I decided to be nice and include everything in this last chapter. I could've broken it into one short chapter and one long and made you wait for the conclusion . . . but I decided to be nice. ^_^ Enjoy.

Breaking Point
by Kimura
Chapter 10 - Reversal

Two weeks later . . .

"Kashira, we've received a message," a young boy said, laying a piece of paper on Kouji's desk.

Kouji grabbed it eagerly and dismissed the boy.

"We'll be returning in a few days no da," the message read. "Tasuki is doing much better. Expect us soon."

Kouji breathed a huge sigh of relief. Thank Suzaku, he thought. They're safe. And Genrou's doing better. Now I can finally relax.

He sat back in his chair, wondering how much progress Tasuki had made.

~~~

Two days later . . .

Whenever Tasuki returned to Reikaku, it filled a hole in his heart he wasn't even aware had formed. Everything seemed to fall into place. He took a deep breath of fresh air.

The past few weeks had not been easy. Many unpleasant memories were brought to the surface. But Chichiri had forced him to talk about each one. And each time he did, the whole ordeal was mitigated.

Now he was ready to go back and take his place at Reikaku. He wasn't completely healed, but he was much more prepared to deal with life.

He spurred the horse on a little faster; he was anxious to see Kouji again. They brought their horses to the stable and headed inside.

"Where's Kouji?" Tasuki asked one of the other men.

The man turned pale. "Umm . . ."

Tasuki felt his stomach drop. "I said, where's Kouji, aho?"

"G-G-Genrou . . . h-he . . ."

Tyoushi saw Tasuki, Chichiri, and the stuttering bandit. "Oh shit." He shoved the other bandit out of the way. "Genrou, I think you'd better come with me."

"What the hell is going on?!" Tasuki shouted, despite Chichiri's hand on his shoulder.

"Just come with me," Tyoushi said, motioning to the Leader's Room.

Tasuki growled and went in, followed by Chichiri. Tyoushi closed the door after them. He leaned against it for support.

"Kouji's gone."

"WHAT?!" Tasuki screamed.

"He was taken two days ago, the night after he got your message. They . . . left this," he said, warily handing Tasuki a piece of paper.

Tasuki grabbed it and scanned it quickly. Chichiri looked over his shoulder.

"Bandits of Reikaku: Your leader Kouji will not be returned until Genrou comes to me alone and unarmed. Only then will I consider letting either one of them go. Signed, Makara."

Tasuki stared at the message and read it several times, hoping the meaning would change each time.

He looked up at Chichiri and Tyoushi, then collapsed to the floor.

~~~

The monk held a cold cloth to Tasuki's forehead, waiting for him to come around. The bandit stirred, then opened his eyes.

He sat straight up in bed. "Kouji!"

Chichiri held him by his shoulders. "Relax no da. You're in no shape to go anywhere."

Tasuki laid back, having made himself dizzy. "Did any of the other bandits see anything?"

"No. Tyoushi already looked into that," Chichiri answered.

Tasuki sighed, swallowing hard.

"We'll get him back no da."

"I'll have to do what he wants --"

"No! That's the last thing we'll do, Tasuki! He could kill you!"

"But he could kill Kouji!"

"We need to think this over no da. We need a plan." He stood up. "Get some rest. We'll work it out in the morning." He quietly left the redhead alone.

Tasuki laid there, thinking about everything he and Chichiri had discussed over the past two weeks.

