Genbu no Miko Part Seven:
The Final Chapter
by Raye/Amy M.

Some Japanese terms I used:
Arigatou=thank you
Otosan=Father
Gomen=Sorry
Chi=Power
Sama=a title usually only given to royalty or the very honored; it roughly translates to "Lord" or "Lady"

Einosuke couldn't believe what he had read. He couldn't imagine Takiko so upset over a person in a book. "Takiko! Don't you realize that he's not real?"

******

Tomite saw Takiko heading his way. "Takiko-sama! The storm is over!" But Takiko ran right past him and down another hall. "Takiko-sama?"

Uruki and Iname appeared after her calling, "Takiko!"

Hatsui turned to Iname and Uruki. "What's wrong with her?"

Uruki and Iname blushed. Uruki spoke up. "She caught us…in a rather personal position. But I didn't expect her to be so embarrassed about it!"

Tomite grew angry and faced Iname, grabbing his shirt. "What do you mean by 'personal position?'"

Iname pushed Tomite off of him. "Why are you so upset? It's none of your business!" He stared off in the direction Takiko had run. "I'll…I'll go talk to her."

Tomite blocked his way. "No! You've hurt her enough! How could you be so blind to her feelings for you?"

Iname's eyes widened in shock. "Her feelings…?"

Tomite looked disgusted and ran off after Takiko.

******

Tomite found her in his parents' old room, staring at the Shijin Tenchi Sho in silence. "Takiko-sama? Are you all right?"

Takiko turned around. Tomite could still see the traces of tears in her eyes. "Actually, I'm not too certain about some of the words on this scroll. Someone will have to read it for me before the ceremony."

Tomite sat at her side. "That's not what I meant. Iname-san and Uruki-san…"

"Don't say anymore." She wiped her eyes and forced a smile. "What a fool I was! How could I not see it? But…it's okay…" She started to cry again.

Tomite held her against his chest. Suddenly, Takiko pulled herself back from the comforts of Tomite's arms. "Tomite…I'm so sorry. I'd forgotten all about your confession to me earlier. It's wrong of me to take advantage of your kindness."

Tomite shook his head. "No, Takiko-sama. Cry on me all you want. Sometimes that's what love is…always being there for your special person." He looked away, sadly. "And to wish that that person finds happiness with someone, even if that someone is not yourself."

"Tomite!" Takiko fell back into his arms. Why didn't I fall for him instead? He's so kind and gentle…And he's right. If Iname is truly happy with Uruki, I'd rather see him with her than unhappy with me.

She let herself out of Tomite's arms and stood up. "Arigatou, Tomite." She grabbed the scroll and put it back in her bag. She forced another smile. "We've got a country to save and a God to call! Let's get going!"

Tomite smiled and pulled out his mother's necklace. "I know you refused it before, but would you please wear it when you call Genbu?"

Takiko smiled and nodded. Putting the necklace into her bag, she gave Tomite a kiss on the cheek.

******

"Genbu no Miko could barely face Iname and Uruki on the trip to the capitol. She put on a fake act of cheerfulness, but her heart wasn't ready for the task of calling an Animal God."

Einosuke's eyes widened in shock. "What does that mean? Takiko!"

"It turned out that Kutou troops hasn't reached the capitol yet and must have went out of their way before to find the Seishi. Even though they knew Kutou would reach the capitol in any minute, the Seishi were confident because they knew Genbu would save them all.

"At the palace, Genbu no Miko and her Seishi prepared for the ceremony to call the Tortoise God, Genbu."

******

Takiko had finished her cleansing bath and servants were helping her put on beautiful priestess clothing and fixing her hair.

After the servants left, Takiko went over the words for the ceremony in her head, trying to think of anything besides the events of the day. She stared at the mirror and saw Iname's smiling face and began to cry. Images of her mother, stepfather, and little brother flashed in her head as well, and she cried even more. So now what do I do? Do I return to that sad life or live in this one?

Images of all her Seishi appeared in her mind next. I can't live…without them. My friends in this world…I need them! It doesn't matter if Iname and Uruki being in love breaks my heart because I love them both. Their kindness…strength…

"Otosan, gomen. I'm so sorry, Otosan! This..this is where I belong!"

******

Tears flowed from Einosuke's eyes as he read his daughter's decision. "I was never there for her, but if she doesn't return to me…Takiko! You don't realize how important you are to me! The world you're in now isn't real! Have the strength to come back and face reality!"

******

Takiko looked up, almost hearing her father's words. "Otosan…do you know I'm here? Can you hear me?" She shook her head. "It doesn't matter. I'm sorry, but my mind is made up!"

