"You’re looking rather pleased with yourself," Hotohori commented as Stormlight took a spot beside him around the campfire. Deedlit was still perched on his shoulder, humming to herself as she concentrated on braiding tiny flowers into his long hair. The Listian raised an eyebrow and gave the emperor a questioning glance, and he smiled sheepishly and shrugged, seemingly resigned to his fate. Well…so long as he was keeping the pest occupied. Better him than her, she thought humorously.

"I just came back from talking to Yui," she said. "We had a rather…intense conversation."

"And?" They all looked at her curiously.

"She’s doing some serious thinking," she replied. "I asked her about something that I don’t think she’s even considered before."

"Like what?" Tasuki asked.

"I asked her why she is able to serve as Seiryu no Miko if she had really been…attacked… like she thinks she was."

There was a stunned silence, then Miaka’s eyes widened. "You mean…she really wasn’t… she’s really…?" she breathed. "She’s still…"

"All in one piece," Stormlight replied, smiling. "Hasn’t it occurred to any of you, either? Come on! Are you really that dense? It’s so obvious!" she added teasingly.

"Will she…is she going to be…okay?" Miaka looked at Stormlight hopefully. "I mean, now that she knows what a heel that Nakago is, will she come back to us?"

Stormlight took a breath. "I don’t know. Just let her be. She’s got a lot to think about, and I don’t think she wants to face what she’s become. But we need to do our best to keep them away from her for awhile. Especially Nakago."

"But there’s a chance she’ll forgive me? Even a small chance?" Miaka insisted, clutching Tamahome’s hand.

Stormlight smiled slightly and nodded. "I’ve been wanting to knock some sense back into that head of hers ever since I first heard the story," she replied. "I’m glad Jareth gave me a chance to do so." She paused thoughtfully. "I wonder…if that’s another reason why he brought us here, so I actually have the chance to help change what happened," she added, more to herself than anyone else.

"Although it isn’t good to mess with the future," Deedlit piped up importantly, flitting from Hotohori’s shoulder and shaking a finger in Stormlight’s face. "You could do very much damage to the story, you know! Change everything!"

Stormlight waved the fairy away irritably. "And just how much more damage do you think I could possibly do?! This certainly isn’t part of the original story!" she shot back, gesturing around. "The way I see it, whatever I can do to help, I will." Softly, she added, "I know what it’s like to lose a best friend, after all…"

"Uh-oh. Where’s he going?" Tamahome suddenly muttered, gazed fixed on someone heading toward Yui’s thinking spot.

Stormlight turned around, then moaned. "Nakago. It figures. He’s probably off to scramble a few more of Yui’s brain cells. Excuse me, please." She stood up determinedly, ignoring their protests, and headed for the golden-haired Seishi. You know that you are seriously asking for trouble, don’t you? the practical part of her mind questioned dryly. "So I have a death wish. Big deal," she muttered to herself, catching up with the general. "Hey!" she called out.

Surprised, he stopped and half-turned to her, his face darkening slightly when he saw who it was. "What do you want?" he asked sourly, walking again.

"Uh…just thought I’d come see…how everyone’s doing," she stammered after wracking her mind for a suitable excuse. Of course he was smarter than that.

"Then why don’t you go ask them?" he said imperviously, nodding toward his group’s campfire. "I’m busy at the moment."

"Come on! I’m not gonna bite!" she snapped. "Slow down, will you? My legs are a lot shorter than yours are!"

He sighed, and she could see he was fast losing patience with her. "What is so important that you’d risk your very life to bother me?" he almost growled.

She pouted. "Ya know, you really need to do something about that temper of yours. I bet you’d have a lot more friends if you’d lose the ‘tude!" she retorted, crossing her arms.

Sighing, he paused in his tracks, his cape billowing slightly in the wind as he turned to face her. "If I didn’t know any better, I would think you were trying to keep me from reaching my goal," he interjected smoothly, fixing brilliant, icy eyes on her own.

She gulped. He knows me so well…

"Well?" he demanded, making the word sound almost like a threat. "Are you going to answer me?"

