'Are you absolutely certain you don't want to run away?'

'Don't tease me like this, Shonin, because I'm seriously considering it now.'

Houjun staggered back to his office, carrying an equally haggard Shonin. He opened the door and saw Tsukumo was finishing his work. The Priest opened his mouth to greet Houjun, but stopped in mid-breath when he saw the looks on their faces. "Oh my... tough class?"

"We may be sacrificing a few Mikos sometime soon, no da," Houjun sighed, more than ready to fall into a very long sleep.

"That bad?" he asked sympathetically, coming beside the duo and offering his arms to them. The ketsu came into them without hesitation.

'Let me put it this way; there is a reason why we stopped teaching and they are it,' Shonin told him in her ever-so-"tactful" way. Tsukumo burst into laughter and even Houjun couldn't help but grin as he slumped into his chair.

"I arranged everything on your desk, Ri-sama," the other man explained, gently setting the vixen upon the now-tidy table. "Everything on the left is signed and done, and all the things on the right have to be finished. Within those piles I separated them into the different subjects of "foreign relations", "internal affairs", "ketsu issues", and "other things." I hope it's enough."

Houjun gave him a weary but grateful smile. "More than enough, no da. Thank you very much, Tsukumo-san; it makes my job that much easier if I don't have to do everything. But I hope that I didn't cause you to miss anything important, no da."

"Hardly. Wouldn't offer if I couldn't take the time, Ri-sama. But now that you are here, I best be going."

"Once again, thank you for your time and energy, no da. Take care then, Tsukumo-san."

Houjun gathered enough strength to stand and exchange polite parting bows with Tsukumo, but as soon as the lower-ranking Priest shut the door, he collapsed back into the chair and let out a long breath.

I really don't mind working with the kids... but Suzaku in heaven, they're so... so...

'Psychotic?'

'That wasn't quite what I was looking for, beloved,' he returned wryly. 'More like they're just so eager it wipes us out. Not that it wasn't fun helping the girls and watching them learn, but this just makes me glad we're not teachers.'

'You and me both!' Shonin agreed heartily. Padding her way around the desk, she knocked a few scrolls open and gave her Seishi a very stern look. 'But we have duties to attend to, Houjun. And if you want to be finished before midnight I would suggest you get started on them right away. How's that for encouragement?'

Taking the unsubtle hint, Houjun read, reviewed, and signed many a scroll and letter. Once everything was finished he called in three servants, each given an armful of paperwork to take to the different factions of the Konan bureaucracy. Generally, as soon as things were out of his hands it meant Houjun had the rest of the day to himself... usually.

But there was one more thing to take care of.

"I'm making a stop over to Saihitei-sama. Care to join me, no da?" he stood up, stretching his arms and back.

'Sorry, but I have a meeting with our bed that I simply cannot miss,' she said, sounding only somewhat contrite. 'I'll tell Takeshi you're going over there, though.'

"Much appreciated, no da."

Shonin's eyes went distant, but within moments she was back with her Seishi. 'They are free at the moment. Saihitei is retreating to his main quarters and will be awaiting your arrival, dearheart.'

"You're a love, you know that?" he asked as he bent over and picked up the vixen.

'Ah, but flattery will get you only so far!' Shonin teased, resting happily in his arms.

Focusing his ki Houjun reached for the familiar touch of his teleportation ability and, with that mere thought, both he and Shonin found themselves in their private chamber. Laying Shonin on the bed, Houjun scratched behind her ears and told her to take it easy. She told him the same before curling into a furry silver-black ball and falling fast asleep.

Then Houjun teleported one more time and stood outside Saihitei's resting room, knocking on the door.

"Enter," came the invitation.

He opened the door and saw, with very little surprise, his Majesty sitting in front of his incredibly large mirror, dressed in his "casual" robes and brushing his hair with a scary amount of deliberation. Takeshi was perched behind his bondmate, also preening himself with equal fervor.

"Good afternoon Heika, Takeshi-ketsu," Houjun bowed before the duo, keeping his amusement silent. "I hope to have found you in good health, no da."

Saihitei turned in his chair, his eyes lighting up. "Ah, Houjun-san, it's a pleasure to see you," he smiled. "And yes, both of us are quite well, though I do not know if the same can be said for you."

