The sound of my feet hitting the dirt path was a

Warning: Contains major spoilers for the OVA as well as hints regarding the series.

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Night Flower

By Sakata Ri Houjun

Song by Rie Hamada

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~Ai no kuni o samayo, watashi o mitsuke dashite

Tsubasa niwa mada surikireta hazu no kokoro kakushite~

<Please come find me while I'm wandering lost in the land of love

The soul I'd thought had worn off from my wings, I hide away>

"man, what a waste!" Tasuki grinned as he sat on the railing of Nuriko's house and heard the full story of Tenkou's appearance from the others and me. Nuriko and Chiriko stared at his reaction in surprise.

"If I was there, I would've kicked Tenkou's all for ya!" Tasuki laughed, clenching his fists.

"His wounds must be healed already," Chiriko murmured to Nuriko.

"He's a baka," the cross dresser returned.

"Tama! There's nothing to worry about, buddy." Tasuki tried to be comforting, emphasis on 'tried'. "There's still three more stones out there. You didn't need those four old ones anyway."

Inwardly I groaned. Tasuki never was good with words.

"I don't think that's what he wants to hear," Nuriko commented.

Tamahome lifted his head, smiling. "Don't worry about me. I'm not going to let this thing beat me." He trotted off happily only to smack his head on a branch. Even as he assured us that he was fine, he reeled form the blow to fall into the pond. After jumping from the water, Tamahome then proceeded to walk straight into the wall.

"You almost fell sorry seeing a guy that bad off," Tasuki commented.

"Tasuki-chan," Nuriko called, sneaking up behind him.

"Yeah?"

"Can you read this?" Nuriko held up a sign.

"Delicacy..," Tasuki read.

"Right." Nuriko grinned as he powered up his bracelets and pounded Tasuki. "Try to remember what it means!"

I frowned as my lover went sailing by into the wall. I knew that Nuriko and Tasuki had always joked around like this before, but was it really necessary at a time like this?

"We need to find some way to make him feel better, no d." I turned to Hotohori.

"That's impossible." His gentle voice was etched with concern.

"Anyways, Mitsukake posses the clues to the last stones and Nyan Nyan's looking for him now, no da."

"Is that our only hope? If all the Suzaku Shichiseishi were assembled, we might be able to share our strength with Tamahome." Hotohori looked at me hopefully and I sighed.

"I think Miaka's even more depressed than he is, no da."

"Why is that?" Upon hearing my lover speaking softly, I turned to face him. "Why does she have to be tortured? He makes her cry. He hurts her. Yet, she still loves him so much." He was facing the wall and my heart began to pound at his words.

Tasuki looked down. "I just don't understand."

~Watashi no mune o someta ikusen no hanabira wa

Kanashii kurai anata o koishiku saseru~

<The thousands of fallen petals that stain my soul

Make me yearn for you, to the point of being melancholy>

I recalled last week at Lake Taichi where I found Tasuki giving Miaka mouth-to-mouth. He was saving her life, but the look on his face as he stroked her cheek made my heart clench. I've felt jealous before, but never quite as strong as I did then. I knew he loved me, but I was afraid to know if he might feel the same way for another.

Tasuki stood and turned to face us with a grin. "I'm such an asshole, running Tama off like that. I'll go and find him and Miaka, and then we can get started looking for the other stones."

His eyes locked with mine for a moment and I couldn't help but notice he had that same look as he did that day at the lake. "I'll go with you, no da," I insisted. Shock passed behind his eyes before he shrugged.

~Mo ichido~

Silently I trailed after him through the woods surrounding Nuriko's house until I knew we were out of earshot. "Tasuki..," I began, but my voice failed me once he turned around.

"Chiri, I'm so fucking confused." His expression was sad and uncertain. I felt my heart break so I pulled him into my arms.

~Sugari tsuku shunkan suri nukeru maboroshi~

"Don't, koi. I'm here, no da." I didn't want him to be hurt.

Tasuki clung to me and pressed his face against my neck. "Chiri, aishiteru. You know that, right?"

"I've known it since the moment we first kissed, no da. We were made for each other." I leaned my cheek against his hair.

~Anata no subete o ubai saritai~

"I don't mean to hurt you. I know that I have been lately. It's just..." He pulled away and turned to go. "I have to figure out what's going on inside me. Ya understand..."

"Hai. Do what you need to. I'll always be nearby if you need me, no da."

With a sad smile, I watched him walk away. A part of me knew that everything would be okay. Yet, I was feeling a sense of foreboding as if he'd never come back to me again.

