Author's Note: I mentioned this earlier, but just to keep everyone from getting too confused, this Interlude goes back in time a bit, to the day before the New Year's Party. Enjoy. ;-)

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Interlude: Hoshi ni Natta no Hanabi
--Fireworks That Turned to Stars—

"Lying down in a grassy field,
I looked up at the topsy-turvy stardust.
I found a shooting star!
But what to wish for?
I don't know."
--Sakamoto Maaya; "Poketto o Kara Shite"—

Genji slipped quietly from the main Reikaku doors and into the starlit night. The sounds of raucous laughter and off-key singing blasted through the entrance and briefly disturbed the peaceful evening, but the young bandit made certain to snap the door shut as tightly as he could. The noises faded into a muffled roar and Genji, breathing a short sigh of a relief, veered off of Reikaku's main path and towards the smooth bluff that rose to the east of the spacious stronghold. He picked his way up the rocky hill – in the summer, the area would be covered with beautiful blue-and-white wildflowers, but in the winter the little bluff couldn't have looked uglier – on a beeline for the grass-covered top. That was the best place to view the stars, or to simply sit and think for a while. The young bandit had decided that thinking was definitely at the top of his list that evening.

Something had happened that night, Genji knew that for certain. When Koji reached across the table for the sake bottle, and Genji stuck out a hand to grab it for him, and their fingertips brushed for the tiniest moment, something inside of the young bandit trembled, and he jerked his hand back so fast that he nearly knocked the bottle over. No one had noticed – everyone was too drunk to notice much of anything, really – but that hadn't stopped the strange stirring in the pit of his stomach, the stirring that quivered at his insides even now, that made him want to run right back into that stronghold so he could be near Koji again, so he'd never have to leave his side...

"Da, Genji-kun, you might want to watch your step no da."

The young bandit jumped about a foot in the air, whirling on his heel and glancing about hurriedly. "Who... who...?"

"Down here no da."

Genji's eyes trailed towards the grass under his feet and into the smiling eyes of one of Reikaku's New Year's guests. "Chi... Chichiri-san?"

"Na no da!" he greeted, waving up at the bandit. "I'm sorry to bother you, you looked like you were thinking very hard about something, but you were about to step on my face no da!" Genji sweatdropped, realizing that his left foot was about an inch away from the masked man's springy bangs. Chichiri sat up and patted the ground at his side. "Care to join me?"

"D-domo," Genji muttered, taking a cross-legged seat beside the monk. "What are you doing out here, Chichiri-san?"

"Escaping the noise," he answered, jerking a thumb back towards the stronghold. He flashed a strained smile, "The noise, and a drunken bandit who kept hitting on me. What about you no da? You looked like something was bothering you. Is everything all right no da?"

"I guess so. Anyway, it's not something you should worry about," Genji replied, turning his gaze towards the star-strewn horizon. "I don't understand it myself, te kanjii."

"Maybe I can help you out. I'm a good listener, and I do have some extra years' experience no da."

"That's okay, Chichiri-san." Genji's eyes moved restlessly from the surrounding forest to the monk at his side and back up to the heavens. "It would be so weird, discussing things like that with someone like you. I don't really know how to talk to seishi, te kanjii."

Chichiri grinned. "What about Tasuki no da?"

"Gen-sama's not a seishi; he's my Okashira (Boss), te kanjii!"

"Well then today's your lucky day, because I'm just a wandering monk no da," Chichiri shot right back. The young bandit stared at him, at a loss for an argument. The seishi chuckled and lay back in the grass. "If you don't want to talk about it, that's okay. But if you need some advice or someone to talk to, don't hesitate to come to me no da. Though I don't like to admit it, the silver in my hair isn't just for decoration."

Genji flopped back in the grass next to the older man. He brought up his thumb and forefinger on each hand and formed a little window, staring through it at the individual star clusters. "The seishi travels must have been amazing, te kanjii. I was only four at the time, but I still remember all the stories my Oba-chan used to tell me about the miko and her warriors."

"Four years old?" Chichiri sighed. "I really am turning into an Ojii-chan no da..."

