When Koutoku left the Shogun’s room, they were immediately escorted to the opposite wing of the palace and shown their room.

They hadn’t been settled in long before there was a knock at the door, and a servant came in bearing a tray of food and a message. Koutoku was to proceed to the Temple. The Shogun wanted to see him.

Much to Shunkaku’s annoyance, Koutoku gulped down his food, barely even chewing it and with a quick apology, dashed out of the room, leaving his younger brother alone to sulk.

Shunkaku remembered Koutoku telling him that the Shogun was a Seiryuu seishi, and that he had felt a big lump rise up his throat. His thoughts had immediately gone to his former comrades.

There had been no sign of a disturbance outside the palace walls, and this troubled him to no end. Koutoku on the other hand had seemed to have forgotten all about it already.

Koutoku had also told him about his seishi name. His brother had asked him that from now on he be addressed by his seishi name. He had been very proud of it—the proof that he indeed served the miko.

Amiboshi. The name sounded odd to Shunkaku’s ear and it rolled awkwardly off his tongue.

Amiboshi. Seiryuu seishi.

Shunkaku had shot a glance at his brother, watching him talk animatedly, and had felt a certain warmth spread on his chest.

Well, he was happy--though not as much as his brother. One minor detail kept gnawing at him.

Shunkaku frowned. No. I’m not a seishi. I can’t be. Not when aniki serves Seiryuu. He’s here. And so am I. I won’t let it get between us. Never.

He let out a long sigh. He had been about to roll on his side to try to sleep off his annoyance when there had been a sharp knock at the door. When he opened it, a sentry was standing outside. The man asked him if he was the brother of Amiboshi, and, when he confirmed it, he was told that he was to report to the barracks immediately. He was to be recruited into the royal army.

The royal army? To serve under the Shogun?

I’d sooner die, was his immediate reaction. Then remembering the situation he was in, he nodded and followed the guard resignedly.

That had been three hours ago and now he was back in the room. He had expected his brother to be back, but to his surprise, Koutoku still wasn’t there.

Might as well rest a while… he though wearily. He rolled over to his side and closed his eyes.

Just as he was about to drift off to sleep, the door creaked open.

Shunkaku was awake instantly.

"Aniki?"

"Hai," replied his brother, who slowly entered the now dark room.

"Were you sleeping already?" Koutoku asked softly. He sat down heavily on the bed.

"Iie…" said Shunkaku as he sat up. He reached over to a small table by the bed and lit a lamp. The light flickered then slowly bathed the room with a soft glow. He turned back to his brother and his forehead creased with concern.

"What’s wrong, aniki?"

Koutoku was looking out the window, a troubled look on his face. He slowly turned to Shunkaku.

"Shun-kun…" he began, his voice grim.

Shunakaku’s heart sank. Bad news.

"…I need to leave you here for a while."

Shunkaku could only stare at his brother for a moment. He opened his mouth but no words came out.

Koutoku sighed. "The Shogu…Nakago has given me a task I need to do. I’ll be leaving before dawn breaks. I…"

He started when Shunkaku’s fist slammed down the table, making the lamp jump.

"No!"

"Shun-kun…?!" Koutoku stared at his brother in surprise. Shunkaku was standing now, his back to him. "I’m sorry, but…"

"No!" Shunkaku repeated, whirling around. "You will not leave me here! How could you leave me? Do you realize what lengths I’ve gone though just to be here with you? Don’t you realize? Didn’t it even occur to you that I might not want to leave Basara? I left people behind there. I’ve deserted them. Chama…Chou…I’ve let Tetsusou down! The man who took care of me for three years! Those three years that you were away! And I didn’t even think twice when you asked me to leave them and go with you! And now you’re telling me you’re leaving again?!"

Shunkaku stopped, not being able to continue anymore. He was shaking with silent anger. Silence hung thick in the room.

Koutoku gave his brother a pained look.

"Shun-kun, I’m sorry but you must understand why I’m doing this. I haven’t admitted this to myself until now. Please look at me. Shun…?"

Shunkaku had been standing rock still, facing away. But then, he slowly, grudgingly turned to his brother.

When Shunkaku was looking at him, Koutoku hung his head and looked at the floor. "You don’t know how much I hate doing this. Leaving you. To tell you the truth, I’ve been selfish. I’ve always told myself I’m doing this because I have the people’s best interest in mind. But that isn’t it at all. At least that’s not the main reason."