~Itetsuita knife kazashi

Ai wa mau~

<Brandishing a frozen knife

Love dances>

By the time I got back to the others, Nuriko had left to also look for Tamahome. When I asked why, Hotohori answered that Nuriko didn't trust Tasuki to make things any better. I shook my head and gave Hotohori and Chiriko the reassurances they needed to hear. But I still felt so uneasy.

At times, I know they must guess at our true relationship. But they must be uncertain for they never confronted wither of us. I wondered for a moment how'd they react of I told them.

I began to ask about Mitsukake when I suddenly heard Tasuki's voice inside my head. Even though it was only for an instant, he sounded like he was in danger. Then the feeling passed as the thick scent of water filled the air. My blood ran cold as the smell brought back memories of a day I have tried to forget.

"Chichiri, what is wrong?" Hotohori questioned.

"That smell..," I muttered.

"Chichiri?" Now Chiriko was getting worried.

The scent was disappearing and I turned to them with a smile. "Nan demo nai, no da." My mask easily hid the unease I felt. I hoped Tasuki was okay.

~Yoru no hana o chirashite~

By the time the sun had set, we were all beginning to get worried. Nuriko had returned earlier to inform us that he had set Tamahome in the right direction, but hadn't been able to locate Miaka. Now he was glancing about in concern.

"Where's Miaka and Tamahome?"

"I haven't seen Tasuki around either," Chiriko added.

As one, they glanced at me and I nodded. With my ki, I reached out to find our friends. I started to feel their presences but a barrier, much like a wet blanket, prevented me from locating any of them. I tried again, but the barrier was secure, a familiar aura resonating from it. My blood ran cold as it had before.

"strange...I can't seem to sense any of their ki, no da."

~Kowashite, kizutsukete, tojikomete-kokoro sae...

Motto hageshiku kanjite~

<Break, injure, and even seal my soul away...

Respond to me like you mean it>

"I feel uneasy," Hotohori commented. "We'd better go look for them."

"Chichiri, did you at least get an idea of where they might be?" Chiriko asked.

I could sense that much. "They were near a small city, no da."

"The closest city is Kahou," Nuriko informed us. "But it's still a distance away."

I pulled off my kesa and spread it out on the ground. "Then we'll have to get there quickly, won't we, no da?" My heart began to race as I prepared the teleportation spell. I knew something had to be wrong, but I didn't wish to alarm the others.

~Susketa ai no kakera~

Kahou came into view as I landed on the ground. The others merely floated next to me. I never envied their new abilities because I would never have been able to hold Tasuki in my arms. We split up then to make the search easier.

I figured that my beloved would be at a tavern somewhere, enjoying a drink or two. I headed towards one building when I noticed a figure staggering through the shadows. Curious, I moved closer as the man entered the light from a streetlamp.

It was Tamahome!

~Korogaru yoru no machi de

Kakomarete yuku hohoemi kakeru tanshi notsubasa ni~

<Trundling about the town at night

Surrounded by the wings of a loving angel>

He winced and held his ribs, bleeding from several places. Still, he gritted his teeth and walked on. "Miaka..," he muttered.

I decided to follow Tamahome once I recognized Tasuki's handiwork. He headed straight into an inn and moved towards a flight of stairs. An elderly man, probably the manager, was guiltily staring up the stairs as a frightened voice cried out from behind a closed door at the top.

"No! No, Tasuki! Help me, Taka!"

~Iki mo dekinai hodo anato motometeru~

My heart stopped and I felt tears coming to my eye as I stared at the doorway in shock. I hadn't expected this. I couldn't be true. What was going on?

The manager looked over at me as Tamhome began climbing the stairs. I put a shaking finger to my lips to silence him as I hid myself from view.

~Subete ga moetsukite mo kamawanai~

Tamahome opened the door.

"Get outta here, right now damnit!" There was no mistaking the rough voice of my lover, distorted with anger and lust.

"Leave Miaka alone," Tamahome replied quietly.

"Taka!" Miaka cried.

"So, ya made it here even though you're hurt. How did ya know where to find us?"

Tamahome glowered. "When it comes to Miaka, I know everything."

"It's too late," Tasuki mocked. "Miaka belongs to me now." I shook my head, disbelieving what was being said. Was I truly losing the one I love again to another, being betrayed by my trust and heart once more?

"Perhaps I need to refresh your memory!"

Tamahome suddenly went flying backwards down the stairs with a crash as Tasuki appeared in the broken doorway, his tessen in his hand.

