The Fox and the Phoenix

Great wings of flame enfolded him, driving the cold stiffness from his limbs. The god Suzaku held him close, sending waves of welcome heat through him.

"How? Why?" he asked, confused.

The fox had helped the people of Konan--for his own reasons, of course, but the result was the same. He could not be allowed to die while in the phoenix's care.

Kurama sighed and snuggled happily into the embrace, accepting the offered assistance. He appreciated knowing that he would survive this ordeal. He hadn't been sure if the Seishi would know to administer the antidote he had grown.

The fox wasn't completely safe, Suzaku warned. He had defeated the minions, but the real enemy had yet to make an appearance.

"Who do you suppose he is?" Kurama wondered aloud. "Who would have knowledge of this world?"

The god cocked its head. That was the fox's area of expertise. The phoenix was strongly restricted in what it could influence--that was why it needed the Miko to release its full power.

Kurama's eyes brightened as an idea struck him. "The Miko...Miaka and Tamahome...you wouldn't by any chance have something to do with the curse on them?"

Suzaku's warbling laughter surrounded him. There was no curse, it was simply not the time for them. They, also, had their own danger to face.

"Danger? What kind of danger? Why don't you warn them?"

The phoenix lowered its head sadly. It could not speak with them as it could with the fox. They were all human. They could not hear the god's voice. Even its chosen Miko could only perceive its most basic illusions.

"Then tell *me*!" Kurama insisted. "I will warn them for you."

That would not be possible. The fox himself would not remember this conversation.

"But they're your people! How can you know that they're threatened and not help them?"

There was a balance that had to be maintained between the gods. They each did what they could, but it was up to the humans to determine their own fates.

Kurama closed his eyes. He couldn't argue when he didn't understand the forces involved. He sensed himself drifting toward wakefulness, the wings withdrawing now that he no longer needed their warmth. When he opened his eyes once again, he was back in his own body, staring muzzily up at the ceiling of his room.

As much as he fought to retain the memory of the dream, in moments it had slipped from his grasp. He kept only the impression of heat, tenderly administered, and being held by someone who desired strongly that he should live.

"Thank you," he said softly, though no one was present to hear.

When Mitsukake came to check on him, Kurama was already up and dressed in his own clothes, which had been freshly cleaned for him while he slept. The healer pronounced him fit to travel and told him that the Seishi were gathering in the temple to begin the spell to send him home.

"Let me just grab something to eat," he said, heading for the dining hall. He was ravenous after having expended so much energy the evening before.

"I believe your friend and Nuriko are finishing up their breakfast," Mitsukake said as he veered off to meet his companions at Suzaku's shrine.

The youko entered the hall completely unprepared for the sight that greeted him. "Morning, Nuriko. Morning, Hi..." He stopped, dumbstruck, unable even to close his mouth.

Hiei looked magnificent. He wore a Chinese-style silk tunic, black as the darkest night. A phoenix adorned the back in brilliant red, its head resting on the youkai's right shoulder, its raised wings cresting over his left, and its peacock-like tail curling around his slender waist to brush delicately at his stomach. This was no hand-me-down; it had been perfectly tailored to his exact measurements. A garment like that would be worth a small fortune back in Japan, and likely even more here in this world where everything must be sewn by hand.

"You like?" Nuriko asked, her eyes twinkling. Kurama could only nod, speechless. "It's a going-away present," she explained. "There's a gift for you, as well." She handed him a large bundle of fabric that had been tied so he could transport it easily.

Finally recovering from his shock, he bowed. "Thank you very much, Nuriko-sama. We'll treasure them." If his present was even half as beautiful as the phoenix tunic, he would be honored to make use of it.

"You should really thank the emperor's staff, since they did the work, but I designed them...on behalf of us all," she conceded.

He reached for a bowl that had been set out for him. While he ate, he stole glances at his friend, who waited for him with a curiously intense expression. Impatient for him to finish? Or...the thought had occurred to him that Hiei might not want to leave. He seemed to have found a place here among the Seishi--they would certainly appreciate the help he could give them against their enemies. As Chichiri had said, if there were any reservations in his heart, the spell would be incomplete.

If that were the case, could the fire demon be steeling himself to say goodbye?

Subdued by that thought, he polished off the last of his meal. "Shall we go?"

Nuriko smiled brightly at him and took his hand, pressing something into it. "Don't forget these..." she said, giving him a playful squeeze before releasing him, leaving him with two golden ribbons. "..To remember me by. I noticed that you had saved them in your room, and since you had other matters on your mind, I took the liberty of bringing them for you."

Hiei stalked out the door without a word or a backward glance.

Once inside the temple, the Seishi formed a circle with the two demons in the center. Miaka was present as well, but she was there mostly to lend moral support. She wouldn't play a major role until the summoning ceremony after the otherworldly visitors had gone.

The seven Seishi knelt in the places Chichiri indicated, bowing their heads to concentrate. "We must all focus our energy no da," the monk explained. "Kurama and Hiei will think strongly about..." His voice trailed off and he frowned. "I feel a strange chi attempting to penetrate my barrier around the temple no da!"

