The Last Seishi

By nightelfcrawler

Warnings: Tasuki's foul mouth

Okay so... in chatting with an rp partner, we ended up discovering that we had been a part of the same fandoms some 10+ years ago. She ran a website that hosted some of my old fics... which made me drag out some old dvds that I'd saved my webpages on... and lo and behold, I found these old fics hanging around still and decided heck why not bring them back. So here they are, a trip down memory lane! These were written in the late 90's and early 2000's when I went by too many psudonyms to remember. I actually forgot who I was until I physically saw the fics listed and went 'oh crap I remember those!'. Ahh memories.

Be warned... these were my first attempts at writing and are likely riddled with grammar, spelling and other noted errors. I've read through them, blushed furiously that I used to write like this, and decided to put them up anyway as-is with no revisions. So please enjoy, but don't bother correcting or whining, they shall be ignored!

The Last Seishi
Chapter Seven: Homecomings

Standard disclaimer: I didn't make these characters up, Watase Yuu did. Suing = bad!


There was utter silence as they realized the source for his melancholy...His home...where he had been born and raised; where he had played as a child, fallen in love, and lost everything...No wonder he had been so quiet and his reaction had been one of shock when Taisu-kun had mentioned the mountains.

They gazed on him, feeling his anxiety now that they understood the cause. As they watched, a tear spilled out from his eye and ran down his cheek.

"I...I'm not...ready to go back...just yet." He took a deep breath shakily. "I only was able to overcome my grief for Hikou after bearing it for 8 years...I don't know what to expect, returning to where I used to live, to where my family lived...just being here to remember my family is enough, but to physically return to my village..." He paused uncertain.

Taka came forward suddenly, and draped an arm around the mage comfortingly. "Hey, I know what it feels like to go back to your home after your family has died." Chichiri gazed up at him, seeing the hurt in his eyes as well. "But it's not as bad as you think it to be! It's sad, and you cry, but it feels good too... remembering all the wonderful times together!" He took the mage firmly by the shoulder and stared firmly into his one eye. "You think it may be bad, but we'll be here to help you! It's been...what? 14 years since you were last here, right? It's time you came back home for a change."

The mage stared at him, his mouth open in surprise, then a small smile pulled up at the corner of his mouth, and he closed his eye. "I suppose there is some merit to that." He looked up again. "Arigatoo, Tamahome-kun. I understand now."

He gave him a pat on the shoulder, then turned around suddenly. "Ok, then let's get going before it gets to late..."


It was getting dark in L'ai, and as the sun set behind the jagged peaks, Michi felt a strange feeling she had not felt since...

Shaking her head, she sat down on a rock, placing her flower basket down; she loved picking the beautiful enigmas that bloomed on the mountain peaks. She didn't remember much of her life before the flood, she pondered, hence the nickname Michi, meaning 'unknown', as her past was as unknown as the future. Some of the villagers had remembered her, even as she had lost her memory, but no one could recall what family she had belonged to, nor her name, though her face was familiar.

She often wondered who she was, and where she had come from...why couldn't she remember?

But now...she had the feeling that this sense, this feeling, connected to her past life. Although how, she did not know.

Maybe Hokori would know, she thought. The young 17 year old girl was quite helpful to her. They had become like sisters since the flood, Hokori having lost her family too. She had been the one who had recognized Michi as someone her oniichan had known, but having been only five at the time of the flood, and traumatized from losing her family, not much more could be extracted from the girl.

Sighing, Michi rose and started down the hill, wondering where she could have possibly felt this feeling before.


"Wow!"

The sun was out and shining brightly on the emerald green hillsides, covered in a thick carpet of lavender clover. The travelers stood atop the path gazing down at the picturesque village. Below, spread out in a valley situated between huge towering peaks, was the cozy town, small farms, mills, and shops creating a very cute scene. Goatherds wandered with their flocks off near the mountains while a huge rushing river ran beside the town, winding around the valley before plunging over the edge of the plateau in the mountains.

Chichiri gazed wistfully, his eye falling on a certain tree above town next to the river's edge...

Quickly he started forward, not allowing the image to reconstruct itself in his mind again.

They wandered into town, enjoying the beauty around them.

"Oi, Chichiri, this is a beautiful country you grew up in!"

Chichiri smiled as his gaze fell about the town square. The old fountain had somehow survived the flood, although it looked like pieces had disappeared from it. Shops surrounded the large plaza, while the fountain bubbled happily as citizens gathered around, chatting warmly about the events. It was just as he remembered. Nothing seemed to have changed...except the shops were different, he realized, gazing sadly over to the spot his own family's business had occupied. Some bakery was there now.

As he stared around the plaza, memories flooding back to him, an older man came up to the group and bowed politely.