"Taka!" Miaka screamed as she tried to push past the bandit to get to her beloved. In a swift movement, my lover seized her.

"Come back here!" She began to plead as she tried to fee herself from his strong grip that I knew so well.

Tamahome got up slowly, scowling. "Tasuki...I won't forgive you for hurting Miaka. You're not yourself." He got to his knees. "I'm the one who makes her happy, ask her."

"Is that so?" Tasuki snapped. "How can a man who's about to disappear make Miaka happy?"

Miaka began to plead again to which Tasuki roughly commanded for her to quit whining. This wasn't right. Where was the gentle man who cried when our friends had died, who held me through the cold nights of our wandering, who whispered gently how much he loved me? My heart felt as if it were being torn from my chest.

~Tokedashita ai wa kotoba~

Tamahome was taking deep breaths, gained his feet, and began to slowly climb the stairs. "Miaka is crying... You're making her cry. You're not that type of person. You're straightforward and honest, a man's man. What could've happened to change you? The on who's getting hurt by seeing you like this..." Tamahome paused as he reached the top step.

"Is Miaka!"

"What are ya talking about?" Tasuki yelled, delivering Tamahome a blow to the chest with his foot, sending him crashing down the stairs a second time. "Don't bullshit me! You don't have any strength left. How are ya going to protect a woman, huh? Watch me, Miaka! I'm going to burn this pathetic loser to a crisp!"

I prepared a barrier to throw around Tamahome in case Tasuki followed through with his threat. I loved Tasuki, but something was wrong with him. Even though it would kill me, I wasn't afraid to fight him. I would stop him form hurting others until he could fight whatever had altered him. Silently, I prayed to Suzaku to give Tasuki the strength to fight it.

~Kuchibiru wa yoru no hana chirishite~

Tamahome laid on his back at the foot of the stairs. Grimacing, he rolled slowly to his side. "You're right. I'm pathetic and right now, I weak too. As you said, I make Miaka cry. I scared of disappearing and what's going to happen to us, but I love her. That I cannot change."

Tamahome hunched over, got to his feet again, and started up the stairs once more. "People may laugh... and it hurts. I know I don't look heroic, but for Miaka's sake, I'll the be the most pathetic un-hero of man. Beside you all accepted me as a fellow seishi. You al made me feel almost like part of a family. My feeling for Miaka will never change."

He reached the top of the stairs and closed his eyes. "If I must die, I'm glad it's you. Kill me."

"Sure. I'll be glad to." Tasuki grinned evilly.

"Tasuki." Miaka's gentle voice distracted him. "The reason I cry is because I love Taka with all my heart. It's just the way girls are put together. We cry over the people we love when we're happy and sad."

"Tasuki," I whispered as Tears streamed underneath my mask. "Fight it."

~Aishite, iyasarete, toki hanastu-kokoro sae...

Motto hageshiku kanjite~

<Love, comfort, even let go of my soul...

Respond to me like you mean it>

Intense emotion washed over Tasuki's face. His eyes widened in shock as he fell back from the couple several steps. "I..."

Tamahome moved to stand beside Miaka. "Tasuki..."

"I..." Tasuki chocked. He character appeared on his arm as he raised his tessen up on clenched fists. The character then blazed brightly as he leaned back, holding his weapon above his head. "I won't betray my friends! I won't do it!" Tasuki slammed his tessen into the ground and fire exploded everywhere.

I threw my prepared barrier around Tamahome and Miaka as they were blasted down the stairs. "Tasuki!" Tamahome screamed.

I ran from my hiding spot and shielded the two of them, protecting them from the fire with my kesa. The fire would certainly alert the others. Looking up the stairs at the inferno, its creator and my lover within its center, my heart squeezed in fear.

~Sadame nara

Yasuragi mo, nukumori mo iranai~

<If it's meant to be

I want neither peace nor warmth>

"Chichiri!" Tamahome cried, trying to push past my barrier. "It's Tasuki!" I couldn't look at him and his voice rose in panic. "Please!"

Miaka's voice was caught in a frightened whisper. "Tasuki...Tasuki..."

Nuriko appeared by her side. "Miaka! Are you alright?" I felt the other seishi appearing, including one other familiar presence. My body relaxed in relief with this knowledge.

"What should we do?" Miaka wailed. "Tell me what to do!"

Comfortingly, Nuriko reassured her. "It's okay now."

Hotohori and Chiriko stepped up beside me to calmly look on. "He seems to have made it," Hotohori commented.

"Hai," I answered as I let out the breath I had been holding.

"Good for him," Chiriko added.

