Cheree had to grab Chris quickly, the anger in his eyes being her only warning before he moved to launch himself into the other room at Nicholas. She barely managed to grab hold of his shirt, yanking him back down towards her and making him listen. As she told him about the conversation in Ryan's apartment and the subsequant help from Nicholas, he was dumbfounded. He couldn't understand how someone so dead set on hurting them could suddenly become an ally. Grudgingly, he promised to behave and the two of them walked into the other room where the seishi and Nicholas were.

The blond haired seishi turned towards them, holding out his hand towards Cheree. In it was a small bag that didn't seem very heavy at all. When she took it and looked within, she saw the other three shinzaho resting there. He smiled to her then, motioning towards the bag. "With those, you should be able to summon Suzaku. I warn you though, it had best be soon. Miboshi and Tomo have seperated, apparently they found the twins."

Cheree stopped dead, remembering the brief conversation with Yui. It was then that Chris told them what Miaka had said, about sealing Seiryuu being one of their goals. None could disagree with the logic, not even Nicholas, even though he seemed leery of it.

"We don't have a choice, no da." Chris stated plainly, crossing his arms over his chest and looking at Nicholas pointedly. "Regardless of what it means for you, if we don't, then the other Seiryuu could possibly kill those boys. I wouldn't put it past either Miboshi or Tomo, frankly."

Nicholas sighed, nodding faintly. "I have to agree... It shouldn't affect me too badly. My powers are weak now, compared to what they once were. That's why I was so edgey about the others finding out what I'd done."

Cheree looked to Ren then, remembering a promise she had made. "Is there any word from Jason yet?"

The redhead nodded, motioning to his laptop which lay on the table nearby. "Got a reply from him about ten minutes ago. The last time he saw Jesse was two days ago, right after I told him what was going on here. The kid hasn't been back since."

She sighed, looking to the other seishi. "Alright... then that's one wish taken care of. Two, because of the one that I had already made a promise about." She glances to Nicholas then with a smile before turning back to her seishi. It was hard to believe that they were all here... "Anyone else know of anything we 'have' to do?"

The others just looked to each other, then back to her. None spoke up. They knew that she only had three wishes to make, and not a single one of them was willing to take that third wish. She'd have to think then... and there wasn't enough time to even do that, really.

They waited until nightfall, having decided that they would need to be well away from where anyone could see them. They'd decided to drive a ways outside of the city, to the beach... hopefully no one would be out there, opting instead to stay to the 'normal' beaches in town. The ride was a cramped one... the minivan just wasn't designed to hold nine people. Nicholas insisted on coming along, although he already knew that he would have to stay away from them during the summoning itself. Cheree had nearly dug grooves in the armrest of her seat by the time they'd gotten there. Only Chris's arm wrapped around her shoulders reassured her enough to not scream for Mark to stop the vehicle. Her stomach was doing flips at the moment, and she couldn't stop herself from shivering. The necklace of Genbu no Miko lay around her neck, Yui's ring on her finger. The ribbon had been used to pull her hair back, and the mirror lay in one hand. She realized that there was no turning back now... and despite the fact that she desperately wanted to, she knew she wouldn't walk away, even given the chance. Too many were relying on her for this one.

By the time they arrived at a deserted beach, she knew what her three wishes were to be. Gathering every ounce of resolve she had, she let Chris lead her from the van and she followed her seishi towards the sand, away from where prying eyes could see from the road.

Nicholas stopped near the edge of the sand... close enough to see both them and the road, but far enough that he wouldn't disrupt them. He'd keep watch so that no one interfered, and Cheree smiled to him in thanks. She'd have said thank you to him, if her body weren't doing its best to rebel and make her faint. This was all real... and it was happening to *her*! She felt a light tug on her sleeve and looked down towards Corey. "Nani?"

He smiled up at her, hugging her around her waist tightly. "You'll be fine... none of us will let anything happen to you, Cheree-chan."