"You knew Gen-sama back then," Genji said suddenly, rolling over onto his stomach to stare at the monk. "Was he always the way he is now, te kanjii?"

"Pretty much no da," Chichiri agreed with a chuckle. "He's still the loudest person I've ever met, he still knows curses that I've never even heard, and he still can't stay out of a fight, even if it's a useless one—"

"That isn't what I meant," Genji said. Chichiri glanced up, surprised by the intensity in the boy's voice. "I meant... has he always been so, you know... so afraid of himself?"

Chichiri's face darkened a bit. "Iie," he murmured. "That's something he didn't have when I first met him, though he did gain it a long time ago."

"Do you think it will ever go away? Sometimes he looks so uncertain, or like he's unhappy even though he's pretending that he isn't. I want him to look like he's happy when he really is happy, te kanjii. What can I do to make it better, Chichiri-san?"

"Nothing really, Genji-kun," Chichiri admitted. "Tasuki's going to have to take care of that on his own no da. All you can do is be there for him, and maybe look after him until he doesn't need that anymore."

"But can't you do something to help him with his fear? He trusts you, and you've known him—"

Chichiri shook his head. "I don't think Tasuki knows that I can sense those feelings no da. He's so ashamed of it, and he's tried so hard to keep it hidden that, if I told him, it might only make things worse. Besides, what could I do about it no da? 'Magic' his problems away? I still haven't met a sorcerer who could do that."

"But don't you want to help him, te kanjii? Don't you want to make it better?"

"Of course I do, but that doesn't mean I can." The monk chuckled. "You're a good kid, Genji-kun, but you're probably still too young to understand this. The thing is... Tasuki doesn't really need or want my help, at least not the way you think he does. If I'm here for him, if he knows that I care about him, then that should be enough no da. Just knowing that there are people who love you... that's sometimes all the strength you need."

Genji blushed at the word "love." "And... do you love Gen-sama?"

"Mm, I suppose I do no da."

He clenched his chibi fists, peering excitedly at the monk. Maybe he was on to something with this! "And does your heart sometimes go 'doki-doki' when you're near him?"

"Eh?" Chichiri sat up and stared at the young bandit for a moment. "Genji-kun, I think you're confusing romance with friendship. I care about Tasuki, but I'm not in love with him no da."

The youth put a hand to his chest, blushing bright red in the moonlight. "Romance, te kanjii...?"

"Hai na no da. I like spending time with him and I might even want to protect him from time to time, but not in the same way a lover might. Telling the difference can be... a little confusing sometimes no da. But that 'doki-doki' you're talking about is probably the biggest difference." To save the boy from further embarrassment, Chichiri formed a window with his hands and mimicked Genji's actions from earlier. "Sa, my constellation is hiding behind the clouds tonight, but there's a great view of 'Tasuki' this evening. It always shines so brightly in the winter no da..."

Genji followed the monk's gaze, staring at the tiny pinpoints of light and thinking hard. He'd heard Hikaru say it before, and now he had to admit it himself: Chichiri was very wise. But could Genji trust the monk with his problem? Could he help Genji stop this forbidden feeling in his chest? Because now that he knew what it might be, he also knew that he had to stop it at all costs. There was no chance that Koji thought of him like that. So he had to make it go away. But how could he do that, when it was the last thing he possibly wanted?

"I... I want to be there for Gen-sama, too!" Genji blurted out. "I really do, but... Chichiri-san... there's someone else who I want to be there for, even more than Gen-sama, te kanjii. Someone who I just realized that I... only, I don't think I can, because..."

But before the young bandit could confess his feelings, a slurred voice at the bottom of the hill cried:

"I'LL KILL 'EM ALL!"

Genji and Chichiri sat up straight, exchanging startled glances.

"Was that—?"

"I think so—"

"Shuu-chan, please calm down!" another, desperate voice cried.

"I hate men, I hate all men, and I'm gonna make 'em pay for this!"

"It was only one, and he didn't mean anything by it, I promise..."

Monk and bandit sighed. "Shuu-san's at it again no da (te kanjii)."

