Split Up!

There's Two Things to Take Care Of!

Episode 25

The sun rose and caused the snow to turn glittering white, like spun glass. Tamahome yawned as he woke up and looked around the small camp. The others were still asleep, including Lina. She was curled up into a tiny ball, gripping Nuriko's bracelets tightly. Her hair was mused and tears streaked her face. It looked like she hadn't slept at all last night.

"Lina-chan..." sighed Tamahome. "It may have been difficult for us but it's been even harder on you." He softly patted her bright hair.

"Gourry... no baka..." she mumbled softly, sleeping.

Despite everything that had happened, the young Shichi Seishi smiled. "Oi, Lina-chan... minna-san... wake up. It's time to get going."

"Go 'way, Gourry. It's too early to wake up," Lina murmured.

Tamahome shook her gently. "Lina-chan, wake up!"

Her eyes flew open with a start. She blinked a few times and looked around sadly. "A dream..."

"Eh?"

"A dream," she repeated quietly. "I dreamed I was home and Gourry was being an idiot again. But... I was home." Lina looked up at him. "Tamahome... I want to go home. I want... to go home!" She clung to him tightly, desperately. "Why can't I go home?"

He hugged her gently and promised her, "We will get you home. We just have to find both Shinzahou and summon Suzaku, okay? We can do it."

"Awake yet, na no da?" Chichiri asked, suddenly sitting next to them.

"Uwaaah!" cried Suzaku no Miko and her Shichi Seishi in unison.

"Chichiri!" Tamahome shouted accusingly.

"We should get going, no da. Let's get a little breakfast and start the trip to Sailokoku. If the Seiryuu no Shichi Seishi had gotten the Genbu no Shinzahou, they'll definitely be after the Byakko no Shinzahou. Let's hurry, na no da."

"Wait," said Tamahome.

Everyone looked at him.

"We need both Shinzahou to summon Suzaku, is that right?" Chichiri nodded. "Then we also have to recover the Genbu no Shinzahou. Minna, you go to Sailokoku and get the Byakko no Shinzahou. Lina and I will infiltrate the Seiryuu no Shichi Seishi camp and recover the Genbu no Shinzahou. Nuriko... Nuriko died trying to get it for us... the least we could do is finish the job."

"Well, that sort of makes sense," muttered Tasuki, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"But -" Chiriko blurted out. "That's not right! We can't split up now! We're a team, aren't we? But if we split up, then we're weaker! We shouldn't do this, Tamahome-san!"

"Chiriko-chan..." Lina smiled at him. "Chiriko-chan, we can take care of ourselves. I agree with Tamahome, we have to get them as quickly as possible, before Kutoukoku can cause more harm to Konankoku."

"But... but!"

She held his hand in hers. "Chiriko-chan... I'm counting on you. You have to find the Byakko no Shinzahou. I'm trusting you to help the others to find it. After all, you found out the information about the Genbu no Shinzahou, didn't you?"

He nodded. "But still..." He shook his head in confusion. "I... I..."

"I trust you, Chiriko. I trust you and the Suzaku no Shichi Seishi."

"I..." said Chiriko. "I... understand."

"Are you sure it's okay if it's just you and Lina-san, no da?" wondered the monk.

Tamahome nodded.

"Very well then, I suppose it's decided, na no da."

"I hope you don't mind this," Tamahome apologized after the other Shichi Seishi had left.

"No, it's fine." Lina slipped Nuriko's bracelets on. "I want to do this for Nuriko, anyway. But Tamahome...?"

"Yes?"

"Do you know where the Seiryuu no Shichi Seishi camp is?"

There was a long yet meaningless pause.

"Um. I thought you did."

There was another long and pointless pause.

"You mean you DON'T know where we're supposed to GO?!" Lina fumed, shooting off sparks and popping veins left and right.

Tamahome gulped and waved his hands in a placating gesture. "Well, I suppose we could just backtrack a bit and follow the footprints in the snow."

"Yosh!" Lina stomped off. "Let's go!"

They stopped to catch their breath, leaning against a tree. Lina panted heavily. "Just how much farther away did that psycho boy go?" she gasped, sucking in air. "If it's not beyond that rise, I say we just go with Chiriko and get the Byakko no Shinzahou first."

Tamahome had scaled the tree and crouched low on the branch. "Ano, Lina-chan... it is just beyond that rise."

"Thank L-sama," Lina muttered under her breath. "I was about to wonder if fate was throwing me a curve ball again."

Something buzzed under her nose. It was a bumblebee. Then something buzzed over her hair. It was a bolt of lightning.

"Abunai!" screamed Tamahome, leaping off of the tree just before another bolt struck it.

"It's Soi!" gasped Lina as she noticed the cloaked figure.

"I'll take care of her," grinned Tamahome as the character of oni flashed on his forehead. "You go into camp and get the Shinzahou!"

"Hai!" She dashed past Soi and towards the group of tents, readying a flare arrow...

...only to be met with the smells of a large meal.

Her stomach growled unpleasantly, and Lina tried hard to forget how long ago breakfast had been. Get a hold of yourself, Lina Inverse! There, Nakago has to be in the tent, right? Go get him!

Unfortunately, the smells of food were also drifting in from that direction.