Hotohori surged to his feet. "Is it Nakago? Can you block it?"

Chichiri shook his head, clutching at his beaded necklace. "It is not Seishi energy no da. It originates outside this world no da. I can't--ah!" He shielded his eyes as a burst of sickly yellow light flashed in the center of the circle, piercing through his kekkai.

Hiei and Kurama drew their weapons, turning to face the newly formed gate as a single figure emerged. "Long time no see, Kurama," she said sweetly.

The youko lowered his whip, astonished. "Kitani?" he asked, stepping forward. "What are you doing here?"

"Haven't you guessed?" Kitani walked around him, examining her surroundings. She was a small youkai, whose human likeness was betrayed only by eyes that had seen far more than would be possible for a mortal of her apparent age. "I'm the one behind your arrival here. I sent the assassins you so swiftly dispatched. I've been trying to kill you." She laughed lightly.

Kurama's tail swished in his puzzlement. "Why?" He hadn't seen her in nearly a century. As far as he knew, he hadn't done anything recently to provoke her ire.

"Because this," she indicated the temple with a sweep of her hand, "or something like it, should have been mine!" She stamped her foot, the very picture of a teenage girl in a fit of pique.

"And this concerns me how?" The youko had never heard of Konan before this adventure; he didn't see how he could have affected her so profoundly.

"You stole my destiny!" she hissed. "*I* had the Four Gods' Sky and Earth. I should have been a Miko. I would have acquired the power of a god, if it weren't for you."

Tamahome moved to guard Miaka, while the other Seishi mantained their positions encircling the invader. Kurama thought back to their last encounter, dredging up one half-forgotten detail. "A book? This is all about a *book*?"

"Not just any book," she fumed, her fawn-colored ponytail bobbing with her anger. "That book was the key to unimaginable power, and you stole it from me. For that, you deserve to die!" She raised a hand as though to slap him.

He caught her wrist. "Hold it. That all happened decades ago. Revenge I can understand, but why *now*?"

She tugged, pulling out of his grip and shoving her hands into the pockets of her shorts. "There are four gods, which means four potential openings for a Miko. I had thought to retrieve the Four Gods' Sky and Earth, but I couldn't locate it in time. All four positions have been filled."

The youko was unable to resist smirking slightly. Though she had spent most of the past week trying to take his life, he couldn't consider her a serious threat now that she was standing here in front of him. "Then it's *your* failure, Kitani. Killing me won't change anything."

"That's true," she sulked. Then her lips curved into an imitation of an innocent smile. "But it would make me feel a whole lot better." She took one hand out of her pocket, fingers clenched around a black cylinder.

Hiei immediately brought his sword to bear against her. "Ah ah ah!" she scolded. "Unless you *want* everyone in this temple to die."

The black-clad youkai hesitated, scowling, clearly considering it. Kurama shook his head, once, and his friend reluctantly sheathed his blade. "Kitani," the youko chided, "no matter how good you are at persuading people to do your bidding, you're no warrior. What do you expect to accomplish here?"

She cocked the hand with the cylinder. "Do you know how many favors I had to call in to have that gate in the Reikai altered so that my trap would be sprung when you entered it? And that was only the beginning. I've come too far to give up now."

"What makes you think you would even have been chosen as a Miko?" He was tempted to add that the gods probably had better taste than that, but he retained at least a small amount of discretion. "You're not human."

"Human, youkai, what's the difference? 'A girl from another world'--I fit the part perfectly. With my experience, I would serve well, and when the time came to summon the god and receive my wishes...well, it's only fair that I be amply repaid for my efforts. But you--you took away my chance." Her fingers tightened around the object.

"And what do you intend with that?" She held it like a weapon, but he didn't recognize it.

"This? This is your death, Kurama." Her smile returned. "It's a bomb, of sorts, linked to my mind. I can detonate it at will. No one else need be hurt, if you cooperate. And it goes without saying," she added, glancing at each of the Seishi and Hiei in turn, "that if anything happens to me..."

Kurama felt a growl rising in his throat, and he gripped the base of his whip. Revenge was one thing, but to put so many in danger because she clung to her pointless illusions? His ears twitched and his eyes narrowed with his annoyance. Before he could make a move, however, a shout rang out, echoing through the hall.

"No!"

Tamahome tried to stop her, but Miaka marched past him, powered by her sheer force of personality. She confronted the enemy youkai, hands clenched into fists. "How dare you?" she demanded. "You don't understand anything!"

"Miaka..." Hotohori protested, though it was clear she would not be dissuaded from her course of action.

"Suzaku No Miko?" Kitani asked in surprise, taking a step back, not expecting such a show of rebellion from that source.

The girl's eyes snapped fire. "Yes, I am the Suzaku No Miko. You claim you wanted my position, but you have no idea what it means."

"Oh?" She regained her composure, tilting her head saucily. "Why don't you enlighten me?"

