Tasuki was dreaming. Of a happier place where it wasn't raining, he wasn't kneeling in the mud, he wasn't loosing blood and not really giving a damn. He wasn't watching the love of his fucking life die in his arms…not that he would be dying ..if it were in his dream. They would probably be kicking someone's ass, or sneaking off to their secret place..

"Only me and my buddy know about this place.. No-ones gunna come to rescue you"

Then...what had happened next? Oh yeh. That brat Miaka had started hitting him and taking his clothes off. Hmm...could never understand that one. The Kouji had come…they had kicked ass, got his fan back and spent a perfect night...just the two of them beneath the moon. No time for sentimentalism now. He looked down at his hands. Kouji's blood? His blood? What did It matter. All the gashes. Burns. What did anything matter now? He couldn't feel anything but a dull throbbing numbness at the prospect-the horror of having to spend his live without his other half.

"h-hello? Who's there? It's Tasuki's good buddy Koji who's...who's"

Tasuki looked down on Kouji's blood smeared face to see a glimmer of a smile.

"come to see me?" Tasuki teased gently

"will I c-come to see you? Again?" Kouji breathed, not trying to hide his fear. Shaking his head and removing his hand to reveal the extent of Kouji's wound, Tasuki's tears also disregarded one of the rules of the bandits...showing weakness…why did it matter so much? If you loved someone then they were your weakness and crying for them just let them know…

"that's..r-really cold man"

Nodding again, beyond words, Tasuki loosened his jacket to cover Koji's shivering torso.

"Kouji…I'm sorry. I could have blocked him..I know I could have just-"

"Tasuki don't blame yourself, we knew it would end this way all along. When us bandits came to help our buddy out...we knew man, we knew. That Nakago…he was fast. We were just distractions man, we did…did what we had to…"

"you didn't have to die for me!!" Tasuki cried

Kouji breathed out…sighed…and died.

"you didn't have to die…"

Darkness surrounded him as Tasuki slipped into a state of pure despair and anguish ..but the darkness was broken by a brilliant moon, the same one that they had spent that perfect night under so long ago.

Kouji laughed loudly "she did what?!"

"started stripping me! She'd just told me she didn't want that! Man that girl is just too weird - heck, I don't even like girls much anyway…"

Laughing again, Kouji fell quiet. "you were gone a long time this time. How'm I supposed to hear bout all my buddy gets up to if he's never around?"

"I know" Tasuki sighed "but I'm one of the Seven- that's all we were ever born to do, protect Miaka. I'd stay here with ya, but…we're almost there.. "

Kouji mumbled some form of agreement, before standing up. "c'mon. I got something to show you."

"where?"

"our place" Kouji smiled mischievously. "race ya"

Raising one eyebrow and grinning devilishly back, Tasuki nodded and leapt up. Pressing Kouji gently into a tree, he whispered "there's a forfeit for the looser" The two young men's laughter echoed around the valley.

Tasuki was dreaming…