Chichiri stood up and walked to the edge of the hill, glancing down at the Asatenshi sisters. The main Reikaku doors had been left open, lantern light pouring out from the common room and onto the two struggling young women. Chichiri had a perfect view of the enraged Shuu, fighting violently against Hikaru's death lock, and the equally upset Hikaru trying to pull her sister as far away from the stronghold as possible. The monk waved down at the pair, calling across the field, "Hikaru-san, Shuu-san! Is everything all right na no da?"

Hikaru glanced up, flashing a strained smile and waving back at the older man. "Oh, Chichiri-san, konban wa! I wondered where you'd gone to." Shuu tried to wriggle free, but Hikaru brought her waving arm back down and locked it around the other woman's throat. "Everything's fine, I assure you. Shuu-chan just needed some air, that's all."

"Bullshit! And how'm I supposed to 'get air' if you're cuttin' off my windpipe?" Shuu cried, reaching back with one hand and trying in vain to get a grip on her sister's arm.

"Would you like to join us up here no da?" Chichiri offered. "There's plenty of room, and more than enough air for all of us."

"Chi... Chichiri-san!" Genji yelped, scrambling across the clearing and grabbing at the monk's pant leg. "What are you doing?"

He glanced back over his shoulder and smiled down at Genji. "Maybe if they come up here it'll take Shuu-san's mind off destroying the stronghold no da."

"But then she might decide to destroy us instead, te kanjii!"

Hikaru frowned a little. "We wouldn't be interrupting anything, would we Chichiri-san?"

"Of course not no da!" the monk assured her. "Genji-kun and I were just enjoying the scenery, but we'd love the extra company."

Chibi tears poured from the youth's eyes. "This is bad, te kanjii..."

"Thank you so much! We'll be up in a moment!" Hikaru called to the pair. She adjusted her grip until she had her hand wrapped around the back of the collar on Shuu's dress, then proceeded to drag the flailing young woman up the rocky cliff, murmuring gentle reprimands about her sister's hot-tempered behavior as she went. A few moments (and several curses from Shuu) later, the young women squatted on the edge of the hill, Hikaru smiling at the two men and Shuu grumbling mutinously under her breath.

"What a lovely view," the elder Asatenshi remarked. Genji noticed in the dim light that her and her sister's cheeks were a bit flushed, and the strong scent of sake lingered around both of them. "You really can see for miles up here, and the stars are just beautiful tonight. Don't you think so, Shuu-chan?" Her sister growled and looked away. "Oh, Shuu-chan, please don't be upset with me. I'm not defending his behavior, but I couldn't have you setting the entire stronghold on fire either now, could I?"

"That little bastard stuck his head right under my skirt and said 'What I wouldn't give to have a closer look at that' – and that was after he tried to grab my breasts!" Shuu snapped, her entire body crackling with emerald energy. Genji scooted to the far side of the knoll, wondering if it would be worse to face that magic or to just leap from the top of the steep hill. "He deserved a lot worse than that little shock I gave him!"

"Little shock? I saw smoke coming from his ears!"

"It would have been fire if you hadn't butted in!"

"Ano..." Chichiri began timidly. The two young women glanced over at the monk, who rubbed the back of his head. "Did this bandit happen to have long black hair and bluish-green eyes?"

"And wear a jacket with the kanji for 'River' sewn into one sleeve?" Genji added.

Shuu blinked, the energy around her body dissipating a bit. "Uh... yeah..."

"But how did you know that?" Hikaru finished.

The monk sweatdropped. "Because he tried something similar on me no da."

Genji nodded. "That's Satsuki-san. He's usually nice, but when he gets drunk he starts hitting on everybody, no exceptions, te kanjii."

"All th' more reason why he should be blown off th' mountain!" Shuu cried, smacking the ground like a child throwing a tantrum. "Along with that Ahou Leader of yours, who had th' nerve to call me flat-chested and say that...!" She sneezed and blinked several times, glanced around, then giggled awkwardly. "Uh, where was I?"

