Disclaimer: I still don’t own Konan, Suzaku and all characters and seishi pertaining to them. Kiori and Ritsuka are and shall forever be mine, and that holds for all the other “originals” (you’ll know ‘em when they appear, trust me). Obviously the story is mine as well.

Rating: PG-13, for moderate language and violence.

Musical Selection: Battle chapters deserve good music, so: At “Aoi raced across the fields at a sprint,” play “Mezame” from My-HiME. Go ahead and let it run through twice. Then, at “Akai struck out sideways,” play our old Elemental favorite, “It’s Only the Fairy Tale.” Also, “Azure Moon” by Every Little Thing functions as the episode's ending theme. All files are posted on my blog, available via the homepage link, as usual.

My roommate got me hooked on Buffy the Vampire Slayer (because it’s never too late to be a fangirl). I am now looking for my own personal Giles. Applications will be accepted via e-mail… not that, you know, a proper Giles would have any idea how to use the Interwebs.

--Episode Thirty: A Warrior's Destiny--
Battle Hymn For a Shattered Sky

Neither Keisuke nor Tetsuya attempted to take the book from Yui's hands, and she didn't offer it to either of them. Instead, she turned to the next chapter without even pausing to take a breath or sip from her soda, and began to read: “As the palace champion rode out to meet her fate, those with less worries wandered the grounds, searching for excitement on an all-too-quiet night...

oOo

Furosaki Yuki - former Takkan taii, current Konan soldier, and eternal RAFT member - rounded the edge of the smallest of the Konan courtyards, working hard to stifle a yawn. “Gods, but these midnight walkabouts are dull. I understand the need for increased security, but honestly...” He finally gave up and opened his mouth in a long, gaping yawn. "Hum... Perhaps I'd have been better off staying in the Takkan Army. At least there was a bit of action around there.”

Yuki strolled down the courtyard steps and around to the stables, clapping his hands together and looking toward the heavens. "Oh Suzaku, do a young, handsome soldier a favor and put a little spice into his midnight watch, could you please?”

"C'mon, Rin, we have to hurry.” The whispered voice just barely reached Yuki's ears, but he heard the horse's snuffle loud and clear. "Sh! We don't want to get anyone's attention."

Yuki looked to the sky, grinning. "Much obliged."

He sneaked around the corner of the stables, poking his head around the side of the building and taking in the sight of the boy – the one who had escorted him to the palace some two weeks ago - leading his horse down the wide walkway. Yuki grinned, looping the fingers of one hand into his belt and extending the other in a wave as he rounded the corner. "Lovely night for a stroll, isn't it?"

Aoi jumped and whirled around, but relaxed when he saw who it was. "Oh, Furosaki-san. What are you doing out here?"

He pulled a mournful face. "Slaving away under the cruel double-orders of my new shogun and my old one." The pitiful frown slipped from his face like water, reverting back to its usual easygoing grin. "But it doesn't look like you were sentenced to the same fate. So what brings you out at this time of night?"

Aoi looked away. "Gomen, Furosaki-san, but I'm not allowed to say. I promised Akai that I wouldn't tell any of the..." He paused, smiling a little. "Any of the Konan Warriors."

Yuki winked. "Then I suppose today is your lucky day, for I've been called by many titles, but never Konan Warrior. Now how about you liven up a young soldier's night with a st—"

"Akai's battling an Element on the Plains of the August One's Fall and I have to try and help her or something terrible might happen!” he blurted out before Yuki could even finish his question.

"Eeeeeh?" The former taii whirled as if he'd been struck by an arrow. "No wonder you're in such a hurry! I suppose I shouldn't keep you any longer, then." Aoi turned to go, but Yuki's voice stopped him once more. "Uh, say, Aoi-kun, an Elemental battle could get bloody - would you like me to inform the seishi? Reinforcements never hurt anything, after all."

"Oh, thanks, but I told you already," Aoi said as he walked away, "I promised Akai that I wouldn't tell any of the Konan Warriors."

"And I told you already: that I am no Konan Warrior, nor am I you, you see."

He scratched his head. "I'm afraid I don't."

The RAFT member wagged a finger at him. "You promised Akai that you wouldn't tell the Konan Warriors, correct?" A nod. "Now, am I you?"

"Of course not, you're you..." A slow smile spread across Aoi's face. "And if you told them..."

"No harm done, right?"

"Right!"

Yuki threw a wink at the young soldier. "In that case, I'll nip on over to the seishi's quarters and warn them of your friend's perilous position." He glanced about, frowning. “Though I suppose I'll have to find their rooms first." He looked upwards, clasping his hands together in prayer. "Suzaku, old friend, I don't suppose you could magic me to them, hm?" He stood staring at the sky for a moment, then smiled at Aoi and shrugged. "Ah, well. It was worth a try." He waved a hand at the young soldier, marching across the grounds as if he were carrying a message from the gods themselves. "Never-you-mind, I shall find the seishi sleeping section, even if it takes me half the night, and that's a promise from Furosaki Yuki, so it is!"

Aoi watched Yuki jog off toward the palace's main buildings, then headed for the western gate, shaking his head. 'RAFT members are so weird.'

oOo

The Plain of the August One's Fall shone silver in the moonlight, its short grasses swaying in the night breeze, moving in tune to the singing of the cicadas. Sora sat alone in the field, legs crossed and hands resting lightly in her lap. Her eyes were closed to the world, but they opened as the ground shuddered with the stamp of horse's hooves. She looked up as Akai rounded the top of the western ridge, then stood as her opponent galloped down to meet her.

Akai halted Hoshi at the bottom of the ridge. She dismounted and patted her horse once, fondly, before turning to face her opponent. The two girls walked forward until they were just a few feet from one another – then, unexpectedly, Akai bowed at the waist.

“Yamada Akai has come to accept your challenge,” she said.

Sora blinked at the formality, then nodded once, returning the bow. “My challenge has been met. I shall fight honorably. I ask for no less in return.”

The two straightened as one, Akai unsheathing her sword, Sora holding her right hand out to the side. Akai's eyes widened as she watched the blue glow encompass Sora's palm, slowly elongating until it settled into the shape of a thin sword. “So that's your power,” she said.

Sora studied the blade, turning it in the light. “It suits me in every way.” Her eyes snaked over to the other girl. “You cannot say the same. That sword is too heavy for you.”

“I hear that a lot,” Akai said, feigning carelessness. “Usually I hear it right before I win a fight.” She nodded to the Element's blade. “Aren't you a little nervous using that? I'm carrying a weapon of Suzaku, you know. Chichiri-sama's staff tore right through that Taiyou's shields – what if I can do the same to you?”

Sora whipped her blade forward. Akai took a step back, bringing up her own weapon to block the sideways strike. The swords clanged against one another, echoing through the empty field. Sora nodded once. “As I thought.”

Akai gritted her teeth, steadying herself after the sudden blow. “Want to share that thought?”

“It's simple,” Sora said. “Unlike Taiyou's shields, which he created with his mind and ki, this blade is a part of my body. It's not just my power – it is me. None of the others can say that. I am unique.”

Akai dug her feet into the ground and shoved forward, knocking the Element's sword away. “And so modest, too.”

Sora took a few steps back and the two fell into silence, staring at one another, searching for a sudden opening or a weakness. Akai's hands shifted on her hilt. 'That blade must be as light as a feather for her. She'll wear me down if I'm not careful. I'll have to end this fast.' She cocked the blade at her side, falling into the hokuden striking stance. 'I'll try not to fail you, Hataku-san.'

Akai's left side was open, and she knew it, and Sora knew it too. The Element lunged and Akai took a step to the side, sliding her sword forward, the two blades screeching against each other until their hilts locked. Akai gave a cry of victory and moved to give that final twist, the one that would tear Sora's sword from her grasp, but the Element moved with practiced smoothness, shifting sideways and knocking away the Holy Sword.

The two hopped backwards, staring at one another with open disbelief.

“How—?” Akai began.