Perhaps the dark circles under my eyes gave it away... "Yes, well I was busy teaching today and only now have I had the chance to relax, no da."

"I thought that the High Priest does not do direct classroom work," Saihitei frowned. "I hope there is not too much pressure on you."

"No, I'm all right, no da. Technically I'm not supposed to do teaching anymore, but apparently I'm quite popular among the 4th years, no da. They do seem to take an absurd amount of enjoyment in watching me do exorcisms and other such... absorbing work," he said dryly. "And as much as I like teaching, I'm too busy to truly welcome it when I get the chance, no da."

Saihitei laughed softly and turned back to the mirror to finish brushing his hair. "I suppose I should consider myself lucky that, for most of the classes I take, I have personal tutors and do not have to worry about such problems. It's just me rather than a full class..." And as soon as the words left Saihitei's mouth, Houjun could sense more than a little sadness hidden there. The brush began to slow in Saihitei's hand, showing his obvious distraction with his own thoughts.

It wasn't a secret between some of the Emperor's closer associates that the young man was incredibly lonely. When Houjun had first brought the news of the Chosen Shichiseishi and told Saihitei of his "new position,” the first thing he was worried about was whether or not he could make time to talk to everyone. He had become more active since hearing about it, as if suddenly reenergized after these four long years of ruling Konan and most court folk were quite happy with his new disposition. He had even taken some time to visit Chie and Doukun when they were brought back into the Capital, but it still didn't change the fact that he didn't have anyone (barring Takeshi) that he could call 'friend'.

No reason why we can't change that... Houjun sighed, then said casually, "But I did stop by for more than leisured conversation, Saihitei-san. I was wondering when you want to set out and search for the Miko and Mitsukake Seishi, no da."

He quickly left the brooding behind, at least for the moment. "As soon as possible," he declared, then realized what Houjun had implied. "But I am not sure if I will be allowed to travel the land. There are so many things I must take care of-"

"Ah, but your Highness forgets that his priority is to his country, correct no da?" Houjun said skillfully. "Wouldn't it be in Konan's best interest to have the Emperor himself inspect his domain, especially during such a pressing time as this, no da? And if, by sheer luck, you manage to come across the two remaining members of the Chosen Seishi, then who is going to argue, no da?"

A mental chuckle echoed in both Seishi's minds at the same time Saihitei's mouth widening in a grin. 'We seem to have somewhat of a trickster on our hands,' Takeshi said, lifting off from the chair. Houjun realized the bird was flying towards him and quickly offered his arm as a rest, which Takeshi took without hesitation. 'Let's see how good he is at conning our ministers.'

Houjun blushed at the half-compliment from the ketsu, smoothing Takeshi's breast feathers in thanks. However, Saihitei ignored the banter and began thinking aloud about the previous remarks. "You do supply us with a good number of reasons, Houjun-san. And it is not as though my ministers can order me not to go, as much as they'd like to try..."

"They will probably suggest you take a guard, no da," Houjun spoke. "Perhaps you may want to take our Warrior brothers, for both protection and as more ki to call the last two to you, no da."

"You will not be joining us?" Saihitei turned to him, shock evident in his eyes. Even Takeshi turned his head to stare at the Priest.

Excuse me while I crawl into a hole... "Do you want me to go, no da?"

"Of course! We will need all the help we can get, and I would be quite pleased to have you accompany us on our journey."

Houjun felt his blush deepening. "You do me great honor, Saihitei-sama. I would be more than happy to join you, no da." He bowed as deep and best he could, what with the eagle on his arm to offset his balance.

The Emperor nodded and began to pace the length of the room. "Then it is decided. Over the next three days we will make preparations on traveling about Konan, deciding on the most likely places in which the last two will be found. It will give us enough time to find a suitable Prime Minister in which to replace me in my duties. We will send notices to Donai-san about Ryuuen, Kishuku, and Shun'u- wait!" and he stopped in mid-thought and step. "...Should we bring Doukun, the young one? Is he well enough?"

That same question entered Houjun's head just as Saihitei mentioned it. Given Doukun's current state of mind... I would say no. But on the other hand, it might be good for him to get out... "Why don't we give the boy another day before deciding, no da? We can ask him if he wants to accompany us, but given all the things he's been through I don't want to overwhelm him so much, no da."

