Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Chapter

by It's The Dee

Two young women stumble upon an ancient book - but wait! This isn't the ShiJiTenChiSho! What is this new book, and what do Tasuki & Chichiri have to do with it? Final Episode: "Till we meet again..."

38. Episode Thirty Eight: Settling Dust

Disclaimer: I still don't own Konan, Suzaku and all characters and seishi pertaining to them. Kiori and Ritsuka are and shall forever be mine, and that holds for all the other "originals" (you'll know 'em when they appear, trust me). Obviously the story is mine as well.

Rating: PG-13, for moderate language and violence.

Musical Selection: Okay, so this is really hard to do without spoiling anything, buuuut... "Letter from Mikako" for the second scene, starting from the line He all but crushed her to his chest; "Lullaby for My Favorite Insomniac" for the scene that begins after the line the sleepers began to awaken (and you can play that song for pretty much any of the scenes involving those same characters); and "Day of the River" for the final scene.

Previously on Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Chapter...
-It was on in a manner similar to that of Donkey Kong, as Chichiri raced to rescue Kiori, with Tasuki, Ritsuka, and the latecomer Hataku chasing after him.
-Setsuka and Tasuki met and battled outside of the Konan capital, with Setsuka using Tasuki's gem to slowly drain him of his energy. In a last-ditch attempt, Tasuki begged Ritsuka to push his tessen through the barricade and use the flames to defeat Setsuka. Ritsuka refused, worried that it would kill Tasuki as well, but some whispered advice from a fallen ally gave her the idea to break through the barrier herself. She delivered the tessen to Tasuki, and the two recited the spell as one. The fires covered them as well as the Takkan Lady, and they fell unconscious.
-Meanwhile in Takkan, Houki and Akai struggled to help Tsuchi fight back against Setsuka, who was draining his life force as well. They figured out a way for him to drag his ki back to himself, but as soon as Setsuka felt his efforts she snapped his gem. Both Tsuchi and Akai collapsed, and as Houki ran to find a doctor she realized that neither was breathing.
-Chichiri broke through Mizu's barrier and was able to reach Kiori, but learned that Mizu had the two of them attached to a spell called a "chain," which was slowly killing Kiori. Chichiri added himself to the chain in order to buy her more time. Terrified at the thought of losing him, Mizu decided to smash her own crystals, breaking the chain, destroying her barrier, and killing herself in the process. As the mansion collapsed around them, Chichiri teleported himself, Kiori, and Mizu's body "to a safe place," though whether they reached it or not has yet to be determined.
-The sight of Hataku, coupled with the death of Mizu, at last broke Setsuka's resolve. As Tasuki's flames came at her, she dropped both Taiyou's barrier and her necklace, letting the fires consume her...

What's crazier than writing an Honors Thesis? Writing one for each of your majors. What's even crazier than that? Writing them while putting together six grad school applications. (dies) Creative Writing M.F.A., you had better be worth this madness.

---

-Episode Thirty-Eight: Settling Dust-
Promises Made Long Ago

Keisuke clapped a hand over his eyes and jabbed the book across the coffee table. "I'm too scared to keep going. Someone else take it."

Yui and Tetsuya, curled together on the couch, shot each other a nervous smile. Then, moving as if in tandem, they both dove forward, hands locking on the top of the cover and jerking the book away from Keisuke. He flopped back against the chair and shot air up into his bangs. "Phew! With the way things were going at the end there, I'm not even sure I want to know how this all turned out. 'Taku... at this rate I'm going to go gray, bald, and need a pacemaker before I even get out of college, don't you thin..."

He looked up and sweatdropped at the young couple, tugging the book back and forth between them as if they were toddlers with a favorite toy.

"It's my... turn..."

"But I read faster than you...!"

"But you... got it... last time..."

Keisuke sighed. "...And to top it off, the damn thing is going to ruin a perfectly good relationship. C'mon you two, why not just rock-paper-scissors for it or something...?"

oOo

Akai jerked awake, gasping as if she had just escaped drowning. She sat up on Tsuchi's bed, head pressed almost to her knees, alternating between choking breaths and low moans. She slapped her hands against her face, trying to work the blood back into fingers and cheeks. It didn't take long for the world to steady, and once it did she looked up, searching the room for a friendly face and finding none. "Houki...sa...?"

She looked to her left and felt her breath escape again. Tsuchi lay spreadeagled on the bed beside her, his eyes half-open but unseeing, face pale and fingers twitching. If he was breathing, Akai couldn't tell. She gave a strangled cry and tried to go to him, but her strength failed her and she wound up collapsing against him, nose to nose, hands patting at his cheeks. "Fuyu-kun, no, please, come on, look at me, Fuyu-kun, please..."

"Akai!"

She didn't bother to look up as Houki ran across the room, hugging Akai to her chest. "Thank the gods."

Akai struggled weakly, but she stopped when she saw the Takkan doctor slide in next to them, leaning over the boy. She watched with a whimper as he checked Tsuchi's pulse in both wrist and neck. He lay his head as near to the boy's mouth as he could, then pulled back again. His mouth was a grim line as he set both his hands to Tsuchi's chest and pressed gently against it. They waited. He pressed again, harder. And again, they waited.

"Once more," he muttered.

Akai's hand snaked around Houki's arm and grasped at Tsuchi's twitching fingers. She squeezed them as the doctor's palms fell for the last time, an incoherent sob of a prayer blubbering around her lips.

Tsuchi jerked, his chest rising in a sharp, sudden heave and his fingers turning into a claw around Akai's hand. His eyes snapped fully open, leaping around the room as fast as his chest and arms did. The doctor hissed a curse and grabbed the washrag off the nightstand, shoving it into the boy's mouth. Tsuchi convulsed once, twice, three more times, his back and limbs twitching in great, heaving slams, then he collapsed against the bed with a shudder. His eyes closed this time, head lolling to the side and hand going limp in Akai's grasp.

She looked to the doctor, but he just smiled grimly and removed the rag from Tsuchi's mouth. She relaxed when she saw his chest rising, slowly but deeply, but she didn't relax until the doctor said, "What he'll be like when he wakes again is anyone's guess. But he will wake again, I think."

It was all she needed. What strength Akai had left deserted her, and she slumped against Houki's chest, weeping her relief. The empress stroked at both her hair and back, drawing the young soldier close to her again. Her hands were for Akai, but her words were directed at the doctor. "What can we do?"

He shrugged. "You could try praying, but I think sleep would be the best thing for all of you. The girl doesn't look to be in much better condition than the boy. Find her a soft bed and then find one for yourself."

"And Tsuchi-kun?"

"I'll stay with him. He shouldn't be left alone, at least not until he wakes again and we can find out exactly what that half-death did to him. It may be that he'll be fine, but that fit we just saw doesn't bode well for him. If he's come back with the falling sickness, or worse..." He shook his head. "Men who escape Enma-sama's realm often leave much of themselves behind. We may end up wishing the boy had died instead." (1)

"Never," Akai croaked. "Living is always better."

Houki gave her a reassuring squeeze. "What would you like to do, Akai? Shall we go upstairs?"

"No." Her head jerked to the empty bed in the room, the one that had belonged to the other Elemental brother. "I'll stay. I want to be here for Fuyuko-kun." She tilted her eyes up so she could look at her empress. "You should go upstairs and get some rest. Now that the war's over, you're going to have to get back to Konan, right?"

"Is the war over?"

There was no hesitation in her reply. "I felt Setsuka's scream when Fuyuko-kun and I were connected. She was in too much pain to fight, and Tasuki-san wouldn't miss a chance like that." She smiled. "I'm absolutely positive that we won."

"Then I had best be returning as soon as possible. In a few days, I think."

"Tomorrow," Akai urged. "You have to go back tomorrow."

"But you—"

"I'm fine." She laughed. "Exhausted, and kind of old-lady-creaky, but fine. I'll be all right, but Konan might not be. She's gonna need you."

"You won't be coming with me, then?"

Her eyes shifted to the pale boy in the bed. For the first time since she'd met him, he actually looked like he was at peace. Akai smiled softly. "Fuyuko-kun needs me more than Konan does. And maybe the RAFT do, too." She glanced up again. "I'll visit as soon as I can. Once he's feeling better, maybe we both will. But for now..."

Akai yawned and Houki stood, helping the wobbling girl over to the other bed. "For now, we should both get some sleep, though I fear the dawn will come far too soon for the both of us." She pulled back the covers, watching as Akai all but fell into the middle of the bed. "Should I wake you before I leave tomorrow?"

"Please." She yawned again, eyes closing as Houki pulled the cover back up to her chin. "I want to... say goodbye."