“That's hokuden!” Sora cried, voice thick with a mingling of grief and surprise. It was the first emotion Akai had seen out of her. “And that strike – its designer, he taught it to no one but me! How could you have learned it? Who could have taught it to you?”

Akai cocked her sword back up at her side, ready to strike again. “It's pretty obvious that we've had the same teacher. Or did Setsuka forget to tell you that Hataku-san's on our side now?”

“On your side...?” Sora stumbled backwards, reeling as if the ground had come alive under her feet. “No. That's impossible. I saw what my Lady did to him. I saw...” She shook her head hard. “No. It can't be. He can't possibly be—”

“Alive?” Akai finished. “Well, he is. Pretty banged up, but breathing and grumbling all the same.” She gestured to her Holy Sword. “That last strike should be proof enough for you.”

Sora's blade vanished as she brought up her right hand to grab at her breastbone, touching something hidden within her shirt. A strangled sound, half-sob and half-laugh, tore its way out of her throat. “Then he really is... somehow...”

Akai's eyes softened. She straightened, slipping out of her own fighter's stance. “The two of you were close, weren't you?”

“He taught me everything,” she said, so quietly that Akai had to strain to hear it. “And when he was killed... I thought...”

Sora's fingers tightened against her chest, grasping at something Akai couldn't see. She could hear the desperate affection in the Element's voice, though, and it softened something in her own chest, made her think of her own fallen teacher. Made her think of a way out for all of them.

“Come with me.”

Sora's head jerked up, eyes wide and shining with tears. “What?”

“Come with me,” Akai said again. “You've seen the terrible things Setsuka does to people. Why stay with her? You can come with me back to Konan.” She laughed weakly. “The others are pretty stupid about trusting people, so I don't think they'd say no, and I'm sure Hataku-san would vouch for you, too.” She extended her free hand to the other girl. “How about it? You do want to see him again, right?”

Sora's left hand raised from her side, reaching forward as if to accept the champion's offer. The moonlight touched something between her fingers and it glittered dimly, drawing the Element's eyes down to it. She turned her palm toward her face, studying the glinting object for a moment, eyebrows tight with concentration, almost pain. Her fingers tightened into a fist. Her eyes closed. Her hand lowered back to her side.

“I cannot.”

She opened her eyes again and the tears from before had vanished. Everything had vanished. Watching her, Akai felt that she might be staring into nothingness itself. “Sora, listen—”

“No,” she said, with all the finality of a tomb slamming shut. “I am Setsuka-sama's weapon. I can no more choose to desert her than your sword can choose to leave your hand. Either the master relinquishes the weapon, or the weapon stays until it is torn from the master's grasp. Those are the only choices.”

“But what about Hataku-san?” Akai asked. “I thought—”

“Hataku-sama was branded a traitor. He betrayed my ladyship's trust. That is why Setsuka sentenced him to death.” Sora crouched again, left hand still tight at her side, right already reforming her sword. “And that is why, should we meet again, I would not hesitate to take his head.”

“But that's insane!” Akai cried. “Didn't you just cry for him? Don't you... I-I mean, you're in love with him, aren't you?”

“I told you before: I am my lady's weapon. I can't love anything.” Sora gripped her sword between her hands, staring with that same empty gaze across the blade at her opponent. “Now, let me do what I was sent here to do.”

Akai felt tears spring unbidden to her eyes. Hurriedly she blinked them away. 'No, Akai. There's nothing else you can do. She made her choice.'

“Sorry, Hataku-san,” she whispered, and lunged at her enemy.

oOo

Chichiri wandered through inky darkness once again, his feet moving slowly, as if tied to weights. “What is it this time?” he murmured aloud, peering through the gloom. “Mattaku, I really can't take any more of these dreams no da...”

The monk blinked and pulled to a halt, surprised to see a human-shaped figure moving toward him. His eye narrowed as he sent his own ki across the clearing to sense the presence – and then it snapped open again as the familiar, proud, fiercely lonely aura came pounding back across the distance. Chichiri took a step back, staring in disbelief as the human-shaped figure solidified, took form, long hair and robes fluttering as if tugged by the faintest of breezes.

Chichiri could think of only one meek, disbelieving word. "Highness?"

Hotohori's voice was soft, but there was nothing but steel in his eyes as he whispered a single word. “Hurry.”

"Chichiri-sama! Chichiri-sama! CHICHIRI-SAMA, would you kindly cease that incessant snoring and answer your door?”

The monk jumped awake, jerking into a sitting position. “Who...?” Spurred on by his dream, Chichiri stood, not even pausing to retrieve his mask as he strode to the door and wrenched it open, blinking at the RAFT leader standing outside. "Furosaki... Yuki, isn't it no da?"

"Ha, you remembered my name! Brilliant." Yuki clasped his hands in a Takkan salute, bowing at the waist. "Terribly sorry to bother you, Your, um, Seishiness, but we're experiencing a slight problem of the Elemental variety."

Chichiri eye snapped open. "Element? Where's Akai?" He closed his eyes and sent his power out in all directions, finding her before Yuki could stutter an answer. "There? I need to hurry no da!"

Yuki followed the monk back into his room as Chichiri looped his kesa around his shoulder and grabbed his shoes from nearby. He laced them up as quickly as he could, listening as Yuki explained the situation. "...So I told Aoi-kun that I'd wake you and Tasuki-sama..."

"Is Tasuki awake no da?"

"Er, yes, actually. He sleeps much lighter than Chichiri-sama, I must admit."

Chichiri finished the laces on his shoes and sprang to his feet, grabbing his staff and knocking it against the wall that separated his room from his friend's. "Tasuki, are you ready no da?"

"I'm comin', 'Chiri, jus' gimme a sec ta.. whoa, whoa... AAAAGH!"

Monk and RAFT member alike sweatdropped as they heard a crash, followed by a string of curses. "Tasuki, you've never been able to walk and put your boots on at the same time, so why would you think that this time would be any different no da?"

Yuki chuckled and looked to Chichiri. "The two of you will be traveling by, ah... 'seishi tricks,' I'm guessing?" He nodded. "Is there anything else you need me to do?"

“Yes, you can get back to your job,” a voice from the door ordered. “I'll handle things here.”

The pair turned to see Hataku standing in the doorway, Tasuki appearing a moment later just behind him. Tasuki grinned, clapping a hand to the former shogun's shoulder as he slipped past him and into Chichiri's room. “Oi, Hataku, did we wake ya?”

“I don't see how I could have stayed asleep with the noise you were making,” he replied dryly. His eyes slid to Yuki, all business. “Furosaki, back to your post.” The RAFT member scowled but didn't disobey, offering short bows to all three before disappearing out the doorway. Once he had gone, Hataku turned to the seishi. “What's going on?”

“Akai's fighting an Element no da,” Chichiri said calmly, opening one of his desk drawers. “We're going out to make sure nothing happens to her.”

“An Element?” Hataku repeated. “But the only ones left are...” He trailed off, eye widening, hand tightening against the door frame. He finished his sentence in a whisper. “Sora.”

Neither seishi seemed to hear him as Tasuki strode forward and tugged at Chichiri's sleeve. “C'mon, what're you so calm about? We gotta hurry, otherwise somethin' might—”

“Daijoubu no da,” Chichiri said, turning and facing him with a maskless smile. “Because we caught this one in time. 'Interference will save you, this I see.'”

“What're you talkin' about?”

“I'll explain the rest later, but for now just don't worry no da.” Chichiri held up the item he'd pulled out of his desk. “We have this, remember?”

Tasuki stared at the container in Chichiri's hand, a jar with a cloth lid tied down over its top. A slow, triumphant grin spread across his face. “Aw, hell yes. Hell yes!” He clapped Chichiri on the back, pushing him forward and toward the door, laughing the entire way. “Mitsukake saves the friggin' day again! With his holy water, as long as we get there it don't matter what happens, we can just... an' he... aw, hell yes, if I ever see that guy again...!”

