactly what he felt. She was the reason he was alive. She was his reason for living. She was his life.
Tokaki leaned over and kiss her lips and squeezed her hand and for a moment there, it felt like she squeezed his hand back. He made a silent promise to get revenge on the beast that did this to her and before he stood up to join the others he whispered ‘Aishiteru’.
Nyan-nyan waved goodbye and wished everybody well then her and Subaru disappeared. The Suzaku Shichi-sei and Byakko Shichi-sei Tokaki lingered on for a few minutes and by and by they walked off, heading back to Konan to prepare for their Journey to the world of the Miko."
Miaka closed the book and lay it on the bed. She prayed for Subaru’s recovery but she still couldn’t help but be happy that Taka was coming back to her world where he belonged. And she’d get to see her old friends, she missed them all so very dearly.
"Miaka! Hurry and put your coat on! We’re going to Yui’s." Keisuke ordered her.
"Going to Yui’s? Why? I thought she was going to be with Tetsuya…"
"Something happened. I’ll explain on the way! Just hurry up!!!"
Miaka nodded and ran for her coat and in a second her and Keisuke were out the door.
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