"I never asked to be brought to this world--and neither did my best friend Yui-chan, the Seiryuu No Miko. We were normal junior high girls. All we wanted was to pass the entrance exam, to go to the same high school, to live our lives in peace." She threw her arms wide, taking in the whole of the temple. "But we're here now, and we're doing the best we can to help our people. *That's* the meaning of being a Miko--it's not the power, or the status, it's to help those who depend on you to protect them."

"Very noble, Suzaku No Miko," the youkai said, sarcasm plain in her voice. "That may be *your* interpretation..."

Miaka, in what was either the bravest or most foolish act the youko had ever seen, grabbed Kitani by her free wrist and dragged her out of the circle to stand before the statue of the phoenix god. "Do it, then! If it will save Kurama-san, I relinquish all rights as the Suzaku No Miko. The position is free. Ask Suzaku to accept you, here and now."

Cries of disbelief arose from the Seishi. Kitani stared, stunned again by her counterpart's audacity. "No tricks?" she asked, suspicious.

"Mm-mm. I'm serious," Miaka assured her.

A grin spread across the youkai's features, and this time she made no pretense at innocence. She knelt in front of the statue, still holding tightly to her bomb in case the others should try anything. "Suzaku!" she called. "You watch over your temple; you know I am here to take Miaka's place."

There was no response.

Kitani glared at the human girl. "How do I make him listen to me?"

Kurama stepped forward, gently easing Miaka aside. Unlike the forthright child, he had no qualms about deceiving his enemy. She had threatened him, had placed his friends in danger, had refused to see reason when provided the opportunity. She had brought this upon herself.

"She can't help you," he explained, "but I can. Humans communicate with the god differently than we do."

"Tell me!" she commanded. "Tell me, or I'll bring this temple down on top of all of you."

"First you must touch the statue, to form a connection. Now, close your eyes. Think of Suzaku. Picture the phoenix in your mind, along with what you desire. Hold firmly to that image, so the god will know you won't take 'no' for an answer."

She did as he instructed, frowning with the intensity of her concentration. "Okay. Then what?"

He smiled mirthlessly, his golden eyes chilling. "Invite Suzaku into your heart. Open yourself to the power."

"Yes..." she gasped. "Yes, I can feel it building. I *will* have the power! I am the Suzaku No--" Her rejoicing cut off with an agonized shriek.

Kurama yanked her head back by the girlish ponytail, leaning down to whisper in her ear. "Too bad. It seems your request was denied." He slipped the cylinder from her nerveless fingers and allowed her to collapse to the floor.

The Seishi rushed to the side of their real Miko, who covered her mouth in dismay. "What...what happened to her?" she asked faintly.

Mitsukake bent over the enemy youkai's still form, checking her pulse and dilated pupils. "She's alive," he concluded, "but she's not responding."

"She might as well be dead," the youko said, having done away with his whip, which was no longer necessary. "Suzaku is very protective of this temple and all of you. I learned that the hard way. Those of us from the Makai are especially vulnerable to the god's psychic attack. When she let down her barriers, the phoenix could strike."

"And the bomb?" Tasuki pointed out. "Why didn't it go off?"

"She never knew she was under attack, and so she couldn't trigger it before her mind was destroyed."

Hotohori summoned two of the temple priests to carry her away. Miaka watched sadly. "I wish she had understood," she murmured. Tamahome put a comforting arm around her.

"Everyone, resume your places no da!"

That was right--the two demons still needed to be sent home. The youko picked up his present, which he had dropped when the gate had opened, and slung it over his shoulder. Then he and Hiei knelt facing each other in the middle of the circle that the seven Seishi formed around them.

"You should join hands," Nuriko prompted, "so that you won't be separated."

Kurama obediantly clasped his friend's small, strong hands while the gathered Seishi began to focus their concentration on creating a channel between dimensions. It was soon apparent by the red glowing aura that enveloped the two visitors that opening a gate to the other world would be an easy task with their full force assembled.

There remained only one question.

"Are you really sure that you want to leave, Hiei?" he whispered to the youkai while bending toward him to keep their conversation private. "You seemed to form a fast friendship with Tasuki, and I wouldn't want to make you go if you would rather stay with him."

Kurama tried to ignore the little voice in his head that was calling him an idiot for even offering the choice. What if the idea hadn't occurred to Hiei, but the mention of it caused him to decide to accept the alternative? The youko reminded himself that he shouldn't be selfish, that he wanted only what would make the fire demon happiest.

He forced words past the unexpected tightness in his throat. "I'm sure the others would understand, and of course...we'd miss you." He kept his innermost thought unspoken. Please, my friend, don't leave me.

Hiei's ruby eyes brightened. "Baka!" he said softly and tugged his hands free from the youko's light grasp with a slow shake of his head.

Kurama tried to suppress his confusion and hurt, but he knew some of it showed in his expression. So it was true after all, he realized, meeting his friend's unwavering stare. Several long seconds ticked past, during which the two merely regarded each other, trying to read each other's deepest desires. Finally the little youkai nodded to himself, apparently satisfied with what he saw.

To Kurama's shocked delight, Hiei leaned against him and wrapped his arms firmly around the youko's waist.

Then the red of Suzaku's power surrounded them both one last time, and together they vanished from Konan forever.