The two swept past Hataku, Chichiri already fiddling with his kasa. The former shogun turned, at last finding words again, though these were much more frantic than his earlier ones. “Wait, let me come with you. I might be able to—”

“You stay here no da!” Chichiri called over his shoulder. “I move faster with fewer people. Wake the others and wait for us on the western wall! Tell them that we're bringing Akai home alive – that we're bringing everyone home alive no da!”

“But I might—”

Hataku's case would remain unheard, however, as Chichiri grabbed Tasuki around the shoulder and tossed his hat into the air. A flash of crimson later and they had disappeared, off for the field that had claimed one of their brothers – but would not, they swore, claim another of their seven that night.

oOo

Aoi raced across the fields, urging his horse to faster and faster speeds. He was so focused on reaching Akai that he didn't realize he was at the plains until he rounded the top of a hill and nearly sent both himself and his horse tumbling over the ridge. Aoi pulled up short, eyes sweeping down across the fields where Konan Warrior and Element battled back and forth, fighting for honor and life. He felt his breath catch in his throat when Akai stumbled, nearly losing her footing before digging her toe into the ground and finding her balance again.

'Akai's tired... and that Element is good.' Aoi bit his lip. 'I've gotta get down there, now.'

He guided his horse away from the ridge, then set it on a course down and around the steep slope. Aoi urged the animal into a gallop, eyes constantly straying from the path to sneak over to the battle, the two figures just shadows beneath the moonlight, their jerking movements telling of a fight that was becoming more and more haggard by the second.

He had to hurry.

oOo

Akai stumbled backwards, hands aching from another of Sora's strikes. The Element, unhampered by the weight of a true weapon, moved lightly on her feet, dodging in and out before she had a chance to retaliate. Already the palace champion could feel blood leaking from the cuts in her shoulder, abdomen, and thigh. They were all light wounds, but it was more than Akai had to show for her efforts. One hit, and that barely a scratch across Sora's forearm. The Element didn't even seem to notice it. Akai gasped for breath, stepping back, circling her opponent once more.

'I won't last much longer,' she thought, chest heaving even as her mind raced. 'I've got to catch her off-guard. That's the only way I'll have a chance to end this.' She gritted her teeth as Sora dashed forward again, sword raised for the strike. 'Help me, Koji-san.'

Akai met the Element's sword with her own, pressing forward so Sora couldn't dart away. The Element shoved right back, looking to overwhelm the younger girl – until Akai ducked suddenly, tucking her head down and ramming her shoulder into Sora's midriff. The Element lost her footing and tumbled over backwards, sword half-raised but nowhere near ready to parry her enemy's next attack. Akai swung her sword down, crashing it into Sora's hilt and twisting the blade away from her hand. Sora's sword vanished as soon as it left her grasp, leaving her unarmed on the ground.

“You're disarmed,” Akai gasped, pointing her sword at the Element's neck. “The fight is mine.”

Sora tilted her head to the side, a ghost of a smile flickering on her lips. It made the hairs stand up on the back of Akai's neck. “'You've disarmed me'? 'The fight is yours'? Oh, you foolish girl,” she said in a whisper. “Does this look like a sparring match to you?”

Akai caught the silver-blue glint of steel out of the corner of her eye. Instinct took over and she jerked her sword back and over her shoulder, catching the blade against her own, stopping it just inches from slicing her throat. She couldn't do anything about Sora's left hand, though, which whipped forward in a fist, slamming hard into Akai's chin.

Her teeth clacked together, vision filling with purple spots as she felt herself knocked sideways and into the ground. Hands clamped down around the hilt of her sword. She struggled to pull away, but Sora was stronger. She jerked Akai to her feet and tore the Holy Sword from her grasp, flinging it away from them.

“No!”

Akai staggered towards the weapon, eyes darting back and forth between it and Sora, bearing down behind her, sword once again forming in her palm. Akai's foot hit a rock hidden beneath the grass and she stumbled, nearly collapsing to her knees. She whirled, watching as Sora raised her sword, suddenly, keenly aware of everything, as if the entire world had come into sharper focus. Her own hammering heart, Sora's gleaming blade, the humming cicadas, the pounding horse's hooves—

“What?”

The two fighters looked up just in time to see Aoi tear onto the field, his horse galloping straight towards them. Sora hesitated, raised her sword as if to lunge at Akai, but the distance was too great, and the boy on the horse was traveling too fast. She watched helplessly as Aoi swept between her and her opponent, reaching down a hand to the gasping palace champion.

“Akai!” he cried.

He didn't have to say anything else. She snatched his hand and swung up behind him, clinging to his back as she fought to catch her breath.

“Told you I'd protect you from fate, didn't I?” he said, glancing over his shoulder so he could meet her with a smile.

She squeezed hard at his waist, hands trembling against him, but when she looked up her eyes held nothing but strength. “I can't run away.”

“No,” he said, “but you can at least get your sword back, can't you?”

oOo

Panic rose in Sora's chest. 'No. No. No no no no no.' The word ran like a frantic beat in the back of her mind, thrumming beneath the rest of her horrified thoughts. 'Can't let her leave, can't fail, if the weapon fails then it falls, too many failures, have to succeed, have to be the weapon, it's all I'm good for and I can't even do that, no no no, I won't let her run, I must be perfection, oh Hataku-sama oh Kiba-kun please forgive me, but I can't fail my lady, I can't fail her, I have to, I have to, I have to...'

She moved without thinking, allowing the bow to form in her hands, allowing the arrow to stretch between her fingers, setting the shaft to the string, sighting down the line at her enemy's retreating back. In an instant that felt like a lifetime she took aim at her unsuspecting target. The image shifted for an instant, to a day months ago, to the sight of a pain-stricken seishi on a wall top. As a soldier, she had hesitated. As a soldier, she had felt pity.

'Ah, but weapons have no pity, do they my Lady?'

oOo

Aoi slowed as they drew closer to the fallen sword. “Man, that Element must be good if she could disarm you. Or maybe you're going easy on her?” He chuckled. “I bet that's it.”

“I can't beat her,” Akai said in a whisper. Then, louder, voice filling with dread, “I tried everything – from Hataku-san, from Ran-shogun, even from Tasuki-sama and Koji-san – but it's no good. I failed them all. That Element, she's, she's better than me. Her speed, her skill, her ruthlessness... she's better than me in every way. I can't run, but I... I can't beat her, either. She's going to kill me, Aoi-kun.”

“What are you talking about?” He looked over his shoulder again and met her with a smile that sang of confidence. “You're Yamada Akai, the best swordswoman in Konan. So don't worry about failing anybody. Just go out there and be Yamada Akai, and you'll—”

His words caught in his throat, eyes widening at something over Akai's shoulder. Akai started to look, started to form the words, “What's wrong?” but Aoi shouted “Down!” before she had the chance, sweeping out his arm and knocking her off his horse.

Akai forgot to be surprised and simply reacted. She tucked into a ball and hit the ground shoulder-first, rolling three times before finding a foothold and springing to her feet. She whirled on the balls of her feet, hands clenched at her sides and ready to fight, but the strength drained out of her as she watched Aoi fall from his saddle, two gleaming blue arrows buried in his chest.

oOo

Red light, unnoticed by the three fighters on the plains, shimmered atop the nearby ridge until it solidified into the forms of the two seishi. Their eyes trailed across the battlefield – to Sora, her bow cocked at her ear – to Akai, rushing across the field – and finally to Aoi, hitting the ground hard, his thin form rolling haphazardly across the field, finally coming to rest at the foot of the ridge.

“'But at a price'...” Chichiri breathed, trance-like, almost as if he were reciting lines from one of the classics.

Tasuki grabbed his friend by the forearm, pulling him away from the edge. “Come on. We can't do anythin' from here. We gotta get down there, now.”

Chichiri shook himself from his stupor and nodded, following his friend at a sprint down the ridge.

oOo

“Aoi-kun!”

Akai fell to her knees at the boy's side, staring in open-mouthed horror as the arrows in his chest shimmered and disappeared, returning to their creator. Blood welled up in the two empty holes, one in his upper right shoulder, the other above what she could only guess was his lung. He was tense and pale, chest jerking up and down as he gasped against the pain. But he could still meet her eyes with his own. And he could still say her name. “Akai.”