She decided to go for broke. "Look, Blondie, quit with the tough talk, okay? You don’t scare me!" she snapped. "And yes, if you must know, I am trying to keep you away from Yui! You’ve done enough to damage her mental stability as it is! I finally managed to get a few things straightened out with her, and I promised her I wouldn’t let anyone bug her, so just back off, okay? I’m on to your little games, and now so is she!"

Nakago seemed taken aback, although he hid it well. "What have you told her?" he demanded.

Stormlight shrugged. "I didn’t tell her anything. I just asked her why she was able to be a Miko if she wasn’t a virgin anymore. She’s smart enough to figure out the rest on her own, so long as you don’t keep getting away with manipulating her thoughts!" She paused, then gave him a smug look. "By the way, just curious, but if she asks you about Tamahome’s family, what are you going to tell her?"

His face went completely still. "How do you know about Tamahome’s family?" he questioned, his voice filled with soft menace.

"Did Suboshi kill them before we got taken?" she questioned right back, just as softly. "Or was Jareth kind enough to spare those innocent lives from your cruelty, at least?"

Apparently, Nakago didn’t see any use in lying to her; it wouldn’t have done much good anyway, he realized. Who is this girl? How does she know so much about us? Aloud, he replied coldly, "He was leaving to complete his task, but he’d barely left the palace before we were engulfed in brilliant light, and brought to this cursed land."

"Good. I can forgive Suboshi for something he hasn’t even done yet, but I won’t forgive you for allowing him to do it. You weren’t even going to tell Yui. She wouldn’t have even known."

"What good do you think it’s going to do you to tell her anything? What makes you think you’ll change the course of the story, as you call this war?"

She looked him square in the eye. "At the very least, I’ll prevent a few unnecessary deaths…including Yui’s. Maybe even your own." She turned and began walking back to her side of the beach again.

"My own." He stared at her, expressionless. "You’ve foreseen that, have you?"

"I haven’t foreseen anything. It’s already happened, in my world. Jareth simply took you from the middle of the story, rather than the end of it…" She paused and turned back again, looking at him seriously. "I know what happened to you as a child, how your people were slaughtered before your eyes, and how you were abused by the emperor growing up. So I can’t really blame you for wanting revenge on him. But when you drag innocent people into it, tossing them away like garbage when you’re through, content to destroy an entire world just to get what you want…you’re no better than he is."

Nakago seemed to go paler than normal, his eyes widening slightly, but he said nothing. Stormlight sighed and gave him a pitying glance. "Just remember…I know how this story ends. It doesn’t really matter what you say anymore, or even if you manage to keep Yui on your side. It doesn’t even really matter what I’ve told her, because in the end I know that she comes around and realizes the mistakes she made, and then…it will all be over. You lose." With those words, she turned away again, leaving Nakago to stare after her.

"So does anybody have any idea what the answer to this stupid riddle’s supposed to be?" Tasuki demanded. "Night isn’t gonna last forever, ya know!"

Stormlight frowned and tossed another stick onto the small fire, sending up a shower of sparks, which immediately vanished into a black-velvet sky that shimmered with stardust. A huge, glowing moon hung so low in the sky that half of it seemed to disappear right into the lake, looking as though one could swim out and touch it. It was exactly the kind of setting you’d expect to see in a fantasy painting, only better, because it was real.

"It is the Essence of life. Those who have none seek to gain it," Miaka murmured to herself thoughtfully, to which Nuriko picked up, "Though immortal they be, and those who possess it, though they die…"

"Live on for eternity…" Hotohori finished. "What does it mean, do you suppose?"

"What is it talking about?" Mitsukake asked, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

"Boy, I wish Chiriko was here right now. He’d probably figure it out in five seconds flat!" Tasuki complained.

Stormlight smiled wryly. "I’m sure Chiriko’s got more than enough problems of his own without adding ours to them," she replied humorously. "Keeping Jareth preoccupied is a rather involving task."

Somewhere in a castle, a king sat on his throne, gazing into a crystal ball and laughing slightly. He glanced at the boy seated next to him on a stool, a thick textbook opened on his lap, completely forgotten, as he gazed with rapt fascination at the scene unfolding within the magical sphere. "So, child, is the bandit right? Do you know the answer to my riddle?" Jareth asked whimsically.

