The Twelve Signs
written by Len-chan
The 12 Signs are based on the Asian Yearly Zodiac (year of
the dog, tiger, rooster, etc.) and the 10 Stems are 
based on the Asian elements (wood, fire, water, etc.). The
characters of this story are property of me.  

Girls Beware: Guys ARE Stupid.  :Þ
~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mitsu curled up against Akemi with Taro between them.  
Toshio hadn't expected the coldness of the autumn to 
reach them so soon and after along scolding from 
Mitsu about how they could now all FREEZE to death, 
they had to find shelter at night in order for
them not to grow TOO cold.  

That night, the group managed to seek shelter in
a cave created by a tree root burrowed deep inside
the side of a stone hill.  They kept the fire by the
door to keep the animals and cold away.  Taro 
kicked Akemi in the stomach and Mitsu's breast.  

"Ow..." Mitsu mumbled.  She sat up and rubbed the sore
spot by her shoulder.  She looked at Taro, who continued
to kick.  

"Ump!" Akemi groaned quietly and sat up.  He put 
his hand over his stomach and looked to his left.
"He kicked you too?" 
	
"Fifth time tonight," Mitsu told him.  "I wonder
why he keeps kicking.  Oh...poor baby..." Mitsu
ran her hand over the child's soft red hair and
smiled intently.  

"Do you think he might be having nightmares?" 
Akemi asked.  Mitsu shrugged.  

"It could be anything," she told Akemi.  He looked
around the cave.  It was relatively warm from the
fire and body heat of the group.  Toshio and Radien
stayed closest the opening, with Chi and Clare 
enclosed in their arms.  Kira and Shiho were next,
all leaning against the wall.  Hanako was closest to
Mitsu, Taro, and Akemi, who were all in the back,
soaking up the heat.  Their horses were tied right
outside the opening, covered with leaves and
the remaining blankets. Akemi picked up Taro and 
held him over his shoulder.  "Do you think he'll
stop?"

"I doubt it," Akemi answered.  He fixed the child's
bed space between them and returned Taro back.  He 
wrapped the child in more blankets and laid back down.
"Just go back to sleep," Akemi ordered Mitsu. "I'm 
sure he'll stop once he's warm enough." 

Mitsu nodded and laid beside the child.  She moved
on her right side and put her left arm over Taro.
Akemi tugged her blanket up to cover her shoulders
once she closed her eyes.  He then put his right
arm over Taro and Mitsu, in an attempt to keep them
warm.  

Mitsu's eyes flew open.  "Akemi..." Mitsu mumbled.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

Akemi, with his eyes still closed, answered her. "I'll
take my arm off you." He said, and then began to lift
his arm.

"No..." Mitsu said, rolling her eyes.  "Taro needs his
diaper changed."  Akemi's eyes flew open and backed
away.  

"Uh..." Akemi turned to the bag he had by his side 
and dug through it, looking for an extra diaper. He
turned back to her and nodded his head no.  "I'm 
afraid we ran out." 

"What." Mitsu stated more than asked.  She got into
a kneeling position and reached over him, digging
through the bag.  She came out empty handed.

"I guess...we'll have to use something else.  Here,"
Akemi shrugged his thick coat off, then his sweater,
then his thing under shirt.  He tore it in half and
gave half of it to Mitsu.  "Use this." 

Mitsu's eyes were pasted on his chest.  She shook
herself and took the shirt.  "Uh...YEAH!" She
blushed as she changed the child's diaper.  Akemi
put his sweater and coat back on and put the remaining
half of the shirt back into the bag.  "Done...what
about the dirty diaper?" She gave it to Akemi.  

"Why do I have to throw it out?" Akemi asked.  "I
gave him my shirt!"

Mitsu wrapped the blanket around her Taro, looking
sad.  "I'm too sleepy..." she whined innocently. She
closed her eyes with a smile on her face.  

"You're too lazy, that's what you are." Akemi grumbled.
He crawled out of his space and threw the diaper out 
the opening.  He returned to back, only to find both
the baby and Mitsu sleeping happily...and taking up 
part of his space.  His cheek twitched. *She's really
starting to bug me...*

~~~~~~~~

Saburo was reading something in a dark room, only
lit by one candle.  It was a book on the sacred
elements and animals of the ancients.  He was
reading about the dragon and it's powers.  
*Basically, a dragon can control almost anything...*
He thought of himself.  He had a wicked smile
and looked at the fire, manipulating it with
thought.  *Perfect.*

~~~~~~~

Hanako rode on Mitsu's horse with Mitsu sitting
in front of her.  They were far off to the
side of the rode.  Hanako looked from Mitsu,
whose eyes never left the road, to Akemi,
whose eyes also never left the road.  While the
other signs and Shiho were engrossed in conversation,
The three of them were silent.  

She tugged on Mitsu's purple cloak.  "Yes?" Mitsu
asked.  "What is it, Hanako-chan?"

"It's about Akemi," Hanako whispered. She whispered
into Mitsu's ear.  "I think he likes you." 
 
Mitsu smiled at the innocent girl.  "Sure he does."

"I'm serious!" Hanako whispered again.  Mitsu 
merely nodded her head no.

"Akemi doesn't like me.  We only get along so
Taro doesn't cry.  He gets upset when his guardians
argue." Mitsu told the pink haired girl.  

"Lair," Hanako accused her older friend.  "How come
you two always sleep close together?" 

"Because we're Taro's favorites.  He stays on one
side of Taro and I stay on the other." Mitsu
explained.  

Hanako was very sneaky sometimes and narrowed her
eyes, determined to make her realized that Akemi
liked her and to make Akemi realized that HE liked
Mitsu.  "What about the way he's always putting
his arms around you when you guys are sleeping?"

"To keep myself as well as Taro warm." Mitsu
answered.  Hanako sighed and continued to think.

"And how come when you woke up from that coma
you were in after we battle Saburo's army, AKEMI
was there?" Hanako's eyes grew larger.  "Wait...
why WAS Akemi there?"

"Beats me." Mitsu shrugged.  Hanako wrinkled her
nose. 