Tears sprang to her eyes. She cupped his face between her hands, pressing her forehead against his. “Yes. Yes, Aoi-kun, it's me, I'm here, and you're going to be all right, okay, we're going to – somehow, we're going to...” She trailed off as his eyes squeezed shut, a low moan sneaking its way out of his throat. He coughed wetly, blood bubbling to his lips. Akai turned his head to the side, whimpering as she watched him fighting to breathe around his own broken lung.

“It's gonna be okay,” she whispered, choking on the words. “It has to be okay, because you can't – I can't let you...” She wiped the blood from his lips so that she could kiss them. “Not for me, do you understand? You don't get to die for me. It's not... i-it just isn't...”

Akai's head whipped up as an arrow thudded into the ground beside her. Sora stood just a few feet away, bow gripped in her hands. The Holy Sword sat buried into the ground at her feet.

“That was a warning,” she said. “If you do not stand and fight, then the next one will take you through the throat.” Sora stepped back, then jerked her head towards the sword in the ground. “Pick it up. We have to finish this.”

Aoi heaved beneath her, his breath coming in shorter and shorter bursts. Akai's eyes whipped between him and the Element before finally settling on Aoi. “I can't leave him,” she said, already tearing off the sleeve of her shirt and pressing it to the hole in his chest. “He can't be alone.”

“He doesn't even know you're there.”

“Shut up!” Akai shrieked. “Shut up and shoot me, if that's all you can care about! I'm not moving.”

Sora didn't bother to reply. She just pulled her bow taut and let the arrow fly.

A bolt of red light shot across the clearing, hitting the arrow mid-flight and dissolving it back into nothingness. Akai turned to follow the path of the shot, but her eyes had barely shifted away from Sora when Chichiri knelt in front of her, hands resting lightly against her shoulders. “Are you all right no da?”

“Chichiri-sama?” Her looked past him to see Tasuki running across the clearing, tessen drawn, positioning himself between the Element and the Konan Warriors. “And Tasuki-sama too?”

Chichiri persisted. “Are you injured, Akai?”

She shook her head slowly. “No.” Her eyes trailed to the dying boy at her side. “But Aoi-kun...”

“I know,” he said. “It's okay. We'll take care of this no da. Just rest for now.”

Akai leaned down and kissed Aoi, once on each eyelid, then a final time at the corner of his mouth. Chichiri slipped a hand into his robe, fumbling for something, but the champion was already standing again, staring across the clearing at the Sky Element, whose gaze kept shifting from one warrior to the next, as if she wasn't sure who to turn her sword against. “Stay with him,” Akai murmured. “Don't let him be alone for even one second.”

“Akai, wait. Tasuki can—”

“Tasuki-sama?” she called, stepping around Chichiri. “Please look after Aoi-kun for me.”

“Eh?” He glanced over his shoulder, tessen still trained on Sora. “You kiddin' me? Yer already on yer last legs, an' I seen th' kinda 'fair' this one fights. If you think I'm gonna let you—”

“Tasuki-sama,” she said again, drawing up so she was level with the seishi. Their eyes met across the clearing, hers red-rimmed with tears, his alight with worry. “Once, when you were on your last legs, you asked me to step aside. I honored that request, because Chichiri-sama was your dearest friend... and because Taiyou was your Element. I just want you to do the same for me. So please, Tasuki-sama: Stand aside.”

Tasuki hissed out a curse, but he sheathed his tessen all the same. “You ain't allowed t'die. We're gonna save Aoi-kun for ya, y'know.”

She smiled, but there wasn't any hope in it. “If anyone could, it would be you two.” Akai moved past him without waiting for a response. Her legs wobbled with every step, but her hands were steady at her sides, and her eyes never wavered as she made her way towards the Holy Sword.

“I apologize for your friend,” Sora said. “I only intended to kill Konan Warriors tonight.”

“Shut up.”

Sora frowned, watching as Akai struggled to pull the sword from its spot buried in the ground. She finally worked it loose, but her arms quivered more with every second, and she could barely lift the sword into a fighting stance. “You should have accepted the seishi's offer. You're in no shape to fight.” Akai's stance wavered and Sora shook her head. “I knew that sword was too big for you. This won't even be a challenge now." She sighed. “A pity. It's such a fine weapon. It deserves to belong to someone worthy of it.”

oOo

Tasuki shifted from foot to foot, looking first out at Akai and then down at Chichiri. “This ain't right, 'Chiri. I know what Akai said, but look at her! She can't do this by herself.” He reached for his tessen again. “Look, you stay here, take care-a Aoi-kun. I'm gonna...”

The bandit trailed off, not that Chichiri would have noticed. Both seishi were too busy staring across the field, squinting at something they couldn't quite see, feeling for something they couldn't quite grasp. Chichiri's hand dropped from the lid of the holy water, forgotten for the moment, to touch to the earth – and to feel the energy calling through it.

“Is that...?”

oOo

Hands, pale but warm, wrapped around Akai's from behind, strengthening her grip on the Holy Sword. Heat pressed against her back as if someone were standing behind her, yet the pressure was so slight she barely noticed its presence. She stared at the hands embracing her own. Akai moved to glance over her shoulder, but a voice made her pause.

"You are very brave,” it said, in hushed tones filled with kindness and courage – and, she thought, with an immense loneliness, too, “but let us not put you at the same disadvantage which We faced on this field."

Strength coursed through her body, strength that she knew she could never have possessed on her own. Akai nodded to herself once, then turned her eyes forward to face her enemy again.

"This sword," she said slowly, "once belonged to Suzaku no Hotohori, one of the most compassionate emperors Konan has ever known, and a far greater ruler than your master could ever hope to be."

Sora took a step backwards, staring numbly at the sight before her. At the palace champion, exhausted just moments before, now glaring at her with such confidence – and at the man standing behind her, so dim he was almost invisible, meeting her with those same fierce, challenging eyes.

Their mouths moved together, emperor and champion speaking a dual promise to the frightened Element across from them. "And in his name and my own, I swear that I will never allow myself to lose to you!"

Akai launched herself at her enemy, attacking with a speed and strength that Sora hadn't thought she possessed. The Element stumbled backwards, struggling to block against the onslaught of blows that rained down on her, all strikes that she had never seen, all attacks that she could never recognize. Fluid and graceful and never hesitating for an instant, Akai allowed the world to fall away, allowed herself to sink into the flow of a style that belonged only to Yamada Akai, daughter to Shou and Gyoku'ei, Konan Warrior, palace champion, and, truly, the best swordswoman in Konan.

oOo

Aoi moaned and Chichiri shook himself away from the battle, undoing the top on Mitsukake's holy water and leaning over the dying boy on the ground. Tasuki knelt across from him, hardly able to keep his attention on anything, his anxiety for both young soldiers was so great. “C'mon, 'Chiri, hurry up already!”

The monk nodded once, then dipped his hand into the jar, wetting his fingertips and pressing them to each of the twin holes on Aoi's chest. He waited, eye focused on the deep wounds, watching for the effects.

“Something's wrong,” he said suddenly.

“Why? What's s'posed t'happen?”

“I'm not entirely sure, but...” Chichiri furrowed his eyebrows. “But I don't sense anything from it. There's not even a shred of Mitsukake's life force.”

“W-well, maybe it takes a couple-a minutes.”

He shook his head, eye darting across the two injuries, searching for something, anything to indicate that the water was working. “No,” he whispered, head shaking slowly from side to side, and then more rapidly as the realization dawned on him. “No, it's not working. It's not... it's not having any effect at all.”

“Then use more!” Tasuki snapped, already reaching for the holy water. “Just dump th' whole damn thing on him if ya gotta, whatever it takes t'save him!”

“It's not the amount,” Chichiri said numbly, sinking back as if someone had kicked him in the chest. “If it were just that then we should have seen at least something, some kind of, of low-grade healing or clotting or something, but... but it isn't anything at all.”

“Why not?” Tasuki snapped. “Why th' hell would it jus' stop workin', Chichiri?”

