Miaka and Keisuke raced through the apartment complex until they got to Yui’s place. When they opened the door, they found Yui lying the down on the couch. Tetsuya, and the waiter from that coffee place were right beside her.
"It feels so weird in here…" Miaka thought as they went inside the apartment. "Something’s not right…" "I can’t breathe right…"
"What the hell happened here?" Keisuke broke in and disrupted Miaka’s thoughts; he was panting a little.
"Yea, *pant* ‘niichan *pant* said that Yuuu *pant* ii-chan *gasp* fainted or something *wheeze* like that."
"I came here to pick Yui up. But I heard her scream and when I got here, I saw Aku over here fanning her." Tetsuya paused, his face showed total confusion.
"What’s he doing here anyway?" Keisuke asked.
"Oh I live over there, uhm, across from Yu… I mean Hongo-san."
"Yea, so how come you came to be here?" Keisuke asked suspiciously while Miaka eyed everyone in the room closely. She felt something strange about the atmosphere. Something was wrong all right. And Her brother was acting really weird. So was Tetsuya because normally Tetsuya would be the suspicious one when it came to Yui.
"I came to introduce myself to all my new neighbors… I didn’t know that Hongo-san lived here too…." Just then Miaka’s eyes spotted the flowers on the counter and he was cut off by Miaka’s abrupt voice.
"WHOAAA! Tetsuya, nice flowers." She said absent-mindedly.
"What?" Tetsuya answered a little irritated.
Miaka walked over to where the flowers were and waved it over her head.
"These flowers you moron!" (She set the flowers back down on the table.) "I said they’re nice. You must’ve really want to impress her."
"Those aren’t from me." Tetsuya said in a quiet and embarrassed voice.
"Huh?"
Miaka was dumbfounded. She rotated the flowers a little to look for the card.
"AHA! Found it!!" She snickered and read the card out loud. "To: Hongo, Yui"
"Yea, and who is it from?" Tetsuya said getting really irritated now.
"I dunno. It doesn’t say." She placed the card down and she gazed up at the ceiling and smiled. "Yui-chan has a secret admired… or maybe even a secret lover! How romantic!"
"Why don’t you shut the hell up!" Tetsuya retorted. Miaka was getting on his last nerve.
"Hey chill man, Miaka was just…" Keisuke was interrupted by Aku’s pager.
"Oh, I have to go… call my.. uhm girlfriend up. She gets really bitchy when I’m late about stuff like that."
"Oh, yea Ok. Uhm, thanks for… catching Yui…" Tetsuya stammered.
"Could you close the door on your way out?!?" the way Keisuke said it, it sounded more like a command than a request.
"Yea, sure. See you guys later." Aku waved. And just before he closed the door he said, "Don’t worry, I’m sure Hongo-san will be fine…" He shut the door and when he was sure that they were out of hearing range he said. "…for now… but I can’t say the same for you guys." He snickered quietly all the way back to his apartment.
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"Hmm… What should I pack for Miaka’s world. Eh? Tamahome-kun?" Tasuki asked him.
"I don’t know. Clothes." Then he gave Tasuki a good look over. "…On second thought, I’ll just buy you new clothes or something."
"Why?? Neee? What’s wrong with the way I’m dressed??" Tasuki whined.
Nuriko and the rest started laughing.
"I don’t think it’s the clothes Tasuki." Hotohori said.
"Yea, it’s more the FACE!" Nuriko laughed out.
"Well actually…. I think all of you guys need a change of clothes…. I mean…." Taka paused.
"What? Why?" Tokaki said. He seemed to feel a little better because right before they got to Konan, Nyan-nyan informed him that Subaru was fine and that she should snap out of it soon.
"Well just trust me on this." Taka said.
"CHEEE! Look at you, actin’ all high and shit just cuz you got a new name and new clothes." Tasuki said.
"Don’t mind Tasuki Taka-kun, he’s just jealous no da!"
All of them laughed and cheered as they prepared to go to Miaka and Yui’s world. They were all excited to visit Miaka. And they all wanted to see how life was there. For a moment the seven Seishi of Suzaku and the Seishi of Byakko forgot the danger that awaited them in the world of the Miko.
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"Hey you guys, I think she’s waking up!" Miaka said rather loudly to get Tetsuya and Keisuke’s attention. Both were preoccupied with their own thoughts.