He looked up at Shunkaku, his eyes a mixture of guilt and sadness.

"I’m doing this because I want us to be together. Always. I want us live in a place where we don’t have to worry about war and death. I’m doing this because I want to get tousan’s voice out of my head. I promised. I promised him I’d take care of you. I promised him we’d go and fulfill our destiny and that we’d find the miko. I always thought that the sooner we did it--the sooner I fulfilled that promise--then the sooner we get can get away from it. Then it’ll be just us. Then we can do whatever we want. Just you and me."

Prolonged silence.

Shunkaku coughed and shuffled his feet. Koutoku was quiet. Finally, Shunkaku turned to his brother, shamefaced. "Aniki…I’m sorry about what I said…"

"Iie…don’t apologize. You were right. I’m glad you said it. I shouldn’t have forced you to come. But still…Shun-kun, you’re also a Guardian. Remember that."

Shunkaku swallowed hard then said, "I know...I’m sorry I said it. I just wanted to make you feel bad. You know I’d go anywhere with you, aniki. I…" Shunkaku paused. Then his eyes brightened. "That’s it! I’ll just…"

Koutoku immediately shook his head. "No. Don’t say you’ll come with me because you can’t." He gave his brother an apologetic look. "I’ll be heading for Konan and I can’t bring anyone with me." He motioned for Shunkaku to come closer.

"See here?" Kotouku raised the left sleeve of his shirt.

Shunkaku paled. "What is that?"

On his right arm was a kanji symbol. The symbol of chiao or the horn. "From now until the right time comes, I will be the seventh Suzaku seishi--Suboshi." Koutoku’s expression suddenly grew somber. "I was ordered to deal with the Maiden of Suzaku."

Shunkaku felt an odd stirring in his chest. "You mean, kill the Maiden of Suzaku?"

Koutoku nodded gravely. "It has to be done." A pained look crossed his face. "I would have done it differently. But Nakago said it’s necessary. And he said the Maiden wishes it so."

Shunkaku raised an eyebrow. "It’s the Maiden’s wish?"

"Hai. So you see, I have to do it."

Shunkaku grew silent. Koutoku waited for him to say something more, but he didn’t. Instead, he got into bed, turned on his side--away from Koutoku, and closed his eyes.

Koutoku watched him and sighed. He knew his brother understood, but he also knew Shunkaku liked to sulk. This made him smile for a moment. At least some things never changed. And he knew that he could always count on his brother to be predictable. He was glad of it. It made things easier for him for Shunkaku to still be very much a kid at heart.

Putting out the lamp, he settled down beside Shunkaku, facing him. He stared at his brother’s back for several minutes trying to see if Shunkaku would turn. He didn’t. Letting out a long breath, Koutoku turned away, intent on catching a few precious hours of sleep.

His eyes had been closed for several minutes when he heard a voice whisper, "Oyasumi."

Koutoku opened his eyes and smiled.

"Oyasumi, Shun-chan."

�

Shunkaku stared at his bowl of food, trying to ignore the din around him. It was already early evening but the barracks was still alive with the usual dinnertime ruckus. Shunkaku hated it. He hated it all. There were too many people, and the soldiers too rough and noisy. Not that his former camp was any different, but at least he knew the people there. Here, he was alone.

His thoughts went back to his brother, and he felt a dull pain in his chest. It has been two weeks since Koutoku had left, and he was miserable every minute of it. Training was hard and wearisome, but it was the time alone in his room was more unbearable.

He had been allowed to stay inside the palace for the sole reason that he was the brother of a Suzaku sei. Not many people knew of it. In fact, Shunkaku kept that piece of information to himself. In his current situation, discretion was best exercised.

Shunkaku gritted his teeth. For the past few days there has been an insistent whispering in his head.

Snap!

Shunkaku stared in surprised at the chopstick in his hand, now broken in two. A soldier beside him took note of it and said, "Hey, kid, lighten up! Didn’t you hear the news?"

"About what?" Shunkaku asked without much enthusiasm.

The man gave him an incredulous look. "You mean you don’t know? The Basara, of course!"

Shunkaku gave the man a sharp look. "What about them?"

"Heard a couple of stories here and there. They say the shogun had a spy sent to their camp to feed them false information. They were made to believe that the Shogun and a small battalion were marching along the southern boundaries. The fools! Well, they took the bait. Gathered nearly all of their men and set out after them."

"And?" Shunkaku prompted.