"We were just talking about the stars, Shuu-chan," Hikaru said, winking at her sober companions.

"Hanabi, te kanjii!"

"No, Genji-kun, not 'hanabi' (fireworks) – 'hoshi' (stars), though I've no idea how you would get those confused," Hikaru corrected, stifling a hiccup. "Oh, you'll have to excuse me, Tasuki-san and Koji-san insisted that I join in on the festivities—"

"No, no!" Genji interrupted, pointing wildly at the western horizon. "Right down there, Hikaru-san! Kakou City is shooting off fireworks! I forgot that they always start their New Year's party a day in advance, te kanjii!"

"Oh." Hikaru smiled sheepishly and followed Genji's gaze, watching as an orange blossom burst in the sky, sending down five shimmering rays of silver fire before disappearing below the horizon. "Suteki (How lovely)... you said they do this every year, Genji-kun?"

"Mm!" He agreed, clapping as three golden rockets streamed up into the air. "Gen-sama and Koji-sama showed me a few years back. They usually come up here with the bandits who haven't passed out." He lowered his eyes sadly. "But I suppose they passed out themselves this year..."

"They were still awake when we were there," Shuu grumbled, "singin' 'Night of the Streakin' Merchant,' at the top of their lungs, an' like I said b'fore, that Ahou kept makin' snide comments about my maidenly figure..."

At the words, "maidenly figure," Hikaru and Chichiri exchanged looks that said "she must be smashed" before hurriedly muffling their laughter into their sleeves. "Well, maybe they'll remember to join us no da," Chichiri remarked. His sharp ears perked up a bit, picking up the sounds of two familiar bandit voices at the bottom of the hill. "And speak of the devils..."

"Kanpai! Kanpai!
Sake o nomou!
Sekai no hate made
Sake o nomou!"

"More horrid songs," Shuu murmured, falling back into the grass with a tiny giggle. "Kanpai, kanpai, ahou to baka ga iru..."

Genji and Hikaru both scrambled to the edge of the hill, leaning out and calling down to the bandits. "Up here! Up here!"

The bandits had their arms slung about each other and each held a bottle of sake in their free hands. "Down here, an' a song fer yer troubles!" they shouted back, waving the sake bottles and sloshing liquor across the ground. "I once knew a whore from Hokkan, she's the best one ya ever did know! She'll fuck ya blind, from the front or behind, and still say 'Wanna have one more go'?"

"Cover your ears," Chichiri muttered from his spot on the hill. "If this is the same song Tasuki sang to me in Sairou, the next verse is even worse."

"She once met a man outta Kutou..."

Genji's eyes widened. "Can you do that with chopsticks?"

"Yeah, but it hurts like a bitch," Shuu said, snickering almost uncontrollably. Hikaru opened her mouth to scold the young woman, then seemed to forget all about that and fell back into the grass, giggling at the crude lyrics. Chichiri, for his part, cupped both hands over Genji's ears until the final warbling notes of 'And he couldn't sit down for a week' were carried away by the evening breeze. Shortly after he removed his hands – smiling down at the wide-eyed bandit in the process – Tasuki and Koji appeared over the hill and promptly thumped to the ground between the Asatenshi women.

"I would like t'make an announcement!" Koji cried, raising his bottle regally above his head. "I would jus' like t'say, that I love each an' every person on this li'l hilltop, an' I do hereby declare that yer all blessed, that's right, blessed with my unendin' love an' affection, an' I wish ya five times th' normal amount-a luck!" He swung an arm around Tasuki, thumping the half-full bottle against his friend's chest. "Except fer this lucky bastard here, who wins seven-hundred times th' normal amount-a luck! An' I'll kick th' ass-a anyone who argues with that."

Tasuki fell back to the ground laughing. "Is that so, eh? Well then ten-hundred times th' normal amount-a luck t'you, the best goddamned friend a lucky bastard like me c'd have! An'," he waved to his other companions, "seven times th' normal amount-a luck t'all-a you, 'cept fer Washboard-Chest Gaki over there!"