"You two are hopeless." Hanako told her.  Mitsu
smiled and looked over at Akemi, who held Taro.

"Oh..." Mitsu mumbled.  She turned her eyes away
when Akemi looked their way.  "I wouldn't say that."

Akemi smiled quietly from his horse and looked at
Taro.  The baby was sleeping.  "Daddy..." he 
mumbled.  Akemi smiled more.  

"I think it's starting to get colder!" Toshio
announced.  "We should really find a place to
spend the night." 

"Right, Toshio, Akemi? You guys want to go
scouting for a place to camp for tonight?" Radien
asked.  

"Yeah," Akemi said.  They stopped their horses and 
they jumped down.  Akemi gave the baby to Mitsu
and returned to his horse.  "Let's go."

"You girls wait here for us." Toshio told them.
The three guys left.  Mitsu leaned against a tree
and cradled Taro.  

"Mommy..." Taro mumbled.  Mitsu smiled and held 
the child close to her.  

"Hey, Mitsu," Chi said.  The blue haired girl
sat down next to her friend.  "Mind if we talk?"

"I think it's about time we did.  You've been
spending most of your time with Toshio.  When
WERE you going to talk to me?" Mitsu asked,
sarcastically.  Chi smiled.

"I've been thinking," Chi said.  "About you and
Akemi."

"No," Mitsu began.  She looked up at the cloudy
sky.  "Not that again." 

"Just wait and let me tell you what I have to say!"
Chi said.  Mitsu sighed.  "I've been thinking
that since Toshio and I are together, and Clare
and Radien are, perhaps you and Akemi are."

"What?  Wait a sec-"

"No," Chi cut Mitsu off.  "I'm not done.  Just
think about it.  There's just something about 
your connection with him that has me thinking.
Even Kira and Hanako think you two were meant to
be."

"Chi," Mitsu whispered. She looked at her friend
with solemn eyes.  "Remember when we read the book,
and even Siro told us this, that two of guardians
always die?  Always Tatsu and Hitsuji?  Me and you?"

"Yes..." Chi whispered.

"Well, even I was with Akemi...I wouldn't want to
be.  If we ARE going to die...I hope not...I just
wouldn't want to have that much pain of leaving
him.  Or him to watch me die and not being able
to help." Mitsu whispered.  

Chi applied this to her own relationship and nodded.
"Yeah..." 

Mitsu gasped and covered her mouth.  "Chi! I'm sorry!
I forgot all about your relationship with Toshio!
I'm so stupid! I...I..."

"Hey..." Chi put her hand up and smiled quietly. "It
just makes me want to spend more time with him and
love him more." 

Mitsu smiled. "I'm sure he'd be happy if you are, too."

"We're back!" a voice rang.  Toshio, Radien, and Akemi
rode back to the group and Chi and Mitsu stood up.
"We found a nice place to camp for the night.  It has
a wind break and is covered by big tree roots.

"C'mon," Radien urged them. "You won't believe this!
There's a hot spring there! WE CAN BATHE!!!"

"YES!" Mitsu exclaimed.  "YOU GUYS WON'T STINK!" she
said pointing that the three riders.  "That much
anyway..." 

"Mitsu," Chi sighed and shock her head. "Get on your 
horse." 

~~~~~~~

"No!" Mitsu smiled stupidly.  "It's okay! I...umm..
I'll take a bath later!" She backed away from 
the other girls.  Her face was red.  

"Mitsu, you don't have to be embarrassed.  We're
all girls." Clare told her.

"But...still!"  She backed away further. "I'll go 
after you guys...ehehe..."

"After them," a deeper voice said from beyond the 
trees. "WE'LL be taking baths."

Mitsu turned even redder as the girls giggled.  
"Umm..." Mitsu stammered.  "I'll go AFTER the guys!"

"Then it'll be too cold, Mitsu!" Chi called.  The
girl sighed and let herself soak up the warm water.
"MITSU! Stop being so stubborn.  You'll freeze!"

"I'll BE FINE!!!" Mitsu yelled.  She moved on to
the camp and sat down in front of the fire.  Toshio
was leaning against a rock, reading a thick book. 

Radien was fixing the fire, and Akemi sat behind
her, feeding the baby. She held her arms out at
the fire and tried to get warm.  "You are so 
stubborn."

"I am not," Mitsu replied.  Akemi rolled his eyes.
"Why should I be stubborn?"

"Because you'd rather freeze to death than take
a bath with the rest of the girls." Akemi told her.

"It's a hot spring, I won't freeze," Mitsu told
him.  "How can I freeze in boiling water?"

"You might not freeze, but have you considered
what would happen AFTER you left the spring?  You'd
get so cold, you'll get ill." Akemi warned her.

Mitsu narrowed her eyes and looked back a tiny bit.
"Why would you even care?" she asked. He didn't answer
her. Instead, he turned away.  

~~~~~~

Chi gave her one last warning to take a bath 
at night before she went to sleep.  Mitsu shrugged
and insisted that she would be fine.  Chi nodded
her head as Mitsu sat on the rock by the hot spring,
waiting for everyone to sleep.  

She took a peek behind the huge rocks that created a
wind break for the group. Everyone was asleep, curled
up in the warmth of the group.  She smiled and
began to take off her clothes.  "Man...it is hot..."

She pulled her foot out of the water and fanned it.  
She lowered herself into the small pool, enough to
make sure she wasn't burned and to get used to the
water.  *Freeze...yeah right! That Akemi...he doesn't
know WHAT he's talking about.*

Mitsu smiled to herself as she relished the private
sanctuary.  *Akemi says I'll freeze, Chi-chan says I'll
get a cold, and I say I'm going to relax.  They worry
too much.*

She lifted her hair out of the water and put it on the
rock she leaned against. She closed her eyes, thinking
about how cool it was the have her own private hot
spring.  Even if it wasn't really hers.  *I still
feel that someone is watching me.  But who'd be stupid
enough to watch me? They MUST be desperate.* she smiled,
and opened her eyes. 

She saw a huge full moon in the sky and smiled.  No
matter how much she or Chi tried to image what was going
on, she still couldn't believe it.  Then Mitsu would
tease Chi about how she couldn't believe Toshio and Chi
could kiss for so long without coming up for air.  

