*The Capitol, Konan Country, Outside the Palace gates*
Toroki: I suggest we jet!
Amefuri: Thanks a lot, Kokie!
Kokie: How was I supposed to know?
Amefuri: Well, you shouldn't have been horsing around in the first place!
Subaru: I think that I agree with Toroki…look! *points at large number of guards, running out of the Palace*
Tatara: *running down the street* Just act natural!
Amefuri: *yelling after her* Yeah! Good work at being natural!
*they eventually blend into the crowd of tourists coming out of the Palace*
Subaru: We need to find a place to stay for tonight…
Kokie: Look! *points* There's a tavern. Maybe they have extra rooms!
*The Capitol, Konan Country, Outside the Palace gates*
*the Next Morning…*
Kokie: *looking at guards* I can't believe that they doubled the guards!
Amefuri: Thanks again, Kokie!
Kokie: Shut up, Amefuri!
Tatara: *walking up to them* Yeah, I just checked with the tourist's bureau. "Because of a medical emergency, the Palace is closed to visitors until further notice…" They're obviously just covering up. They don't want anyone to know what's going on!
Subaru: *walking up to them* Yep, I just did a perimeter check. There aren't any other safe ways into the Palace.
Toroki: See? I told ya so!
Amefuri: *hits Toroki* Shut up!
Kokie: So what do we do now?
Tatara: We could always just wait…
Amefuri: No…we can't. We need to get the miko as soon as possible!
Subaru: We could climb over one of the walls…
Amefuri: No…we'd get spotted in about two seconds.
Kokie: We could go through teleport…
Amefuri: We'll keep that as a last resort…
Toroki: We could disguise ourselves as guards…
Amefuri: BRO! YOU'RE A GENIUS!!!
Toroki: I know…
Amefuri: We just knock out five of the guards, then steal their uniforms, and go in that way!
Kokie: Only one problem…how do we knock out JUST five of the guards?
Amefuri: Easy…watch! *she runs around the corner of the gate with Toroki, to where the guards can see them. Then she makes faces at them…*
Toroki: What are you doing?!
Amefuri: The Plan…do as I do…*they both make faces at the guards…*
Guards: Houjon, Jouki, it's YOUR TURN!!!
*Houjon and Jouki go follow Amefuri and Toroki around the corner and are conked on the head by Subaru…then Amefuri and Toroki put on their uniforms very quickly, and march back into the formation*
Amefuri: *disguising her voice as Houjon's, and Toroki's as Jouki's* They got away…
Toroki: Yeah…away…
*Subaru, Kokie, and Tatara all come around the corner and make faces at the guards*
Guards: Jouki…Houjon…
Amefuri: C'mon, guys…we just went…those kids were FAST runners…It's not fair…besides, two on three is never fair…
Guards: Fine…Genkou, Fujisawa, and Tomate…
*Genkou, Fujisawa, and Tomate all follow Subaru, Tatara, and Kokie around the corner, are conked on the heads, and then stripped…*
Subaru: *his voice disguised as Genkou's by Amefuri* Okay…I have to go to the bathroom!
Tatara & Toroki: Me, too!
Amefuri & Kokie & a guard: Me, too!
Head guard: Fine…but don't make a habit of six guards going to the bathroom at the same time!
*Tatara, Amefuri, Kokie, Toroki, Subaru, and the guard all go inside the gates. Once inside, when no one's looking, Subaru conks the guard on the head and then they go hiding…*
Tatara: *whispers* Which way?
Amefuri: *concentrates, whispering* That way. *points*
*they creep, so far, unseen…through the Palace…*
Toroki: *whispers* Are you sure we're going the right way? I think that we're going towards the Throne Room…
Amefuri: *concentrates* Yes. This way. *points*
*they creep some more*
Amefuri: *whispers* Okay. We're really close to all nine chis. Be REALLY careful!
Tatara: Ah…
Toroki: *whispers* Don't do it Tatara! Don't do it!
Tatara: Ah…Ah…
Kokie: *whispers* NOO!
Tatara: Ah…Ah…Ah…
Subaru: *whispers* uh-oh.
Tatara: CHOOOO!
Toroki: uh-oh is right.
Amefuri: Byakko bless you.
Tatara: *whispers* Thank you.
Amefuri: *whispers* Why do I get myself into this sort or thing?
Toroki: *whispers* I suggest that we all hide…
*The Palace, Konan Country, the Throne Room*
Hotohori: What was that?
Chichiri: I can't sense anything…but that doesn't mean that they're not here no daa…
Hotohori: Tasuki, go get Kerry now and bring her here…*Tasuki runs out* Tamahome, I suggest that you go get Miaka and Chiriko, too…*Tamahome trots off*
Chichiri: I don't have a very good feeling about this no daa…*concentrates*
Hotohori: *to guard* Please, check in with the front gate to see if anything suspicious has happened…
Guard: Ho.
Chichiri: THERE ARE FIVE UNCONCIOUS MEN OUTSIDE THE GATES! (NB: when Chichiri's REALLY serious, he doesn't go no daa…)
Nuriko: What!?