She grabbed the necklace she had received from Tomite and put it on. Picking up the Shijin Tenchi Sho scroll, she headed towards the Hall of Genbu.

******

"Genbu no Miko entered the Hall of Genbu, and all of the Seishi turned her way. They were amazed at her absolute beauty as she stepped before the ceremonial fire and unraveled the scroll."

******

"Everyone! Concentrate your chi!" Everyone put their hands together in prayer as Takiko recited the scroll:

"Shiguu no ten to shihou no sa
Fukaki hou to shin to zen o motte
Nanbau shu go no [Genbu] on mi ni
Tsu ge ta ma wa ku ware
Ima ko no kotoba o nasu
Shisa shuku ten yori sa ni genzu wa
Onmi o katkou su shuzou no tame no yue
Koko ni oite moromoro no aku o metshi
So no shinriki de ware ra o kugosu be shi
Tada nega wa ku wa kore o ki ke

TENYO RI WA GA MOTO HE ORITA CHI TA MAE!"

"The Four Directions of the Sky
By using the way, mind, and goodness,
Please tell the protector of the North, Genbu
Now I will complete the words
From the Sky to the Earth, come to us physically
Through the Four Ultimates, please make extinct every kind of evil
By using your Godly powers, protect us
Only I wish, please listen

PLEASE COME FORTH FROM THE SKY!"

Takiko threw the scroll into the fire and there was a large burst of green light. Everyone shielded their eyes as a large tortoise appeared above the Hall. The tortoise turned into green light, and Takiko flashed out of sight.

******

In a strange relm of nothingness, Takiko stood before Genbuseikun, the human form of the Tortoise God, Genbu. He spoke.

"I am the Lord of the Genbu quadrant.
Art thou the Miko who called me?"

Takiko nodded. "Yes."

"Now I will merge with thee so that we are one.
After that, thou may only use my supernatural powers thrice.
When thou art ready, use the word 'Kaijin.'
Dost thou understand?"

Takiko nodded, and Genbu went into her body. As Takiko felt the enormous amount of energy from Genbu, she collapsed.

******

Takiko woke up to find herself in a bed with all of the Seishi around her. Tomite was holding her hand. "Takiko-sama? How do you feel?"

Takiko sat up, but she felt splitting pain all over her body. "It hurts…"

Hikitsu went to her side. "It's no wonder, you have a God living inside of you. We should wait until you've gathered enough energy before you make the first wish."

The emperor burst into the room. "Is the Miko awake yet?" He noticed Takiko sitting up and bowed before her. "Miko-sama! I beg you to save our country soon! All of Kutou's armies have made it to the capitol. If the capitol is taken, all hope is lost!"

Hikitsu shook his head. "She's too weak now to make a wish."

Takiko swung her legs around the side of the bed so that she was sitting up better. "No, I have to do it before anyone else is hurt in this war." She closed her eyes.

*"KAIJIN!"*

"Let Hokkan win this war against Kutou and be forever peaceful from all wars!"

A flash of light emanated from Takiko, and she collapsed with exhaustion again.

******

Takiko opened her eyes. It was dark, but she could see that all of the Seishi had fallen asleep throughout the room. She sat up, but she felt even greater pain than before. "Ugh!" She held on to her sides. So much pain…I can't stand it… She glanced down at her arm to see that part of it had what appeared to be a tortoise shell growing on it. What on earth…? I can't tell anyone…

The Seishi started to awaken. "Takiko-sama! You've finally awakened! You've been out for a day!"

"Is…is Kutou gone?"

Tomite smiled. "Yes, you've saved us all. Kutou soldiers couldn't harm anyone all of a sudden. It was as if their swords were fake. We were able to drive them away and claim an easy victory."

Takiko smiled, but even that took a lot of effort through her pain. "I'm so glad…"

"Takiko-sama? What's wrong? Are you still in a lot of pain?"

Takiko nodded but continued to smile. "I'll be okay…I just need to rest a little." She looked at her Seishi who had spent the night and day watching over her. "Please, you all need to rest yourselves. Go get some food and get some sleep."

"But, Takiko-sama…"

"Please leave me alone, just for a moment, and think of yourselves for once."

Tomite nodded and he and the others left.

******

"Once the Seishi were gone, Genbu no Miko got out of her bed and staggered to the dresser. She let out her hair pins and placed the necklace Tomite had given to her on top of the dresser. She caressed the necklace and though of her friends' kindness.

"Suddenly, Genbu no Miko fell to the ground in pain and saw that there were tortoise shells growing on her thighs as well as her arms. Little did she know that it meant that Genbu had taken more of her for Himself, and that with every wish she made, Genbu no Miko was becoming closer and closer to being completely consumed by the Tortoise God."