That earned Mitsu a bruise.  She patted her right arm 
with her left hand and slowly rubbed the dark spot.
*Stupid Chi, has to take everything so personal...* 

In the bushes, two pairs of eyes peered into the pool,
spotting only the pile of purple hair on the rock.

"So...someone is trespassing on OUR property again?"
a voice asked.

"Looks like it." a deeper voice agreed.

"When will these people learn that that water is
not public property?" the other voice asked.  

"Beats me," the deeper voice answered.  The male 
voices quieted down and began to approach Mitsu.  
"Better scare him away." 

Mitsu heard the bushes moving behind her.  She turned
her head around to see two pairs of eyes and a sharp
pointed arrow.  

The scream pierced the night air and the group awoke.
They heard another scream from behind the rocks and 
Chi yelled. 

"OhmiGod! That's MITSU!" Chi yelled.  She jumped up,
but Toshio held her back.  They heard several splashes 
in the water and a moment later, a soaking wet blur
in a purple towel ran around the corner and dove for 
cover behind Akemi, in the pile of blankets.  

"Mitsu!" Hanako gasped.  "What happened!"

Mitsu jumped back up, wrapping her shivering body in
Akemi's blanket.  She stood behind him, pointing
around the corner.  "Per...Perve...PERVERT!!!" she 
stammered.

The group surrounded Mitsu and Hanako grabbed Taro, 
holding him closely.  Chi wrapped Mitsu's hair up and
then put more blanket's around her friend.  Akemi
pulled his sword out and narrowed his eyes angrily.  

Toshio created a ball of energy in his hands and
threw it over the rock wall.  Male screams are heard then
two SMOKING young men come out from behind the wall 
dazed and confused.  

"That's them! Those are the guys who were looking at me!
The one with the glasses shot arrows at me!" Mitsu yelled.
Kira narrowed her eyes.

"Well, we'll see whose better at firing arrows," Kira 
said.  She lifted her left arm to reveal a bright red
cross bow with the arrow aimed right at the guy's head.
"Lets see if he can get THIS!"

She sent the arrow flying and the guy merely stepped out
of it's way.  Kira, still smiling, watched as her arrow
turned and headed straight towards his back.  It slices
his shoulder and then disintegrates.  

The group stare at the guy, who falls to his knees, 
holding his shoulder.  He was the one wearing glasses.

"Kira-san!" Toshio gasped.  The others look at her. 

"One, I don't like perverts, and two, I especially
don't like it when perverts spy on my friends." Kira
told them.  

The guy looked up at her, his face twisted in anger
and pain behind his glasses.  "What's the big idea!?
I didn't spy on your friend.  YOU were the ones
trespassing on MY property!" 

"Laws around this area do state that if you trespass
on someone else's property, they have the right to
kill you." the younger one said.  He had fluffy 
black hair and eyes, looking straight at the group.

"What kind of place is this?" Radien asked.  Clare
walked over to the younger boy and bent down.

"Oh! He's so adorable!" Clare giggled.  Radien
sweatdropped and pulled her back.

"Clare..." he mumbled. Clare blushed and smiled,
trying to ignore what just happened.  

"And since you are...ow..." the older young man
stood up, "Trespassing, we CAN kill you." 

"Wouldn't warning us first be easier and less
violent?" Hanako asked.  

"Well...uh...I guess..." the older one stammered.
He had brown hair and eyes, behind circular 
glasses.  "But we're MEN! What's the fun in 
that?"

"You know, he's gotta point-" Akemi began, Mitsu
slapped him upside the head, letting her blanket
drop and loosen a bit while her arm left it's space 
that held the blanket it place.  Akemi turned red 
as he caught a glimpse of Mitsu's...chest area, 
just as she tugged up the blanket more.  

"What are you staring at?" She hissed.  Akemi turned
back.  

"Well," Radien told them. He held his ribbon ready.
It turned electric blue as electricity circled around
it. "If you REALLY want to fight us..." 

"You'll have to deal with more than just arrows." 
Clare added.  She lifted her stars and let them
shine in the moonlight, showing off their sharp
edges.

"That's for sure." Chi added.  Her long whip
trailed from her hands down.  

"I'll fight, Eric!" the younger guy said.  He held out 
a sharp mace at them.  

"So will I, Tyler!" the Eric announced.  The group
looked at their stances, as Eric had a ax in his
hands. The group laughed.  

"Hey!" Tyler asked.  "What's so funny?" He put his
mace down.  Radien smiled and snapped the ribbon.  He
tied it around mace.  

"Rule number one," Radien smiled, "NEVER let your
guard down." He closed his eyes and sent electricity
through the ribbon, burning Tyler's mace to a crisp.

"Rule number two!" Toshio told them as Eric looked
back as his friend and put his ax down. Toshio
send energy shaped like a blade, spiraling towards the
ax.  It cut the handle and caused the ax to land on 
Eric's foot. "Don't piss off a wizard."

"And rule number 3," Mitsu's voice rang from behind
them.  She was still behind Akemi.  "Don't EVER
watch a lady bathe!" She did no attack on them.  

"Well?" Eric and Tyler gasped.  They were on the 
ground, looking over Eric's foot.  "No attack? No
power?"

"Hello? Do you think I'd attack like this!?" She
directed them to the fact that she was wearing 
blankets and was growing cold. 

"You two better leave us.  We'll be gone in the
morning.  We see you guys again, we'll REALLY
hurt you, understand?" Hanako warned them. 

Tyler made a face at Hanako. They seemed to be
the same age.  "Yeah, right! Like I'm going to 
listen to a girl!" 

Akemi's bright sword flash in front of him.  He
put the tip of the sword under Tyler's chin.  
"Don't mess with any girl from THIS group." Akemi
told them, his tone deadly.  He took his sword
back and Tyler and Eric ran.  

Akemi watched them run away, with a smile on his
face.  He turned around and turned even more red
when he saw his two male friends' heads turned
away from the corner.  Hanako was holding Taro and
turned away, Chi, Clare, and Kira held blankets up
to cover someone who was changing frantically.  