She returned the hug, feeling a little bit better. After all, if Corey could go into this bravely, why couldn't she? The seishi formed a loose circle around her as Corey brought Cheree into the center of them. She looked back at Chris with a worried glance, but the boy's words pulled her attention back to him. "I remember the words... I'll help you with them, that way you won't have to worry about it." The two of them sat down then, going over the ceremony while the other seishi readied themselves for the most trying moment of their lives.

Nuriko watched Cheree and Corey, smiling faintly as the boy helped their Miko. The violet-haired seishi would never admit just how badly this frightened him. An involuntary shudder passed through him then, and as the breeze sent the long braid flying over his shoulder, he caught himself glancing to the blond Seiryuu seishi that stood in the distance. Why did he feel drawn to him... an enemy?

Sean would have shredded just about anything that came too close at the moment. His fingers, unable to tear something into tiny pieces, instead worked to clasp around each other, his hands wringing as he watched the preparations. He was beginning to wonder if being the former Emperor was all it was cracked up to be.

Chris let his hands twist the fabric of his cloak as he watched Corey and Cheree. If he could, he'd dive in there and get her the hell away from all of this. From what he'd seen, summoning the god put the Miko at risk for her very life. It was at that moment that he swore an oath to himself. If anything happened to her... he'd join her in an instant.

Mark stood in silence, one hand reaching up to scratch the cat on his shoulder. No one had told him that Tama-Neko couldn't be there... and he would likely have a hard time getting the cat to leave. He didn't miss the sudden look of resolve on Chris's face, and had a good guess as to what had caused it. "Suzaku, please..." He whispered. "Keep our Miko safe..."

Tyler was lost in his own thoughts, much as everyone else was. This adventure hadn't been all he'd expected it to be, but now that the summoning was at hand, he found himself thrilled to be a part of it. A wry smile crossed his face as a thought crossed his mind. *Tyler, my friend... you finally found something to get involved in that actually means something.*

Ren wasn't standing like the others... he was sitting in the sand with his arms wrapped around his legs. It wasn't the summoning that occupied his mind, it was what was to happen afterward. After all of this, could he really just go back to New York and go on as if nothing had ever happened? His gaze moved around the circle to the others and he shook his head faintly. No way in hell... he'd just found the tightest group of friends he'd ever had in his life besides Jason... and he wasn't letting them go so easily.

Corey kneeled beside Cheree, going over the words of the summoning with her. Once it appeared that she had them down pat, he pushed himself up to stand, looking up towards the stars. No one would ever believe him if he told them about the past week. He just hoped that he wouldn't be in too much trouble when he got home. Wiping that thought from his mind, he smiled back at Cheree. "Well, there's one good thing about all this."

"What's that?" She responded, looking up nervously.

"If we needed to be in the Suzaku Shrine, we'd all be screwed." With that, he walked away, taking his place in the circle. Cheree sat there for a moment, blinking and wondering if she'd just heard that comment coming from the boy who was likely more intelligent than all of them put together. Unable to help herself, she burst into laughter, wiping tears from her cheeks as she stood. Leave it to Corey... she had needed that bit of a release.

Ren stood as she did, and the other seishi seemed to perk up, their attention solely on her. She heard Corey's voice raise so that everyone could hear him.

"For those of you who don't know what we're in for... we have to wait until Cheree begins to cast the spell, then lower your chi to its minimum. Let it flow towards her so that she can use it to summon Suzaku!"

There were a few stunned expressions, but all agreed to it. As the seven seishi bowed their heads and began to pray, Cheree took a deep breath, closing her eyes and beginning the incantation.

"The four palaces of the heavens, the four corners of the earth.
In the name of sacred law, belief and goodness...
I summon thee, Suzaku, lord of the South.
I now say these words to thee:
Appear on earth from the seven palaces of heaven,
For the sake of those here who adore you.
Come to us here. With thy holy power...
...smash the evil which threatens us.
Save us! And hear our wishes to thee!"