The empress hesitated, but Akai looked so much like a child that she couldn't resist leaning down and planting a light kiss on her forehead. "Then I will see you in a few hours. Sleep well, my champion. You and Tsuchi-kun deserve it more than anyone."

oOo

Hataku shaded his eye against the bright flash of flames that illuminated the clearing. He blinked back purple spots, peering through the fire but seeing only smoke. He shifted from foot to foot, then set a hand to his sword hilt and limped towards the clearing, waiting at the edge of the dissolving barrier as the winds carried off the ashen clouds, leaving a charred circle at the center of the plains.

He approached cautiously, pressing a sleeve to his mouth to keep himself from gagging on the thick smell of burnt earth and flesh. He moved towards the nearest body, but when he realized that it was Setsuka he swallowed hard and changed course, looping around her and towards the two warriors. 'Later,' he promised himself. 'I'll face it later.'

Tasuki and Ritsuka were wrapped around each other, the tessen still gripped in one of Tasuki's blackened hands. Hataku didn't risk kneeling for fear that his bad knee would keep him from rising again, but he watched them with a hawk's eye, checking for any hint of movement.

Beyond his hands, which looked nearly burnt to the muscle, the seishi was in remarkably good condition: his thick coat was in tatters, but it seemed to have taken the brunt of the blow, leaving his back more or less unscathed. Ritsuka protected his chest, of course, and while Hataku couldn't see his face he suspected that Ritsuka had kept that from danger as well. Tasuki's head shifted atop the other redhead's as he coughed weakly, and it was only then that Hataku realized he was still breathing. It was a good sign, but one look at Ritsuka turned Hataku's relief quickly into horror.

Protected by nothing but Tasuki's arms and a thin summer shirt, the woman's back looked like leaking paint, leathery skin bleeding into white muscle bleeding into dark blood. Her arms and the backs of her legs were in little better condition, and Hataku had to take a step away, fighting to keep from retching. He thought that she might still be breathing, but he couldn't stomach watching the rise-and-fall of her blackened shoulders long enough to say for certain. He hesitated, then threw his cloak over the pair, knowing there was little else he could do for them.

"And doctors," he muttered, an echo from earlier that evening. He hurried away from the warriors, taking the flare that Ran-shogun had given him from his coat as he went. He found a spot some distance from the injured fighters and, after struggling briefly with flint and tinder, set it alight. He backed up, watching as it shot off into the air and exploded with a pop of green. Hataku was not one for prayer, but even so, he pleaded to the gods that one of Ran's men had spotted the signal. He had a feeling that Ritsuka's life depended on it.

He stared at the place where the flare had vanished for a long moment, then steeled himself with a breath and turned, limping his way over to the last body on the field. He kept his eyes on the ground, unwilling to look at Setsuka just yet, so it was easy for him to spot the glittering lump in the grass. He bent over with an effort, picking up the glinting object. Red shards fell away from his hand as he rose, leaving him with nothing but a warm mass of gold.

Hataku shivered as he felt a shock of black energy race up his arm, and he knew at once what it was. His eye narrowed, and without a second thought he tossed the melted necklace into the woods. "May your maker rot in each of the nine hells, and feel my pain tenfold," he cursed under his breath, too busy damning the demon god to remember to avert his eyes. He turned and found himself staring straight at the prostrate form of Setsuka, collapsed face-down against the ground.

Even in death there was something of the beautiful in her, he thought: her hair unbound and ravaged by fire, its fraying strands scattered across reddened arms and the rags of a tunic, her legs curled beneath her as if she were sitting down for tea. She looked as if she had fallen asleep at her studies, the way she used to do when they were children, all curled up over her desk, her face pillowed in her arms and her fingers stained with ink. Any minute now she would stir, pushing herself up and greeting him with a smile, and—

"No," he said to no one. With another deep breath he fought off the memory and bent over, preparing to turn her over and see the extent of the damage, to press fingers to wrist and confirm what he already knew.

His hand was on her shoulder when she stirred, and it was all he could do to keep from collapsing beside her. He pulled back as if her flesh were still hot from flames, stumbling away from her, a hand clasped to his mouth. A low moan echoed from somewhere inside the remnants of her ash-gold hair. He understood immediately, but that didn't make the knowledge any easier.

'That barrier she put up at the end... it must have held long enough that she kept off most of the impact...'

His fingers curled around his sword hilt but hesitated. He watched as Setsuka pushed herself slowly, painfully up on her elbows. She raised her head, peering through soot-streaked bangs at him. She faltered with a smile, but then her vision focused and the smile extinguished. "Hataku."

He unsheathed his sword, holding it loosely in his hand. "Setsuka." He said it as distantly as a stranger might, with no contempt or sorrow, neither condemning nor forgiving her.

She looked to the huddle of seishi and woman at the other end of the circle, then back up at Hataku, then finally to the ground. Her hands reached automatically for her necklace, but she found herself grasping at nothing but singed cloth and blistered skin. Her hands fell back to the ground. When she looked up again there was something faintly relieved lurking beneath the exhaustion. "It's finally over, isn't it? It's over and I've lost. I've lost... everything... but failure deserves no reward, does it?"

He nodded, at a loss for a better answer. "Mm. It's over."

"Why did I lose, Hataku? Was it because I challenged seishi? Was it foolish for me to ever start this war? Did a tiny nation like Takkan ever have a chance against a gods-blessed empire like Konan?"

"It was foolish, but..." He considered it for a moment, then shook his head. "No. No, that's not why you lost. You lost because you forgot what you were fighting for. Glory, pride, revenge... You took the excuses and threw the rest away, so there wasn't anything left for you to stand on. No thing... and no one, either. But those people in Konan, they never lost sight of what was important. Even the ones who died still managed to save the things that mattered. You destroyed everything you touched."

She nodded once, closing her eyes. "Of course. The other one said something similar, didn't she?" She looked up again, unflinching, meeting him stare for stare. "I suppose you're going to kill me now."

"...Mm."

Setsuka glanced back at the unconscious Konan Warriors. "And them? Are they alive?"

"For the moment," he allowed.

"Keep them that way. They helped wake me up, in the end. Them, and poor Mizu-chan," she shifted back to him, and he blinked, alarmed at her tears, "and you, too. There was so much I had forgotten, but seeing you... and seeing them, so like us, so like the people we ought to have been..." She shook her head, the rags of her hair swaying with her. "It's ruined now, I know that. But I'm glad that I can end it as I was." Her eyes trailed from his stiff leg to his bent shoulders and on up, resting briefly on his cross-shaped scar, both of its slashes earned in her name, before at last settling on his remaining eye. Her tears fell unchecked. "And I'm glad that you'll be the one to end it for me. You, who brought me back to myself... and who I ruined more than anyone."

Hataku stared hard at the Lady of Takkan, tensing his hand around the hilt of his sword. He set the point to the middle of her chest. She had her eyes closed, so she couldn't see the sweat pooling across his brow or the way his hands shook as they readied the sword. Couldn't see the uncertainty and the pain stretched like a tarp across his face.

'I have to do it,' he hissed to himself. 'No matter how different she is... no matter how herself she seems... I still have to do it. For the RAFT. The Konan Warriors. Sora-kun, and Tsuchi-kun, all those other children she sent to die. I took a vow. This is how it has to to end.'

He drew back his sword for the final strike... and wavered. Because of her tears. Because of the twisted lump of gold he'd thrown into the forest. And because of the words of a Konan Warrior, words he had scorned at the time, too bitter and hurt to care for them:

"Because you loved Setsuka, right? And she loved you, too... didn't she? And… and if someone could love a person, then they could never be all bad. If Setsuka really did love you, then there must be some good in her!"

'No,' he replied to himself. 'She's done too much. This is how it ends.'

He tightened his grip. Gritted his teeth. And drove his blade forward.

Setsuka heard a thump just to the left of her. She opened her eyes, but only had a moment to take in the gleaming sword, buried point-first in the ground beside her, before Hataku dropped to his good knee and wrapped her in his arms. Her breath caught in her throat. "Hataku..."

He all but crushed her to his chest, holding her as if he were afraid that Setsuka – the real Setsuka, the woman he had thought lost to him years ago – might slip away again, this time forever. He couldn't speak at first, but when he finally did, it was in a voice laced with grief and strangled with joy. "You're back. You're actually back. I always knew... I always hoped..."

His chest tensed against hers. His shoulders threatened to shake and she dug her nails into his back, suddenly mortified. She had only ever seen him tear up once before. To see him actually cry would be unthinkable, a violation, somehow worse than any of her other crimes. Her lips fumbled over words, but eventually all she could manage was a whispered, "How?"

He choked on a laugh. "I don't know. Because I love you? Are we too old for that simple of an answer?"