Chichiri: Sound the alarm, Hotohori-sama! They're probably inside! And they're dressed as guards!
*The Palace, Konan Country, the Courtyard*
*Alarm sounds*
Toroki: That can't be good.
Amefuri: Don't act at all worried…wait, no! Do! Run to the Throne Room door! *they all run to the Throne Room door, and the guards running by don't notice them*
Kokie: Ingenious!
Amefuri: Thank you. *concentrates* Well, there are three in the Throne Room, three headed towards the Throne Room from over there…one coming towards the Throne Room from over there…and two coming from right behind u-…DUCK! *they all leap into the bushes beside the Courtyard walkway*
*Tasuki and Kerry go by*
Amefuri: *sticking her head out of the bush* That was close! *concentrates* AND THAT WAS HER!!!
Toroki: Well, how tough can all these guys be? It's not like they're seishi or anything. They probably just practice yoga to raise their chi, right?
Tatara: Yeah! All the Suzaku seishi except for two died over a year ago!
Kokie: Yeah! There's little, if anything, to worry about! *they all pile out from the bush*
Amefuri: No, you guys. It's more than just that. There's something weird about their chis. Almost all of them have stronger chis than Tatara! This can't be good!
Toroki: Well, I don't know what we should do…should we go inside and risk it? Or should we stay out here, hoping that she'll come out?
Subaru: I say that we risk it!
Amefuri: I think that I'm going to have to agree with Subaru on this one.
Kokie: Are you guys crazy? There could very well be seven angry seishi and one angry emperor in there with our miko. Since, when they walked by, she didn't seem upset, I think that we should wait until they all go to bed, and get her from her room. That way, there probably won't be eight other people in there with her!
Amefuri: I always underestimate your intelligence, Kokie! Thanks!
*The Palace, Konan Country, the Throne Room*
*Three Hours Later…*
Tamahome: I still don't feel right about this. It doesn't make sense. What are they doing?
Chichiri: I have a very strange feeling about this…but I can't sense any significant chis…
Kerry: I'm still a little confused. Why are we all waiting in the Throne Room?
Tasuki: *pulling a story out of his ass* There are assassins in the Palace walls. We are all waiting together because….there's safety in groups?
Kerry: Why won't anyone tell me what is really going on? I don't like this. Not one little bit!
Hotohori: Do you think we should tell her?
Kerry: Tell me what? The truth? I think so…
Tasuki: I don't know. She might overreact.
Chichiri: Well, if she's in danger, than she should know, no daa!
Tamahome: Are you sure about this?
Miaka: Yes, she deserves to know, just like I did.
Nuriko: Be careful how you word it.
Hotohori: Well, you see, Kerry…you are a priestess.
Kerry: What? I am? Ok…how do you know this?
Hotohori: And you're not on Earth. You're in another world.
Kerry: Huh? Ok, you lost me there.
Hotohori: A girl that arrives to this world from another is a priestess of one of the four gods. There's Suzaku, Seiryuu, Genbuu, and Byakko.
Kerry: Ok. This is a little confusing. Which one am I?
Hotohori: You are Byakko no Miko. That means Priestess of Byakko.
Kerry: Ok. Am I the only one? Is that special?
Hotohori: There was another, before you… Ousugi Suzuno. She was Byakko no Miko over ninety years ago. There's only supposed to ever be one…
Kerry: Huh?
Hotohori: But about a year ago, there was a problem. Two mikos of different gods were here at the same time. That is not supposed to happen.
Kerry: Two girls from Earth? Where are they now?
Miaka: It was my best friend, Yui and me. Yui is back on Earth now.
Kerry: You were which one?
Miaka: I was Suzaku no Miko.
Kerry: Ok…this is very educational. So now I know that I'm not on Earth, and that I'm a priestess. But why is this so important?
Miaka: Well, you see…you can call Byakko and make three wishes.
Kerry: I can? That's pretty cool. How do I do that?
Miaka: There's two problems, though.
Kerry: What?
Miaka: The first is that you need to gather all of your seishi, or guardians, in order to call Byakko.
Kerry: Ok…how many are there?
Tamahome: Seven.
Kerry: Ok…what's the other?
Miaka: After you make your third wish, you'll probably be consumed by the god…as a sacrifice.
Kerry: That would suck.
Tasuki: Yeah. That would.
Kerry: Why are you still alive though, Miaka?
Miaka: I was pure of soul and heart. Yui's still alive because I wished her back.
Kerry: Ok…so why are we all sitting in the Throne Room?
Nuriko: Erm…well, you see, Kerry-chan…we have reason to believe that five of the seishi are inside the Palace, waiting to take you away…
Kerry: *overreacts* Oh no! Where would they take me? Oh no!
Tasuki: *puts his hands on Kerry's shoulders, trying to calm her down…* Kerry-chan…it's okay…we'll protect you.
Hotohori: It's not so much that we think that they're going to hurt you, because they're supposed to protect you with their lives, but that we are afraid that they'll make you call Byakko and make wishes for the bad and evil purposes…
Chichiri: Of course, we can't be sure…but that's what we're afraid of no daa.