"Well, those idiots threw themselves right in front of a whole regiment from Konan who were setting up camp in along the boundary. They say that was the end for both groups."

"What about their camp?"

The soldier shrugged. "The Shogun sent a troop to take care of it. They burned everything to the ground. We won’t be troubled by them anymore."

Shunkaku’s bowl clattered against the table as he jumped up from his seat.

"Hey! Kid! Were are you going?"

�

"Just where do you think you’re going? You’re not at home anymore boy. You think you can just come and go as you please? Go back to the barracks before I report you to the captain!"

Shunkaku set his jaw hard, controlling the urge to lash out at the cocky guard who was staring him down. With an annoyed grunt, he whirled around and stomped back towards the direction of the mess hall.

"Ignorant greenhorn," he heard the guard say to his companion.

Damn! Damn! Damn! Shunkaku had no choice but to fume in silence. He made his way back through the maze of gardens that separated the palace from the barracks.

The night air was warm, and all was quiet. Shunkaku’s eyes swept through the garden and towards the eastern wall. He looked back at the palace’s east wing. There were lights in the corridor but there were no guards to be seen. There were no lights in the rooms facing his side of the garden.

Perfect.

The eastern wall was the lowest of the four sides and the least guarded for it faced a steep mountainside—making it difficult for any intruders to pass through there. Shunkaku eyed it critically, estimating its height.

If I ran back far enough, I could make it.

He looked around for a clearing. There.

He ran back a couple of feet, bracing his foot on the ground. Then as he started to sprint, rustling to his left caught his ear. He skidded to a halt, his hand going immediately to the ryuuseisui on his side.

"Who’s there?" he demanded.

The rustling stopped. A lamp was lit, and a figure emerged from behind a sakura tree.

Shunkaku froze. Then he slowly dropped to one knee, head bowed.

"Maiden…"

The girl, stopped in front of him—so close that Shunkaku could smell the faint aroma of rose petals that clung to her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. "Stand up so I can see you."

Shunkaku did as he was told.

Damn. This is the last thing I needed to happen.

"I asked you a question. What were you doing here? This is my part of the garden. No one is allowed here."

Shunkaku bit back a sharp retort and in his humblest voice said, "I’m sorry my Lady. I didn’t know. I’m new here, you see…" His thoughts were not on the person in front of him now but back to how he could leave the palace. Clearly he couldn’t go that way anymore.

He blinked as the Maiden raised the lamp she was holding. She peered at his face.

"I know you."

Shunkaku’s head snapped up.

Grey eyes met blue.

"You were that boy I saw at the corridor."

"I’m new here you see…" Shunkaku tried to explain.

"You’re new here?" Her voice told him she wasn’t convinced.

"Yes, my Lady. I’m training under the royal army."

The Maiden frowned. "The army? How old are you?"

Shunkaku felt a flash of impatience. I have no time for this. Nevertheless, he answered courteously. "I’m fifteen, my Lady."

"Fifteen?" the Maiden said, looking a perplexed. Then her eyes went to the wall. Shunkaku followed her gaze nervously.

"Tell me, what were you doing? You were trying to climb over the wall weren’t you?"

"I…I…"

Shunkaku’s mind raced. He weighed his options. If he made a run for it now, the Maiden will alert the guards, and they’ll be after him. No one should know where he was going.

Then the Maiden turned her back to him. "I should call the guards..."

Shunkaku felt the blood drain from his face. Then he felt his temper slowly rise.

"Listen here," he began.

"…but I won’t."

Shunkaku stopped. It took him a moment to digest what she said, and he stared at her, dumbstruck.

"You…you won’t?" he asked slowly.

The Maiden turned around, away from him. "I’m going to bed. I was never out tonight. And I never saw you." Then she walked away. Then she stopped. "Just make sure you’re back by tomorrow."

She resumed walking, and Shunkaku watched her disappear behind the sakura tree.

He stood there for a few minutes, trying to sort through his confusion. Then finally, he shook his head, pushing it at the back of his mind. He turned back to the wall.

It was a moonless night and what might have been a quick trek through the forest proved to be no easy task. Shunkaku muttered and cursed as he made his way, stumbling and tripping through the path that led to the Basara camp. The whole thing suddenly seemed rash and stupid to him. If what the soldier said was true, then he could have just gone the next evening when travelling would not have been so difficult. And to add to that, the Miko knew that he left the palace.