"You wanna repeat that, Ahou?" Shuu attempted to push herself into a sitting position, but couldn't get her arms to function properly. Her eyes turned up to the sky once again, and she waved a dismissive hand in Tasuki's direction. "Aw, fuck you Ahou... I'd rather just watch th' fireworks anyway..."

"Hanabi!" Koji echoed, shaking his sake bottle at a burst of crimson and gold and flopping back into the grass. "Those're the best ones in Konan, that's what they say in Kakou City!"

"'Course they'd say that in Kakou City," Tasuki shot back. "No one'd come t'the show if they said 'fifteenth best fuckin' display in Konan! You've seen what's it, now see th' one that's shit!' Ahou!"

"Who's an ahou, huh?" Koji cried, sitting up a bit and punching at the air. "You wanna start a fuckin' brawl, I'll whip yer ass like I did when we were kids 'n' you c'n go cry inta yer pillow 'bout yer mean ol' aniki!"

"Yer th' one who was cryin', ahou!"

"Ah, fuck you, man! Fuck you an' yer sisters an' yer mom an' her huge knockers, too!"

They stared at each for a moment, then fell back to the ground in fits of laughter.

"Fuck you too, ahou..."

"Yer the ahou, ahou..."

"You're both idiots," Shuu grumbled from Koji's right.

"I'll second that," Hikaru murmured a giggle.

"Third no da," Chichiri added pleasantly.

"Fuck you too, then!" both snapped before promptly returning to their sake bottles.

"Wai!" Genji cried, pointing towards the heavens. "Look, everyone! A shooting star! How pretty, te kanjii!" He started to sing, moving his index fingers back and forth to the beat. "High above in the winter sky fell a lonely midnight star..."

Hikaru smiled, clapping her hands together happily. "Oh, I know that one! It's called 'Kaerenai (I Can't Go Back),' isn't it? Chichiri taught it to me on our way to the stronghold! It's such a nice little piece, though rather strange. The tune's so light-hearted, but the lyrics are quite sad."

Genji nodded. "That's the point, te kanjii. It's a sad song with a happy sound. Life's kind of like that, I think." He rubbed the back of his head, frowning a little. "Though I'm not very creative: I got the idea for the lyrics and tune from 'Hoshi no Namida,' a song my mom used to sing to me at night."

Chichiri mirrored the boy's nod, then realized what he'd just said. The monk sat up straight, staring in disbelief at the young bandit. "Wait, Genji-kun, are you saying that you wrote 'Kaerenai'?"

He blushed. "Well, I know it isn't very good... I was only sixteen when I put it together, and I've gotten a lot better since then, te kanjii."

Hikaru and Chichiri gaped at the embarrassed bandit. "That's one of the most famous songs in Konan no da," Chichiri finally managed to gasp out. "I was visiting Kutou a few months ago, and streetperformers were singing your lyrics! Genji-kun, that's absolutely amazing no da!"

Koji heaved himself into a sitting position. "Yeah, he came t'the stronghold singin' that li'l ditty. We liked it so much that he taught it t'all the bandits, who spread it down through Kakou City an' well, you seem t'know the rest." He tousled the boy's hair affectionately. Genji's blush deepened, but he didn't try to pull away. "That's our Genji-kun fer ya! Good with a sword an' even better with brush 'n' paper."

"I've never heard that song before," Shuu grumbled from the ground.

"Provin' even further that yer a total an' complete gaki," Tasuki snickered.

Shuu clenched a fist and started to rise, but Koji and Hikaru moved hurriedly and slammed her shoulders back into the ground. "Aw, don't worry Shuu-san," the co-leader assured her. "Me 'n' Hikaru-san'll teach ya th' lyrics b'fore th' night's out, how's that sound?"

"Oh, the star's almost disappeared!" Chichiri interrupted, nodding towards the heavens. "Singing about the stars is fine, but we don't want to forget to make a wish on them no da."

"Chichiri-san, how come we have so many songs about shooting stars?" Genji wondered. "I like writing music about them, but I never really knew why they were so poetic. Are they magical or something, te kanjii?"