Their eyes met, and for the first time in his life Tasuki saw open horror in his friend's eye. Horror for something that he could no longer explain, and horror for the boy that they could no longer save. “I don't know. Tasuki I, I don't know...”

Aoi choked around another mouthful of blood, chest heaving as if everything inside of him was trying to escape. Tasuki lifted the boy into his arms, holding him upright so he could cough the heavy liquid down the front of his shirt. He struggled weakly in Tasuki's hold, one wobbling hand reaching forward to clutch at his blood-soaked chest, tugging at his shirt as if he could somehow clear the fluid that was slowly suffocating him.

“Can't...” he wheezed, his words so thick and wet that they barely sounded human. “Can't... Help...”

Tasuki's hands tightened against Aoi's shoulders. “Ain't there somethin' we c'n do fer him?”

“I can ease the pain. Send him... send his soul on peacefully. But...” Chichiri fumbled with his prayer beads, eye slipping across the field and over to Akai, still battling with the beleaguered Element. He looked back at Tasuki. “But once I do, there's no way we can save him. It's little better than slitting his throat.”

“Do it.”

“I can't make that decision for him, Tasuki, it wouldn't be right, I don't have that kind of authority, not here, not when he might – not when Akai might want—”

Aoi screamed weakly, back arching against a fresh stab of pain, but the sound was cut off as it was overtaken by those same wet coughs that brought up more blood with each heaving wheeze. His hands fumbled for an anchor; Tasuki shifted his hold so he could cup the boy's fingers in his palm, allowing them to squeeze and claw with what little energy they had left. Aoi clung to him, chest heaving, each breath becoming shorter and more panicked than the last.

“I jus' made th' decision,” Tasuki said quietly. He met Chichiri with a look that would not be disobeyed. “Do it.”

Chichiri nodded uncertainly, but when Aoi moaned again it seemed to seal his resolve. The monk folded his hands into a mudra of protection and closed his eye. (1) Slowly his lips began to move in a prayer for the departing while his spirit sank into Aoi's, fighting through the tangles of barely-sane agony until he found the dim light at the center. He folded his own ki around it, using himself as a shield between the boy's soul and his physical body. Chichiri gritted his teeth against the pain that sliced into his chest – or at least felt as if it sliced into his chest – but didn't waver.

“Aoi-kun?” he called quietly.

The voice – it was more fair to call it a deep impression, a series of feelings rather than an actual sound – pulsed back weakly. “Did you make the pain go away?”

“Mm. It's all right now. It's not going to hurt anymore. I'm just going to put you to sleep for a while.”

“Will I ever wake up?”

“Eventually,”

“Will Akai be there?”

Chichiri swallowed hard. “Maybe someday. For now, though, you just need to rest.”

The boy did not resist as Chichiri swept his ki over him, pushing him gently inwards, the dim light at his core growing smaller and fainter with each second. He could have broken the connection then, but Chichiri waited, hands clenched tightly in his lap, watching over the last of Aoi's life force until nothing remained but the smallest of specks.

“Thank you,” it hummed quietly, and then winked out forever, leaving him in darkness.

Chichiri opened his eye, staring at the limp, lifeless body in Tasuki's arms. He tasted blood and reached up in a daze, touching his lip and realizing that he'd bitten through it. He pressed the same hand to his forehead, squeezing his eye shut as he fought to erase that last message, that overwhelming gratitude and affection that Aoi had sent to the person who had become his death god.

“Chichiri, I—”

“Leave it alone,” he said raggedly. “Please, Tasuki. Just leave it alone.”

oOo

Akai struck out sideways and Sora lost her balance, resolve at last giving way to fatigue. She fell to the ground with a whump, still struggling to crawl backwards as Akai came at her again. Sora blocked the first two downward strikes, but her arm wavered on the last, leaving her wide open for the killing blow. Akai's sword darted forward as if aiming for Sora's heart, but she veered right at the last moment, swinging her blade up and under Sora's own glowing sword.

The Sky Element screamed as the Holy Sword sliced through her right wrist, sending both blade and hand falling to the ground. She moved as if to grab at her bleeding arm, but Akai kicked her in the stomach, knocking her onto her back and throwing all the breath out of her lungs. Sora gasped for air, though even as she did her remaining hand was inching towards her belt, searching for the knife that lay tucked in the folds of her shirt.

Akai threw herself atop the girl, pressing her knees into Sora's forearms so she couldn't reach the little blade. She buried the Holy Sword point-first into the ground beside Sora's head, then pulled back her hand and slapped the Element across the face.

“Stop it!” Akai roared, wrenching the knife out of Sora's belt and throwing it across the clearing. One hand landed against Sora's neck, holding her immobile but never quite tightening to a stranglehold. “Just stop it already! You've lost, don't you get that? You can't use your power anymore. I've won, damn you! It's over now!”

“Kill me, then.”

Akai's free fist connected with Sora's cheek. “Kill me, kill me, kill me! Is that all you ever think about? Death? Is that actually what you want?” She hit her again, this time so hard that she heard the Element's nose crack. “I'm sick of it! I'm sick of the funerals and of the tears and of that awful, sad, empty silence, and I am so gods damned sick of this gods damned war! Why did your lady have to attack us? What did we ever do to her? What did Aoi-kun and Koji-san and the hundreds of dead Konan soldiers ever do to her? They never did anything but try to go on living, and then she had to... she had to...”

She roared out a frustrated snarl, grabbing Sora by the collar and dragging her forward so that they were nearly nose to nose. “And now you want me to kill you? To cut off your head and, and march around with it like some kind of sick trophy? Forget it! I'm not adding any more tombs to our graveyards, I'm not going to be the reason for one more single tear that someone has to shed! I'm through with it, do you hear me? So just give it up already, damn you!”

Silence fell across the pair as Sora studied the snarling girl, Akai's features twisted in a mix of rage and sorrow. “That's an interesting way of seeing things, Konan Warrior.”

Sora's left hand twisted sideways, curling around, feeling down the thick strand of thread tied around her wrist until she had the glinting orb pressed between her thumb and forefinger. She closed her eyes quietly, relaxing her body beneath the palace champion as she thought back to that afternoon, and to the last request she had made of her lady.

“Setsuka-sama? May I ask a favor of you, please?”

“A favor?”

“Yes. I am confident of victory, Setsuka-sama. However, if I were to lose – if my enemies were to leave me alive, then I would... I have already failed you once, my Lady. I couldn't bear to do it again. So I beg of you, allow me to take my own life. Give me this one freedom, and it will be the only thing your weapon shall ask of you again. I swear it.”

Sora smiled sadly, eyes drifting up past Akai and towards her namesake, the dark sky speckled with stars and stretching out above them into infinity. “Unfortunately, I'm afraid that I don't see things the same way.”

Her fingers snapped together, shattering her blue jewel into myriad pieces. Sora gasped once, a soft sound in the back of her throat, then she relaxed against the ground, a lonely smile on her face and her eyes open to the world, as empty as they had been during her last, broken weeks of life.

oOo

Tasuki watched as the spirit behind Akai released his hold on her, straightening to his full height. He turned to face the bandit, watching both him and Chichiri – half his face buried in his palm, the other in his prayer beads – with sorrow in his eyes. Tasuki opened his mouth to try to speak, but stopped at the last minute, glancing down at the body in his hands.

“The fault was not your own. It is simply the way things are.

“Look after her.”

His head jerked up again, searching for the owner of the voice. But Hotohori was gone, leaving his seishi brethren to deal with the rest on their own.

“Tasuki-sama? Chichiri-sama?”

The two looked up at the sound of Akai's voice. She hadn't moved from her spot crouched atop Sora; instead, she seemed to have slumped down even further, as if she didn't have the energy to hold herself upright anymore. Her voice was as frail as spring ice, yet somehow she managed to raise it enough that they could hear her single question.

“Aoi-kun... is he...?”

They didn't answer. It was answer enough.