"Greetings, strangers! I see you are new to our village, and I would like to ask from whence you come. I would be honored to record your names in our town registrar records, it is the standard for this village so the inhabitants may know who it is visiting them."

Taka glanced at Chichiri, who was too busy watching the passing villagers to pay any attention. He turned back and answered the scribe.

"This is the former Suzaku no Miko, Miaka, and her brother Keisuke, her two friends Yui and Tetsuya. They're from the Miko world. I'm Taka, formerly Suzaku Seishi Tamahome, and that's Suzaku Seishi Chichiri."

Baffled by such celebrities in the village, the man practically burst with enthusiasm. "I am deeply honored," He bowed very low, "Having such distinguished visitors in our meager village!" He shook hands with everyone and when he came around to Chichiri, he shook it warmly, then paused.

Chichiri spoke softly. "There's been lots of changes since I was last here no da."

The man suddenly froze and stared hard up at Chichiri. He seemed baffled at something, and acted as if about to speak, then stopped, frowned and squinted up at him.

"No." He said finally. "It couldn't be..." He stared and tentatively looked into Chichiri's eye. "You look much like...a young man who I used to know many years ago...before the Great Flood." He eyed the scar. "But I don't suppose you could be him...he died in that flood, along with his family..."

Chichiri smiled softly and gazed down at the scribe. "I don't suppose the man's name would be Houjun?"

"Well, yes! As a matter of fact..." He paused staring up at the one-eyed man. A look of utter surprise and astonishment crossed the man's face. "Houjun! It...it is you! My great God Suzaku! I can't believe it's really you!" He embraced the monk tightly. "We thought you died...along with all the others."

Chichiri smiled down at the elder, recognizing him now as someone his father had often done business with. "I didn't die...I know what happened, and I came to wish I had though."

"I see...I'm sorry Houjun." The scribe said solemnly. "You must feel quite lonesome..."

"Hai, but it is good to be back again."

"Yes, I can imaging...your eye...?"

Chichiri sighed. "It happened during the time of the flood."

He nodded. "I see. I'm sorry." Then his expression brightened. "Oh! But there's no reason to be entirely forlorn! Your sister will be ecstatic to see you!"

Chichiri looked as if he had received a slap in the face. "S...si...sis...ter...?"

The scribe slapped him on the back, "Yeah! She was the only one who survived from your family. She still talks about you quite often, you were her favorite after all! She had a hard time coping with your family's death, but to find out that you are still alive...!"

Suddenly, as the group tried to grasp the fact that Chichiri still had a living relative, they heard a shrill voice scream from across the plaza.

"Oniiiiiiiichaaaaaaannnnnn!"

They turned to see a young girl, about 17 years of age, standing separate from a crowd of people that had quickly gathered at the news of the stranger's arrival, and Houjun's return. She was a beautiful girl with long blue hair in two braids down her back. Her eyes were the same color as Chichiri's, her hair the same as well, and her face reflected the mage's startled one.

Launching herself at him, he was suddenly embraced fiercely by the girl as she wept and buried her head in his cloak. He tenderly raised his hand and stroked her soft hair, a tear twinkling down his cheek and joy in his eye. "Imooto..."

The others couldn't recall a happier scene in their lives...seeing Chichiri embracing his younger sister, tears of joy spilling down his face, and her embracing him fiercely as if afraid to let him go...it was a moment they could never forget.

"Hokori..." He gently lifted her chin with his nimble fingers and gazed into her tear stained face. Smiling, he wiped a tear away from her eyes. "You...you grew up to look just like your mother, imooto." He laughed as she hugged him yet again.

"I've missed you oniichan. So terribly! I thought you died with Haha and Chichi...I thought I was alone..."

He sighed and clutched her tighter. "So did I Hokori-chan, so did I."

She then released him and stared up at his scarred face. "I don't remember you having that, oniichan...but I was only five when everything happened..."

"It's ok, Hokori-chan, it happened after I saw you for the last time..."

"Oh." Her face brightened suddenly. "Hey, I know someone else who would be glad to see you! Lemme go get her!" Hokori ran off before Chichiri could protest, and disappeared in the crowd.

Chichiri slowly got up, brushing himself off. The others were smiling broadly, seeing the radiant glow on his face. It seemed like years had been shed off the monk's life. He looked much younger and vibrant than they had ever seen him before. They could feel his happiness and joy radiating out.

He smiled at them and then turned as he heard Hikori's voice shout out from across the plaza. "Here she is oniichan!"

They half expected him to react with glee and excitement as meeting another person who he had not seen for sometime, but they were totally unprepared roe the reaction he displayed as he looked in his sister's direction.

He gave a startled gasp, and the smile was banished from his face, replaced by an expression as if he had seen a ghost. His staff clattered to the ground as his eye opened widely and he put a hand to his mouth in shock.

"K...Ko...Kouran..."