Chiriko thought for a moment, then shrugged. "I’m not certain, Your Highnes," he replied respectfully. "I think I have an idea…but I don’t know if it’s right or not."

"Care to tell me what it is?" Jareth asked humorously. Chiriko looked around carefully, as though to make sure nobody was listening in (as if the goblins would actually remember anything, considering they had the collective mental capacity of a potato chip), and then whispered the answer in Jareth’s ear. He raised an eyebrow, and smiled slyly. "Child, I must say I am quite glad you are up here with me rather than down there with them, or they’d make it through my Labyrinth in no time," he told him.

Chiriko blushed and smiled.

"It’s a shadow," Miaka insisted, standing nose-to-nose with Nuriko. "I just bet that’s the answer."

"But it doesn’t make any sense," Nuriko argued back, "and I’m not willing to entrust my life to your bets! Remember what happened when we were playing dies with those guys in the tavern?"

"That was different," Miaka muttered, pouting. "I still say those dies were fixed!" She turned pleading eyes to Tamahome. "You think I’m right, don’t you?" she asked.

Tamahome sweatdropped. "Er…uh…well…" he stammered, scratching his head. "That is…um…boy it’s hot out here, isn’t it? Think I’ll go for a swim…" He jumped up and headed for the water.

Miaka’s jaw dropped. "HEY!" she yelled, starting after him. "I know what you’re doing! You come back here, you dork!" Her voice was followed by splashing as they waded into the lake after Tamahome.

"You know, it’s stupid to swim in there!" Stormlight called after them. "You’ll piss off the Kelpie, not to mention whatever other creatures live there who get their kicks out of drowning humans!" There was a moment of silence, and then the splashing sounded up again in haste as Miaka and Tamahome apparently decided to forgo that swim. Stormlight laughed when they appeared again, looking rather disgruntled and somewhat damp.

"What do you think of it?" Miaka asked Hotohori, referring to the riddle.

Hotohori sighed. "I honestly have no idea," he admitted reluctantly. "Does anyone else?"

Stormlight sighed, as well, and buried her head against her knees. "I know exactly what it is. But of course I’m not allowed to give you any clues," she muttered. "Heaven forbid Jareth make things that easy for us. Hmmph. Some help I’m turning out to be…"

She suddenly felt a light pressure about her shoulders, and looked up to see that Hotohori had wrapped an arm about them in a gentle hug. "You’ve been a great help to us," he told her quietly. "Please don’t think otherwise. I don’t know if we would have made it as far as we have without you to guide us, and I know it can’t be any easier on you than it is on us."

"But it’s ‘cause of me you’re in this mess in the first place," she pointed out shakily, willing her face not to turn red, even though it felt like her entire body was blushing at being held in his arms. Well…arm, technically, but who was counting?

"Ahem…" Nuriko cleared his throat as he glanced pointedly at Hotohori’s arm about Stormlight’s shoulder, and the Listian blanched slightly and reluctantly squirmed out of the emperor’s grasp. Not even for him was she willing to risk a pounding by the purple-haired Seishi. Hotohori looked surprised for a moment at her sudden withdrawal. Then, upon noticing the sour look his brother Seishi was giving the Listian, he smiled at her, showing that he understood. She smiled back slightly and shrugged.

"I wish sunrise would hurry up and come. I just want to get this over with!" Nuriko announced, satisfied with himself. "Well, might as well sleep and at least pass the time." He took off his outer jacket and rolled it up for a pillow, moving a little way from the fire and sprawling out. It appeared to be a signal for everyone else to do the same thing, and they all drifted to their own little areas of beach to sleep. The Seiryu Seishi were already silent. Apparently they didn’t intend on losing much sleep over their problems.

Stormlight sighed, knowing that she would never get to sleep. She was too wide awake. Wish I hadn’t downed half a liter of Dr. Pepper before I got stuck here, she thought with a grimace. The caffeine was still kicking in. Well, it was quiet, so at least now would be a perfect time to start working on her story. She could at least take notes if nothing else, she thought as she pulled out her notebook and found a blank page to start writing on. She was so intent in remembering everything that had happened that she didn’t even realize when someone sat down beside her, quietly watching her write.

"What language is it you’re writing in?"