"Akemi!" Chi yelled.  "Don't stare! Turn around!" 
Akemi turned his head away, furiously red.  He looked
as his friends.  

"I don't see why you can't check Mitsu out.  She's
YOUR girlfriend." Radien mumbled.

"I'M NOT HIS GIRLFRIEND!!!" Mitsu yelled from behind
them.  Akemi rolled his eyes.

"Have your girlfriends allowed you to seem THEM 
changing?" Akemi asked, quietly, hoping the girls
didn't hear him. 

Radien and Toshio had sweat drops on their
heads.  "No."

"So shut up." 

~~~~~~~~

Mitsu rode on her horse, feeling like a lump of
marshmallow.  Chi rode next to her, continuously
telling her not to even try to take off one of the
jackets she piled on her.  Hanako rode with Chi
and giggled as Mitsu tried to yell at Chi from behind
the scarf Chi covered her mouth with. 

Mitsu tugged the scarf down.  She had been forced
to wear her uniform pants, shirt, vest, two
sweaters, Akemi's thick jacket, her cloak, and
three pairs of socks.  "Chi!" Mitsu gasped.  "Was
this necessary?" she asked.  

"Yes! Otherwise, you'll get sick." Chi told her.
Mitsu grumbled about how she wouldn't get sick.

"Chi," Clare said from her seat behind Radien.
"Perhaps you SHOULD take off some of the clothes.
Mitsu looks like she's suffocating."

"I am." Mitsu mumbled, her scarf once again
muffling her words.  

"I like her like this," Akemi stated as he rode
past them with Taro in his arms, sleeping
once again.  "She's quiet."

"Yuuuuu! WHUMMMP NIGOGOSNUMP!" Mitsu grumbled.

Akemi held his ear out.  "What, Mitsu? I can't
hear you!"  

"YUUUU MUTHHHHHHHMP FOOMMMERPH!" Akemi laughed
as Mitsu glared at him. 

"Perhaps it is better this way..." Chi whispered.

Mitsu gasped. "WHUH?!?!"  

~~~~~~

Saburo had sent the Ten Stems on a mission to catch
and retrieve Mitsu.  He wanted her back alive so he
could convert her.  

His sister, Raku, ordered him not to and that would
make things worse.  

"Worse?  Everything won't get worse." Saburo told her.

"You don't know what you're asking for, Saburo," Raku
told him.  "Kidnap her and the Signs will be after
your blood." 

"Who cares?  Just the blue haired girl." he replied.
	
"The blue haired girl is Toshio's lover is she not?"
Raku asked.

"Girlfriend...yes..." Saburo nodded.

"Take Tatsu and Hitsuji will be after you, if Hitsuji
is after you, so will Toshio.  And the Tora, tiger,
he'll be after you as well." Raku told him.

"Why would he?  He doesn't care about her...does
he?" Saburo asked.  He turned around, confused.

"Yes.  According to the records I have researched,
HE will eventually end up being with her." Raku
told him.

"What? Impossible! That can change, can't it?" 
Saburo asked.  She nodded. "Well, then...she's
as good as mine."

~~~~~~


"Hey!" a voice yelled.  Mitsu turned her neck around
quickly.  

"AH!" she gasped.  She fell off her horse.  While
Akemi burst out laughing and pointing at the
marshmallow figure stuck in the dirt, Chi jumped
off her horse to help her out.  

"Hey!" the voice yelled again.  The group stopped
and looked back down the path.  A brown horse
rode up with two riders.  A young teenage boy 
and an older young man. 

"You!" Kira hissed.  She prepared her arrows for
another attack.  

"Kira, hold it back!" Toshio commanded.  Kira 
narrowed her eyes at him, but lowered the cross
bow.  Toshio looked back at the guys on the horse.
"What do you want?"
	
"We what to join you!" the younger boy said.

"Sorry," Akemi told them sternly, behind him,
Chi was helping Mitsu take off some of the
clothes she had piled on her friend. "This is
a strict group.  We can't allow anyone else
but the choose few."

"They can come," Mitsu said.  Akemi turned around
and looked at her. "I trust them.  They can come."

"After they saw you naked?!" Akemi growled.  

"They didn't see anything.  I ran out of there
so fast the couldn't have seen anything.  Besides,
I had my towel on." Mitsu told him.

"Mitsu-san..." Radien asked. "Are you absolutely
sure?" 

"I have a feeling about this and I think they 
should come." Mitsu insisted.

"Hmm...well, perhaps we should listen to Mitsu
this time," Clare agreed.  "I think she should
know what she's doing."

"If she's wrong..." Akemi murmured.

"I'm not." 

~~~~~~

Toshio, Akemi, and Radien looked into each other's
eyes, waiting for each other to make the first
move.  

"THE BED'S MINE!!!" Radien yelled.  He dove for
the single bed in the room they were supposed to 
share.  Akemi grabbed his waist and Toshio 
grabbed his leg.

"It's MINE!!!" Akemi growled.  He raced ahead 
and tried to get on the bed.

"Nope!" Toshio smiled.  He held his arms up and
suspended his friends in air.  "It's mine." Once
he was settled on the bed, he dropped Akemi and
Radien.

"AH!" Akemi looked at the white haired man sitting
happily on the bed.  "Why do you get the bed?"

"I laid on it first."

"But you cheated! You used magic!" Radien argued.

"No one said I couldn't." Toshio told them. 

"Radien!" a voice yelled from behind the door. 
"Open up! It's Clare! Guess what!" 

"What?" Radien asked as he opened the door.  Clare
put her arms around him and kissed him deeply.  
Toshio blushed while Akemi wondered if Toshio
and Chi could kiss that long... "Wow..."

"Radien! Mitsu-chan made some extra money!" Clare
gasped happily.

"How did that little snob nosed kid get some cash?"
Akemi asked.  

"I challenged a guy to fight me," Mitsu said.  She leaded
against his door way and waved some money in his face.
"The girls and I were walking around the market place,
when I saw this group.  This big fat guy was arm 
wrestling some other guy.  And the other guy lost, 
letting the bigger guy take him money."