"Miaka. Tamahome." I turned to the couple, a smile on my face. "Don't worry, no da." I pointed to the top of the stairs. "Look at that, no da."

In amongst the burning rubble, Mitsukake appeared, surrounded by his green healing light. In his arms, he held the crumpled form of my lover. Tasuki opened his eyes slowly.

"I'm still alive?"

Mitsukake grinned. "A guy like you can't die that easily, can he?"

Tasuki chucked. "Mitsukake...Shut up, would ya?"

I watched as Miaka embraced Tasuki with tears in her eyes. He glanced up at me in shame as she started calling him an idiot. "Yeah," he agreed, closing his eyes. "I'm stupid alright. What a baka."

~Itetsuite knife kazashi

Ai wa mau~

<Brandishing a frozen knife

Love dances>

"What happened?" Nuriko asked as the flames died away.

Tasuki began shaking, he face turning red, and tears falling down his cheeks. "It's all my fault. All of it. Gomen nasai. I had no control."

Miaka began to rub his back as he sobbed. "I was watching Miaka cry and wanting to stop her tears when I was surrounded by water."

My blood froze again. "Water...?"

"I thought I was going to drown and I blacked out. The next thing I know was that I was attacking Tama." He glanced up at Tamahome. "Gomen, buddy."

Tamahome merely nodded as Tasuki continued. "I had always liked Miaka, but suddenly I loved her and wanted her all to myself. I couldn't explain or stop what was happening to me."

~Yoru no hana o chirashite~

< Scattering the flower of the night>

I couldn't stand to hear much more. "I'll go upstairs and retrieve their clothing, no da." The glanced at me as I turned.

The fire was out now but I had to be careful of the blackened wood. The room itself had remained untouched by the flames. I wandered over to the bed and was very aware of the wrinkled sheets. Without realizing it, I had begun to trace shaking fingers across the fabric. This was where my lover had raped Miaka...

The thought was almost too much for me to bear.

~Kowashite, kizutsukete, tojikomete-kokoro sae...~

<Break, injure, and even seal my soul away...>

"Chiri?" I turned to find Tasuki staring at me with apologetic eyes.

"It was a spell that had possessed you, no da." Even as I said this lightly, my face was grim and pained.

"I stopped before anything happened..." He glanced away and bit his lip.

"Still...Doushite?" I pulled off my mask just so he could see my tears, see how much this was killing me. I loved him, what need was there in hiding?

"I was so confused." He closed the distance between us and embraced me, trembling. "Demo, not anymore. Aishiteru, Chiri. What Miaka and Tama told me before... It's true. You know it too..."

I pulled away. "You knew I was there?"

He smiled. "You and I are meant to be together, remember? Besides..." Tasuki gently brushed his lips against mine before continuing. "You broke the spell on me."

~Motto hageshiku aishite~

I sighed and wrapped my arms around him to kiss him back. It didn't matter even if he had raped Miaka, I loved him so much.

He broke away with a shaking laugh. "The others must be getting suspicious by now. We'd better get back."

I put my mask back on. "Hai, no da." I grabbed Miaka's jacket while he shrugged into his. The others were waiting, looking up the stairs as we came down. I handed Miaka her jacket and Tasuki began shacking again as she slowly tucked her shirt back in and buttoned her jacket up.

Everyone turned to stare at Tasuki as he shook his head and fell on his knees before Tamahome and Miaka. "Gomen. Gomen nasai. I can't apologize enough." He looked around at everyone before bowing low to the couple again. "Gomen. Gomen nasai."

Miaka smiled. "It's okay, Tasuki. You've apologized enough."

"Right," Tamahome agreed. "You were under the enemy's influence."

Mitsukake quietly observed the three of them. "People aren't fully aware of their own emotions. What a despicable spell."

I felt worried as I recalled Tasuki's story. "He said he saw water before he was affected, no da."

"Tasuki, what kind of water was it?" Chiriko inquired.

"It came out of nowhere... It was really weird..." He stood up to face us more directly.

Suddenly, water exploded from nowhere into a huge wave, washing over everyone, and surrounding Miaka in an enormous bubble. My blood ran cold again as the smell of water from before filled the air. My mind raced back to the first time I ever smell this scent and the whole scenario made perfect sense.

"The smell!" I cried out as the water trapped up in place.

"The enemy," Hotohori agreed, remembering my earlier reaction.

A familiar pair of marrow eyes appeared, followed by a man who I thought I'd never see again in this lifetime. He locked his malicious gaze on me as I gritted my teeth in anger.

"Why does it have to be you? Hikou..."