"Geez, they’re really acting weird." Miaka thought to herself.
Yui moved a little and her eyes fluttered before she opened them. And just as though she remembered what had happened she let out a loud scream.
"Yui!" Tetsuya ran to her and cradled her. "It’s okay. I’m here now. It’s ok"
Yui started sobbing and wasn’t able to speak. Miaka wondered what on earth could’ve made her best friend into a sobbing idiot.
"What happened?" Keisuke asked in a low voice.
"It…. There…. I…." Then Yui started crying again.
"What happened Yui. We can’t help you if we don’t know what the hell happened to you. We’re not mind-readers for crying out loud!" Keisuke said impatiently.
"Hey! Don’t talk to her like that!" Tetsuya said defensively.
"Fine I’m getting a little sick of all this…" Keisuke said. He went to the kitchen a rummaged for some beer or something to drink.
"Hey! You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to!" Tetsuya said angrily.
"Fine! I’m leaving this shit to you and your emotionally imbalanced girlfriend!" Keisuke yelled and was ready to step out of the door.
"Everybody, just SHUT THE HELL UP AND SIT THE HELL DOWN!" Miaka screamed. She was so surprised that she had it in her to scream like that to her brother and Tetsuya. However, this made the agitated Yui scream out again.
"SHHUTTTT UUUP!!" Miaka yelled at her. Then she added, "….please."
Yui quieted down but she was still sobbing helplessly. Keisuke sat down as well. He didn’t look at anybody in the room but instead, he focused his attention on the floor. Tetsuya was still cradling Yui and he stroked her hair softly.
"Look," Miaka breathed. "I don’t know what’s going on here… and why everyone’s acting so crazy. But we have a lot on our hands. There might be a threat to our world… and we still have to get Taka back."
" ‘We still have to get Taka back’ ." Tetsuya mimicked her. "That’s all you think about, TAKA, TAKA TAKA! You know Miaka, you should really listen to yourself. Your like a f*cken broken-ass record. ‘Taka this’ and ‘Taka that’. Or if not it’s not Taka that’s coming out from that big ass mouth of yours, it’s ‘Tamahome.’ "
"Hey lay off my sister asshole!" Keisuke glared at Tetsuya.
"What are you going to do about it?" Tetsuya sneered. "I swear your family is nothing but a bunch of pathetic broke-ass losers. By the way, did I tell you that your mom looks like a guy…. The first time I saw her, I thought she was your dad." Tetsuya snickered.
"You son of a bi….."
"SHUT THE HELL UP!!!!!" Miaka screamed again, but this time her voice and the intonation of her voice sounded different.
A red light surrounded her body and the sign of Suzaku appeared on her forehead. Miaka was different. She looked much older than she did a few moments ago, and her eyes glowed with rage and impatience. Both Tetsuya and Keisuke sat down as their jaws dropped open at the sight of Miaka.
"You are both acting like children…." Miaka said, her voice was different. As if it were two voices melded in one. It was calmer now and her presence made the whole room warm.
"The flowers, …in the flowers." A voice told her.
Miaka walked slowly to where the flowers lay. The red light, no doubt, Suzaku’s light surrounded her. She picked up a three-dimensional box purple box which was no bigger or wider than a thumb that was embedded in the flowers.
"What the hell is that?" Tetsuya asked. Yui started crying again.
"Hey shut up! Damnit!" Keisuke yelled at her. Tetsuya got up and was ready to hit Keisuke.
"Yeah! C’mon jack ass!" Keisuke taunted him.
Just as he was about to throw the punch. Miaka dropped the box to the ground and crushed it with her heel. A black smoke came out from it. It looked like it had eyes and a mouth that held a menacing grin. It looked at Miaka for a moment and drifted out of the window.
A few seconds later, Miaka dropped to the floor and passed out. The light that surrounded her was gone. The tension and hatred that came over Keisuke and Tetsuya disappeared as quickly as it appeared. And Yui stopped her sobbing. The three of them looked at Miaka who lay peacefully on the floor.
"Tetsuya, mitte…" Yui said as she pointed to Miaka’s hand.
Keisuke and Tetsuya looked. What they saw was gold medallion clasped in her hand. Just then, Miaka started to stir. She opened her eyes and there was a hint of fear in them.