Hotohori’s quiet voice nearly startled her into a heart attack. At the very least, she couldn’t stop herself from jumping slightly in surprise. He chuckled softly. "Gomen. I didn’t mean to startle you," he apologized. "I saw you were still sitting up. Can’t you sleep, either?"

She shook her head, trying to keep her heart from pounding its way through her chest. The Emperor of Konan was now actually talking to her? Play it cool. He’s just a guy…a drop-dead gorgeous guy, true, but a guy all the same… She cleared her throat. "I thought I’d better start writing down some things that happened already," she explained, hoping her voice came out sounding normal. It did. She gave herself bonus points for that.

"What language is it?" Hotohori asked again. "I’ve never seen its like."

"It’s English. That’s the language I speak," she replied.

"How interesting. Yet I speak Chinese. I wonder how it is we can understand each other if we speak two different languages," he mused, staring at the page thoughtfully.

Stormlight thought for a moment. "It’s probably by Jareth’s magic. I mean, there’d be no point in bringing us together if we can’t understand each other…although that would make for some great entertainment on Jareth’s part, no doubt. My words are probably…somehow getting translated between my mouth and your ears, and vice versa."

He nodded. "That makes sense. But why not the written word, as well?"

"Well…" She hesitated, knowing she was about to bring up what was probably a touchy subject with him. "Do you remember when Miaka found the note Tamahome left her and asked you to read it?"

She thought he winced slightly, but he nodded. "Yes, she asked me to read it to her, because she could not understand it," he replied. Then his expression cleared. "I understand. Though we can understand each other, no doubt due to Taiitsukun’s power, it does not include the written language."

She nodded. "Exactly. Although… I wonder how Chiriko is doing trying to read those books Jareth promised him," she mused. "Jareth might have made an exception in that case to keep the kid occupied. There’s no telling with that guy."

"Jareth is…an interesting character." Hotohori’s voice was dry as he gazed into the fire, eyes reflecting the light and turning an even brighter gold. "Still, I feel he will keep the child safe."

That surprised a laugh out of her, and when he gave her a glance, she merely shook her head. "Sorry. I just… ‘Child’ and ‘safe’ just normally don’t go in the same sentence when it comes to the Goblin King," she explained, still giggling a little. "Given his history with kids and all. Oh, but he won’t do anything to Chiriko, don’t worry!" she hastened to add when apprehension flared in the emperor’s eyes. "He’ll be okay. Chiriko, I mean. He’s too old to be turned into a goblin anyway."

"A goblin!" Now Hotohori looked really alarmed.

Stormlight dropped her head against her notebook. "I’m not helping much, am I?" she asked, looking up at him with a sheepish smile.

He smiled back at her. "You’re helping a great deal, as I told you before," he replied. "I should know to trust you. You’ve proven yourself worthy of it so far."

"Thank you, Your Highness. I’m glad to know somebody thinks so." She sighed and closed her notebook.

"You should try to sleep," he told her.

"So should you," she pointed out wryly, and was rewarded with a faint chuckle. "Well, how about if I try to sleep then you try to sleep, too?"

He nodded. "It sounds like a fair agreement," he replied, rolling his coat up to use as a pillow. Stormlight emptied her bag of everything hard and set it in a pile beside her, using the bag itself—with its remaining contents—as her pillow. She stretched out as close to the fire as she dared, aware that the emperor was laying only a few feet away, and closed her eyes. "Sleep well, Stormlight," she thought she heard him murmur, and she smiled. "Same to you," she replied. And then there was silence.

"Wakey wakey!" a loud, obnoxious voice proclaimed right in Stormlight’s ear. She grimaced and turned over, muttering for the voice to go away. But the voice didn’t listen, and the next thing she knew, a shock of icy water poured itself over her head.

"GYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!"

Even Nuriko could have envied that screech.

She leaped to her feet, gasping for breath as she looked wildly around, and her gaze fell on Tasuki and Nuriko, who were laughing so hard they had to hold onto each other to keep from falling over. From Tasuki’s hand hung Chichiri’s dripping kasa. "YOU!" she snarled, pointing a finger at the fire-haired bandit. "Prepare to die!" She leaped at him with an inhuman screech as he darted away, still laughing.