He let out a particularly loud curse as a branch he had pushed aside whipped back, hitting him right in the face. After a few more minutes of grumbling and groping, he stumble forward into a wide open space.

Shunkaku blinked, trying to make his eyes adjust to the darkness. He pushed himself up, brushing off his hands and dusting off his clothes as best as he could. He couldn’t see a thing, it being so dark. Then he stopped in mid-motion. He brought his hand up to his nose. It smelled of ash and charred wood.

He squinted, trying to make out what lay in front of him. He felt his knees go weak.

"No…it can’t be true…" he took a couple of steps forward then froze as he heard a movement to his left. He moved to run back to the woods but it was too late. He let out a cry as a figure streaked towards him, tackling him to the ground.

His attacker was quick in movement and even in the dark was able to pin his arms down.

Shunkaku thrashed around, kicking and swearing.

"Shut up!" a familiar voice snarled at him then shouted, "Touka!"

There was a another rustling to his left. A lantern was lit, and another figure walked towards them.

"Chama! Touka!" Shunkaku cried out.

"Shun!" His captor immediately released him then scrambled off him. Touka, who had been advancing hesitatingly, was now running up to them, lantern swinging wildly.

"Shun-kun!" said Touka, her voice a mixture of happiness and relief.

"Heck, did you really have to do that?" Shunkaku growled.

"Gomen…" said Chama, scratching his head. Then Shunkaku was about to reply when he remembered. He knelt down to the ground, taking a bit of dirt between his fingers. He moved nearer to the lantern Touka was holding.

"Shit. Chama…?" he looked up at Chama who had a grim expression on his face. He glanced at Touka who looked ready to cry.

Shunkaku stood up and snatched the lantern from Touka’s hand, holding it high up. The light illuminated a small patch of ground around him. It was covered with soot and ashes.

"It’s all gone," Chama said quietly. "Burned to the ground."

Shunkaku swallowed. "Where is everyone?" he asked hoarsely.

A pause. Then, "We were tricked. We charged an entire regiment from Konan. They were twice as many."

"And Tetsusou-san?"

Chama glanced at Touka before answering. "I’m not sure. I…I deserted during the fighting."

Shunkaku’s head snapped up.

"Tetsusou ordered me to. I was supposed to go back here to warn the others. But this is all I went back to. Touka was able to get away. But not the rest."

Chama walked up to him and placed an arm on his shoulder. "It’s good you came back. If you’d have decided to come later, you would have missed us. We plan to head for Sairo tonight. We’ll stay there until the fighting has settled down. Then we’ll come back to look for the others. Come with us, Shun. You can’t last long here. Not when there are Seiryuu seishi looking for you."

Shunkaku gave him a startled look. "You knew?" He shot Touka an accusing glare.

Chama saw it and shook his head. "No, she didn’t tell me. I knew. I knew all along. Same as Tetsusou-san."

"You knew all along? And you kept it from me?"

"Tetsusou-san thought it would be for the best. He didn’t want to force you. That drunk you had called a master would have sold you to the Emperor. But after you lost consciousness, your symbol apparently disappeared. We were passing through your village and staying at an inn. Your master was there, drinking and raving about having a Suzaku sei in his house. Nobody believed of course with him being drunk and all but Tetsusou-san demanded to see you, saw no mark, declared him a fraud and was able to buy you cheap. You were still unconscious then. When you woke up, you had no recollection of what happened. I don’t know why Tetsusou believed your master. He never saw any proof himself. Instinct, I guess. And he was right."

Shunkaku was quiet for a moment. He didn’t know whether to be angry or relieved that Chama knew his secret. He looked at Chama then asked, "You said the Seiryuu seishi are after me. Unless you’ve told others, no one knows about me."

"Gomenasai, Shun-kun but…" Touka stopped, biting her lip. Chama put an arm around her then looked at Shunkaku. "Please. Come with us, Shun. They know about you. A sei came to camp the day you left. Believe me, they know."

Shunkaku frowned. "That can’t be."

"This is no time to be stubborn about it, Shun. Come with us. I know of a place in Sairo where we can stay. You could bring your brother along with you."

Shunkaku frowned while Touka bowed her head guiltily. Then it hit him.

"Chama, could I talk to Touka alone?"

Chama looked surprised, but nodded. "Sure."

He walked away, disappearing in the shadows. Shunkaku turned to Touka.

