Yui felt sick.

She couldn’t hear the words of her mathematics’ teacher. She looked at the blackboard. The numbers seemed to mix, and she could see nothing. She rose and spoke.

"Sumimasen, sensei. I´m feeling bad. Can I go out?"

The teacher looked at her. Really, Yui seemed be sick. She was pale, and sweat stuck the strands of her hair in her face. "No problem, Hongo-san" the teacher said.

Miaka looked at her friend. "Yui- chan..."

"It’s all right, don’t worry" said Yui, and left the classroom. She went running to the bathroom. But when she arrived there, she realized that she wasn’t ill at all.

Yui moistened her face and breathed .It seemed that the day would never finish. It was October, and it was beginning to get cold. She looked at the mirror and began to comb her hair. But she was too pale.

/I need some blush/, she though, and searched in her handbag, a little pink box. With her fingers, she took a few of blusher and put it on her cheeks. Now, she seemed better, but...

/Perhaps, I need some lipstick.../

She took the little bag of cosmetics, but her arm hooked the handbag and tore it down to the floor. All the contents spilled out of it.

"Ay, shit", she whispered, and bent down to pick up all her things. When she picked it up all, she took the lipstick and looked at the mirror. But with a scream, she moved back.

A man watched her from the mirror. Yui turned, frightened and ready to scream with all her strength.

But behind her there was no one. She was alone in the bathroom. She wheeled to the mirror, worried.

He was there. His hair and eyes were pale blue. The eyebrows were long and jagged, and they give a wild look to him. But his expression was desperate.

"Help me", he said.

Yui scooted back.

"Help me!" he screamed. But she took her bag and left the bathroom.

She ran until she arrive at the classroom, and knocked on the door. The teacher opened it.

" Sensei, I´m feel ill. Can I go home?."

The teacher looked at her. " All right. Go home, and sleep. Ah, Hongo-san..."

"Yes?"

"Make-up is not allowed in the college. Now, go."

Yui blushed, bowed, and went to her home.

********************

It was night when the telephone woke her up. She took it with groggy voice.

"Moshi moshi?"

"Yui- chan! Are you all right?" Miaka´s voice sounded worried.

"Ah, Miaka-chan,... yeah, now, I’m O.K. I have asleep all afternoon."

"Oh, great."

Miaka doubted for a few seconds. " Listen, Yui... the library is already opened. It’s repaired. And... eh... there is an exposition... Do you want to go? We don’t have college tomorrow".

Yui didn’t want to go there. And she couldn’t understand why Miaka wanted to do it.

" An exposition... about what?"

"It´s about Ancient China, and..."

" ANCIENT CHINA? Miaka, what the Hell do you want to go there for?".

"Oh, come on, Yui-chan" Her voice was soft, conciliatory. Miaka always was this way. She always tried put things right. "What could happen?".

Yui contained a bitter answer. Of course, what could happen. Nothing to you. You have your boyfriend. He is with you. He hasn´t gone. She couldn’t say that to Miaka.

"Okay, I will meet you tomorrow. In the afternoon. Seven o’clock is all right?"

" Oh, great, Yui-chan!" She sounded happy. Yui hung up and breathed.

Perhaps it was only a dream. Perhaps it was only her imagination, the consequence of too many nights of a little sleep and too much study. But really, she studied poorly. She sat in front of the books and realized, she hadn’t turned the page.

She thought about him, all the time. She left poor Tetsuya the summer before. She couldn’t lie him or look his eyes without seeing a pair of blue eyes, devoted and a little crazy, with a love which he couldn’t control. Tetsuya was sweet, and peaceful. But she need sweetness or quietness. When she slept, in her dreams, he said to her "I love you", and she approached him, and embraced him. He always was soft, and strong, and warm.

********************

The dawn was clear and the sun shined, with this pretty pale blue of Japan. Yui didn’t want to study until the afternoon, so she took some onigiri and went to the road.

She walked without premeditated direction, standing the momiji, like a fire carpet under her feet. She was walking and looking at the pavement, trying to find one red leaf big and pretty enough to take, when a pile of leaves fall down on her feets.

"Sumimasen" whispered someone.

Yui looked at him. There was a very young guuji who was sweeping away the door of a temple.

"Daijobu" she answered, smiling, and looking at the temple. "Can I come in?" she asked, bowing.

"Hai, doozo".

Yui came into the temple. It was small but beautiful. The barrels of sake were carefully piled up near the wall, waiting the New Year’s celebrations.

She walked to the fountain to purify before entering in the building. All the little dippers of the fountain were tidy. The stick of water had the form of a dragon. In its mouth was a pearl. Yui took a dipper, filled it with water and sipped it up. Then, she rinsed her mouth and hurled the water. She cleaned the dipper and put it carefully in its place. A few drops dropped in the fountain.

The man was there, crying. He seemed to be dying.

" Yui. I can’t fight anymore. I’m so tired. Help me, my miko. The Heaven is collapsing".

This time, she wasn’t scared, but began to move back. Seiryuu tried to capture her, and his hand came out from the reflection. One hand of water tried to grasp her, but she, instead of fleeing, struck it, and the water hand dissolved into thousands of tiny drops.

" Get away from me" she warned him.

Without looking back, she wheeled and went in the temple.

********************

" Sorry! I thought there was more traffic" Taka apologized. They had arrived two hours early. Taka parked the bike and he and Miaka looked at the library. Although there was some parts to repair, in the office and the basement, the front and the hall were perfect.