"Ah, ah!" he taunted, shaking a finger at her, fangs glinting as he grinned evilly. "Remember the rules! You can’t kill or maim anyone or you’ll lose the game!"

"He was talking about the anyone on the opposing team!" Stormlight yelled, still stalking toward him. "He didn’t say anything about murdering your teammates!"

Tasuki blinked—apparently he hadn’t taken that into account—and promptly decided that now would be an excellent time to run for his life. So he did.

Stormlight watched through narrow eyes as he hightailed it down the still-dark beach. "Just you wait! You’ll get yours, Fang Boy!" she yelled after him.

"Well, now that you’re awake, have some breakfast, no da," Chichiri told her cheerfully, handing her a handful of berries. She scowled at him suspiciously, and he held up his hands in defense. "Don’t look at me, na no da!" he exclaimed. "Tasuki stole my kasa, I didn’t let him have it, no da!"

She nodded and popped one of the berries into her mouth, then abruptly spit it out and stared at her handful suspiciously. "Where did you find these?" she asked.

"What’s the matter? Are they rotten?" Tamahome asked. "I found them growing on those bushes over there. Funny thing is, I could’ve sworn they were empty last night."

"You picked these?!" Stormlight stared at him in horror. "Don’t you know how dangerous it is to eat food growing in this place? It could be enchanted! You could be put under a spell!"

Tamahome blinked at her. "Well…I’ve eaten some, and Miaka and His Majesty ate some, too. They don’t appear to be affecting anyone."

"Well, okay," Stormlight replied slowly. "But in the future, please don’t pick anything off the plants. I don’t want anybody being carted off to some crystal ballroom. We don’t have time to attend parties. Speaking of which, if you see any floating bubbles following you, duck and cover." She smiled humorously until she noticed the blank stares that were fixed on her. She sighed and her head drooped. "Never mind…"

There was activity over near the Seiryu area of the beach, as the Seishi slowly began to wake up, looking around groggily. "It wasn’t a dream," Stormlight heard Suboshi grumble as he rose to his feet, shaking sand out of his hair.

Miaka headed over to Stormlight, rubbing sleep from her eyes. She looked much more alert though as she took in the Listian’s somewhat soggy condition. "What happened to you?" she asked.

Stormlight pouted, wringing out her sopping hair. "I got stuck with a three-year-old trapped in a man’s body for a traveling companion, that’s what," she huffed. Then her eyes widened as a thought occurred to her. "Aack! My book!" she wailed, scrambling toward the fire. She pulled out her notebook, which had been half-buried in the sand, and opened it up fearfully. "TASUKI!" she screeched, flipping through soggy, gritty pages. "I AM SO GOING TO KILL YOU FOR THIS!" She glowered down at the ruined pages in her hand, the written words no more than black puddles on the paper. "This is so not fixable," she whimpered. "Now I have to start over again!"

"It can be redone," Hotohori told her soothingly, taking the ruined notebook from her. "Not all of the paper has been ruined. I’ll help you later to rewrite it. And Tasuki can help, as well." Fixing the sheepish bandit with a hard look.

"Yeah, sure. No problem," Tasuki muttered hastily.

Stormlight sniffed. "No thank you. I don’t want that walking disaster anywhere near my notebook again!" She fixed Tasuki with a hard look of her own. "You’re just lucky I didn’t have any other stories started in this thing at the moment, or you’d be at the bottom of that lake right now!" she added threateningly. Tasuki gulped and moved to hide behind Nuriko.

"Boy, play one little prank and you’re branded for life. That’s why I hate women. They hold grudges longer’n anything!" he muttered sourly.

"Speaking of lake, the sun’s about to rise. Shouldn’t we be ready for the Kelpie to come back?" This question was voiced by Yui, who had slipped up behind them quietly, followed by her Seishi. Miaka turned to her friend, watching hopefully. She opened her mouth as though to say something, appeared to think it over, and closed it again. Yui looked at her briefly, a kind of tired melancholy in her eyes, but she said nothing.

"Have your people come up with any answers?" Mitsukake asked as he scratched Tama-neko on the head. The cat was purring contentedly as he cleaned his paws, a few remaining feathers from the bird he had caught scattered on the sand.