She clutched at him, burying her face in his shoulder to stifle a sob. "But I broke it." She couldn't believe how small she sounded, like a child staring down at a ripped doll. The thought only made her cling to him harder. "After everything I did to you... how can you possibly...?"

"It wasn't you."

"Then why do I remember everything? And why do I remember enjoying so much of it?" She crumbled against him, tired of holding her head so high, of trying so hard to keep every thread of herself in its proper place. "I think it must have been me. Otherwise it wouldn't hurt so much.

"I loved you even then, you know," she added, a whisper that was almost lost against his shoulder. "Even when I tore you apart. I hated what you were to me, but I couldn't keep you from being it."

"Even when you tore me apart..." He pulled her away, holding her by the shoulders so he could look at her. Her eyes were red-rimmed from crying, her face streaked with both tears and a slash of blister where the flames had licked too close, but somehow Hataku didn't think she had ever looked more beautiful. Some of her hair had plastered itself to the side of her face. He brushed it away so he could kiss her. "Mm. I think I know the feeling."

She tried to smile, but her gaze shifted suddenly, past him and to the field. "The Konan Warriors."

Her words jerked him back to the present. He glanced back at them, then to her, fumbling for an answer. "Ran-shogun will be sending men out soon to take care of them. We can be gone before they get here. The world is a big place. We would—"

"Never be able look at ourselves in the mirror again, if we did that." She tilted her head, smiling sadly. "It's a romantic thing to say, but a cowardly thing to do. You've got too much honor to desert your allies so easily, and I've still a sliver of my pride, even if it is about the only thing I have left. So we have to stay, don't we? Stay, and face whatever happens next."

"They'll kill you."

"Can you honestly say I don't deserve it?"

"Maybe... maybe we can make them understand. The Dowager Empress is not without sympathy. Perhaps Chichiri – the monk – he might be able to vouch for you. I'm no ki-senser, but even I can feel a difference." His jaw tightened. "The RAFT, though... and Tasuki..."

She took his hands, squeezed them lightly. "Even so, I have to face them all."

He hesitated, a hesitation born out of a fear so thick that it almost overrode his own unyielding pride. But he knew she was right. He might be able to abandon everything right now, in this sudden, heated moment of renewal, but it would never last. The guilt would ruin them more surely than a possession ever could.

"I suppose we really are too old for such a simple answer," he muttered bitterly. He looked away, but the hesitation was gone, leaving only his old strength. "But you're right. Very well, Setsuka-sama. We'll stay."

She sighed, leaning her tired, wounded body against his. "Oh for the gods' sakes, Hataku... just call me Setsuka."

oOo

The short hours that remained of the night passed in an uncertain blur. Ran's men rode out for the Konan Warriors, though the young doctor took one look at them and immediately ordered several of the soldiers to go back to the capital and return with a cart, as they couldn't possibly load their patients atop horses. Clothing was stripped and wounds were cleaned with cool cloths, the severe ones dressed in bandages, the lighter ones left to the open air. Finally, with a young guard captain in the lead, the cart of wounded in the center, and Hataku riding at the back, the procession made its way to Konan, where even Yukeda found himself at a loss for words as he examined what remained of Ritsuka's back. He recovered with his usual dignity, ordering the warriors to one private room and the Takkan lady to another, this one with a lock on the door. She accepted without complaint.

Hataku made inquiries, but no one knew what had happened to Chichiri and Kiori.

oOo

The next morning found Houki in the main dining hall of the Takkan Palace, seated across from Aji and Kita and relaying the past night's events as briefly as she could. The two watched her with alternating grins and frowns, Boshin bouncing carelessly atop Kita's knee as the trio spoke. When the empress had at last finished, she folded her hands in her lap, meeting the rebel leaders with a faint smile.

"To conclude, we believe the war has ended, and while I know that it is impolite to shorten my stay so drastically, I truly feel that I must return to the palace. As em—" she caught herself "—a Konan Warrior, there is much that I must do for my country. I spoke with Akai again this morning, and while she seems healthy enough I fear that her strength took a rather harsh blow last night. Poor Tsuchi-kun has yet to open his eyes. I wish I could stay to care for them both, but in light of my other duties..." She clasped her hands together, meeting them with her best doe's eyes. "Could I trouble you to look after them, both my dear friend and the Element boy, until they have regained their strength?"

"After all Akai's done f' us, we'd be right monsters t'say no." Kita chuckled. "Rest easy, 'Ouki-san, y'friends is safe wiff us. Now, when d'ye needs t'be leavin', like?"

"Immediately." Houki looked at Boshin and smiled. "That is, assuming you will return both my horse and my son to me?"

Kita sighed, ruffling the boy's hair. "Reckon y'best go back wiff y'mum now, Boshin-chan."

"Kay. Thanks for playin' with me yesterday, Auntie Kita."

Boshin threw his arms around her neck, giving her a brief squeeze before clambering down and hurrying over to his mother. Kita watched him with a fond smile. "Sweet kid y'got 'ere. I might e'en miss th' li'l chap." Aji leaned over and whispered something that made her blush. "Oh, shut y'gob, we ain't 'avin' no babies 'n' that's final!"

Houki smothered a giggle. Aji didn't even bother to hide his laughter. "'Tis a pity to see such a lovely young woman take her leave so soon, but I suppose it cannot be helped." He set a finger to his lips. "Still... after everything you and your friends have done for Takkan, I'd feel rather beastly myself making you journey home all alone. You really must have an escort."

"I quite agree, but who could you spare?"

Aji opened his mouth to answer, but their conversation was broken by familiar screeches from the nearby dining table. "YOWCH! Oi, oi, Watanabe-san, take it easy! When I called Hataku a grumpyass, I meant it in th' most lovin' way possi – aaaaagh, me ear!"

"Haha-ue, please, Tori was only teasing about Ani-ue, anyone can see how fond he is of my brother."

"Ain't it the truth! Why, I think of him like an older brother, I do, an' jus' ta prove it I'll marry yer daughter an' be his brother fer real! Howzat sound, Watanabe-sa – ah, ah, aaaaaah...!"

"That is quite enough out of you! First you taunt my son, and then you have the nerve to flirt with my daughter? Is there even one drop of shame in that empty head of yours?"

"Yah, bug off y'old fogey, Hourin thinks I'm a riot!"

"What did you call me, Tori-san?"

"I called ya th' beauty of Takkan! Th' beauty of Takkan! Now lemme go! Hourin-chaaan, tasukete!"

"Ah... Haha-ue..."

Aji forced a pained smile. "Houki-sama, I know just the lad to send with you."

oOo

Doctors struggled in Konan. Akai kept vigil in Takkan. The empress rode between the two.

And for two long days, the world hovered in an uncertain limbo, caught in the precarious rift between life and death. Everyone was waiting but no one knew anything. Some, such as the pacing Hataku and the weakened Setsuka, barely knew what they were waiting for, only that it was bearing down on them as surely as a monsoon, ready to sweep through and shake the nations into motion again.

For two days no one made a sound. And then, as if commanded by the gods, the veil was lifted, the darkness chased away, and the sleepers began to awaken.

oOo

Chichiri opened his eye to an arched ceiling splashed in sunlight. A breeze tugged at the wisps of his bangs, and when he shifted his gaze to the right he found himself looking out a window that took up nearly the entire wall. Silky blue curtains fluttered to either side, but they did nothing to obscure his view of a mandarin tree against a backdrop of sloping mountains, lazy streams, and the ever-present glow of the hallowed land as sunlight filtered down in pink streaks and spheres.

"Tadaima," he murmured to no one.

He closed his eye so he could let the rest of his senses wake. He breathed crisp air and the faint scent of lilacs, listened to the chirp and coo of two kan birds, felt the soft feather-down blankets covering him up to his chin... and squeezed the slim fingers laced through his own. Chichiri turned to the left this time and found himself looking straight at Kiori, her face relaxed in sleep, hair falling in trickles across her face. Her neck and shoulder shone bare but the blankets swallowed the rest of her. He gave her hand a short squeeze, smiling, though not without a touch of sadness. 'We made it... but Mae-chan...'

Kiori's eyelid twitched. Chichiri squeezed her hand again, a gentle request for her to wake up. She did, but slowly, her forehead wrinkling at something before it smoothed out again. She opened her eyes and blinked at the closeness of his face, but her surprise didn't last long. "Mm," she murmured, a small, content noise that said so much in so little. "Ohayou, Chichiri."

"O-ha-you no da. How're you feeling?"

Kiori groaned, managing a wry smile. "Like I just ran up Mount Fuji with weights tied to my arms and legs."

"I'm sore, too. It's a side affect of transferring a lot of ki no da. It'll pass soon enough." His smile faltered. "And... the rest of it? How're you feeling about... everything else?"