“I see,” she said, and then she collapsed atop the Element's corpse, chest heaving with high, keening sobs.

oOo

It was the silence that would stay with them, the silence that they would remember most. How utterly few words were spoken, as if they were all afraid to cheapen this tragedy, to define it with words that could never do it justice. So they moved without speaking, all of them, with only Akai's muffled sobs to serve as their chorus, as the night's quiet requiem.

They were met at the western gates by their companions, the three remaining Konan Warriors huddled together, and Hataku limping down the wall steps a few paces behind them. Houki rushed to Akai, pressing a hand to the girl's shoulder. Akai turned, releasing her hold on Chichiri's robes and throwing herself into Houki's arms.

Kiori and Ritsuka followed a step or two behind, circling Akai as if they could somehow protect her from the night. Kiori looked up, eyes moving automatically to Chichiri, but he could do nothing but stare back at her, maskless, exhausted – and for the first time since any of them could remember, completely at a loss.

Everyone stood frozen for a suffocating moment, then Kiori set her jaw and moved into action, stepping away from Akai, touching Houki's shoulder, nodding for her to lead Akai back to the palace. Kiori went to the horses, took the reins from Chichiri's numb hands – noticed that Hataku did the same for Tasuki – then turned from the seishi, following Houki, Ritsuka, and the stumbling Akai to the palace.

Chichiri and Tasuki watched them walk away. They looked to each other, then all the strength seemed to drain out of them. With down-turned heads and slumping shoulders they followed, always a step or two behind the procession, as if they couldn't bear to walk with their companions.

--

They separated when they reached the infirmaries, the women to the sickbay and the men to the morgue. Hataku gathered Sora in his arms, Tasuki did the same for Aoi. Seishi and shogun set their charges gently onto the prepared pallets, side by side. Hataku knelt beside Sora, Chichiri beside Aoi, his hands already looped into his prayer beads. Tasuki stood, hesitated, but when neither gave him a glance he turned from the stifling room, walking with slow steps out and around the building, toward the infirmaries.

He paused, stood in the doorway, eyes trailing to the far end of the room where Akai sat on a low bench flanked by Ritsuka and Houki, Kiori kneeling before her, setting bandages to her wounds. Tears streamed unchecked from Akai's eyes, her sniffles filling a room already filled with the low moans of the injured and dying.

Ritsuka glanced up, seeing Tasuki's across the room. She moved to stand, but he shook his head, eyes and chin jerking back to Akai. She hesitated but he just repeated the gesture, nodding for her to stay with the grieving girl. She returned the nod after a moment, lowering herself back to the bench, but her eyes stayed on him until he at last turned from the doorway, moving slowly, almost painfully down the walkway and toward the far-off training rings.

--

Kiori finished her work with swift, practiced motions, then moved from one shadowed room to another, stepping with careful solemnity across the floor of the mortuary. She glanced at Aoi – Chichiri still knelt over him, lips moving in a silent prayer for the dead – and at the blood that soaked his shirt.

She swallowed, looked away, to a sight she could better face. She knelt beside Sora, but frowned when her eyes took in no fatal wounds. She leaned forward, untying the clasps on the girl's overshirt, pulling apart the folds of her undershirt. Something clattered against her chest.

Kiori's eyes widened and she reached into the Element's shirt, pulling out a trio of wooden spirit tablets. She glanced back at Hataku, who watched her, expressionless, then she took the knife from her belt and slashed the first of the tablets away from the girl's neck. Slowly Kiori turned, still kneeling, to hand the tablet to the man behind her. Puzzled, he took it from her willing hands, eyes trailing to the characters carved into the smooth wood: Watanabe Hataku.

Kiori waited, but Hataku said nothing, merely nodded, tight-lipped, and tucked the tablet into his jacket. He stood with an effort, staring long at the young Element before shaking his head and limping from the room, his steps playing out an uneven dirge along the floorboards.

--

Kiori looked to Chichiri, hoping to offer comfort, but he kept his eye on Aoi and his thoughts on his prayers. She sighed and went back to her work, unwinding the other tablets from Sora's neck before shifting to handle Aoi's bloodied clothes.

A shadow fell across her and she looked up, watching as Houki and Ritsuka, with Akai draped between them, walked slowly past the doorway. Akai, dry-eyed at last, hesitated, then turned, her gaze slipping past everyone, forgetting everything but the boy on the floor. She reached a hand forward, lips opening to form a name, eyes filling with tears, but Houki took the girl in her arms and gently held her back.

Akai's hand fell, hopelessly, back to her side. The two older women led her away, and soon even the soft creak of their feet had been swallowed by the night, leaving Kiori and Chichiri alone with the dead.

--

Time passed. Kiori couldn't say how much. Her work ended, but still she waited for Chichiri. At last he dropped his prayer beads, then pressed his hands to the floor and moved to stand. He struggled to rise, but Kiori stepped forward, looping her arm under his and helping him to his feet. Their eyes met for the first time in hours, but even her weak smile could elicit no reaction from him.

Kiori supported his exhausted steps through the walkways and back to his room. He shifted away from her as they reached his door, pushing it open with a trembling hand. He nodded his thanks briefly, almost unconsciously, as he staggered through the doorway. Kiori moved to follow, to comfort, to be for him what he'd been for her, but he closed the door without once looking back, leaving her on the other side.

Dawn was rising in Konan, through windows and over buildings, throwing tendrils of red and violet light across the world, but no one would notice.

Not Chichiri, who threw Mitsukake's holy water onto his desk and collapsed on the edge of his bed, elbows on knees, face sinking into his palms.

Not Kiori, slumped against Chichiri's closed door, forehead touching the wood, hands scrubbing at her sudden tears.

Not Tasuki, sword flashing as he speared a training dummy through the chest, burying it up to the hilt before his hand dropped from the sword and clenched into a fist, slamming into the straw target again and again as he snarled curses that no one would hear.

Not Hataku, setting the empty sake bowl on his table, palm against his cheek, fingers splayed across his ruined eye, staring at his spirit tablet for a long moment before heaving a sigh and squeezing his remaining eye shut.

And certainly not Akai, with her head buried in Houki's chest, Ritsuka's arms looped around her shaking shoulders, her hands clenched into balls beneath her chin and her ragged sobs the only sound to break the stillness, to break the unceasing quiet of the darkest dawn of her short, but no longer childish, life.

oOo

"I'd like to request a release from my duties."

Houki glanced up and towards the doorway of her room, blinking at the young champion standing in its frame. The girl's face was pale, her eyes rimmed with red as they had been all week, but she held herself tall and did not waver from her empress' gaze. “I-I'm sorry,” Houki stuttered. “I do not think I understand. You wish for me to... ah...?”

“Strip me of my titles, Houki-sama,” she said. “I want to be released from my service to Konan.”

“But why?”

“So that I can leave the palace.”

Houki frowned, setting her book down on her desk. “Come in and sit down, please.” The girl did as she said, stepping into the room, bowing once before accepting the chair across from her empress. Houki laced her fingers in front of her chin, frowning over them at the champion. “Where do you intend to go?”

"To Jouzen, Aoi's..." Akai looked down and blinked hard. "Aoi's home town. His family have a right to know what happened. I... I think that I need to be the one to do that." She looked up again, meeting the empress' eyes. "After that, I think I'll go home for a while. My family must be worried. I haven't been able to write them since the war began."

Houki breathed a sigh of relief. "Then this is only a temporary departure?"

"No, Majesty,” she whispered. “When I said I was leaving, I didn't mean for a few days or weeks. I meant... well, I might have meant forever. I don't really know how long, not yet anyway."

"Wherever will you go for such a long time?"

She shrugged. "Kutou, maybe. I heard they still need some help stabilizing the capital. Or I could go to Takkan - rebellions can always use more able hands. I haven't decided yet. Just... anywhere that I'm needed, I guess."

“And you do not think you are needed here?”

“To be honest, no, Houki-sama.” Akai frowned, staring at her hands. “This palace is the safest place anyone in the nation, maybe even in the world, could be right now. You're protected by probably the most capable people I've ever met. Between the seishi, and Hataku-san, and Ritsuka-san and Kiori-san, and yourself as well, Houki-sama...” She shrugged again, lacing her fingers together tightly in her lap. “And I've taken my Element, now. So there's really nothing – I mean there's nothing else for me to do here. I'm not needed.”