"You don't know the legend no da?" Chichiri asked, propping himself up on one elbow and glancing over at the youth.

"I don't believe I've heard it either," Hikaru remarked.

"Stupid Konan folktale junk wouldn't reach us where we're from..." Shuu added in an unintelligible murmur.

"I thought everyone heard about that when they were little," Chichiri said with a chuckle. "That's one of the first stories my father ever told me, come to think of it. You're serious, though? No one told you what the stars are, or why you wish on them when they fall no da?"

"Jus' tell us th' goddamn story ya fuckin' monk!"

"I missed you too, Tasuki," Chichiri replied sweetly. He lay back down and his companions followed suit, their inebriated gazes turned towards the faint shimmer of falling stardust. The monk's single eye drooped a bit as he thought back to the ancient legend that his father had told him, so long ago. "The stars... or so they say... represent the souls of the people on earth."

"My soul ain't up there, its right here!" Koji objected, thumping hard at his chest.

"Yes," Chichiri agreed, a hint of annoyance in his tone, "our souls stay with us, but we all have a star that also represents that soul no da. Some think of it as a 'guardian star,' because its light is a sign that we are alive on earth. When each of us is born, a new star appears in the sky. Depending on how we live our lives, that star can either glow as bright as Hyokkokusei (Polaris), or as dim as the tiniest lights on the horizon. Some believe that Polaris is the Emperor's star, and that's why it always guides its people no da." He traced the pattern of his constellation in the sky, frowning thoughtfully as he came to the end of the legend. "Likewise, when each of us dies, our star vanishes no da. I suppose that's because we take a place in the heavens when we die, so we don't need a guardian up there anymore."

"Bullshit," Shuu grumbled. "The stars are pinpoints of light, jus' like th' sun except smaller an' farther away. Nothing more than that, monk."

"I think it's a wonderful story," Hikaru said, shooting her sister a glare. "Though, rather sad..."

"But why do you make a wish on the dead?" Genji wondered. He formed a window with his hands again and followed the fading trail of the fallen soul. "It doesn't seem right, te kanjii..."

"You wouldn't normally," Chichiri agreed. "Not all stars fall like that one did, you know. Some of them just die out, some brighten a bit right before they disappear, and others are here one night and gone the next no da. But there are a few lucky ones that send up a blazing streak of starlight as they vanish into memory. Those are the ones – or so they say – who have left a mark on this world, and who won't just quietly die with the ages. There is a great power in memory no da. Some say that power can create miracles."

"Miracles..." his companions echoed. Hikaru, Chichiri, Koji and Tasuki closed their eyes, murmuring under their breath. Shuu snorted and looked away, grumbling something about ridiculous superstitions. Genji stared hard at the sky for a moment, his mind whirring across every desire he could imagine, every possible outcome he could obtain from every possible wish in the universe. Well, perhaps he didn't think about it that hard. There was really only one wish Genji wanted, anyway. He sat up and raised his arms above his head, crying:

"I wish for Gen-sama and Koji-sama to be happy for ever and ever and ever, te kanjii!"

"Uh, Genji-kun..." Chichiri said, unable to hide the sweatdrop on his forehead. "You're supposed to keep your wish a secret no da..."

"I am?"

"Yes, otherwise it won't come true no da."

"It won't?" Tears sprang to his violet eyes. "But I want it to happen so badly, te kanjii..."

Koji sat up as well, clapping a hand to the youth's shoulder. "Aw, don't feel bad Genji-kun. Genrou 'n' I don't need wishes t'be happy. We're plenty happy right now, ain't that right Gen-chan?"

"I was right up until you started callin' me Gen-chan," Tasuki shot back. He grinned up at the downtrodden youth. "C'mon Genji-kun, don't worry about it." He punched at the air playfully. "So long's Koji 'n' I are t'gether, nothin' can bring us down fer long!"

"I wouldn't doubt that," Hikaru agreed.

Chichiri watched the young bandit sympathetically; the poor boy's lower lip couldn't seem to stop quivering. He was about to join the others in consoling the youth, but a faint light sparkling across the sky caught at the corner of his vision... He gasped, and his masked face curled into a knowing smile. "Genji-kun."