"You want to know if I'm upset with you?" He nodded a bit sheepishly and she couldn't resist an eye roll. "I did consider smacking you when I first woke up. But seeing as how you sort of saved my life, I figured I'd let you off easy this time." She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. "So thank you, and don't ever scare me like that again."

"And you'll still, er..." Kiori fought back a giggle at the blush that crept across his ears. "I-I mean, after everything, after how stupid I've been, you'll still... have me?"

"Do I need to kiss you again to prove it?"

He grinned. "It might help no da."

They let this one linger for a bit, lips tight, hand squeezing, blankets bunched up between them, but eventually Kiori pulled away, watching him carefully. "What about you? Are you... after everything?"

He considered it for a moment, then nodded. "I'm all right no da."

"Chichiri..."

"No, I'm not just saying it this time. I really am okay." He snuggled back against his pillow, Kiori barely an inch from him, studying her with the kind of admiring honesty that only the newly in love can give. "Mae-chan did... what she did... because she wanted you and I to be happy together. It was her choice, maybe the first choice she'd really made since the war began, and she never regretted it. She was at peace at the end, so... so as sad as it is, and as much as I wish I could have saved her..." He shook his head again. "No. More than that, I need to honor her last wish. So I really have to do everything I can to be happy no da."

His free hand came up, tracing the curve of Kiori's cheek. "And I think I will be. For a lot of reasons. Having you might be the most important one, though."

She smiled, curling her face against his hand, letting herself soak in his warmth. But when she opened her eyes again there was nothing but reluctant practicality and a fierce, gnawing worry tugging at her lips. "Okay. So what's next?"

"A very awkward visit to the monastery," he replied, kissing the side of her mouth as he did. "But somehow I don't think you were talking about the two of us no da." She nodded, waiting, but all Chichiri could give her was a shaky smile. "Tasuki's alive. He's too far away for me to sense much else, but I know that at least. And if he survived, then..."

"Probably," she agreed. "But we don't know for sure. About Ritsuka or Setsuka."

"There's an easy way to find out. I'll just go talk to my old teacher no da. We are sleeping in one of her beds, after all."

"This is Taikyoku-zan?"

"The one and only. It was the safest place I could think to send us." He chuckled. "Training was something of a nightmare, but there are certain benefits to being a student of the Oracle no da."

"Guess so." Kiori's cheeks flushed as her eyes flicked back and forth between the blankets and Chichiri's face. "So, um, speaking of your teacher... and being here... I was sort of wondering if you knew... why, er... why we're both, um, you know... naked... under here?"

He sweatdropped. "Taiitsukun has an interesting sense of humor no da." He propped himself up on his elbows, taking in the rest of the room. He nodded to a dresser in the far corner. "Mm-hm, there they are, all laid out and ready for us to wear them."

"Way over there..." Kiori muttered wistfully.

Chichiri set index and middle fingers to his lips and concentrated, but the little clothes pile just shivered once and settled to the dresser again. He sighed. "I'm more drained than I thought no da. Oh well. Guess we'll have to do this the old-fashioned way." He gave Kiori's hand one final squeeze and let go, pushing himself into a sitting position. "You stay here. I'll get dressed and find Taiitsukun. You can get ready while I'm gone no da."

"Oh." The blankets shifted as he stood and Kiori clung tight, clutching them to her chin. "O-okay."

She sat up in bed so she could get a better look at the room, but natural modesty made her keep her eyes away from Chichiri, studying instead the Taikyoku landscape outside the window. By the time she'd gotten up the nerve to sneak a peek, he was already in his trousers and in the process of slipping into his shirt. He must have felt her eyes on him because he turned, gesturing a bit self-consciously to his layman's robes. "Taiitsukun knows me a little too well, sometimes. So. Um. What do you think no da?"

She was far more interested in the lines of his chest than in the make of his clothes, but she gave the black pants and the blue, white-trimmed robe a perfunctory glance as well. "They look good on you." She smiled as he held up a small wooden set of prayer beads, the kind she often saw layman followers wearing as bracelets. "It makes me feel a lot less guilty, too."

"You feel guilty?" He laughed, looping the rosary twice around his wrist. He studied it for a minute, then nodded to himself. "Mm. This seems... comfortable no da. I think I could get used to it." He ran a hand across his close-cropped hair, chuckling again. "Nothing I can do about this right away, though. I hope you don't mind being seen with a failed monk no da."

"Only if you don't mind being seen with the temptress who made that poor monk stray from his path."

"He never strayed. He just... took a different road no da." Chichiri crossed back to her, laying a set of clean clothes on the bed as he leaned down to kiss her. He kept it soft and short again – there was simply too much else for him to do – but they both had a harder time pulling away than they had before, and Chichiri had to grab the blankets to keep his hands from straying beneath them instead. "I'll be back soon no da. You should get dressed, otherwise there's a good chance this failed monk is going to forget all his responsibilities and spend the rest of the morning trying to seduce you."

"Wouldn't take much trying," she teased, but she kept the blankets pulled up to her neck. "Okay. Go see what you can find out about Ritsuka and the others. I'll make myself presentable."

"This shouldn't take too long. And try not to worry too much, all right? Something tells me that, if Tasuki's still alive, then Ritsuka will be just fine, too. I don't think he'd let her die, not while he was still breathing no da."

oOo

Tasuki stared at the drawn blinds of the infirmary window, pupils twitching, uncomprehending. His breath came out in wheezes, throat and lungs raw from smoke, as he kept staring, tracing the dim lines of sunshine that tried to sneak through the blinds, its light touching the dust motes but never quite reaching the rest of the room. Understanding came in pieces, memories clicking with logic clicking with distant, thumping pain, until the puzzle formed a complete picture and he knew where he was.

"Alive after all, huh?"

He moved to push himself into a sitting position, but as soon as his bandaged hands tried to press against the mattress he cried out and collapsed again. Tasuki barked curses at the darkness, curling into a ball and holding his hands in front of his face. He studied the thick padding that had turned his fingers into mittens, gritting his teeth against the thrums of pain.

"Shit," he hissed, using his elbows this time to push himself up. He looked down through the gloom at himself, dressed in a thin, short-sleeved infirmary robe, and was surprised to find the rest of him largely unharmed. He was blistered up and down the backs of his arms, and he could feel similar ones along his legs, but it was no different than a bad sunburn. He stung just about everywhere, but it was manageable enough, particularly for someone who had been playing with fire for the better part of five years.

"So I'm here, and that means..." His head jerked up, face lighting with a smile. "Red's—!"

He turned from the window to face the rest of the tiny room, looking to the pallet beside him and to the motionless form in it. He dropped his voice to a murmur, calling across the darkness. "Hey, Red?"

There was no answer. He crawled cautiously off his own futon and moved to her, still almost grinning, half-tempted to scare her awake and take whatever punishment she'd dish out for it, but the smile and the shout died as he approached, warping instead into a strangled cry.

Ritsuka was lying on her stomach, her unharmed face turned to the side and pulled back tight in agony. Her hair had been burned away and then cropped haphazardly to her neck, so that it lay plastered in sticky strands across her cheeks. She dripped with sweat but shivered violently, her legs trembling beneath the thin sheet that covered her from tailbone to feet. She was naked save for the thick bandages that padded her arms and almost the entirety of her back. Two pale streaks of undamaged skin stretched across her, one just above her shoulder blades and the other at the small of the back, and Tasuki realized with a horrified moan that it was all he had managed to protect of her during that final blast.

He hovered above her, bandaged hands fumbling in the air, unable to touch her as she twitched and trembled beside him. Words tumbled like marbles from his mouth, first "no" and then "Red" and then, finally, as he curled over her, trying to protect what he couldn't even touch:

"This is all my fault... damn it all, it's all my fault..."

oOo

Chichiri opened the doors of the main temple, expecting to see Taiitsukun at the end of the hall, but his old teacher was nowhere to be found. He walked a few steps into the temple, pressing a hand to the nearby pillar and breathing in the faint smells of incense and the thick, underground must that accompanies all ancient things.

"Taiitsukun?" he called, slippers padding across the marble floors as he made his way to the front of the hall, where statues of the four gods stood vigil around a raised platform. "I could have sworn I felt her in here, but..." He shrugged, stepping in front of the Suzaku statue and pressing his palms together. "As long as I'm waiting, I might as well do what she always used to make me do." He chuckled. "Me, actually praying without being told to? I bet that'd surprise her no da."

"Don't you know by now that nothing surprises me?"

Chichiri turned chibi and jumped, whirling around to face a familiar but nonetheless disturbing face. He waved cheerfully at his old teacher. "Hah, ohayou. I was just looking for you no da."

