Once the circle was completely erased, Chichiri gestured that it was okay for Tasuki to move. Tasuki promptly lent a steadying hand to the monk, who looked like he was about to collapse. "Daijoubu, Chichiri?"

He grinned wearily back at her. "Aa. That blast just took a lot out of me, no da."

"What do we do now?"

Chichiri peeled the remains of his mask from his face and moved towards his kasa. "Now we contact Taiitsu-kun no da!" He rummaged within the hat for a moment, before pulling out an impossibly large mirror and some incense. Tasuki just shook her head, used to seeing her friend produce things seemingly from thin air. He propped the mirror against one wall and sat before it, muttering a brief spell to light the incense, which he then placed before him. Pulling a rune-inscribed paper from his belt pouch, he murmured a few words, then pinned the paper to the top of the mirror.

For a moment, nothing happened, and Tasuki thought the spell had failed. Then mist started to swirl within the mirror, obscuring Chichiri's reflection. Tasuki stared hard - she almost thought she could make out an image...

The mist cleared abrubtly to reveal the hideously ugly features of the Creator of the World, Taiitsu-kun. "Aargh!" Tasuki cried, frightened. "Sunakake baba!"

Taiitsu-kun turned an irritable scowl her way. "How many times do I have to tell you, bandit boy, it's..." She trailed off, staring in fascination at the red-faced, obviously female Tasuki. "Hmm. Now that's interesting. That IS Tasuki, is it not Chichiri?"

"Hai no da," The monk replied. He sighed. "I can't lift the spell - there's some kind of block on it that's beyond me."

Taiitsu-kun studied the red-head closely. "Never seen such a powerful signature," she muttered to herself. "Very complex spell design..."

Tasuki shifted from foot to foot impatiently, then finally burst out, "Well? Can ya help me or not?"

Taiitsu-kun grinned at him - and both Seishi had to supress a shudder at the sight. "Just exactly how did you end up this way, bandit boy?"

Tasuki turned even redder and lowered her eyes to her suddenly fascinating feet, mumbling something under her breath.

"Ehh? What's that? Speak up, boy, these old ears have trouble hearing some days." The manic gleam in Taiitsu-kun's eyes told Chichiri that the Creator was greatly enjoying seeing the most arrogant of the Seishi brought low.

"I said I pissed off some bitch and she made me a girl!" Tasuki yelled, looking back up at Taiitsu-kun.

The Creator sat back in satisfaction. "And haven't I warned you all along that foul mouth of your would get you in trouble one day, boy? Hmm?"

Tasuki just growled under her breath.

Taiitsu-kun suddenly became serious. "I suspect this is linked to a problem I've been having as well, Chichiri."

Chichiri was stunned. "Problem, no da? YOU na no da?" In all his days training with the old woman, he'd never known her to be even momentarily stumped by something.

Taiitsu-kun 'harrumphed' and looked dour. "There's a very powerful sorceror - or sorceress, as Tasuki's plight would seem to indicate - out there who's been messing with the fabric of the world. I don't know who it is, and I can't seem to trace the magic signature. It's all I can do to keep the world intact and as it should be. In fact, I'd been planning to contact you soon, and see if you could track it down."

Chichiri pondered the problem. "What, exactly, are they trying to do no da?" He asked.

Taiitsu-kun looked frustrated. "I can't tell THAT, either! All I know is that if it keeps going the way it has been, the strain between my power and hers is eventually going to tear the world apart." The creator sighed, and suddenly her normally bright eyes looked every minute of her millenia. "At any rate, I haven't the power to spare to help you, Tasuki."

Tasuki's face crumpled, and she looked dangerously close to tears. "Dammit! I don't wanna be a girl forever!"

"The best thing I can suggest would be to go directly to the source. Although a spell like this could be made permanent fairly easily on a normal person, you ARE a Suzaku Shichiseishi. Suzaku created you the way He wanted you, and He doesn't like people messing with His plans. She MUST be sustaining the spell with her own power, however slightly. If she were to die, the spell would eventually fade. Certainly, the security system in it would likely be deactivated, and Chichiri would be able to speed the effects."

"But how the hell are we supposed ta kill her, if YOU can't even FIND her?" Tasuki shouted, frustrated beyond belief. "She's fuckin' POWERFUL, and I DON'T wanna face her again!"

Taiitsu-kun cracked another smile. "Ahh, but that's just it. Most, if not all, of her power is currently being used to fend off me. If she moves enough of her attention to you, I'll be able to negate her efforts. As for finding her, you've got a link to her through the energy she's feeding the spell. Chichiri should be able to follow that easily enough." With that, the mist began to close in on herimage once again, until her parting words seemed to come from Chichiri's own reflection. "Good luck, boys. You're going to need it."
 
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