"And then," Chi said as she came up behind her friend,
"Mitsu was looking very interested in that and the
big guy said 'You think you can beat me, you sissy
girl?'"

"Mitsu said," Hanako began as she came in holding
Taro.  "'I am a girl, stupid.  So was your mother,
does that mean you're making fun of her?' Of
course the big guy got mad."

"We tried to pull Mitsu away, but the guy kept
making fun of her and teasing her until Mitsu
challenged him.  If she won, he would give her
his day's winnings." Kira added.

"If she lost?" Toshio asked as he held Chi in
his arms.

"Mitsu made the stupid accident of saying 'whatever
you want'," Kira explained.  "And he said 'sleep 
with me.'"

"WHAT!?" The guys gasped.  

"But then!" Eric began.  He joined the group with
Tyler.  "I said Mitsu was my sister and I would
kill him one way or another-"

"In short a death threat." Kira cut him off.  Eric
rolled his eyes.

"Just take all the fun out of the story." He mumbled.

"ANYWAY," Hanako smiled.  "The guy didn't care and
Mitsu said 'Fine.'"

"YOU SAID WHAT!?" Akemi grabbed her shoulders and
shook her violently.  "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!?!"

"Oh...Akemi, do you care?" Mitsu asked.  He let her
go immediately as she snickered. "So anyway, I 
sat down and I took his hand.  There is this little
thing I know about the human body that this guy didn't
know.  The part between the fingers is very venerable
to pressure.  I squeezed that part of his hand."

"While he winced, Mitsu slammed his hand down.  After
the crowd yelled, she collected her money and walked 
away." Chi told them. 

"Easy money," Mitsu smiled and gave the money to Toshio.
"You guys can use this to pay for another room."

"Great, now we won't have to fight over a bed." Radien
said.  

"Wow..." Clare commented. "Your room is tiny.  Ours is
huge." 

"What?" they asked.  Clare waved for them to follow her.
She opened the room she shared with Kira and Hanako. It
had high ceilings and three beautifully furnished beds.

"Everyone else's looks the same." Chi added.  

"Then how come our room is the 'Ghetto Inn'?" Toshio
mumbled.  

"Maybe the clerk didn't like you guys." Hanako suggested.

"I don't see how that could effect-" Radien began and then
he realized that the clerk was MALE and the girls who
got their and Eric and Tyler's room were VERY pretty. "Oh."

Akemi pulled Mitsu aside while everyone took a small tour
of the girls' room.  

"What would you have done if you lost to that guy?" Akemi
asked her.  He had a stern and angry look on his face.

"Run.  I would've ran back here and hid behind a door with
tons of locks," she told him.  She brought her eyebrows
closer together.  "Did you seriously think I would.…?"

"No!" Akemi gasped.  He pushed her away and blushed.  "Of
course not!  Not you...hehehehe..."

"Hmm...okay..." Mitsu turned around and began her way
back to her room.  She stopped and turned around. 
"Akemi-kun?"

"Yeah?" he asked. He was about to go join the rest of the
group inside the room.  Mitsu looked solemn and turned
pink when she said this.

"If he followed me..." she whispered.  "Would you have
protected me?" Akemi sighed heavily and turned his
head away.

"Let's just say I'd be the brick wall holding back
thieves from coming near a precious jewel." With that
he turned around and joined his friends with 'ohs' and
'ahs' about the room.

Mitsu stood in the hallway and thought about what he
just said.  After a while, she turned around...with a
smile.

~~~~~~~

"Hinoe..." Saburo whispered.  The female twin of fire
sat up in bed.  "Wake UP!"

"Sire!" Hinoe gasped.  She jumped up, immediately
covering her body with her black bed sheets.  "Yes!?"

"You and your brother have a job to do.  Tsuchinoto
and his sister have reported that the Twelve Signs
are traveling with two new people," Saburo told her.
"I want you to kill ALL the Signs.  Save the child
and Mitsu, the guardian dragon.  Bring them to me
alive. And put some clothes on...!" He left the room.  

"Hinoe!" another voice yelled.

"Now what!?" she moaned.  Raku appeared from the
shadows carrying a vile of white liquid. "Lady Raku!"

"Not now!" Raku hissed.  She gave the vile of
liquid to Hinoe.  "Take this liquid and pour it in
Guardian Dragon's drink.  It is a poison."

"I thought King Saburo wanted her alive?" Hinoe
asked as she looked at the crystal vile. 

"Prophecy says that if she lives, our entire
life's work of preparing to take over this fuckin'
world will go down the damn drain," Raku told her.
"Kill her.  This will make it look like she got
sick and will die.  Once Saburo finds out,
it'll too late, understand?"

"Yes, highness.  I will do as I am are told."
Raku smiled evilly and disappeared into thin air.
Hinoe looked at the vile and held it tightly.

~~~~~

Sunlight caressed the inlet of the river.  Soap
bubbles floated in the air and happy voices
could be heard. 

"Diaper!" Mitsu yelled.  Akemi threw the freshly
washed white cloth at her face.  "I meant hand it
to me, you jerk." 

"Bitch, bitch, bitch. That's all you ever do." Akemi
sighed.  They were all by the river bank, washing their
laundry.  Mitsu was changing Taro's diaper on a near by
rock.  

Radien and Toshio were assigned to hanging and folding
the clothes, the other girls were supposed to wash the
remaining clothes.  Akemi had to clean out the pots
and pans and Mitsu had to clean ALL the diapers. 

"Hey!" Chi yelled.  "No swearing!"

"Sorry!" the two echoed.  Mitsu's purple hair was
tied up in a tight bun at the top of her head.  Her
bangs and strands of hair fell messily over her eyes
as she changed Taro's diaper.

"WHEW!" Mitsu whipped the sweat on her forehead.  "Finally,
I'm done!"

"Mitsu!" Hanako shouted.  She came from the river bend and
put a pile of white sheets in front of her.  "Um...
you missed a pile of diapers." 

Sweatdrop appeared on Mitsu's head.  While Akemi laughed 
hysterically as Mitsu grumbled, washing the diapers angrily, 
Taro was on a bag tied to her back. 

