02x03 - The Ancient Path

[bunniefuu]

When two perfectly ordinary
middle school students…

…Miaka Yuki and Yui Hongo,
encountered a strange book…

…both of their destinies
were altered irrevocably.

The book, which lay deep
in the library…

…as though hiding
from the sight of men…

…contained the story of the
advent of a legendary priestess.

What’s that supposed to mean?

If you can’t understand it,
how am I supposed to—

As though led by the red light, the
doorway to another world was opened…

…and Miaka Yuki and Yui Hongo
were thrust into the story…

…of “The Universe of the
Four Gods” within the book.

“The Universe of the Four Gods”…

It is a story of a girl who
gathered the Seven Stars of Suzaku…

…and who gained the power to
make all her dreams come true.

I’ll do it! I’ll do it!
I’ll be the Priestess of Suzaku!

I’ve been waiting for this role!

Listen to me, all of you!

This girl is the one who shall
gain the power of Suzaku!

She who shall save our empire,
the Priestess of Suzaku!

The Konan Empire, within the book
of “The Universe of the Four Gods.”

The Lady Miaka, encouraged
by Emperor Hotohori…

…became the legendary
Priestess of Suzaku.

Lady Miaka may have become
the Priestess of Suzaku…

…but in order to summon Suzaku
and have her wishes granted…

…she had to first find the seven
Celestial Warriors of Suzaku.

The names of the seven
constellations are:

Chichiri.

Tamahome.

Nuriko.

Hotohori.

Chiriko.

Tasuki.

Mitsukake.

They’re called the seven
constellations of Suzaku.

Tamahome was the name of the boy who
saved the Lady Miaka from danger…

Four guys… Against one girl?

And you call yourselves men?

A boy with the character
for “ogre” on his forehead…

The first of the Suzaku Seven
the Lady Miaka would meet.

A meeting that would prove
fateful for the both of them…

Miaka! Miaka, where are you?!

MIAKA!

Miaka!

The Emperor Hotohori,
who wished for the Lady Miaka…

…to become the
Priestess of Suzaku.

MIAKA!!!

Hotohori, too, was destined
to be one of the Suzaku Seven.

The third of the
Suzaku Seven, Nuriko…

…appeared to be a young woman.

My name is Korin, but I am
also known as Nuriko.

Nuriko carried secret
feelings for Hotohori…

…which caused Nuriko
to resent the Lady Miaka.

Don’t make a fool of me!
Aren’t you even a little angry?!

Or are you that forgiving?!

Back at you!

Nuriko eventually opened
her heart to the Lady Miaka.

However, Nuriko was
also hiding a secret…

N-Nothing…

You’re…a…guy?!

Oh, well, the cat’s
out of the bag.

Yeah, I’m a guy. What are
you gonna say about that?

You’re a guy, and you’re
in love with Hotohori?!

And you even kissed Tamahome!

I’ve abandoned the path of
manhood for the sake of love!

While on the journey to
search for the Suzaku Seven…

…the Lady Miaka
was twice saved from…

…attacking Kutou Empire
agents by someone.

That hurts, you know?!

I don’t mind that you bit me,
Priestess of Suzaku…

…but there are guys from
Kutou who are after you.

Well, then, farewell!

You… You’re the
fox guy from before!

You’re the one who told
Miaka people were after her?

Who are you?

Never mind that.
Are you human?

That’s rude, you know?
I’m just a wandering traveler.

The name of this young
wanderer was Chichiri…

…the fourth member
of the Suzaku Seven.

Continuing the search
for the Suzaku Seven…

…the Lady Miaka and her companions
travelled to Mt. Reikaku.

There, the Lady Miaka was kidnapped
by a young man named Genro.

It’s been a while, Eiken.

So, after I come back from my trip,
I see you’ve taken over, huh?

I’ll take this girl.

No, you won’t!

GEN-JUTSU! SHIEN-GAROU!

No way!