Yui hesitated. "I was thinking it could be hope," she replied shyly. "Everyone possesses hope, after all."

"That’s a good answer," Miaka stated, nodding. "And it’s true. What would life be like without hope?"

Yui smiled shyly.

"But how d’ya know that’s right?" Tasuki complained.

"Do you have a better answer?" Suboshi cut in, glaring at him for daring to suggest that his beloved Yui was wrong.

Tasuki suddenly looked embarrassed. "Well…er…I was actually thinkin’ it could be…" He trailed off into a mutter.

"What was that?" Miaka asked. "I didn’t quite hear you…"

"I said I thought it could be love, okay?!" Tasuki bellowed, a faint blush covering his cheeks. Everyone stared at him while he squirmed uncomfortably. "What’re ya starin’ at, ya a-ho!" he bellowed at Tamahome, who was snickering. "Ya got somethin’ ta say ta me?!"

Tamahome swallowed his laughter. "I just didn’t realize you had such a romantic side to you," he replied, deadpan. "It’s amazing how you managed to stay single for so long…"

Tasuki grabbed Tamahome by the neck and started to shake him. "Yeah?! Ya wanna make somethin’ of it?!" he bellowed. "C’mon! I’ll take ya all on!"

Miaka sighed. "Tasuki, would you mind not throttling my boyfriend, please?" she requested. "And, Tamahome…grow up! Tasuki’s suggestion is a good one! It makes just as much sense as Yui’s does."

Tasuki puffed with pride and swaggered a little, fangs gleaming.

"But…which answer is it?" Nuriko asked, scratching his head. "They can’t both be right. We have to choose one." He glanced at Stormlight expectantly, but the Listian merely bit her lip and looked away, her expression one of deep regret. She could not help them.

"Say…I wonder if we’ll be able to use two answers," Yui said, her eyes lighting up. "After all, we’re two different groups, so we should each get an answer! What do you think, Nakago?"

"We are two different groups, but we’re working together at the moment," Nakago replied calmly. "I highly doubt the beast will let us answer twice, or if it does it will most likely give one group another riddle to answer. And even if it does allow us to each answer the same riddle, I highly doubt that either group will be willing to give their answer first and risk being the loser."

"I really hate to agree with him, but I think he’s right," Tamahome told them. "We’re going to have to all agree on one answer, and once we do, one of us is going to have to give it to the Kelpie."

"But what if it’s the wrong one?" Soi asked.

Stormlight gave her a dark smile. "Then I really hope you know how to swim," she replied. "Besides, they could both be wrong, for all you know." She gave her a meaningful look, which unfortunately Soi didn’t notice.

"Okay," Yui said. "Let’s make this easier. All those in favor of hope, simply raise their hands."

Suboshi’s hand immediately shot into the air. After some hesitation, Miaka raised her hand, as well, slowly followed by almost all of the Seishi. Tasuki crossed his arms stubbornly, until Nuriko nudged him hard in the ribs. "Well, mine was a good guess!" Tasuki pouted, sticking his hand up.

"Well, I guess hope it is then," Yui said, frowning slightly. She wasn’t sure… Something just didn’t feel right about this answer, but then again, neither did the other one. Still, as nobody else appeared to have any better ideas it’d be pointless to reject it. She knew it was ridiculous, but she almost resented Stormlight for refusing to help them, even though she knew it wasn’t the Listian’s fault. If only she could give me some sign that it’s right, Yui thought.

The dull roar of waves crashing onto the beach brought everyone’s attention to the lake, where a giant wave was just receding. Standing on the beach in all his majestic glory was the Kelpie, red eyes glaring at them. If that creature didn’t want to possibly kill us, I’d almost want to go over there and pet it, Stormlight thought dryly.

<<The dawn hath arrived. Art thou ready with thine answer>>

The deep voice seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once, and Stormlight gulped. "Well, this is it," she muttered. "The moment of truth." She looked back at her companions, noting that all of them looked more than a little nervous. They probably feel helpless without their magic and weapons. I mean, one blast of lightning from Soi could fry that thing normally! Aloud, she asked once more, "Are you all agreed then?"