Einosuke dropped the book from his hands. "No…it can't be true! Takiko!"

******

Iname entered the room to find Takiko on the floor. "Takiko!" He ran to her side and carried her to the bed. "What are you doing out of bed?"

Takiko didn't answer but turned the other way. I can't face him.

"Look," Iname started, "I want to apologize. Uruki and I thought you were aware of our relationship. We…I…never meant to mislead you otherwise."

Takiko shook her head. "It was my fault."

"No!" Iname held her hand. "It's not your fault at all! You don't realize how much you mean to the both of us! We don't want to hurt you! We'd do anything to see you happy! And the fact that the shock of seeing us together might have made you too weak to call Genbu…we'll never forgive ourselves."

Takiko smiled, despite her pain. "I've never had any true friends before. The fact that you and Uruki would go to that extent…blaming yourselves for my stupidity…makes me love the both of you even more.

"But I long to see the two of you happy. Please tell me the absolute truth: are you truly happy with each other?"

Iname nodded. "When I first met Uruki, she saved my soul. I had been so busy blaming myself for disgracing my family, but she was the first to show me that it wasn't my fault and that I could get on with my life."

Takiko smiled. "And Uruki feels the same?"

Iname nodded.

"Then..you must be together. There's nothing I'd like to see more than your marriage and vows to be happy forever. And take care of Namame, too, until she finds her true love."

Iname kissed Takiko's cheeks. "Takiko, you've brought such meaning to our lives. Your friendship and kindness…we owe you so much."

"It's me who owes all of you." She smiled. "Now go take that rest I begged you to take."

"But leave you all alone?"

"Please…I need to be alone right now."

Iname nodded and left. As he closed the door, silent tears flowed from Takiko's eyes.

"Sometimes that's what love is….
to wish that your special person finds happiness with someone, even if that someone is not yourself."

Tomite…now I realize what you meant when you said that. My love will always be Iname…but I'm so happy to see him find joy with another…

******

"The next morning, the Seishi entered Genbu no Miko's room and woke her up, telling her they needed to show her something. Since Genbu no Miko was still weak, Hikitsu carried her through the halls to the outside of the palace. There, all of the people from the capitol and beyond, including the Hokkan emperor himself, bowed before Genbu no Miko. As far as Genbu no Miko could see, there were people bowing to her."

******

"Thank you, Genbu no Miko-sama! Savior of Hokkan!"

The cheers rang throughout the land.

Takiko felt her eyes well up with tears, but for the first time in days, they were tears of joy. I mean something to these people. What I did meant something to these people. It helped so many….I know this is where I belong.

Hikitsu laughed. "Why are you crying, Little One? This was supposed to make you happy!"

"I'm crying because I am happy!" Takiko looked around at all her Seishi. "The credit goes to all of you, as well. Without just one of you, this wouldn't have been possible. Hikitsu, let me stand so that I can hug each one of you."

The crowd cheered as Takiko hugged Iname, Uruki, Tomite, Hikitsu, Hatsui, Namame, and Urumiya in turn. Takiko waved at the crowd. "Thank you very much!" she yelled. She felt as if it was the best moment in all of her life.

******

That evening, Takiko felt a little better. Her Seishi sat in the room with her, and she couldn't help but feel their friendship. She smiled. "It's time to make my second wish."

Hatsui looked worried. "Are you sure you feel strong enough?"

Takiko nodded. She still felt pain, but she didn't want them to worry.

"What are you going to wish for?" asked Urumiya.

"At first I was going to wish for the ability to make true friends; I had never had them in my world. But as I completed this adventure with all of you, I realized I had found true friends on my own. I have so much happiness here and not very much in my world, so I'm going to ask Genbu if I can stay here." The Seishi smiled.

*"KAIJIN!"*

"Make me a permanent resident of this world!" Takiko could feel Genbu moving within her, and she heard his voice.

"Miko, that is the one wish I cannot grant. A Miko's place is in her own world."

Takiko shook her head, and she started to cry. "No…no…I belong here! Please, Genbu, I beg you!" She got no response.

Takiko looked up at her friends' faces and smiled. "Arigatou, everyone. I'll always remember you."

*"KAIJIN!"*

"Send me back home!"

As the green light surrounded her, she started to cry again. If I can't stay with them , I can't bear to spend a moment more with them…

"I love you all!" Takiko screamed as she faded back into reality.

******

Einosuke watched as the green light shot out of the book and Takiko appeared on the floor. "Takiko!" He ran to her.