“Even if that were true, it does not mean we do not still want you here. That I do not still want you here.” Houki waited, but when Akai said nothing, just kept her eyes focused on her lap, the empress sighed and continued. “As empress, I would never hold you here against your will. However, as your friend,” Akai glanced up, surprised by the wobble in Houki's voice, “I would greatly appreciate an explanation.”

"It's... hard to put into words," she said. "I guess... I guess I feel like I need some time away. Maybe there're too many memories... but I think it's more than that. It's something he said to me, right before..." She swallowed back the lump building in her throat. "H-he said I shouldn't worry about failing anyone. Th-that I should fight as Yamada Akai. I've been hearing that a lot lately, and I think... well, I think it's time that I figure out who that is. And I'm never going to do it here, in the shadows of so many other great people. So... I just...”

Houki's eyes softened. “I understand.” She stood from her chair. "Very well, then, Akai." She bowed at the waist, keeping her voice high and formal. "I release you from your duties as the palace champion. May Suzaku guide your steps down whatever road you choose to travel."

Akai returned the bow with a much lower one of her own. "May he keep you safe, Dowager Empress, and watch over Konan while I cannot."

Houki straightened with a small, sad smile. "I will miss you very much."

The warrior girl's lip quivered. "Houki-sama..." She threw herself into the older woman's arms, the woman she had respected, served and loved for over a year. "I'm sorry that I have to do this, I really am. I'll miss you all, every last one of you, you know that." She sniffled, adding quietly, "Even Hataku-san."

Houki chuckled. "I know, Akai, but it will be all right. We will find a way to manage without you – please, make sure that you do the same."

oOo

Akai left Houki's study a few minutes later, scrubbing tears from her eyes as she went. The champion walked slowly down the walkways, but she'd only gone a few feet before she heard a door slam around the corner, followed by a bellowing female voice.

“Fine, run away into the city, just drown yourself in booze! See if I give a damn about it!”

Not a moment later Ritsuka came barreling around the corner, her face flushed with rage and her eyes gleaming with frustrated tears. She nearly slammed straight into Akai, but pulled up at the last second, staring at the girl as if she were afraid she might break. “Oh.” The anger drained from her form. “Akai. Where, uh, where're you off to?”

“I was heading to the pond,” she said. “What's wrong?”

“Huh? Oh.” Ritsuka shot a breath of air up and into her bangs. “That idiot.”

“Tasuki-san?”

“That's the one, though now that I think about it I could've been talking about Chichiri, too. He's been about as depressing, just not as annoying.”

“What's the matter with him?”

“Who, Tasuki?” Ritsuka scowled. “He's just been wandering around moping all week, ever since...” Akai sniffled and Ritsuka got back on subject. “Whenever I try to get him to talk, he just brushes it off and runs away, saying he's going into the city or something.” She snorted. “Probably drinking himself into a coma, like that's going to help anything.” She threw up her hands. “Ah, the hell with him! I don't even care what he does anymore.” Ritsuka set a hand to Akai's shoulder. “You're the only one that matters right now. We haven't had a chance to talk much what with all the ceremonies. How're you holding up?”

“Not good,” she said honestly. “But it's getting better. I'm glad I ran into you, actually. Walk with me to the pond?”

The two took their time crossing the palace grounds, Akai explaining everything to her friend as they went. Ritsuka's responses varied from open-eyed shock to sudden, fierce hugs, but by the time they had reached the palace pond the redhead had slipped into pensive silence, nodding every so often to show that she was still listening. The two leaned against the railing of the pond's pavilion, staring out into the waning light for a long minute.

Finally Ritsuka said, “So you're leaving tomorrow, huh? Did you plan on telling everybody, or were we just going to get an Imperial memo in our mailboxes later?”

“I'm going to let the others know at dinner this evening,” she said. “But I wanted to be alone when I told you. There's something I want you to have.”

Ritsuka tried a weak smile. "A going-away present for little ol' me? I'm touched. Just don't tell the others I'm your favorite, okay? I want to tell 'em myself."

Akai managed a smile back, though it only lasted for a moment. She reached down and carefully unhooked the Holy Sword, tucked safely away in its scabbard, from her belt. She held the beautiful weapon up to her friend, bowing her head as she presented the gift. "I want you to take this, Ritsuka-san."

"Me?" Ritsuka's eyes widened. "Don't you wanna keep it? I mean, it's sort of yours now, isn't it?"

"This is a holy weapon of Suzaku. It belonged to Hotohori-sama, and, in a way, it belongs to all of Konan." She looked away, blinking back tears. "Because of that, I think it should stay with a Konan Warrior."

"But Akai, you are a Konan Warrior – a-and the palace champion, no less...!”

She shook her head. "Not any more, remember? Houki-sama released me of my responsibilities to the empire, and you can't be a Konan Warrior if you aren't even in Konan." She practically shoved the weapon into Ritsuka's arms, afraid that if she didn't let it go now, she never could. "I don't think either of the seishi would feel right carrying their friend's sword, and Kiori-san doesn't even fight, so..."

"So I'm the leftover?"

"Oh, gods, not at all!" Akai assured her hurriedly. "I would have given it to you even if Chichiri-san and Tasuki-san had begged me for it! I just thought you wanted a reason, that's all."

Ritsuka smiled, then paused thoughtfully. "Say Akai... have you been calling those two '-san' this whole time?" Akai nodded. "Aren't you worried that they're gonna ,I dunno, fly out of the sky and smite you or something?"

Akai giggled. "I think I'm done with the hero-worshipping, Ritsuka-san. I still respect Chichiri-san and Tasuki-san, but I can't say that I want to be them anymore. I just want to be..." She nodded once. “I just want to be Yamada Akai, I guess.”

“D'you know, Akai, I think you're more mature I am?" Akai chuckled a little, her friend mirroring the action. Ritsuka strapped the sword around her own waist, admiring the powerful weapon. "Arigatou. I'll try to use it as well as you did, though that might be asking too much."

"I'm sure you'll be fine" Akai's smile fell and she glanced away, eyes filling with tears. "Just… you have to promise me something, please?"

"Uh, sure. What is it?"

"That sword saved a lot of lives," Akai said quietly. "But, in the end, it wasn't the sword, but me, who couldn't save the people I cared about the most. Koji-san and Aoi-san... I loved them both so much, but there wasn't anything I could for them, not when it really counted. I tried, but, but still, I…”

"Akai..."

"So, Ritsuka-san, please, you have to promise me this.” She sniffled, looking up at her companion. "You have to promise me that, no matter what happens, no matter how many other people you help, that you'll save the lives of the ones that matter the most. Ritsuka-san, promise me that you'll use that sword to protect the people you love."

Ritsuka hugged the weeping girl to her chest. "Of course, Akai. I promise."

oOo

Noon of the next day found the Konan Warriors standing at the palace gates, seeing off their youngest member. Akai, an old sword tucked at her belt and a knapsack slung across her shoulders, stood at the center of the group, exchanging farewells with each of her companions.

Tasuki clapped her on the shoulder, forcing a smile that seemed hollow. "Hey, you take care-a yerself, okay? An' remember, if ya ever get inta trouble, you know who t'call." He cracked his knuckles to make a point.

Akai giggled. She threw herself into her friend's arms, pleased when he hugged her back. "Thanks, Tasuki-san. I'll keep that in mind, just in case I get backed in a corner and need a good hot flame to get me out." Akai glanced over at Chichiri, frowning at the crinkle between his masked eyebrows. "Chichiri-san, you look so concerned. Is everything okay?"

He shook his head, jerking back from wherever his mind had been, and smiled. "I should be the one asking that no da." He wrapped his arms around Akai as she hugged him fiercely. "Good luck, Akai-chan. I'm sure it'll all work out fine in the end no da. I'll always be around if you need me, just like Tasuki said."