"Gomenasai, Shun-kun. I had to tell him. I--"

"No. It’s alright," Shunkaku said, cutting her off. "But listen—and you should promise not to tell anyone, ok? Not even Chama."

Touka nodded.

"I’m staying at the palace."

Touka gasped. "But how…?"

"Since aniki’s a Seiryuu sei, they let me stay with him."

Touka grabbed Shunkaku’s arm. "No, Shun-kun! You have stay away from there. They really are looking for you! Kotouku would understand. Just tell him that--"

Shunkaku shook his head. "Touka, I never told him."

Touka stared at him. "What do you mean you never told him?"

"Aniki doesn’t know. He thinks I’m one of them."

"What were you thinking?!" Touka’s fingers tightened around his arm. "You have to tell him the truth! Do you know just what you’re risking? Tell him, Shun-kun!"

"I can’t…aniki’s gone to Konan."

"Konan? This is crazy. You have to--"

"Listen! Just listen alright? I have a plan. Don’t worry about me. They will be summoning Seiryuu soon. The miko has already been found."

"The miko? Are you certain?"

Shunkaku nodded. "I promise I’ll tell aniki, as soon as he comes back. He’s…he’s been assigned to take care of the Suzaku shichiseishi and their miko." His voice cracked slightly at this.

Touka’s eyes suddenly grew sad. "Shun-kun…I don’t know what you’re trying to do. You’re a Suzaku sei. You should be at Konan right now. I don’t understand why you’re--"

Shunkaku’s eyes suddenly blazed. "What are you trying to say? What can’t you understand? Don’t you see? If I go there, I’ll have to fight my brother! Aren’t you happy? This means Konan won’t be able to summon Suzaku. Do you think I’m not aware of what I’m trying to do? The burden is there. The Maiden draws her guardians and I’m no exception! I feel it everyday. It’s just that…I can’t choose between my duties and my brother." His voice grew soft at his last statement. He looked at Touka. "Do you understand what I’m trying to say? Touka?"

Touka nodded. "I understand. It’s just that you’re sacrificing too much. You really should tell your brother." She gave his arm a soft squeeze, before letting go. "So I guess this means you’re really not coming with us."

"Iie…" He looked around. "C’mon. Let’s go find Chama."

Touka held up the lamp, and they walked in silence. They found Chama sitting by a boulder beside what used to the camp’s storehouse. He looked up when they approached. He looked at Touka’s grim expression and said, "So you’re not coming with us, Shun?"

Shunkaku shook his head.

"Look there," said Chama pointing to the charred remains of the storehouse. "That was the work of a Seiryuu sei. You should take extra care. They mean business."

"I know," said Shunkaku. He clapped Chama on the back. "Take care of Touka. Tetsusou will have your hide if anything happens to her."

"Hai. I just know we’ll see him again. Him and the others. They can’t get rid of us that easily." Chama gave him a cocky grin, which he returned.

"Well, I guess I’ll be going then," Shunkaku said. The three stared at each other for a moment, before Shunkaku turned to go.

"Take care, Shun-kun," Touka whispered after him as he disappeared into the darkness.

�

Shunakaku growled as he was jolted from his sleep. He rolled over ignoring the hand that was shaking him awake.

"Hey, kid! Wake up! You’re in big trouble."

Groaning and cursing, Shunkaku flung back his blankets and reached for his shirt. He glared at the soldier—the same one he had been eating dinner with last night—while the man just clucked his tongue.

"So where were you last night? Been out in the city, eh? Too bad for you. You picked a bad time to sneak out. The captain had everyone up last night. They’ve brought in a Suzaku sei in the palace."

Shunkaku froze as he was tugging down his shirt over his head.

"Did you say Suzaku sei?"

The older man nodded. "I heard the guy surrendered willingly in accordance with the miko’s wishes."

Shunkaku swallowed. He could feel his heart hammering against his chest

"What did the miko want with a Suzaku sei? And you said he surrendered willingly?"

"Hai. They say the miko knew him. Probably a friend though I can’t think of how that could happen. The Seiryuu no miko, friends with a Suzaku guardian?" The man snorted then slapped him on the back. "Don’t just stand there looking stupid! Get a move on! You’ve been re-assigned."

"Re-assigned? Why? Where?"

"The captain was mad at you for not being here last night. You’ve been suspended from training. You’ll be on guard duty on the palace for a few weeks--as punishment."

"Damn it!" Shunkaku muttered as he finished dressing and headed out the door.

TBC