"Just now… Suzaku…" She said. Then she lifted her hand and saw the medallion. She placed it on her neck and looked at the group with serious eyes.
"Your world is running out of time Suzaku no Miko."
"Listen guys, however left that box here means serious business."
"Yui, what happened to you?" Keisuke asked her in a voice that was more gentle than last time.
"….After I got the flowers… from this guy, …he looked like Suboshi, and…"
"Suboshi?" Tetsuya, Miaka, and Keisuke said in unison.
Yui nodded. "Yeah, but it wasn’t him… he said that a guy had them sent to me."
Miaka nodded. "Do you think it could be this Suboshi look alike who put that there?"
"No… it couldn’t have been him. He’s too nice…"
"Nice my ass! Listen Yui, whoever put that box thing in there is obviously very powerful. He was able to put us up against each other…" He looked at Keisuke apologetically.
"Exactly. And just because he looked kind or nice, or looked like Suboshi, doesn’t mean he wouldn’t do something like that." Keisuke finished.
"Hey, what about that waiter guy… what was his name?" Keisuke asked.
"Aku…" Yui shuddered.
"Ok wait, finish your story Yui." Tetsuya encouraged her.
"Well the doorbell rang again and it was someone at the door… It was Aku, but, right behind him there was this thing…"
"What thing?"
"It looked like a beast… I dunno, it’s eyes were red… and fierce. I remember screaming, and then fainting… the weird thing is it wasn’t there in the beginning… I mean, it’s not like it came with him…"
"I don’t trust that guy." Keisuke said.
"Yeah, neither do I. Listen Yui, maybe it’s better if you crashed at my place for awhile. I mean at least until we can figure this whole thing out."
Miaka looked at Yui then Tetsuya, then back at Yui. "Hmm… Oh I guess you guys wanna get busy tonight huh." She giggled.
Yui grabbed a throw-pillow and threw it at Miaka. All of them started laughing. They’re laughter was interrupted by Tetsuya’s apologetic voice.
"Keisuke… Listen, I… uhm… I, didn’t mean what I said, ok?"
"Don’t worry about it. I’m not that pissed off at you anymore." Keisuke smiled. "Besides, I’ll let you make it up to me by buying me dinner tonight."
"Yeah! Me too!!" Miaka added in.
"Hey wait, I didn’t say I was sorry about what I said to you." Laughed Tetsuya.
"Jerk!" Miaka threw the pillow at Tetsuya’s face and they all started laughing.
The three headed walked out the apartment complex and started out to go to a restaurant. They all seemed much better and calmer. The box, and the whole incident was temporarily forgotten, or at least no one felt like mentioning it.
"Nee, Yui-chan"
"Unnn?"
"Do you know who the flowers are from?"
Everyone stopped walking and looked at Yui.
"No, I asked Subo… I mean the guy who delivered the flowers and he said that the guy didn’t sign it… or forgot to sign it or something. I thought maybe it was Tetsuya," She glared at him a little. After all, why didn’t he think to buy her beautiful flowers. "But the description the guy gave wasn’t at all like Tetsuya… But I forgot what he said…"
"Hey, I would’ve sent you flowers… but I was too busy thinking about how much I wanted to see you that I forgot."
"Nice save." Yui smiled and held his hand.
"When I find out who that creep is that’s sending you flowers I’ll kick his ass. Doesn’t he know you have a boyfriend already? Besides, for all we know, he was probably the one who put the damned box in there anyway."
"Hmmm…"
"Hey! I think we should visit that flower shop or whatever before we go eat…" Keisuke suggested.
"Yeah I agree." Tetsuya piped in. "Oii, Yui, do you remember what the name of the flower shop was?"
Yui nodded. "Ee, it’s called Sakura Co. It’s right down by Osaka Ryouri."
"Good, we’ll ask the guy who delivered the flowers what the guy who sent it looked like. Then, we can go to Osaka Ryouri to eat!" Miaka said cheerily.
The group started out again. They were all preoccupied about getting a hold of the guy who delivered the flowers.
"Nee, Yui-chan?"
"Nani?"
"What’s his name? That boy who delivered the flowers, I mean"
"Kairi…"
"Kairi?"
"Unn…"
The four walked towards the corner and got into Tetsuya’s car. From the shadows of the apartment building on the third floor, two pairs of eyes followed the car they drove away in. One of the Shadows smiled menacingly.
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