She hovered at eye level, wearing her usual expression of faint disapproval. Still, Chichiri thought he sensed a flicker of pleasure in both her ki and eyes. It did nothing to blunt the annoyance in her words. "That was thoughtful of you, teleporting your unconscious body and the young lady here. Nearly crushed a couple of the Nyan-Nyans."

Chichiri sweatdropped. "Gomen, but we ran into some trouble no da. I figured this would be the safest place I could send us." He rubbed at his nose. "Only I think I might have passed out about halfway between. Did you pull us the rest of the way no da?" She nodded and he smiled. "Thank you. I know you aren't supposed to meddle in the affairs of normal humans, but..."

Taiitsukun shrugged. "My old students get special privileges. Frequent teleport miles and all." Chichiri sweatdropped, wondering when she'd developed a sense of humor. "Besides, considering how little I was able to give you at our last meeting, it only seemed fair."

"That's all right no da. I was angry at the time—"

She sniffed. "An understatement."

He flushed and went on. "But I understand. You have your rules, same as the rest of us no da. We were in a mortal war this time, not a godly one, so you really weren't allowed to interfere, were you?" Chichiri studied his palms, taking a slow breath before at last asking what he'd known now for months. "It was Tenkou, wasn't it? The one who made the necklace, gave the Elements their abilities, and set this war into motion?" He answered for himself. "It must have been no da. If it had been one of the gods, you would have been able to help us. And he was the only other force in this world strong enough to wield that kind of power. So it had to have been him."

He glanced at Taiitsukun long enough to see her nod. "He wanted to be a god in all things. It stood to reason that he would want his own seven guardians as well."

"But he knew the gods were moving against him no da. So instead of just giving his power to seven unborn souls, he stored a fragment of both his strength and those souls inside a talisman. Setsuka's necklace."

"It seems you had the answers all along. Never needed my help to begin with."

Chichiri chuckled. "This was all guesswork until now, though. And I didn't have anything but hunches until we met Hataku no da. When he said Setsuka got so sick a year ago..."

"...Right around the time you and your allies defeated the demon god..."

"Exactly." He turned to her again, studying her dour face. "But there're two things that surprised me. The first was Tenkou's decision to make Tasuki one of his warriors no da. He had to have known that Tasuki would develop ties to the Suzaku seishi and to Konan." Taiitsukun waited, watching as Chichiri's eye widened "Unless..."

"He had every intention of bringing Tasuki to his side and using him, along with a number of other fallen souls, to defeat the Suzaku seishi? In a battle that took place one year ago, perhaps?" Now it was Chichiri's turn to wait, watching until Taiitsukun gave him the tiny nod he needed. "The Lady and her Elements were meant to rule the lands. But Tenkou planned to have the heavens under his control long before he moved against the mortal realms. His ambitions were nicely ruined, however, in part thanks to your impossibly stupid friend's loyalty."

Chichiri smiled weakly. "That's Tasuki for you no da."

"I believe you had another question?"

He shook his head. "I think I answered it myself, actually. I was wondering why the gods would let Tenkou create the necklace in the first place – why they didn't just sweep in and stop him years ago, before any of this could happen." He tilted his head, bemused. "But the gods don't work that way, do they? Because when Tenkou gave his strength to those seven souls, he moved it out of the heavenly realms no da. And our gods can't act directly in our world. That's why they create seishi, recruit monks, summon miko. Am I right?" She nodded again. "Which means that only an idiot would provoke them in their own lands no da."

"An idiot, or an incredibly powerful, incredibly arrogant demon."

"Or that." Chichiri sighed, pressing his palm to the foot of the Suzaku statue. "Tenkou probably never believed we'd defeat him. Or that his death would drive his 'priestess' into madness. Or that so many of his so-called servants would..."

He trailed off, fingers clenching against the bronze. Taiitsukun frowned. "The girl you brought with you is still in my keeping. I assume you will want to see her."

He didn't have to answer for her to understand. The air shimmered and the scene shifted, changing from darkened temple to brightened bedchamber. Chichiri looked around, unmasked eye falling to the lifeless body of the young Element laid out in the room's small bed. A soft pink bubble surrounded her, pulsing softly. He frowned, setting a tentative hand to the barrier. His arm went through it without trouble, and he rested his hand lightly against her cheek.

"She was an Element," Taiitsukun said.

"She was a sister," he corrected, voice a murmur. "And a savior. Mae-chan sacrificed herself for me. For both of us, I mean."

"The woman from another world?" He nodded. Taiitsukun mirrored it. "She is... special to you, I take it. I couldn't pry your hands apart when you arrived here. I assumed she must be important if you were holding on to her so tightly." His old teacher's voice softened, though just a shade. "You've learned to love again, I see."

He turned to face her. She didn't miss the quick smile that lighted his face, or the way his eye seemed to glow with mixed hope and contentment, as if he were at once pleased to be where he was and ecstatic about what lay ahead of him. She had seen that look many times before, but never from him. "I've learned how to be whole again no da."

Was Chichiri imagining things, or was there the hint of a smile on Taiitsukun's face? "I see." She turned her attention back to Mae. "And what about the Element?"

"I'm going to take her home no da," he said. "Back to the Ukizaki farmhouse. They should know what happened, and I think Mae-chan's spirit would want to be near them for the forty-nine days. Then Kiori and I will return to Konan. There are friends who are waiting for us."

Taiitsukun sniffed. "Well, if you are going to go gallivanting across the country like that, then you'd best wait here for another two days. By my estimation, that's how long it's going to take you regain enough strength to make the trip."

He whipped around. "Another two days? We've been asleep for that long? Then we can't—"

"My barrier will keep the Element safe, untouched by time's decay, until you are ready for her." Taiitsukun turned away, floating over to the window. "As for your Konan allies, they are not so easy to kill as you seem to think. They live, and although some injuries are more serious than others, I should think they will get on without you for another couple of sunrises."

"But couldn't you... I mean, it's just, if you were to send us-"

"I bent the rules to help you once. I do not intend to meddle so directly again." She shrugged. "Of course, you could travel by horse, but it would take the better part of a week to reach the capital city, to say nothing for that rather out-of-the-way visit to the Element's home. Your best choice is to stay here and regain your strength.

"Besides," she added innocently, "I would imagine you and the young lady would enjoy some time together before you are swept back into the world. And, seeing as how my mountain is, technically speaking, not a part of the mortal world and is therefore, technically speaking, not subject to the mortal world's rules, then I would say that, technically speaking..."

"There are no monastic vows for me to break."

"And the gods could not possibly take offense to the breaking of a vow that does not exist." She shrugged, turning away with the hint of another smirk. "Technically speaking, that is."

He hesitated, but Taiitsukun's logic was as sound as the palace walls, and her last words made it difficult for him to argue. Chichiri finally gave over to his instincts and allowed a wide, giddy smile to attack his face. "Well, as long as the others will be all right without us..."

She waved her wrinkled fingers at him over her shoulder, shooing him back to the door. "You are dismissed."

He was out of the room in an instant, so he never saw her eyes close, and he never saw the Nyan-Nyan that appeared on the edge of the bed, frowning up at the oracle. "That was unfair of Taiitsukun to say," the girl chided quietly.

"I told no lies," she retorted, calm but not untroubled. "Their friends live, and I see no reason why that should change in another two days."

"But still..."

"What would you have me do? Tell him something he has no power to fix? Whether he learns it now or later, it does not affect the truth of it. At least this way they can have their happiness, short-lived though it may be."

Nyan smiled weakly. "Taiitsukun is a little bit fond of Houjun, ne?"

"Hmph." Her lips twitched. "I suppose even foolish students can grow on their teachers, given enough time."

oOo

Kiori, dressed comfortably in honey yellow silks, had her hair twisted back in one hand and a hairpin halfway through the knot when the door to the room swung open again, bringing Chichiri with it. She turned with a smile, but before she could even say "hello" he was across the room, his hands cupping her cheeks and his lips pressing hard against hers. He pulled her straight into him, their lips parting, feeling the taste of each other for the first time. Kiori was so surprised and delighted that she forgot to breathe, and after several long seconds she had to pull away, gasping and laughing in turns.

"What was that?"

"A decade of repression, I think."

He was already drawing her close again, but she danced out of his way this time, hands still behind her head, half in and half out of her bun. "Wait, wait! You've got to talk to me first. What did Taiitsukun say? Are the others okay?"

"Injured, some worse than others, but everyone's still alive, and she said no one was in any danger."

"But we're still leaving, aren't we?"

"I can't. I'm not strong enough to make the trip yet no da."

"So what does that mean?"

His hands dropped to her waist. "It means we have two days."

"Two days? Of what?"

"Whatever you want."