"Laugh all you want, Akemi!" Mitsu yelled.  "Look what I 
have!" She lifted up several pairs of white boxers.  "These
seems to be YOUR boxers, ne?" 

"WHAT! How'd you get them!?" Akemi dropped the pan he
was washing into the inlet where they were doing the
laundry.  "Give them to me!"  He ran through the water.
Within two steps, he slipped on the smooth pebbles and
fell into the water.

"AHAHAHA!!!" Mitsu pointed to him as he struggled
to get up.  Over and over, he fell back into the water.

"Ow!" Akemi's head hit a rock...HARD.  Mitsu stopped
laughing and looked serious as Akemi's head slowly
moved from side to side.  

"Hmm...maybe I shouldn't have laughed...TOO hard..."
Mitsu began her way, wading through the water, hoping
not to slip and fall.  "CHI! TOSHIO!!!!" she screamed.
Akemi's eyes were closed and he moaned painfully.

"Had to wave the clothes didn't you...?" he whispered.
A small smile came to his face.  Mitsu frowned.

"Don't smile! You're hurt!" Mitsu snapped.  He opened
one eye and smiled more.  

"Don't bitch around with me," he told her. He smiled.
"From down here, you actually look pretty cute.  But
it might be the concusion." 

"TOSHIO!!!" Mitsu screamed.  Chi and Toshio ran towards
the inlet.  

Mitsu had her arms crossed and looked down angrily
at a idiotically smiling Akemi.  "Oh no!" Chi gasped.
"He's on drugs!!!"

"I'm not on drugs..." Akemi mumbled as Toshio helped
him up.  "I slipped and fell." 

"Better check his eyes." Mitsu told them.  Akemi
snapped his head around, only to falter and fall...
again.

"Screw you." Akemi grumbled as Toshio and Chi dragged
him away.

From behind Mitsu, a baby whined.  "Da-da!!!" Taro
whined.  Mitsu sighed and dragged herself up the
sloping river bank and towards their mini camp.

"Mitsu, c'mon!" Kira yelled. "Let's eat!" She placed
some roasted chicken on Mitsu's plate and handed it
to her.  

"Where are Taro's bottles?" Mitsu asked as she put the
plate down and swung Taro over on her lap. Kira gave
her a warm bottle and Mitsu bottle fed the child. 
"How's Akemi?"

"How do you think I am!?" He growled.  He was laying
next to her with Toshio wrapping a bandage his head.  
"I hit a rock with my head." 

"Shhh..." Mitsu whispered. "You'll get an even bigger
head ache."

"How is that possible?  I hit a rock with my head!" 
Akemi snapped.

"It's possible when your head runs into my foot." Mitsu
told him.  

"You always act like a self righteous son of a ..." 
Akemi's voice drifted away as two shadows by the camp
watched silently.  Kira walked past them, carrying a
tray of drinks.  

As Kira turned to look at something she might had
dropped, she placed the tray, with the color coded
cups to tell whose drink was whose, on a rock.    

Once Kira turned away, Hinoe poured the vile of liquid
into the purple cup.  She hid again once Kira returned.
Kira picked up the tray and walked back the group.
"I thought I almost lost my watch!" Kira said as she
gave each guardian their cup.  

Hinoe smiled evilly as Kira gave Mitsu the purple
cup.  Mitsu looked at it and was about to drink.
"YES! DRINK!" Hinoe smiled.  Her brother wondered 
what she was so excited about.  

"Oh, hey, Mitsu, I think I got your drink," Akemi
said.  "This is water.  I wanted white wine." 
Mitsu sniffed her drink quietly and nodded.

"Yup," she gave Akemi her cup and Akemi gave her
his.  She took a big gulp of water.  Hinoe turned
pale as Akemi took one sip from the purple cup.  
"Akemi?" Mitsu asked.  Akemi's body began to 
convulse.  He dropped and shattered the cup and
put his hands on his neck.  Toshio and the others
surrounded him.  "AKEMI, what's wrong!?" 

"AH! Poi...poison..." Akemi said harshly.  Eric's
eyes got big.  He looked at the cup and grabbed it's
remains.  He smelled it.  

"Oh...SHIT!" Eric growled.  "Snake poison!? Who the
hell uses snake poison?"

"Raku!" Shiho gasped.  "When I stayed in Saburo's camp,
his sister, Raku had several poisonous snakes!" 

"Which means..." Radien said.  Clare's eyes narrowed
and she held her stars.  "There are some Stems here!"
Clare let her stars go, slicing through the bushes.

"AH!" a voice screamed.  Hinoe ran out, her wrist
bleeding with one of Clare's stars sticking out.  
"You bitch! Take off!" 

"The Fire twins!" Mitsu gasped.  

"Fire?" Chi asked.  She held her hands up.  "Water
Capricorn!" As her power smashed Hinoe against a 
tree, Hanako and Mitsu crowded around Taro and
Akemi.  

"Hey! Don't do that to my sister!" Hinoto screamed
as he ran out of the forest, shooting fire
everywhere.  The trees caught fire around the
group.  

"Oh no!" Chi gasped.  "I don't think I can take
it all out!!!"

"Let me try to help!" Eric told them.  He closed his
eyes and pointed the river.  "Water Boar!" A huge
boar made of water came out and began to dose the
flames with water sprinkling from it's tusks.  
His symbol appeared on his neck as he concentrated.  
His glasses fell off.  As Chi began to help,
the others began to fight the Fire Twins. 

"I am of no use!" Kira gasped. She stepped back.  
Eric clamped his hands on her sagging shoulders.  

"Don't say that!" Eric told her sternly.  She looked
back as he smiled.  *She's cute.*

"Fire against fire? What good will that do?" she 
asked.  *He's handsome.*

"Try your fire arrows.  They sure taught me a 
lesson!" he joked.  Kira looked at him and blushed.

"No time for jokes!" she said as she turned her
head away.  "Fire Arrows!" 

Mitsu held Taro and Hanako behind her, covering
them with her body, all while holding Akemi close
to her.  "They need my help..." she whispered.
"But I can't leave you guys...." 