"H-hai, Chichiri-san?"

"Today is our lucky day no da. Look!" his right hand shot up triumphantly, pointing out two more lines of shining light streaking down from the firework-strewn sky. "More than one in a night... that's unusual no da. In fact, on particularly powerful nights like this, it's customary to share a wish with others that you care about. So, what should we wish for together? Any suggestions no da?"

Tasuki and Koji raised their bottles to the sky, crying as one: "MORE SAKE!"

"Here, here!" Shuu agreed.

"Oh, count me in, I suppose," Hikaru said with a giggle.

"More sake, more sake, make a miracle in th' sake," Tasuki improvised. He tipped his bottle towards the two Asatenshi women in mock chivalry, then grinned devilishly at Shuu, threw back his head and bellowed:

"There was a Gaki from Reikaku,
With a chest as flat as a board..."

"URUSAI, AHOU!"

An emerald firework of a different sort lit up the back of the hill, followed by several shouts and a round of violent swearing.

"Oi, Genrou, you okay?"

"Shuu-chan, that wasn't nice!"

"I'll kill him, I'll absolutely kill him, I hate all men...!"

"Lemme go Koji, that little bitch is gettin' it this time, ya can't defend her forever!"

"I know where you sleep, bakayarou!"

"Namen ja nee yo, ya shit-eatin' goat-fuckin' flat-chested pencil-legged...!"

"And so on," Chichiri murmured, closing his single eye and chuckling a bit at the mock brawl going on behind him. "Those four will never change no da..."

"Chichiri-san."

The monk glanced to his left at the youth lying beside him. "Hai, Genji-kun?"

Genji sat in silence for a long moment, his arms behind his head and his sharp gaze on the heavens. "Chichiri-san, do you think... do you think it's wrong to love someone who you know will never love you back?"

Chichiri followed the boy's eyes to the heavens, staring at the stars that winked between a few wisps of winter cloud. "You can't help who you care about no da," he said. "So, if neither person is being hurt by that love, then no, I don't think it's wrong at all. In some cases, you could argue that there's something... something pure about a love like that, no da."

"So is it all right if you still protect that person, Chichiri-san? Even if they never feel the same way, can you still look out for them? Can you still try to make them happy, te kanjii?"

"Of course you can, Genji-kun, though you don't want to make yourself miserable in the process. That wouldn't be fair to the person you cared about no da."

"Naruhodo (I see)," he murmured. "Then, in that case..."

"Okay Shuu-san, ya think ya got th' lyrics down now?"

"I'd learn 'em better if you gave me a li'l sip of your sake, you stupid bandit!"

"That ain't gonna happen 'till ya call me by my real name: K-O-J-I! Oh, an' gimme a li'l kiss an' call me th' Love God while yer at it, Shu-u-cha-n!"

"Teeme...!"

"Chichiri-san, as strange as it may sound, I want to protect this," Genji finished quietly. "His smile and his laughter are the most important things in the world to me. And maybe that's wrong, Chichiri-san, but it's something I really believe. I've never been as happy as I am right now, te kanjii." Chichiri's eyebrows raised a bit on the word "his," but the monk remained silent. Genji took that as a sign of acceptance. He closed his eyes and nodded to himself, then opened them again and glanced over at the monk. "That's... the miracle I'd like to share, te kanjii."

"C'mon Hikaru-san, try a verse with me, na? High above in th' winter sky..."

"Fell a lonely midnight star..."

"Damn, I didn't know ya had such a great voice."

"Oh, goodness, I'm so embarrassed..."

"Everyone all together now, don't be shy Gaki, Hikaru-san!"

"I don't sing, Ahou!"

"Well, if you say so, Tasuki-san..."

"High above in th' winter sky,
Fell a lonely midnight star
I wished upon its dying breath
And sent it to where you are.
So somewhere far away, my love
Wherever you may roam
I hope this miracle reaches you,
And brings you safely home.
"

"Hah! Now that's one helluva choir, na, Genrou?"