Well, bye for now.

MIAKA!!!

Miaka!

Hotohori! Nuriko!

Yes. The one known as
Genro was actually Tasuki…

…the fifth of the Suzaku Seven.

I’m coming in!
Get down on the ground!

REKKA SHINEN!

To tell you the truth,
I wasn’t gonna come…

…but I figured you
couldn’t do this alone.

Looks like I was right
to come and check on you.

Genro…

We talked it over and
made Koji the new boss.

We figure our old
boss would forgive us.

But why?

You idiot. Haven’t you
figured it out yet?

Genro’s my nickname.

I’M Tasuki.
Sorry for tricking you.

I don’t give a damn
about people! Now leave!

Myojuan, a man who aspired
to be a physician.

Myojuan had once sworn his
affection to his lover, Shoka.

Wh-Who the hell are you?

It is! It’s Mr. Myojuan!

You mean that
guy’s THIS young?!

Shoka… Are you the one spreading
the disease through the city?

Juan, please! Your power
can destroy this monster!

If you don’t, it’ll k*ll Miaka!

Shoka… You…

That’s a sickness demon!

You’ve been possessed
by a sickness demon?!

Forgive me…!

We’ll k*ll that demon!

Juan, hurry! k*ll me now
and the demon will vanish!

If you do that, the demon’s
spell will be broken…

…and the people in town
will be saved! Hurry…!

Hurry and k*ll me now!

Farewell…

Great healing power!

DEMON, BEGONE!!!

Juan was unable to save Shoka.

It was all an illusion!

Miaka!

What’s wrong?

She’ll be all right.

She just spent too much time
being close to the demon.

I feel warm…

The mark of Suzaku?!

I’d say she’s better now.

Are you…?

I am… the member of the Suzaku
Seven known as Mitsukake.

The young man, Myojuan,
was actually Mitsukake…

…the sixth member
of the Suzaku Seven.

A boy who had a premonition of danger
for the Lady Miaka and the others…

The stars… The stars
are moving so chaotically.

Those are the
Seven Stars of Suzaku…

The boy raced to the Lady
Miaka and the others…

…who were performing the
ceremony to summon Suzaku.

I could tell by the stars.

If nothing is done soon,
the Suzaku Seven…

…as well as the
Priestess of Suzaku…

…will be k*lled!

Miaka, stop!

Damn it! Isn’t there some way
to defend against this sound?!

Amiboshi, sent to stop the
ceremony to summon Suzaku…

…cast a spell on the Suzaku Seven…

What?! I can faintly
hear another flute.

What is this sound?
It’s disrupting the sound waves.

Yes. I disrupted the sound of
his song with this leaf whistle.

And then I was able to partially
confuse his own life force.

What’s your name?

What?!

You mean, YOU’RE…?!

Yes. I am Ou Doukun, but my
Celestial Warrior name is Chiriko.

The Priestess of Suzaku
had finally gathered…

…all of the
Suzaku Seven together.

Just as there are the seven
stars of Suzaku in the south…

…there are also the seven
stars of Seiryu in the east.

There, in the eastern
empire of Kutou…

…lived a general named Nakago,
the leader of the Seiryu Seven.

One of the Suzaku Seven, I presume?

Where’s Miaka?

The mark of ogre. Tamahome.

He barely touched me!

This guy’s STRONG!

Nakago.

That was pretty close.

A servant of Suzaku who can
break the barrier and enter here…

Miaka!

Miaka!

What did you do to Miaka?!

Now, while I delay
this guy here!

Hurry!

This was the beginning
of the duel to the death…

…with Kutou’s Seiryu Seven.

The Lady Miaka and Tamahome…

Theirs was a miraculous love…

…which crossed time
and different worlds.

Even their destinies as
the Priestess of Suzaku…

…and a member of
the Suzaku Seven…

…could not keep them apart in the
face of the feelings they shared.

About before… I’m sorry
for being such a jerk.