A great poster in the front advertised the exposition "Treasures of Ancient China". Under the letter there was a photo of a blue porcelain dragon. Taka grumbled.

"Why don’t we drink something until Yui arrives?", asked Miaka. He agreed and the pair went into a bar.

Miaka´s eyes shone when she saw the colorful cakes. Taka smiled and ordered two coffees and a piece of strawberry cake for Miaka. But instead of devouring the cake, she remained thoughtful.

"What’s wrong ?", Taka asked.

"I’m thinking... Maybe, we should go to the exposition and look around, and be sure that there’s nothing which could hurt Yui... nothing which could make her remember... I mean.."

He agreed. " I understand" he answered with a sigh. "But at least, eat the cake".

She obeyed him. Taka paid and they went to the library. The exposition had unveiled the day before. Still there was the red carpet for the VIP’s. The two entered the library, under the photo of the dragon, nervous. After a quick look in the first hall, they realized there wasn’t any danger. There were some statues, tehon, drawings, and rolls of calligraphy, but none dangerous. The figure of the blue dragon was gorgeous and big, but it was only a figure of porcelain.

" No problem, I think", Taka said. Miaka didn’t hear him. She looked at one glass cabinet filled of toilet things for the court ladies. There were little cosmetics boxes, bottles of perfume, and brushes. /Yui was right, come here wasn’t a good idea/, she thought, remembering Nuriko and his style. Those things could be property of her friend. The most beautiful piece was a mother-of-pearl box to guard cosmetics. It was circle, with reliefs of peaches and blossoms. It was opened. The inside of the top was a mirror.

"Kireii", whispered Miaka.

She read the explanations printed in a small plate. "The imperial wives and concubines had a lot of boxes like this, and they..."

" Help me".

Miaka blinked.

" Help me" she heard nearby or perhaps behind her.

She turned.

"Taka?"

A pair of old women looked at her, waiting to see the glass cabinet. She listened again.

" Help me, my miko!"

She wheeled, and looked at the box.

Suzaku looked at her from the mirror. He was crying. Red tears fell down his cheeks.

" Help me, my valiant miko". The Heaven is collapsing" , the god whispered.

" Suzaku..."

" Miaka. Are you all right?", Taka took her shoulders, worried. The old women looked at them, and went away.

"Taka...", she whispered, nearly unconscious. He took her out of the library. Night had arrived. He helped her to sit in a seat. " Miaka, what’s happened?". He shook her shoulders, gently. She looked at him.

" Taka... I saw Suzaku. He was crying, and he cried for help. He said the Heaven is collapsing".

Taka gulped. He looked his watch; it was half past seven. " Listen... Yui is late". He sat down next to her and took his cell phone to call Yui. Miaka rested on his shoulder and closed her eyes.

********************

"And this suzuri was property of the prince Arima. When he died, one of his servants gave us this, and since then...". T the guuji was explaining to Yui the treasures of the temple when her cell phone rang. She blushed.

" Gods... I forgot turn off it when I came in here... Sumimasen..." she bowed and ran out the building.

" Moshi moshi?"

" Yui?". The voice of Taka sounded worried.

" Oh, gods, I forgot the date... sorry, Taka..."

He interrupted her. " Yui, we are in the library. Can you come here?"

She trembled. "What´s happened? Is Miaka all right?"

" Yeah, she’s O.K. But Yui, listen..."

But Yui didn’t listen to him. Cause she knew that if Miaka was all right, Taka could only be worried about one thing. It was true, then.

" Yui, can you come here?" Then, there was no escape. There was only one way. But she wouldn´t go there with them. With the happy Suzakus of Love. She smiled. "I will see you there, Tamahome"

Turned off the phone and went to the fountain. " Listen to me", she said, but there was no answer.

" LISTEN TO ME !!!", she cried, passing her fingers on the water.

The face of Seiryuu appeared on the fountain. His image was very soft. He seemed to be dying.

" Listen", she said, trying to seem strong. "I will help you. But I won’t obey you. Neither you or your damn warriors. I will be your miko, but not your slave".

The god didn’t answer. But Yui knew he had accepted. She put her hand in the water and took the fingers of Seiryuu. The dragon god drew her forward and she entered the fountain. A few seconds later, there were only circles on the water.

*******************

"Taka?"

" She cut off the phone. I think that she’s gone. Miaka... she called me Tamahome".

They both looked at each other. They entered the library and they approached near the glass cabinet. Miaka look the box. But the mirror only returned their image.

" I can’t understand it... I saw him".

"Miaka, look."

At the back of the hall there was a tehon with a watercolor and calligraphy. It seemed familiar. They two came near the tehon, and looked it. The drawing was a palace building on one sheer mountain. Taka read the title.

"The mother’s home."

"It is the palace of Taiitsu-kun", he whispered.

"But how could we enter?" asked Miaka.

Near by there was the red carpet for the VIP´s. Taka smiled. " Look, Miaka. A crimson way."

He kicked the carpet and it unrolled. Taka took the hand of Miaka and they began to walk towards the painting. They heard a scream behind them. Two policeman ran in their direction. But they began to run, and arrived in front of the painting. A red light shone. The first policeman saw two spots in the tehon. The young policeman paid more attention. It seemed to be a boy and a girl, but that was impossible. He turned, and didn’t see that the spots began to walk towards the palace of Taiitsu-kun.

To Chapter One: The Night Walker

Written by Tipan Kalima
Beta-reader and proofreader, Aeanagwen-san.
Thanks to Lynn Utsukushii, Dreamwalker and Felicia, Tomo no miko.