She turned to look at a scared Hanako and Taro
behind her.  When she turned back a spiraling 
ball of fire was headed toward her. She didn't 
even have time to scream.  "Land Ox!" a voice
yelled.  A huge Ox looking thing made of
earth was formed out of the ground in front
of the group.  

With Tyler's command, the Ox absorbed the 
the fire.  "Thank you!" Mitsu yelled.  Tyler
smiled.  A black symbol appeared at the base of
his neck.  "Tyler! You and Eric are one of
us!" Mitsu yelled.

Tyler looked at his neck and turned
red.  "Oh...COOL!" He smiled, just as Radien
pulled him out of the way of a spiraling 
ball of fire.  

"We'll be back!" Hinoto told them.  "And say
good bye to you guardian Tiger! He's DEAD." 

Hinoto and Hinoe ran and disappeared.  Mitsu
held Akemi's head against her chest and cradled
him with her eyes glazed over.  "It was meant
for me..." she whispered.  "I was supposed to die."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The night was cold and Mitsu tried her best to
keep herself warm.  Earlier, she stood still and
emotionless as Akemi's body was checked.  A tearful
group of girls surrounded her and gave her 
hugs as Toshio and Eric came back with the
results. 

"Mitsu-san..." Toshio whispered.  "I'm sorry." 

With that, she broke down and cried hysterically. 
Tears practically soaked her shirt as she yelled
Akemi's name over and over.  She kept insisting
it was her fault and that she was the one that
was supposed to die.  Chi cried with her,
as did Taro.  Then Taro and Mitsu refused to 
eat and just went to bed.  

Now, everyone was asleep, Mitsu asked Chi and
Toshio to keep Taro warm because alone she
couldn't.  She sat up in camp and walked away.

The moonlight glistened on Akemi's pale body.  
His face was sunken and had a frown on his
face.  She stood several feet from the body,
staring at it quietly.  "Akemi..." she 
sobbed.  She ran over and draped herself
over the stiff body.  "It should've been
for me...I should be dead...not you!" 

No answer.  Her tears dripped on his clothes.
"I'm sorry...I'm sorry for letting you
drink from my cup...I'm sorry for being a 
bitch always..." she stammered.  "I'm sorry
for always making fun of you...I'm sorry
for everything!" She wrapped her arms around
his shoulders.  She put her head on his shoulders
as she laid next to him on the stone used for
his alter.  "I'd do anything if you would
just come back..." Mitsu closed her eyes and 
cried softly.  

She wasn't sure if she was getting a fever or
not, because she began to feel warmer. Her head
dizzied off and she fell asleep next to the
body.

~~~~~

He slowly placed his now warmed hands around her
shoulders.  She shivered as she slept next to him,
tears still running down her cheeks as her
reoccurring dream of him dying ran through her head. 

He brushed away the soft silken purple hairs
and smiled.  He turned his body to keep her warm
and closed his eyes once more.  Flushed lips
touched the top of her head as he murmured
quiet words.  "Mitsu..."

~~~~~

When Saburo found out what his sister tried
to do, he threw her into the dungeon, only to
find she easily escaped.  

"How could you try to kill her!?" Saburo 
growled.  The Fire Twins told him everything.

"The prophet said-" Raku began, but Saburo
slapped her.  

"Shut up!  You little bitch!  You nearly
killed her!!" Saburo growled madly.

"Sire, news from the prophet!" a guard said.

"Now what?" Saburo asked. 

"The prophet says that he felt the energy of
the guardian Tora, again sire.  He has 
come back to life!" the guard told him.

"WHAT!?" Raku and Saburo gasped.  "That's not
possible! My snake's poison is too strong!"

"The prophet said that he felt the energy
gone for a few hours until a while ago.  It
seems that he sensed guardian Tatsu's energy
bringing him back." the guard reported.

Saburo growled angrily.  He took his
sword and sliced the guard down the middle.
As the two pieces fell to the ground in a
bloody heap, Saburo's mouth twitched into
a smile.  "That's all right..." he 
whispered.  "Now we know how powerful Mitsu
can be." 

~~~~~

Chi, Toshio, Clare, Radien, Kira, Eric,
Hanako, Tyler, Shiho, and Taro stood a distance
away from Akemi's alter.  They saw the body
turned away from them and Mitsu was gone.  

Tyler and Hanako had gone to fetch water when
they saw Mitsu in the arms of a man thought to
be dead.  "It's so romantic..." Clare
sighed.

"But in a sick and twisted sort of way..." 
Kira added.  Chi and Toshio looked exceptionally
sad.  

"They really do love each other, Toshio," Chi
told him as she held his hand tightly.  "I think
I better go wake her up...this isn't good for 
her." 

"Mitsu..." Hanako mumbled.  "Please don't go
crazy..."

Chi slowly walked up behind the larger
body of the man and pulled him back into
a laying position on his back instead of
on his side.  When she let him hit the stone,
a grunt came from his mouth. "OhmiGod!"
Chi gasped.  She jumped away.  Toshio and
Radien came running.  

Akemi's face was back to it's normal color.  
His eyes blinked open.  "Hey...Toshio-kun?
Radien-kun?" he asked.  

"He's alive!" Chi yelled.  The rest of the
group ran towards them.  They stopped when 
Akemi sat up and rubbed his head. 

"Yes, I'm alive..." Akemi told them.  "Why
do you all look so shocked?"

"But...we were absolutely sure you died!"
Eric gasped.  "How is this possible!?"

"It's amazing!" Toshio told him.  

"Akemi, how do you feel?" Radien asked.

"Fine," Akemi told them.  He turned
behind him and saw the little female figure
still sleeping, despite the commotion.  "Mitsu."

"Da-da!" Taro clapped his hands.  "I know
you live!" Akemi smiled and kissed Taro's head.

He stood up, not even wobbling, as he picked
up Mitsu and headed back to the camp.  The group
stood there, transfixed.

"Well, let's go!" Hanako began.  Chi held her back.

"I think we should let Akemi wake up Mitsu.  This is
a private moment." Chi told her.  Hanako looked
from the group to Akemi.  She wrinkled her nose and
nodded.

~~

"Hey," Akemi whispered.  "Wake up, please?" Mitsu's
eyes opened up and looked straight into bright
red ones.  Her eyes grew big and she gasped.  

"Akemi?!" she gasped.  She covered her mouth with her
hand and sat up to look at him.  He sat on a rock 
next to her bedside.  She reached out and touched his
hand.  "You're alive?" 

"You were there last night...you said you'd do 
anything if I came back..." Akemi told her.  "You
don't have to do anything...I came back anyway." 

"Akemi!" Mitsu cried.  She clung on to his waist
with her arms, burying her face in his chest.  She
sobbed and her hands gripped his shirt tightly,
not wanting to let him go.  

Akemi put his arms around her shoulders and held
her closer.  He ran his hand through her mass of
purple hair and smiled.  "Mitsu..." he whispered.
"I won't ever leave you." 