It was the first time a girl’s
ever said she loved me.

Led on by their hearts’
strong feelings…

A throbbing neither could ignore.

I’ve hated having it ever
since I was a little kid.

But now I understand…

It’s proof that I live
to protect you!

That I live only for you!

Tamahome…

Miaka…

The two had begun to
understand what it meant…

…for two people
to love each other.

But Hotohori also possessed a
deep love for the Lady Miaka…

I’ve had my ideal woman pictured in
my mind ever since I was a child.

The Priestess of Suzaku…

A girl who will appear
from another world…

Maybe she will be able to save
me from the loneliness I feel.

Hotohori, stop it!

I love Miaka!

And that’s why I won’t
let anyone else have her!

You show great courage in the
face of your country’s leader.

Don’t worry.
You’re one of the Suzaku Seven.

I can’t k*ll you.

However…

If you weren’t one of
the Suzaku Seven anymore…

If you became an ordinary man…

…then I, too, would
become an ordinary man.

Miaka! Only one man
can ever love you.

The Lady Miaka knew very well
how Hotohori felt about her.

But she was unable to
return Hotohori’s love.

While the Lady Miaka was in the
“Universe of the Four Gods”…

…the Lady Yui watched over her.

Come back! Miaka!

Yui…

The Lady Yui was taken into the
“Universe of the Four Gods”…

…in the Lady Miaka’s place.

But the pain and
grief the Lady Yui felt there…

…never reached the Lady Miaka.

Check out that girl.

She’s dressed weird, but she
looks like a real prize.

Wanna have some fun with us?

Come on! Come over here!

Stop!

Grab her!

Miaka!
Miaka, help me!

Miaka! Why won’t
you answer me?! MIAKA!!!

Yui, where have you gone?!

I finally made it back, and now…

The Lady Miaka
followed the Lady Yui…

…back into the
“Universe of the Four Gods.”

Y-Yui… I still don’t
know how I can apologize…

…for that terrible thing
that happened to you, but…

Nothing you say
can do any good now!

You didn’t come and save me!

While I was going through hell…

…all you could think
about was Tamahome!

I just couldn’t
forget about you!

Miaka…

I wanted to be with you!
That’s why I came back!

Miaka…

However…
Does that girl really feel…

…as strongly about you
as you think she does?

You should think back to
the condition you were in…

…when I found you
three months ago.

If you change your mind…

…then please go to the
shrine hall of Seiryu…

…Priestess of Seiryu.

Yui, I… I love Tamahome…

It’s true that he was half
the reason I came back here.

But… Even if
Tamahome weren’t here…

…I still would have come back!

I came back to look for you
because you’re my best friend!

Stop that right now!
It’s much too late for it!

I give myself to you!
I love you, Tamahome!

I’ve loved you since
the first moment we met!

Let go, Yui.

Why?! You met me at the
same time you met Miaka!

I can’t hold you that way.

Because there’s only
one person I love…

Only one person I want to
protect with all my body and soul…

It’s Miaka!

Miaka… If this is how you feel,
then I won’t take one step back!

If you want to fight now,
then I’ll fight!

Forgive me, Yui…

Even if it means
I have to fight Yui…

…I swear I won’t let
those people summon Seiryu!

Because I am the
Priestess of Suzaku!

One event after
another has irrevocably…

…made enemies of the Lady
Miaka and the Lady Yui.

The ancient path of the
“Universe of the Four Gods”…

Love and friendship.
Joy and sorrow.

Hope and despair.
And meetings and partings.

With these intricate emotions
continuing to punctuate it…

…the story now leads the Ladies
Miaka and Yui onto the next path.

The ancient book
“The Universe of the Four Gods”…

…contains many mysteries.

What still awaits the
Lady Miaka and the Lady Yui…

…within its pages
is yet to be known.

Next time, “Mysteries Afoot.”

A destiny fulfilled,
a destiny that still awaits…