"Otosan…? It hurts so much…"

Einosuke carried her to her bed. He was shocked to see that most of her body was covered in a tortoise shell. "Takiko! I read all about your adventures in the book…the Animal Gods consume their priestesses! You can't make another wish, or Genbu will have you forever!"

******

Three days had passed, and Takiko was in constant pain. The tortoise shell had not disappeared, and it, in fact, seemed to be growing even larger. Einosuke knew that Genbu was going to consume his daughter whether she made her third wish or not.

"If I can get rid of that devilish book!" He picked up the Shijin Tenchi Sho and threw it into the fireplace, but the fire seemed to burn around the book. After a few minutes, the fire stopped, but the book was perfectly in tact. Einosuke was shocked. He got a knife from the kitchen and tried to stab the book, rip its pages, but the book would not be scratched. "This evil book…It must be waiting for three more girls from this world to feed to its Animal Gods! What can I do?"

Einosuke heard Takiko screaming in pain from her room. He ran inside to see Takiko struggling, sweating, as the tortoise shell made its way to her face. "Takiko!"

"Oto..san…"

Einosuke stroked her hair. "Don't speak, it's using too much of your energy."

"If…I had been a stronger person, I might have been able to face…all of this. But I can't stand to be parted from my family and then from the only friends I've ever had…I can't go on anymore…not like this. Please, spare me this pain…"

Einosuke looked at his daughter in such great pain and could not bear the sight. He nodded. "But if you must go, I shall go with you."

He walked back to where the Shijin Tenchi Sho was. "This book can't be destroyed, but I can't leave it around waiting to take more victims. I'll leave it to my friend Oosugi to keep away from all young women." He took out a pen and paper and wrote a long letter to Oosugi. He wrapped the book in paper and put it and the letter in a box and sealed it. On top, he wrote Oosugi's name.

Einosuke looked at the knife he had tried to use to destroy the book and picked it up. "I love you, Takiko…" He walked to Takiko's room, clutching the knife.

******

The Genbu Shichiseishi all collapsed with shock. "What's this feeling?" Urumiya wondered.

"It feels so terrible…" Namame commented.

"Like part of me was ripped away…" added Hatsui.

Hikitsu looked around the room to see his fellow Seishi all gripping their chests on the floor. "It looks like a part of all of us was taken away…"

Tomite started crying. Uruki went to his side. "What is it, Tomite?"

"Can't you all see? It's Takiko-sama! Something has happened to her!"

Iname's eyes widened in shock. "Yes…I can't feel her anymore…TAKIKO!"

"Something has indeed happened to Genbu no Miko."

Everyone turned to see an ugly short woman floating behind them. "Who..who are you?"

"I am Taiitsukun, ruler of this world. Your Miko no longer exists in this world or her own."

Tomite shook his head. "No! NO! TAKIKO-SAMA!"

"There is nothing more you can do for her. At least be comforted that you gave her the only true happiness she had in her entire life."

The Seishi all looked away, crying softly.

"There is one more thing two of you can do for her. There will be other Miko who appear from her world in the future, and some of them may need help calling their Animal Gods from Genbu no Miko.

"When a Miko calls an Animal God, there is something she is wearing that becomes a Shinzaho." Taiitsukun faced Tomite. "The necklace you gave her is that Shinzaho. It needs to be protected so that only the Miko with good hearts can use it."

Tomite spoke up. "I'll protect it!"

"It could take hundreds of years. By accepting this mission, you are giving your soul for nearly eternity to protecting this."

"I don't care! Takiko-sama was all that ever mattered to me! I loved her with all my heart, and I will spend eternity protecting the one thing I have left of her!"

Taiitsukun nodded. "So be it. And who will be the second?"

Iname stepped forward. "I'll do it."

Taiitsukun shook her head "If there's one thing I knew about Genbu no Miko, it's that she wished you to be together with Uruki. It must be another."

Hikitsu stepped forward. "I'll do it. For the sweet young lady who never judged me by my appearance and taught me that there can be a reason for existence if you believe in it.. My times with her and the Seishi were better than any other in my life."

Taiitsukun nodded "Your Miko would be proud of all of you. Remember that she's always watching over you…"

She turned to Tomite and Hikitsu. "I'll bring you to Mt. Black, where you shall protect the Shinzaho until a worthy Miko comes along!"

A flash of light, and Taiitsukun, Tomite, and Hikitsu were gone. Uruki went to Iname's side as he stared into Takiko's room. "She was only in our lives briefly, but she was such a big part of it. I wonder still if she ever realized how much we loved her. The one we were born to protect…We'll never forget you, Takiko. Never."