As Good a Beginning as Any

- "The dead are now buried, peace made," Daidoji Akita said at the gates of Shiro Daidoji. "Let us all pray that slaying Kusatte Iru will bring the Empire back to balance, so that you may make home here."

- "Though, I fear it may not," Eiko said, a grave expression on her face.

Sarevok nodded to that.

- "Then... I must keep fighting. There is need for further atonement. Sayonara."

- "Sayonara."

The trip back to the midway ryokan was again a quiet affair, but the mood was much different. Sarevok kept gazing far away, but he smiled faintly. His expression, Winski was pleased to note, conveyed peace he had not once known in his second life - and probably not in the first one either. The large warrior absent-mindedly held Mei's arm, and the woman just sat there, serene and collected. Yes, she knows when to give him space. That is very good.

Peri looked shaken, and Yukemori shot worried glances at her. Before the two had laughed and chattered almost incessantly, but now Peri didn't talk. Imoen also looked worried, but didn't say anything. She knew that her sister didn't like to be probed.

- "Children... whatever will happen, an important mission is now over. I have trust... in gods and in us," Jelena said.

- "I would leave gods out of it," Peri said, smiling mirthlessly. "A dead one could cause us all considerable trouble."

- "Yet a living one saved Yoshimo, whom you care about. And Winski," Jelena replied calmly.

- "True," Peri amended. "But he's such a nice bloke I sometimes wonder how it is possible that he is a god."

The evening meal was more festive than usually, complete with fresh sushi and carefully crafted rice balls adorned with sesame seeds.

- "Who woulda thought that raw fish is this good," Peri mused, her mood lifting somewhat.

- "Aye, as strange as are many things, like the cuisine, in this land, the land very much pleases me," Sarevok said.

- "You meant it. Staying in Kara-Tur," Mei said, staring Sarevok in the eye. Where does that leave us?

- "I intend to, if not the world is destroyed from under us," the man replied.

They ate the rest of the meal in silence.

- "Our feast for completing the quest was solemn," Sarevok said, "but that is fitting. In the memory of lost loved ones, let us make final toasts before retiring."

After the toast Yukemori approached Peri.

- "Would you want to share my company for a while, tomodachi?" he asked.

Peri thought about it for a moment.

- "Aye, that would be good," she said then. No use in mulling over it alone - gods know I have done that over and over again.

The two sat on Yukemori's bed, and the young man took his kimono off. His chest, devoid of any hair, was bare.

- "I hope you don't mind my relaxed manner," he said and blushed a bit.

Peri laughed.

- "Believe me, I don't mind a nice bare chest of a man. It has been a while... since Umi was conceived."

Yukemori smiled and looked her into the eye from under half-closed eyelids. He let his half-long shiny hair loose.

- "Did you love her father, Peri?" he asked.

- "Nope. Was attracted to him. A nice fling it was though. There has been only one man I have loved, Yuki... and him I never touched... that way."

- "Yoshimo."

- "Yes..." Peri struggled with tears. "He... he looks... looked... a lot like you."

- "Indeed?" Yukemori held Peri's hand, frowning and being quiet for a while.

- "And... did you find him attractive?" he wanted to know.

- "What do you think? I loved his soul, yes... but the deepest of love can't blossom without the certain... something. The animal in us, the thing wanting to reproduce."

Yukemori leaned closer, wonder in his eyes. Peri leaned closer too, her heart aching.

- "I do not know if this..." Yukemori said, but Peri cut him off, kissing him. For a long time the fire was there, making her molten and so alive, as alive as Yoshimo was dead. Then Yukemori pulled off, violently in spite of answering the kiss with fire before.

- "Peri! Am I me... or him?" he said, his stare intense, the flush of passion still on his long cheeks.

Peri didn't answer right away.

- "I do not deny that I am still messed up, and still ache over our story," she finally said. "But he is long dead, and in Meido. A lot of water has flown under the bridge since then. You are there, and you are Yukemori, and I thought what a nice man you are the moment I met you. I am attracted to lean men with long cheeks and you have a kind heart and I really like you. If that is not enough I am sorry."

- "I think... that is as good a beginning as any," Yukemori said, and his smile softened. "Come here, please."

Peri did, and Yukemori took her in his arms, gentler this time.

- "Bijo... itoshii Peri..." he whispered in her ear.


tomodachi - friend

bijo - a beautiful woman

itoshii - darling