Slow understanding spread across her face and they drew together as one this time, Kiori raised just slightly on her toes so that she could meet him in the middle. Her arms seemed to have forgotten how to move, so Chichiri reached up, bringing them slowly away from her head and back down to her hips. For a moment the pair broke away, hovering a hairsbreadth from the other, hands clasped around the blossom-studded hairpin.

"So, um." Kiori's voice was a whispered gasp, but she somehow found a nervous, throaty chuckle to accompany it. "I know this is usually the part where the young lady says she wants to take it slow, but considering the past couple months, if we go much slower..."

"Backwards, I know."

They both laughed at that, relieved and taut and reckless with lust. But then the laughter died and they were together again, Chichiri trailing kisses down her neck, Kiori pressing herself tighter and tighter against his hips. She let him take the hairpin from her limp grasp. It hit the dresser with a soft plunk and they immediately forgot it, first the pin and then the dresser and then everything else, and for the next two, breathless days they knew nothing but each other.

oOo

Houki watched as the capital city came into sight, light peeking from the east to highlight the outer walls. She breathed a small sigh of relief, giving the dozing boy in front of her a soft squeeze. He awoke with a murmur, rubbing his eyes and yawning wide. "Are we there yet, Mama?"

"Almost."

"We gots back lots faster, huh?"

"Mm-hm. Your mama and Uncle Tori didn't sleep very much, so we made it in three days this time. Can you hang on to the saddle for just a little bit, sweetie? Mama wants to try a trot." He nodded and gripped tight, face scrunched in deep concentration, though there was little risk of him falling off as the RAFT had constructed a clever sort of harness for the boy. Houki patted his head once, then turned to look at her oddly quiet companion, who had spent much of the past three days gazing into the distance. "Tori, are you quite all right?"

He smiled, leaning his head against his horse. "Chrysanthemums."

"Hm?"

"Chrysanthemums're th' perfect flower fer a girl, ain't they? I mean, they're pretty, they smell nice, they're all about purity so's th' girl won't think ya got any ungentlemanly ideas about her... it's a great gift, innit? I mean, some guy gave you a bunch an' you'd be head-over-heels for him, na?"

Houki covered her laugh with her sleeve. "Of course. Do you have a recipient in mind?"

"Yeah, an' I'm flat broke, so I gotta work with what nature's gonna give me." He paused, setting a finger to his chin. "Too bad there ain't no such thing as a Hourin Flower... maybe I'll invent it..."

She shook her head, kicking her horse into a trot and hurrying down the hill towards the city gates. 'Oh dear. An impudent, love-sick rebel. Hataku is certain to be devastated.'

The trio reached the palace with little trouble, returning first the horses to the stables and then the dozing Boshin to his nursemaid. The empress took a few moments to ask some servants to handle their luggage, and then both she and Tori took off across the palace grounds. She had nearly reached the Minister of the Left's office when a male voice hailed her from the opposite walkway. "Houki-sama!"

The pair turned to find Hataku standing across the way, one hand raised in greeting. They waited as he made his way towards them, his limping gate just a shade lighter than usual. He offered the empress a quick bow, then looked up to her, surprising them both with a small but bright smile. "Houki-sama, we heard that you'd returned. It's good to see you back in Konan."

Tori poked his head over her shoulder. "Ya miss me too, Hatchan?"

His smile didn't waver. "For the first time in my life, Tori-kun, I can hear your voice and not want to strangle anything." He offered his arm to the empress, leading them at a fast pace to the private dining hall. "I thought we could take breakfast while I explained the situation. There's really so much to tell you. Some of it may upset you at first, but I need you to promise that you won't make any rash decisions, not until you hear everything I have to say."

She nodded, taken aback at his sudden good cheer. "Ah, of course. How are the others?"

His smile creased into a small frown. "We haven't heard from Chichiri and Kiori since the battle, but the mansion was empty so we have good reason to believe they're still alive. Tasuki is a bit worse for the wear, but his seishi strength should allow him to heal without any lasting damage." Hataku looked to the floor. "And then there's Ritsuka."

Houki's good mood evaporated. "Ritsuka?"

"She and Tasuki defeated Setsuka with the tessen. The fires struck them all, but Ritsuka didn't have seishi strength or shields to protect her, and she was dressed for summer, without a scrap of cloak or armor to protect her. She is... badly injured."

"Will she be all right?"

He looked like he wanted to reassure her, but Hataku was too honest for that. He shook his head slowly. "I saw what she looked like after that attack. Even if she survives, with injuries like that... Yukeda-sensei has his work cut out for him, at best."

Houki pressed her hands to her mouth. "Poor Ritsuka. I only hope..." She blinked.. "But wait. Hataku. Did you say that both Tasuki and Setsuka were protected from the attack?"

"Yes. Well." He ran a hand through his hair. "That's the part I needed you to understand..."

Houki listened to everything Hataku told her, interrupting every so often to clarify but never to judge. Tori sat taut as a bowstring beside her, his eyes on his half-eaten breakfast as he chewed hard on his lip. Houki thought she didn't look much better, and as a favor to Hataku she waited several long moments after he had finished speaking, giving herself plenty of time to consider his story.

But she could think of no answer to give, so at last she simply said, "So Setsuka is alive and in the infirmaries."

"Yukeda-sensei said it wasn't a doctor's right to condemn, only to save."

"An admirable philosophy. A shame rulers cannot think the same way." Houki's hands twisted in her lap. "Oh, what is to be done...?"

"Setsuka's left that up to you." Hataku stood from the table, offering the empress a hand up. "Would you care to meet her? You might be able to find your answer if you do."

"I do not care to meet her at all, actually, but I suppose a good empress must remain unbiased until all the facts have been presented." Houki hesitated, then accepted his hand, offering him a bitter smile. "However, Hataku, I think it is fair that you know: I do this only for the sake of our friendship. That tyrant would be on her way to the dungeons if anyone else had made such a request."

"I... humbly thank you for that."

"Tori-kun, please come as well. The RAFT suffered longer than any of us. I will have need of their ambassador's counsel."

The rebel snapped out of his thoughts, standing in a hurry. "Oh, yeah.R-right behind ya, Houki-sama."

Judge, jury, and defense traveled silently down the walkways, too lost in their own concerns to bother with words. Hataku led them through the main infirmary and on to a private room fashioned with a heavy lock. Konan was by nature a humane nation, and the room had been built specifically for wounded enemy soldiers. An infirmary assistant hovered outside of the room, but he handed over the key as soon as he spotted Hataku, offering the trio a short bow before returning to his duties.

"One other thing you should know." Hataku paused on the threshold. "Setsuka's been a bit... unstable... since the night we returned. Most of the time she's calm enough, and occasionally she'll even talk and joke as if the past few years hadn't happened at all, but every so often she has these... attacks."

Houki's eyes blazed. "Attacks?"

"Nothing violent," he added hurriedly. "Just the opposite, in fact. She tends to fall into a stupor, as if she's not even aware of the people around her." His face darkened. "It can be noisier than that, though. Crying. Sometimes screaming. Yukeda-sensei says it's nerves."

"But you disagree," Houki finished.

He rubbed at his chin. "If I had to put a name to it, I think it has more to do with guilt. This wasn't like a possession or even a kodoku drugging. It was slower, like a poison that infected her spirit instead of her body. She remembers everything, Houki-sama. Sometimes I think those memories are too much for her to handle. Sometimes I think the only way she can reconcile what she was then and who she is now is by shutting down completely.

"At any rate," he went on, shaking himself back to composure, "she was lucid when I left her. You should be able to speak to her without any problems. I just thought you should know, in case she says something unusual or begins to act strangely."

"What she was...?" Tori repeated in a murmur, but when he offered nothing else Hataku turned back and opened the door.

Houki took a breath as she stepped inside the cell, eyes falling on the battered woman in the corner. Setsuka was distractedly scratching Tama beneath the chin, but she looked up when the door opened, her eyes lighting when she spotted Hataku but dimming as soon as she took in the others. Tori's fists clenched at his sides but he said nothing. Houki gathered her hands into her sleeves, taking in the blistered streaks across the former lady's cheek and arms and the jagged ends of her singed hair. She looked a stark contrast to the beautiful, vicious woman who had stood outside the Eiyou gates just a few short months ago, and the contrast only grew sharper when she bent forward, offering a kowtow.

"Dowager Empress."

"Deposed Lady Setsuka."

"I... assume you are here to deliver my sentence."

Houki blinked. "You won't speak in your own defense?"

Setsuka chuckled weakly, glancing up through the strands of her bangs. Her words sounded practiced, as if she had spent the past few days rehearsing them, planning her final statement so that it would say exactly what she intended and not a syllable more. "And what defense would that be? That I was weak? That I was a fool? That I was so strangled with grief and rage that I let myself be seduced by a false god?" She shook her head. "You and I both know that kind of answer only works in the storybooks. You want evidence. I stand before you with none. Two empires want my head on a pike and I honestly don't know which one deserves it more."