She tilted her head back, looking up towards the stars as her voice raised to a shout...

"Descend to us now from heaven!"

The seven seishi opened their eyes slowly, each of them nearly gasping when they saw a bright crimson flame surrounding Cheree. She seemed oblivious to all around her as the light burst upward, seeming to shatter in the sky and reform... as they watched, the shards took on shape, and shape took on being. The Phoenix descended, wings churning the air powerfully, making them bring up their arms in defense against the whirling sand. Once the flurry had died down, they looked once more, seeing a tall ethereal form standing in the center of the circle with Cheree. They *felt* a soothing voice, rather than hearing it, as the god they served spoke.

"What do you wish of me... my Miko..."

Cheree opened her eyes slowly, looking up to the one who could only be Suzaku. All trace of fear was gone... now there was only what she knew she had to do. She cast a sidelong glance towards the road, catching sight of Nicholas standing there. She knew he couldn't see, but still she mouthed the words 'I'm sorry' before turning back to face the one before her.

"KAIJIN! Seal Seiryuu..."

She felt something pull on her... no... it was the chi being raised by the seishi themselves. It was being drawn through her as she felt her first wish granted. Slanting her gaze, she saw Nicholas stagger, then run towards them. He could no longer interfere, since he was no longer Seiryuu seishi. He kept his distance still, but drew close enough to hear what was happening within the circle that shone with a pale red light.

Cheree brought her attention back to her task at hand. The first wish had weakened her, that she knew... but she was pretty certain that she could do the rest. She wouldn't be consumed... not unless she let it happen.

She looked up to the shimmering form of the man before her, choosing her words carefully. "One of my seishi was torn apart upon awakening. His memories of his past life are all that remain. The part of him that knows how to survive in this world is gone." She sighed, closing her eyes and praying she got her point across. "KAIJIN! Let both sides of Nuriko's personality... Ryan AND Nuriko... coexist in peace."

She saw Suzaku's hand raise and he looked towards where she knew Nuriko to be standing. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw the slender seishi go rigid for a brief moment before crumbling to the ground. Almost instantly, Nicholas was at his side, drawing him closer. Cheree nearly bolted towards them, but Nicholas's voice stopped her as he raised his gaze. "He's alright! He just passed out, it looks like."

There was an audible sigh of relief from all around her as she realized that the other seishi had been wondering the self same thing. She turned then, looking at each within the circle. Corey, who would likely undergo the punishment of his young life when he got home. Ren, who looked for all the world as if he didn't want this to end. Mark, who smiled faintly to her... they were in the same boat, really... both had lost their jobs on this venture after being gone so long. Chris, who meant more to her than just about anything else in her life. Nuriko, safe within the arms of the one he'd cared about before. Tyler, who seemed to be thriving on every moment of this... now, if at no other time, he truly *was* Tamahome... and Sean, who stood his ground stoicly, never revealing just how terrified he truly was.

Without them... where would she be? At home... probably sitting in front of the computer. This was a damned sight better, she thought. They had helped her more than they knew, and until these past weeks, she'd never felt more truly alive. With that in mind, she turned towards Suzaku one last time.

"KAIJIN! I want each of my seishi... *your* seishi... to have happiness, however they may define it."

Cheree saw him nod, then turn to each seishi in turn. No words were spoken... but each time he caught the eyes of one of them, the response was the same... wide-eyed shock. She could only guess at what each of them wished for... and as he turned to Nuriko, she knew that Suzaku had the ability to make this happen for him as well, even though he was unconscious. Once he had given his attention to each of them, he turned back to Cheree for a brief moment.

None heard words pass between them, but the seishi found themselves shielding their eyes once more as a blinding flash illuminated the beach. Its intensity was so harsh that they could feel the heat flickering against their skin. When it faded, and they were able to see once more, Suzaku was gone...

Chris let out a cry as he sprinted forward, the others moving much the same as they ran towards Cheree, who lay motionless in the sand.

To Chapter 20