~~~~~~

"She's been clinging on to him for a week now..."
Kira whispered.  "I don't like this...it's just
not...the same."

"Let them be together," Chi told her as she
peeled some potatoes.  "Why don't you go with
Eric.  I'm sure he'd LOVE to spend more time
with you."  Kira blushed, then sulked.

"I'd love to, but I don't think he feels
that way.  He's always out with the guys when
the guys aren't with their girls.  If not
that, he's teaching Tyler and Hanako how
to look for food or baby-sitting Taro when
Akemi and Mitsu want to be alone." Kira told her.

"Uh! What is with guys?" Clare growled.  She slammed
the basket of crabs the guys caught, by the river, on 
the rocks while the girls were preparing dinner. 
"Radien said that he wasn't going to come with
me to watch the sun set tonight because he was 
going to do a little late night swimming with
the guys!" 

"Oh, that's okay.  He's probably taking Eric with
him too...MEN.  What losers." Kira grumbled.

"Oh, they're not all that bad." Chi told them as she
took out a pot to boil the crabs in.

"Speak for yourself.  Toshio told me to tell you
that he'd be swimming tonight, too." Clare told
her.  Chi jumped up.

"HE WHAT!?" she growled.  

"Hey! Quiet back there!" Akemi said.  "I'm
trying to talk to Mitsu!" He heard Chi tell
him to shut up then mumble something about
hitting Toshio with the pot.

"At least I have you." Mitsu said as she rubbed
his shoulders.  

"Thanks so much, Mitsu-chan..." Akemi smiled.
He was enjoying the shoulder rub after he
had a small training session with the guys. 
"That feel so good." 

"You're so tense," Mitsu told him.  "Has
Taro been kicking you in his sleep again?" 

"Nope," he answered.  "It's just being
with you is more stressing than I thought.  I
didn't know you could be so picky!" Akemi's
eyes grew large when he realized what he said.

"Picky?" Mitsu asked, her tone deadly.  "What
did you mean by that!?" 

"Nothing...really-" Akemi began.  Mitsu
smiled and continued to rub his shoulders.

"Say it, Akemi.  I won't mind." Mitsu smiled. 
Akemi was to intent on having his shoulders rubbed
to pay any attention to what he was going to say.

"Well, you ARE a bitch sometimes.  You get picky
when you don't like what's to eat.  You act so
mean to me sometimes, even now that we are
together.  And sometimes you SNORE and kick me," 
Akemi said.  Mitsu smiled more. "But what's really
annoying is that when we spare, you HAVE to win.
By the way, I can't go out with you tonight and
do our usual watching the sun set and then
go for a walk by the river because I'm going
swimming with the guys." 

"Tell me, Akemi-chan," Mitsu asked, "Do you like
this?" She let her hands go under his shirt his
and rub his chest.

"Yeah..." Akemi blushed.

"How about this?" Mitsu asked.  Her hands unbuttoned
his shirt and tugged it off.  She then rubbed his
back.

"Oh...wow...that's great..." Akemi blushed more.

"What about this?" Mitsu whispered.  She parted the
hair and kissed his neck.  Akemi shivered and turned
completely red.

"Uh-huh..." he said, as if on a drug.  

"Too bad, because you'll never get it again." Mitsu
told him. She stood up, took his shirt and threw
it at him.  She then stomped away.  

"What?" Akemi gasped.  He jumped up.  "Mitsu! Hey!"
She went to get Taro and was feeding him when Akemi
found her again.  "What was that all about!?"

"Screw off.  We're not longer together!" Mitsu
told him.  "I don't snore! Or kick!  And even if
I did, how could you tell me about it!?" 

"But...but...!" Akemi began.  Mitsu turned her
back toward him.  He frowned and crossed his
arms.  "You're acting like a bitch again."

"Fuck off, Jerk." Mitsu said.  She flicked him
off and Akemi walked away. 

"Well," Hanako said as she looked with the
others from the bushes. "They're back to 
normal." 

"I'm not sure if that's good..." Toshio
said.

"Or bad." the others chorused.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Author's Note:

They were together for little while...but
good things must come to an end (for a while
anyway!).  Well gotta go, here's next time's:

Amazon Village: Men WANTED! 
Will the 12 Signs split up when beautiful
Amazon women take the guys for their own?
How will Chi react when some girl takes HER
Toshio?

Mitsu: I'll tell you! Kill! She'll be out for
	BLOOD!!!!
Chi: I wouldn't do that.
Toshio: Great!
Chi (looks at Toshio sternly): IF he keeps
	being good.
Toshio: Yes ma'am.
Akemi: Hahaha! You're whooped!
(Chi FRENCH KISSES Toshio & Akemi's
mouth drops.) 
Toshio: It's worth it!
Akemi (looks at Mitsu): You never did that
	to me!
Mitsu: Yes I did, what about when we-uh...I mean
	NO! You didn't earn it!!! (turns red)
Akemi: What time we...OH!!! HEHEHE...I didn't 
	earn it? Oh... (turns red)
Hanako: Okay, that's it, I need man. 
Tyler: What about me?
Hanako: Man-not weenie boy. 
Len-chan: That's all folks! (to the Signs)
	Get back in story! Hey! I don't like
	that finger sign!!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~