Chichiri smiled at the young bandit. "You know something, Genji-kun? I think that's the best miracle we could hope for."

"Oi, Chichiri, Genji-kun!" Tasuki yelled over his shoulder. "We're missin' a good tenor line. You two gonna sit there yakkin' or join in on this angelic chorus, huh?"

"Angelic chorus my ass..." Shuu grumbled into the bottle she had neatly robbed from Koji. "I refuse to sing, you hear me? I refuse!"

"Funny, I coulda sworn I heard yer raspy li'l alto in there somewhere."

"Oh, shut up, you stupid bandit!"

"We're coming, te kanjii!"

"Sorry to keep you waiting no da. Now, where are we...?"

"We laughed, we loved, and so we thought
That this might never end
But that has all been shattered, love
So I pray it back again.
Now please, my dear, if a voice has wings
Let mine fly straight to you
And send us back to that place we loved
And the world we thought we knew."

As the final sweet notes trailed away, the last firework of the evening sent out a blazing stream of crimson light, streaking across the lonely night sky before it, like the six mingling voices, vanished among the stars forever.

---
---

The Bandit's Japanese Song:
"Cheers, cheers!
Let's drink sake!
Let's drink sake
Till the world ends!"

And Shuu's Japanese Song:
"Cheers, cheers, the moron and the fool are here..."

Author's Mundane Ramblings: May 28th, 2006; 11:15 PM

Ni-hao.
Pardon my lack of excitement today, minna. I've very tired, in probably more than the physical sense.

Well, my incredible hiatus has finally ended. Is there anyone out there left to read this author's note, I wonder? (sweatdrop) I have a couple of important things to cover. Well, just one important thing to cover, but it'll probably take a while. So, I'd better get started, ne?

Random Chapter Comments I really enjoyed writing this chapter. It's kind of a throwback to the beginnings of this fanfic, before everything started spiraling down such a dark path. I find it both sweet and a bit sad, especially considering what happened in Verse Nine. I decided to place it here, instead of in chronological order, for two important reasons: (1) I didn't have the idea for it when I began writing this story (good reason, no?), and (2) I thought that placing it here provided an important contrast – I started this fic so long ago that sometimes it's easy to forget just how far everyone has come since the beginning, so this chapter was a bittersweet reminder of the descent my six main characters have taken. And, though it might seem like nothing really happens here, this brief interlude actually forms the basis for the theme, and provides a little insight into the story's title. So not only does it give me a happy-squishy feeling in my stomach (and hopefully make you giggle a few times), but it has importance. Always two nice things for a chapter to posses, I figure. :) And yes, I did write Genji's song, so be nice in your criticism. I never claimed to be a poet – in fact, I tend to deny it quite hotly. (double sweatdrop)

Reviews Nothing really to discuss, I guess. Thanks to Alaia-san, Roku-senpai, Amaya-chan, burpycookies-san, and Tasu-chan's women(-san?) for their loving reviews, especially Roku-senpai, who provided me with some excellent ConCrit during a personal e-mail – and sorry to leave you all on a cliffhanger for so long (though I guess this chapter didn't end the cliffy either, did it?).

That Important Thing I'm seriously considering trashing RFS. It's spiraling down a path of melodrama, and I never wanted it to go there. Drama is fine, but I'd rather kill a fanfic than take it into melodrama. Unfortunately, I think it's already reached that point, and that's what worries me. Either I'm going to have to take the next part of RFS (Tasuki's part) through a major renovation, or I'm going to have to euthanize this fic. And at this point, I honestly don't know which I would rather do.
I ask for some assistance in this decision. I can't promise that I'll follow your suggestions/opinions, but I can assure you that I will take them into account. So what do you readers think? What should happen to RFS's epic storyline and its struggling characters?

Quote of the Moment "It's just like riding a bicycle – everyone's done your mom!" –my good friend Iken

Verse Preview? If RFS lives, then the storyline will pick up where it left off. Trust & betrayal, passion & violence, decisions & departures... everything takes a turn, and absolutely nothing will remain the same.

Your Utterly Confused Authoress – Dee