She straightened again, a glimmer of her old pride in her eyes as she met the empress stare for stare, begging for nothing. "All I have is this: I could have escaped and didn't. I gave myself to death twice before and both times the gods saw it fit to spare me, first in that battle against your fellow warriors and again when Hataku found me. I don't know if that means anything, but it is the only evidence I have. Make what you will of it, and do what you will with me. As the victorious empress, it is your gods-given right."

"My gods-given right, is it?" Houki muttered dryly. She studied Setsuka again, noting the creases lining her eyes and mouth. She looked as if she had aged years in a single summer. "Tell me something, Deposed Lady Setsuka. If I were to pardon you, what would you do?"

"I don't expect you to pardon me. But if you did, then I suppose I'd do the same thing here that I would do in the hells. I would find a way to atone."

"And how do you propose to do that?"

"How?" Setsuka's head snapped up and she faltered. This was not part of her script. Eventually she had to look away. "I don't know."

"You don't know?" Houki pressed a hand against Tori's shoulder. "This man's parents were executed at your command, along with dozens of his friends and relatives. Now you tell me, Deposed Lady: How do you intend to atone for that?"

Setsuka looked at him helplessly. "I don't know."

"Because there is nothing you could do? Is that correct?"

"...Yes."

"She don't gotta atone," Tori said. "She's just gotta die her thousand deaths." He hesitated, snaking at look at the broken lady out of the corner of his eye, then glancing to Hataku again. He scowled but didn't waver. "Reckon she's bleedin' well done that already. Gone 'n' been reborn as some'n new. Ain't no Lady-a Takkan here, Houki-sama. Jus' some sad-lookin' Onee-san who got th' spit beat outta her."

Houki gave his shoulder a light squeeze. "Are you certain?"

"Kita's always sayin' we gotta be better 'n what we're fightin' against, so ain't no way I'm puttin' a defenseless Onee-san on the choppin' block. That'd make me low as she is. As she was." He nodded, though it looked like it hurt him to do it. "I can't say everyone back home is gonna feel that way. Ol' ugly-mug had t'see some pretty rough stuff while he was taii in th' army. He might want blood, him 'n' his brother both. But you wanted yer RAFT ambassador's answer, an' that's what he's got." He looked to Houki again, offering a shrug and a flicker of his usual grin. "'Sides, how'm I s'posed ta break me dear ol' shogun's heart like that, huh? Though it is pretty creepy ta see him smilin' so much..."

Houki gave Tori another quick squeeze before dropping her hand. She glanced at Hataku over the rebel's shoulder, his eye shifting back and forth between the empress and the lady, switching from concerned to tender and back again just as quickly. Houki nodded, stepping forward and drawing herself to her full height. "Very well, then. Setsuka, you are the Deposed Lady of Takkan, driven from your lands by your people. Do you come here seeking sanctuary?"

Setsuka stared at her, at a loss, but she must have caught Houki's nod because she mirrored it. "Y-yes."

"And do you solemnly swear that you come here with no violent intent, either for Konan or her people?"

This one came without hesitation. "Yes."

"Then, as Konan law demands, I have no choice but to grant you asylum. You shall be treated as a guest, and remain unharmed as long as you stay within our walls. I hereby leave judgment in the hands of the Takkan people, who shall have the right to claim you as their prisoner, should they ever wish it. That is where your trial legally belongs, and I will hold to the laws, as the gods so command us."

Houki looked to Hataku, offering him a tiny smile. "That is all I can give you. Pray that the people of Takkan are as merciful as Tori-kun, and perhaps that will be enough to save what you have recovered. I cannot yet bring myself to wish her happiness, Hataku, but I do wish it heartily on you. May this tale end well for all of us."

His bow was almost a perfect ninety-degree angle, and Houki did not miss the swell of emotion that tinged his normally taciturn voice. "I can't thank you enough, Houki-sama. You have my gratitude, and all of my loyalty. I will personally see to it that the new ruler of Takkan remains a friend of Konan for years to come."

Her eyebrows rose. "Then you still intend to return to Takkan?"

"We have to." They looked to Setsuka, her chin held high once again, her voice an uncompromising certainty. "It's our home. And whether I die in five days or five decades, I plan to do it in the nation I love." Her strength wavered, her voice shifting to a wobble. "In the n-nation I failed."

Setsuka seemed to cave in on herself, face darkening and fingers curling into claws. Tama bumped against her knee, mewing plaintively. As she hovered on the edge of a collapse, Houki slid up behind Hataku, setting a hand to his back. "Perhaps you had best comfort her. Tori-kun and I can find our own way out."

He shot Houki the briefest, most grateful of smiles, then hurried across the room to Setsuka's side. The empress felt herself smiling, and couldn't stop it from following her out of the infirmaries and back into the sunshine.

Tori grinned beside her, lacing his hands behind her head. "Maaaaan, I'm really somethin' else, ain't I? An didja see th' way ol' grumpy-ass looked at me? He was near about ready ta crown me king-a th' universe, when I said what I said."

"It was very noble of you, Tori-kun. It must have been a hard thing to say."

"Nah, not really. I jus' had ta think 'What would Leader do?' an' then I went ahead 'n' did it. Simple as slippin' on ice." He sniggered. "'Sides, it'll be a whole lot easier fer me ta court Hourin if Hataku's busy chasin' his own skirts 'round th' city."

"The poor girl does not realize what she is getting into," Houki teased.

"What're you talkin' about?" Tori puffed out his chest, smoothing back his eternally messy hair. "Hourin-chan loves me! Thinks I'm th' handsomest thing on two feet – told me so herself, she did!"

"Indeed?" Houki fought to smother her laughter. "Now isn't that odd? I could have sworn that Hourin-san was blind."

oOo

Akai was in the outer chamber, clearing out the deceased Elements' personal effects when she heard a low, guttural moan from behind the curtain. She gasped, dropping her work and rushing into the dim back room, eyes landing first on the occupied bed and then flitting to the doctor hovering above him. "Is he—?"

"Seems to be," the doctor muttered.

She slipped across the room, peering over his shoulder and into Fuyuko's half-open eyes. She watched as the doctor moved his finger back and forth in front the boy's face. Her breath hitched when he didn't follow, and for a horrified moment she was afraid that he'd come back with missing pieces, that he was blind or simple or worse, but then she realized that he wasn't looking at the doctor at all. He was looking at the frightened girl hovering over the doctor's shoulder.

Akai smiled and Fuyuko smiled back. "Finally awake, lazy bum?"

"Guesh sho." The left side of his mouth didn't want to move as quickly as the right, and his S's slurred as if he were drunk, but they were words all the same. Better still, they were words that made sense, words that answered her question and showed that he could hear her. That he was whole. He tried a question. It jerked but held together. "How. Long wush I. Out?"

"Three days," she said. "Really long ones." The doctor nudged her and she jumped, remembering what they had rehearsed. "Oh, right. Can you tell me your name?"

"Shi Fuyu. Ko."

"And my name?"

"Akai."

"And what's the last thing you remember?"

"Fighting Se. Tsuka. Wichu." His eyebrows scrunched, annoyed. He tried again, slower this time, forming each syllable with care. "With... You."

"His speech is a bit broken, but his mind seems intact." The doctor nodded, allowing himself a somber smile. "That's the most important thing, I suppose. Now Fuyuko-kun, I need you to wiggle all your fingers and toes for me. Can you do that?"

He nodded. Akai watched his feet twitch beneath the sheets and his right hand tap a rhythm against the bed. His left hand didn't budge. The doctor's lips tightened. "Try raising your left arm."

This he managed, though just barely, and not without a frustrated groan. "Issnutwrrrkinrrrt."

Akai leaned forward and squeezed his other hand. "It's okay, Fuyu-kun. You died for a little while, so no one expects you to be perfect. Just talk slow and move slow for right now, and you'll get better at it." She looked to the doctor. "Won't he?"

"Given time, yes, though I doubt he'll ever have full use of that hand again. Those who leave their limbs with Enma-sama rarely gain them back." He stood, brushing his hands against his trousers. "I'd like to move him into a real bedroom, somewhere on the main level where I can keep an eye on him. I want him watched for another week or so, to see if he has any more of those fits from before. There are ways to fight the falling sickness, but nothing that I know to cure it. Best we recognize it as soon as we can."

Akai nodded. "Should I help him up?"

"No. I don't want him walking just yet. I'll go upstairs, fetch an assistant to move him." He thought for a moment, then added, "I'll have a servant bring down some breakfast as well, and some tea to help strengthen him. Look after him for now, would you? He seems to want you to."