It was a good thing Lina wasn't your typical wimpy heroine to be led astray by thoughts of food, whether it be sweet ice cream, hot cinnamon buns, Pocky (the otaku's choice), or even buffet meals, although she occasionally came close. Reluctant but expedient, she gathered the power around her and flung it at the tent. "Flare arrow!"

The spell arced nicely through the air and landed on the tent's roof, setting it merrily ablaze. Thick clouds of smoke rose from it. Flames crackled and hissed, and Lina felt warmed by their destruction. But something wasn't right.

When the heck is Nakago coming out? Or could he be hiding somewhere else?

The tent flap opened as if on cue and, yes, the leader of the Seiryuu no Shichi Seishi stepped out looking smug. Lina could see why. His blue ki surrounded him and kept him safe from the flames. Around his neck dangled the Genbu no Shinzahou.

"Searching for something, Suzaku no Miko?" he asked.

She drew Hotohori's deity sword. "Well gee, let me think a moment. We burst into camp and set your tent afire. I think we all know what I'm after, don't you?" She was sick of the man's games and schemes.

"The Genbu no Shinzahou," he agreed, apparently feeling a need to state the obvious. "You won't find it easy to acquire..."

Lina felt enough words had been exchanged between the two of them and went for the charge. She dashed towards Nakago and leapt above him, bringing down her sword in an arc over his head. He dodged swiftly, leaving a few split hairs to fall golden onto the snow. The two faced each other again, Lina grimly gritting her teeth, Nakago smirking.

And that's when Lina felt them again.

Eyes!

They bore into her, striking her down, filling her with another vision.

The palace was in flames and the city was destroyed. A dragon rose in the east, and a person rose behind it, long straight hair gently riffling in the wake of all the destruction. Nakago and Naga stood under it, throwing blue blasts of magic at people Lina couldn't see but knew were there...

And she was all alone again.

No, not quite...

Tamahome pulled her out of the way as one of Naga's spells exploded nearby. He held her protectively, glaring at their two enemies.

Lina felt warm again. Protected. Her heart pounded a little faster.

A different Seiryuu no Shichi Seishi (there was no mistaking the blue ki that glowed around his hands) stepped forward to face Tamahome. He was holding something. A clam shell?

Tamahome also stepped forward, accepting the challenge.

Something Bad Was Going To Happen. It was one of those feelings Lina got as she watched them.

No words were exchanged, were any necessary? If they had, it would have been more stock dialogue that Lina had heard a thousand times before. The Seiryuu no Shichi Seishi - Tomo, the name came to Lina, though she knew not why - and Suzaku no Shichi Seishi charged each other.

He's fighting to protect me, Lina thought to herself. Just like Nuriko and the others, but they aren't here right now. Why aren't they here?

Suddenly, there were five of Tomo, surrounding Tamahome. He was confused. He didn't know which Tomo was the real enemy. Which Tomo could be killed?

Then there were ten of Tomo, and then fifteen. Tamahome spun around in shock. Every time he tried to attack one, the other images of Tomo laughed at him, taunting him.

Who was the real Tomo?

Were any of them the real Tomo?

What if they were all illusions? What if none of them could be killed? What then? Was Tamahome fighting a loosing battle?

Where were the others?

And why wasn't she doing anything?

Tamahome was blasted with a blue ki - from Nakago - and... and...

He was falling... falling off of an impossibly large cliff. Where had it come from? What had happened to the city in flames? Where did the blue dragon go? Where had everyone else disappeared?

...But that wasn't important. What was important was Tamahome...Falling towards his death... Protecting her, and paying the ultimate price for it.

Just like Nuriko had.

"We would all give our lives to protect her."

But that wasn't what she wanted!

"Noooo!" She reached out for him, but it was too late.

The eyes, those cold golden eyes, laughed their triumph at her. They grew larger and larger, threatening to swallow her up.

Then everything went black.

Nakago brushed himself off and nodded to himself. Suzaku no Miko lay on the ground, lifeless. Things were going well.

Oh yes, except for the large red ki that suddenly blasted his side.

"Nakago!" Soi threw herself in front of him, protecting him from the Suzaku no Shichi Seishi who had come with the Miko. Lightning crackled around her as she shouted, "Let's go! We're done here! We'd better catch up with Tomo, Suboshi, and the Miko, find the last Shichi Seishi, and get the Byakko no Shinzahou!"

He nodded his agreement to her, not feeling nearly as rushed as she was. As she distracted Tamahome with an exceptionally bright blast, they made their strategic retreat.

His side still hurt, of course.

"K'so!" Tamahome cursed as he watched the two Seiryuu no Shichi Seishi ride off. "Cowards, running away from the fight like that. Lina, did you get the Shinzahou?"

No answer.

"Lina?"

He saw her then, lying limp on the snow. Her lips were turning blue already.

"Lina!"

She wasn't breathing. She didn't have a pulse.

Frantically trying to remember everything about artificial resuscitation, Tamahome pushed on her chest in a steady rhythm. He paused and bent over her mouth, breathing air into her. Then it was back to pressing down on her chest.

"Lina! You can't die on us! What are we supposed to do if Suzaku no Miko dies? Don't leave us, Lina! Nuriko died already... don't go, Lina! Lina, hold on! Just hang in there!"

Continue: Episode 26: Setback! It's Time For a Plan B!