Saihitei waved a slightly distracted hand to Houjun. "I will leave that matter to you, then, to with as you see fit."

Joyous rapture. Lucky me.

"But you're going to be coming, so we're going to have to find you a proxy for the time."

YES! Lucky me! To be away from the Center for more than a day... ah, dreams do come true!

"I will handle that problem, too, your Majesty," Houjun said, keeping his joy to a minimum. "I'll also take care of the ShiJinTenChiSho, since I have a feeling we're going to need it, no da."

Seemingly satisfied with the turn of events, the duo quickly hammered out a few more broad details before Houjun decided it was the best time for him to leave. "Unfortunately, I do have some matters to attend to before my day is over," Saihitei sighed. "Adding this into the pile will not make things easier."

'Buck up, Sai. Just keep looking to the future freedoms and take things one day at a time,' Takeshi advised, taking off from Houjun's now-throbbing arm to his normal golden perch.

Saihitei smiled at his bondmate. "Thank you, Keshi, for your kind support" he rubbed the bird's head. "Somedays I wonder how I could ever get by without you."

'You wouldn't.'

"True enough," he agreed, then turned to Houjun. "I will be seeing you tomorrow, then?"

"Yes, Saihitei-sama, after the worship ceremony, no da," he said cheerfully as he walked to the door and opened it up. "Until then, may the rest of your day be bright!"

"You too, Houjun-san, you too."

They parted, with Saihitei shutting the door and Houjun walking along the outdoor paths into the friendly sunlight. Ah... that was well worth the extra time spent away from my chance to fish, Houjun grinned to himself as he headed back towards his room. Saihitei-san needed that more than I needed to finish--

And his thoughts were cut off as a sudden flare of ki hit him in the forehead without warning. It was so great that he actually faltered in his step, grabbing the nearby railing to keep from falling to the ground.

What the-- Houjun's mind whirled and his heart sped up. 'Shonin!'

'What?' she replied groggily.

'Are you all right?' he asked, worry running far too fast through his veins.

'I'm fine. What's wrong?'

'I don't know... but don't go back to sleep yet, please.'

'Yeah, no problem.'

Using the railing as support, he leaned against it and began to breathe deeply and evenly. The ki blast had dimmed to small throb, much like the feeling of his Seishi symbol, but still foreign and incredibly powerful. He probed it gently, not wanting to incur the wrath of the being on the other side of the ki force, and found the source to be within the Temple of Suzaku.

Oh dear lord, the ShiJin! And without wasting a moment he teleported into the Temple, fully expecting to come across a demon, or worse, a rogue Seiryuu Seishi.

He was more surprised to see the ShiJin and the statue of Suzaku glowing an unearthly red, radiating so much light that he couldn't look directly at them. Right now, there were only a few Seishi in the Temple, and they were leaving as quickly as possible for fear of what might be coming from the scroll. Houjun did the opposite--he ran toward it, shielding his good eye with his hand and chanting a spell of protection around the Temple, so that if something were to occur no one on the outside would be injured.

It was unnecessary, for as soon as he touched the scroll, the holy light blazed up one last time before dying away like a smothered flame. Houjun's heart was still beating an exuberant tempo, and he saw his hands shaking ever-so-slightly on the ShiJin.

That was... new. And odd. And very troubling, Houjun thought, opening up to Shonin.

'Are you all right?' was the first thing she asked, but after rutting through his memory and seeing he wasn't dead or unconscious, she found her answer to be very pleasing. 'Oh thank Suzaku!'

'I don't know if we should be thanking Him yet,' Houjun sent grimly, dissipating the spell. 'Why would He put on such an extravagant light show for us, when all He's showing is the ShiJin?'

'Because there's something new to it, otherwise He wouldn't bother,' she retorted. 'Read it and see.'

So he did, scanning the lines so familiar he could have recited them in his sleep. When he came to the clues for each Chosen Shichiseishi, he noticed something new. There was a set of characters there, ones that had not been seen last night or even hours ago.

Shonin "read" the symbols through her Seishi's eye. ' "Red courage."'

Houjun nodded slowly, his mind now numbed with shock. 'We've got our Miko.'