Fuyuko squeezed her fingers and smiled again. Akai hastily blinked away her tears. "Mm. I'll stay with him as long as he needs me. That's a promise." She took a seat beside the bed as the doctor left, smoothing down Fuyuko's hair as she did. "So you're free from Setsuka now. Bet that must be a relief." She hesitated, then added, "I don't suppose... you know how the battle turned out?"

His head wobbled. "I'm li'l bit concted." He tried again. "Con-nect-ed. To other Ele. Mentsh. Sho... I think Ka. Ji shvived. Shur-vived." He glanced away. "Mae-chan didn't."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. She wush un. Happy. Unhappy. All the time. Mebbe next life she wunbe. Won't be."

"I'll pray for that. She was important to a friend of mine in Konan, too, so I bet he'll pray for the same thing. Mae-chan will have a happy rebirth, I'm sure of it."

He smiled weakly. "Doumo." He thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Other shtuff is. Cut off. Free from. Her so I dun. No. Anyshing elsh. An-y-thing elsh. Elsh. Els-sh."

He blew out air between his teeth, and he looked so much like a child struggling with a new kanji that Akai almost laughed. "Let's take the S's slowly for now, okay?" She patted his shoulder. "You wanna try sitting up? I can pull your hair back for you, smooth out your clothes, make you look all dashing for your return to the world."

He snorted a laugh at that, no doubt fully aware of his papery skin and emaciated frame, but he grasped her hand and did what he could to help, using his partly-frozen left arm to shove himself up off the bed. He wavered but held himself on his own, smiling as Akai slipped onto the bed behind him and set a brush to his matted hair. He was glad that she couldn't see the tears streaking his face, and even gladder that his jerking voice made it sound like he was always on the edge of a sob. "Sanku. Thankyu. Thank. You."

She poked him in the side. "Hey, quit it. We're friends now, okay? So helping each other is just something we do."

"But. I can't... for you..."

Akai rolled her eyes. "Look, if you really want to repay me, then work hard and get healthy again so you and me can go to Konan together. Houki-sama and Kiori-san are going to want to see you again, and I just know the others will like you, too." She tugged the brush gently through a tangle, working it loose with sisterly kindness. "And then after that, who knows? I want to wander all over the place, but it'd be pretty lonely by myself. Maybe you could come with me, huh?" She chuckled. "Actually, I'm pretty good at sticking my nose into places it shouldn't be, so it'd be nice to have a doctor around. What do you say? I know that's maybe a long way off, but would you want to come with me? Fight off bad guys and travel the world?"

Fuyuko stared at the numb hand in his lap. He clasped his good one atop it, giving it a squeeze. He swallowed back his tears and found another smile. "Might. Be a while. For me. Wouldju wait?"

"Sure. There's plenty to do in Takkan, and it's not like we don't have time." Akai grinned to herself. "We're still just kids, after all. We've got our whole futures ahead of us."

He worked the word around on his clumsy tongue, feeling for the taste of it, struggling until he had it right. "Fuchur. Fyu-chrr. Fu. Ture. Future." He swallowed. "I have a. Future. Again." He nodded once, full of strength, alight with a hope he had thought had been extinguished for good. "Okay, Akai. If you'll wait, then I'll shee... I'll sssee. The world. With. You. I promise."

oOo

"New trials still awaited those in Konan, and decisions not yet made would continue shake the foundations of both the southern empire and its small northern neighbor for years to come. For the end of one tale is simply the beginning of another, and as long as the world turned both its nations and its people would live on to begin another chapter. But for the moment, at least, as two young warriors clasped hands and shared a brief smile, it seemed that the final word in this volume of Takkan's history had, at last, been set to page." Yui blew air into her bangs and handed the book to Tetsuya, offering both her male friends a cautious smile. "End Chapter Thirty-Eight."

-
Chichiri: The war may be over, but the end is just beginning.
Tasuki: We've all fought like demons,
Kiori: Suffered unbearable losses,
Ritsuka: And learned more about each other than we ever thought possible.
Houki: But no matter what happens,
Akai: No matter what sorrows await,
Koji: An' no matter how far away we are,
Chichiri: I know—
Kiori: I'm sure—
Ritsuka: I'm just positive—
Tasuki: That I won't have any regrets.
Konan Warriors: Because, it's all been for you.

Chichiri: If it's for you, I'd break away from the past
Tasuki: Face every fear
Ritsuka: Lay my life on the line
Kiori: Believe in the impossible.

Houki: If it's for you, I would swim an ocean
Koji: Defeat an army
Akai: Tackle a demon
Aoi: Take on the world.

Tsuchi: If it's for you, I'd fight unbeatable odds
Mizu: Sacrifice everything
Hataku: Live again
Setsuka: Love again.

Kiori: If it's for you...
Ritsuka: For you...
Tasuki: An' only fer you.

The Next Episode of Fushigi Yuugi: The Next Chapter: "For You... New Ends and New Beginnings."

Chichiri: If it's for you, I might even be able to say goodbye...
-

---

End Notes:
(1) Tsuchi's Illness and Medieval Medicine - I won't get too technical on you, but in modern terms, Tsuchi briefly suffered from cerebral hypoxia: a lack of oxygen to the brain. Even more simply put, he suffered a stroke. When he was revived, he then had a brief seizure, what our Konan doctor referred to as "the falling sickness." I tried to keep my Konan doctor as historically accurate as possible, but I may have fudged a few details here and there, particularly when it comes to CPR. I tried to make it seem less like actual CPR and more like someone trying to push the breath out of someone's lungs (a logical concept even with limited medical knowledge, I would think), but even so... Well, as Watase has stated before, this is Fantasy China, so liberties get to be taken here and there, I s'pose. :)

Ye Olde Author's Note: November 19th, 2010
Ni-hao, minna-san!
Well hey, that wasn't so bad, right? I think I even let that episode end with over half the cast relatively safe and happy. That's gotta be some kind of record. To tell you the truth, this and the next episode were originally a single piece, but it was so darn long that I had to split it in the rewrite. As a result, this one wound up a lot shorter than the next one, and the ending is a bit more sudden than most of my eps. Things get a little intense after this point, though, so I figured I'd do my readers a favor and end an episode on a peaceful note for once. (smile) Besides, that final scene with Akai and Tsuchi really does mark the end of the "Takkan Story Arcs," at least until the Ending Credits, so it makes for a decent stopping point.

Oh, and speaking of Ending Credits... I wound up rewriting the last scene of the original FY:NC and fleshing it out into a series of scenes. As a result, Episode 39 got a little ridiculous in length. So, to make the reading load more manageable for everyone, I'm splitting it into two chapters: Episode 39 and the Ending Credits, which are fairly short and will give me lots of room to leave some closing remarks. (Mein Gott, we're so close to the end! I still can't quite believe it.) And don't worry – I'm going to post both of these pieces on the same day, December 25 (Merry Christmas!), so you won't have to wait to read the finale.
And now that we've got the explanations out of the way, on to the fun stuff!

The Things I Do For Research: In order to describe Ritsuka's post-fire condition in the most gut-wrenchingly accurate way possible, I bit my tongue, clenched my jaw and searched for "third-degree burns" on Google Images. Yyyyyyeah... Suffice to say my descriptions could not hope to do the actual photos justice. If you ever want to go on a diet, just flick through the hits. You may not eat for a week.

Never Edit at 1am (Or, How I Referenced Your Mother)
I don't have the ability to read over the Chichiri/Kiori "fade-to-black" scene after about midnight without thinking something ridiculous. I have referred to them as a number of different animals, from "sex bunnies" to "sex pandas," despite the fact that the last one is an oxymoron, and during my final edit I just wound up singing the "Bang Bang Bangity Bang" song from How I Met Your Mother. (YouTube it if you don't know what I mean.) I said bang, a-bang, a-bangity-bang, I said a-bang bang bangity-bang (buh-bum bum bum)... Aaaaand now the damn thing is stuck in my head again. Too catchy for its own good, I tell you.
To conclude, I'm deliriously happy for our little Konan lovebirds, and I hope you all are, too. (grin)

I thought about discussing my decision to let Setsuka survive (since I know there are probably plenty of people grinding their teeth about that), but I'm hoping that the story will speak for itself. So even if you aren't pleased with it, I do hope you'll understand the reasoning behind it... and maybe you can think like Houki and be happy for Hataku, at least. (smile?)

Thanks to The White Phoenix, LordAxelLover, Ayriel, Virginia Wolfe, antyem, IttyBittyTidbits, and inuphantom for your marvelous reviews, and I can't wait to hear from you again after this one, too.

See you at the finale! —Dee