A general murmuring of consent along with nervous shifting and the unasked question: Who would deign to answer the question, and thus risk dooming everyone to their fate? Someone stepped forward, and Stormlight realized with horror that it was Hotohori. "W-wait!" she cried out, grasping his arm. "D-don’t go…" If the answer was wrong—which she was almost a hundred percent certain it was—he’d no doubt be the first one to die. She couldn’t bear to watch it.

"Somebody needs to answer. I am the Emperor of Konan. It is my duty to protect my people," he replied gently, removing her hand from his arm. She stared up at him, her eyes filled with turmoil, and his gaze softened. "Thank you for your concern," he added, brushing a feather-light caress along her cheek, before turning to stride boldly to the Kelpie.

"Jareth, this isn’t fair," Stormlight whispered as she watched the emperor walk to his doom. "Why can’t I help?! I can save their lives! Do you hate me that much to make me watch them make a mistake, and allow me to do nothing to prevent it? Was this your plan from the very start?"

Yui watched as the Konan emperor bravely approached the Kelpie, her heart pounding in her chest. She clenched her fists at her side, her eyes fixed on the scene before her. It’s WRONG! a voice screamed in her head. You know it’s wrong! Do something! She swallowed, feeling as though bugs were crawling underneath her skin. It just wasn’t right. But, if so, what was the right answer? She glanced helplessly around, seeing that everyone’s eyes were fixed on Hotohori. People whose lives depended on the next few moments. Swallowing convulsively, she dropped her gaze, and it fell upon a puddle of water just beside her feet, trapped inside the shallow crevice of a rock . Within the water she could see herself, looking pale and tense, staring out almost accusingly, and for one crazy moment, she wondered if her reflection might hold the answer she was looking for. She sensed someone’s gaze resting upon her, and raised her eyes to meet the intent stare of the Listian. Her hazel eyes seemed to be pleading with the Miko, as though she could sense that Yui wasn’t as content with the answer as she should have been.

Please, the Listian’s eyes silently begged. Save him. Believe in yourself and save him when I cannot. Save everyone…

Yui turned away, fists clenching at her sides. What was she supposed to do? Why was it suddenly up to her to be the savior of the group? What kind of heartless monster was this Jareth, anyway, to play with everyone’s lives like this? Had the man no soul…?

Suddenly…something clicked.

…It is the Essence of life…

Her breath caught, stopped.

Those that have none seek to gain it, though immortal they be…

Jareth was immortal, wasn’t he? Yui’s brow scrunched in concentration. He was…of the Fae, wasn’t that what Stormlight had said before? What else had she said…

"Really, this is too easy!" the Listian’s words echoed faintly in her mind. "I know what the answer is! It’s so obvious…at least if you know anything about the Fae…"

"The Fae…" Yui whispered, closing her eyes in concentration. She had read a book about the Fae once, a long time ago. She could hardly recall, having not had much interest in it. Fantasy wasn’t really her style, after all… But she remembered that they were cruel creatures who lived forever, tormenting mortals to ease their everlasting boredom, like Jareth…

And there were certain kinds of Fae who did more than torment, who were outright dangerous…because they sought to steal from mortals what they themselves lacked…what could give them power… Dopplegangers were one kind, and Bane Sidhe, and there were others, as well, and they all sought the same thing from mortals…

Those who have none seek to gain it though immortal they be.

Yui’s eyes snapped open, the answer coming to her in a sudden rush.

Hotohori had reached the Kelpie; was opening his mouth to speak…

"STOP!" Yui screamed at the top of her lungs, startling everyone around her. Hotohori whirled around at the sound of Yui’s scream, eyes wide and startled. "WAIT!" Yui yelled again, sprinting as fast as she could to the emperor. "Don’t say it! It isn’t the right answer!"

Just wanted to say thank you to Nuriko and Tasuki (of the Suzaku Seishi Fanfiction Review) for suggesting some of the answers to my riddle on the message board and then letting me use them for the fic. They were great guesses, guys, and they worked well for the riddle, even if they weren’t right. Nuriko suggested hope (a great guess, in my opinion), and Tasuki actually did suggest love. Awww…see, he does have a sweet side! ^_~