"You always are," she whispered, forcing herself out of the monk's hold. She turned to look at the woman at his side, but she was enveloped in a tight hug before she even had the chance. “Eep! Kiori-san...”

"I can't believe we're actually saying good-bye!” Kiori said, her voice wobbling on the words as she fought back a wave of tears. “I was hoping this wouldn't happen until the war was over but... oh, dammit, why am I crying and you aren't? I feel so stupid... I'm just going to miss you so much, you're like family to me..."

"I'll be all right, you know me. You just do your best to keep the others all in one piece." Akai smiled up at her friend, then leaned in and whispered in her ear. "Kiori-san, I just know that you and Chichiri-san will work everything out, trust me on this. But you can't be afraid to tell him how you feel, all right? I never told Aoi-kun, and now...” She choked back a sob, forcing strength into her voice, “well, now I never can. Remember that, please."

Kiori blushed as she released Akai from her hold, smiling down at the younger girl. "You know, I think you're more mature than I am."

"Now where have I heard that before?" She turned towards Ritsuka, sweatdropping. "Ritsuka...san...?"

The chibi redhead was dressed in all black - mourning colors - and crying twin waterfalls. "Akaiiiiiii...!" She grabbed her so tightly that Akai thought she might snap in two. "If you get yourself killed I'll never speak to you again, you hear me?"

Akai chuckled, squirming out of the bone-crushing hug. "Same to you, Ritsuka-san. And give Tasuki-san a whack over the head for me." Ritsuka obligingly did so. "Oh, no, I meant later..."

"I know. That one was from me."

Akai sweatdropped. "And you guys worry about me?" Taking a deep breath, she finally turned to Houki. Even though the two had already said their good-byes, it didn't stop them from embracing once more, the empress with tears in her eyes. "Houki-sama, I've learned so much while I was here. I don't think I can ever repay you."

“Your friendship was payment enough," Houki assured her. "Take care of yourself, and please, do not hesitate to write. We will all be worried sick until you do."

"Of course I'll write. Every chance I get.” She stepped away from the semi-circle of friends, turning so she could face all of them at once. “Thank you all for everything. I'll never forget it.” Before anyone could say anything else Akai whirled and sprinted out of the palace gates, keeping her head down so the others wouldn't see the water that had gathered at the corners of her eyes. "Good-bye!"

Akai slowed down once she reached the bustling streets of Eiyou, but she didn't once stop or look back until she arrived at the western gates of the great capital city. She had one hand on the latch and the other pressed against the door when a voice behind her made her pause.

"So the rumors were true, and you really are skipping town?"

Akai whirled on her heel, wincing when she spotted Hataku a few feet away, leaning against a residential wall. "Oh, Hataku-san! How did you know I was...?"

"News travels quickly in the barracks," he said gruffly. “I don't usually listen to gossip, but since no one bothered to tell me about this I thought that I should pay attention for once.”

“Oh, please don't be angry. I wanted to tell you, I really did, but, well...” She tugged nervously at her shirt. “I was afraid that you wouldn't want to see me, not after everything that happened. I thought you might be a little upset.” She glanced up through her bangs. “I'm the reason your best pupil is dead, after all.”

“You're my best pupil, Akai-kun,” Hataku told her, and she couldn't help but blush. He looked away, to the northeast as he always did, his attention focused on Takkan. “Kiori showed me the shards buried in Sora's hand. I pieced the rest together on my own. She chose the only path that she thought she had left, but that wasn't you fault. You defeated her; you didn't leave her hollow. Setsuka did that to her. And... maybe I did, too.”

“She cried,” Akai said suddenly, “when she found out that you were still alive. It was the only emotion I saw out of her the entire night. I think she was really, truly happy to hear that.” Hataku touched a hand to something hidden beneath his jacket. Akai closed the distance between them and pressed her fingers to his chest, feeling the smooth tablet beneath them. She pulled her hand away again, smiling. “She'll find peace.”

“We'll see.” His eye flicked over to meet hers again. “And what about you?”

Akai shrugged weakly. “I'm kind of a mess right now, but I'll be all right. I'll stay alive, anyway. You make sure to do the same thing.” She grinned. “When we meet again, I'm going to be better than you. Then I'll beat you in a duel for certain.”

Hataku snorted. “Only if we meet again when I'm eighty and bedridden.” His harsh features softened, if only for a moment. “But good luck.”

Akai took a few steps away, pressing palm to fist and setting them before her chest in a Takkan salute. She bowed low to her final teacher. “I learned so much from you. Osewa ni narimashita – thank you for looking after me, Hataku-san.”

He mirrored the salute, bowing just as low as she had, meeting her on equal footing. “You have been a pleasure to teach, Akai-kun. Take care of yourself.”

“I will.” She straightened again, setting her eyes on the city walls. “There are too many people who would never forgive me if I didn't.”

oOo

"'The former shogun watched as the young warrior shouldered her pack of supplies and walked back to the western gate. She stared at the tall wooden doors for a long moment, then, taking a deep breath, she pushed them open and left the Konan Palace, alone save for the wide, blue sky.'" Yui sniffled, rubbing a hand across her still-red eyes. "End Chapter Thirty."

--
Kiori: The Konan Warriors have been reduced to five, and the empty spaces at dinner are leaving everyone with a lot to think about. Not that Chichiri and Tasuki will tell anyone just what it is they are thinking about, but... huh? Ritsuka, you’ve got a plan to cheer everyone up? Oh boy, if it’s your idea then it’s bound to be interesting.
Meanwhile in Takkan, Setsuka finds herself facing trouble as the RAFT members organize an attack against her – but will a traitor ruin their plans before they’ve even begun?
The Next Episode of Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Chapter: "Trial and Error – The Snake Beneath the Tiger’s Paws."
Maybe a little fun would do us all some good…
--

End Notes:
(1) mudra - a gesture or position typically made with one’s hands or even just the fingers. They are used to help focus the mind on a concept or emotion (knowledge, compassion, etc.), but Chichiri also uses them to direct and focus ki flow.

Ye Olde Author’s Note: June 14th, 2009
Ni-hao, minna-san!
So… cheerful chapter, huh? (Sweat) Sorry about that. If it makes anyone feel any better, I was constantly getting up from my computer, walking over to my roommate’s bedroom, and saying, “I’m a terrible person!” (For his part, he agreed with me.) It was a rough one to write. Jossing characters is never easy, though – especially when you wind up having to rewrite most of the chapter and it makes things even more depressing than they were in the original. (Sigh) I’m looking forward to the next chapter. Things get a little bit happier again.

One thing I wanted to talk about this time around, and then I’ll leave you to wish for better days for our Konan cast. That Long Night scene (the sequence that begins with “It was the silence that would stay with them…”) is divided up the way it is because it’s intended to be read while playing Rufus Wainwright’s version of “Hallelujah.” The scene sprang into my head (in pictures, not words) while I was listening to that song one night, and I actually had to get up and scribble the entire thing down as it came to me. The dashes ( -- ) that separate the mini-scenes are there to indicate the end of a verse of the song. I didn’t mention all this in the “Musical Selection” because if you don’t read fast enough it won’t flow right, but I would highly encourage everyone to go back and try it again with the music. I posted Wainwright’s haunting rendition in my blog for anyone who’d like a hell of a reading experience.

No character profile this time, but I’ll start throwing RAFT profiles at you in the next episode. The gang has some work to do in Takkan, so it seems fitting that we should get to know them all better. But I do have this for now:

Dee’s Tasteless Joke of the Chapter (Part of the “Never Edit at 1 AM” Segment)...
(Akai lops off Sora’s hand)
“Sort of gives the word ‘disarm’ a whole new meaning, doesn’t it?”
(Aaaaahahahaha... I'm hilarious.)

Thanks to antyem, Ritsikas, Dimonah Tralon, Inuphantom, Warrior-of-the-Flames, WolfxAngel, Rubinne, Amaya-san, and Mandamirra for reviewing! I hope to hear from you all again soon (even if it’s just to yell at me)!

Your Authoress -- Dee