He got out of bed.

~~~

[A/N: That's where I considered leaving you off. Bwahahaha!]

Tasuki had stolen a map from the Leader's Room in order to find his was to Makara's. He felt completely numb as he rode. He couldn't even think of what they were doing to Kouji or what they'd do to him when he got there. But he knew one thing.

There was no way Makara would get anywhere near Kouji with the Machine.

Two guards met him outside the cabin. He handed over his weapons: the tessen, his sword, and a small knife he kept in his boot.

They led him inside. Makara was waiting for him.

"Welcome home, Genrou," Makara said with a smile.

"Let him go," Tasuki said simply.

"You should know better than that, Genrou," Makara replied, circling around him like a lion stalking its prey. "I make the rules here. Check him."

The two men from outside checked Tasuki for any additional weapons. They found none.

"Take him downstairs," Makara ordered them, sticking the tessen in his belt.

Tasuki shook off the guards and headed down by himself. The guards followed him until he reached his cell. They unlocked it and shoved Tasuki inside, locking it after him.

Tasuki blinked a few times, trying to get his eyes to adjust to the dark. He finally spotted a form on the floor. He froze.

For a moment, he saw himself lying on the floor bruised and bleeding. A second later, he realized it was Kouji he was looking at, not himself.

A strangled cry escaped his throat as he knelt next to his friend. "Kouji!"

On the surface, it seemed they had managed to do in just a few days the same amount of damage they had done to Tasuki in months.

Tears raced hot and fast down Tasuki's pale face. The room around him and Kouji was spinning; he stomach turned, threatening to vomit.

Kouji moaned, shifting slightly. "Genrou . . ."

It finally registered in Tasuki's mind that Kouji needed him, like he had needed Kouji all those months ago. Still needed him.

He rested a badly shaking hand on Kouji's shoulder. "Kouji . . . I'm here," he whispered.

Kouji moaned again, then slowly opened his eyes. "Genrou?" He closed his eyes again. "You fucking moron."

Tasuki swallowed, trying to make sense of everything that was happening. "Kouji --"

"I can't believe you fuckin' came! What the hell were you thinking?!" Kouji shouted, looking up at him.

Tasuki didn't know what to say; the sobs were choking him. Had he been wrong to come? Should they have tried to build up some sort of attack? Did Kouji not need him? Were they just both going to die?

Kouji's face softened as he slowly and painfully sat up. Great, he thought. He's fuckin' relivin' his memories and watching me go through the same shit. And what do I do? I go and yell at him for tryin' to help me. Good one, Kouji. He hugged Tasuki fiercely. "I'm sorry, Gen-chan. I didn't mean that . . . I . . . fuck, I don't know what I'm sayin'."

Tasuki rested his head against Kouji's shoulder for minute, trying to pull himself back together. He slowly pulled away, putting a hand to his friend's bruised cheek. "What'd they do to you?"

Kouji flinched away. "Nothin' I couldn't handle. They just roughed me up some."

"Bull shit," Tasuki snapped.

Kouji shrugged.

Tasuki put a hand on his shoulder. "You and Chichiri were right all along. I was stupid not to talk to you guys about what happened. Don't be a fuckin' hypocrite and do the same thing."

Kouji laughed a little. "You know, I used to pray every night that you were sick that just once I could know what you went through. I wanted to know what you felt like. How helpless, hopeless, hurting. Just so maybe I could help you. Just so you wouldn't be so alone. And so . . . I wouldn't --" His voice broke and he cut off abruptly.

"Wouldn't feel guilty for dropping me into the river," Tasuki finished.

Kouji kept his back to the redhead, his shoulders hunched. "Well, I got my wish, didn't I?"

"No one deserves this, Kouji," Tasuki whispered. "You didn't mean to drop me. They would've cut your arms off to make you let go. No one deserves what these monsters do. It's taken me months to learn that, Kouji. Please believe me."

Kouji slowly turned to face him, tears shining in his sapphire eyes.

The two men hugged each other, ignoring the tears that stained the stone floor.

"I couldn't bear it," Tasuki whispered. "I couldn't stop thinking of what they might be doing to you . . ."

"I'm still in one piece," Kouji told him, just as softly. "I wanted you to come, but I didn't want you to get involved at the same time."

"I couldn't just abandon you here."

"Not like I did to you," Kouji replied bitterly.

Tasuki hugged him tighter. "That's in the past. You thought I was dead; it wasn't your fault. Let it go, Kouji. We'll never get through what that psycho's got in store for us if we don't let go of what's happened."

Kouji nodded.

Just as they pulled away, the door to the cell swung open. The two men on the floor looked at each other, then stood up together, holding hands.

"Ah, what a nice pair of lovebirds," Makara joked, motioning for the guards to bring them to the Torture Room.

Tasuki expected to immediately to be chained down, but Makara stood in front of the two of them.

"Well, Genrou. Things are really up to you," he said pleasantly. "You can either face the Machine yourself, or let Kouji-chan handle it."

Tasuki's face turned completely white.

"Let me take it, Genrou," Kouji said immediately. "I can take it."

Tasuki didn't hear him, couldn't hear him. I don't want to go through all that again . . . he thought, looking at the wooden table. But I can't put Kouji through that! He looked at his friend's bruised face, then said, "I'll do it."

"Genrou, NO!" Kouji shouted as the guards shoved him against the wall and chained him to it.

Tasuki put up a good fight, but they secured him down to the table. He looked up at Makara and nearly vomited right in his face. The memories were threatening to overwhelm him. No, I've gotta concentrate on the present, he told himself.

"So, you picked the brave choice," Makara said, circling slowly around the table. "Funny, I figured you for a coward. So, what have you been doing these past few months? Recovering?"

"Leave him alone!" Kouji shouted. He could almost see the careful work he and Chichiri had done unraveling before his eyes. If he falls apart again, I don't think anyone could save him, he thought.

Makara looked up, then nodded at one of the guards.

Kouji was rewarded with a solid punch to the stomach.

Tasuki closed his eyes, trying desperately to recall everything Chichiri had told him. None of that's helpful! It was all about getting over this! Not dealing with it if it happened again!

Think, Genrou, think, he told himself. For a month you dreamt of nothing else but coming back here. What happened in those dreams?

I usually got my wish and died.

Oh, well, that's real fucking useful.

I wish I could do that now . . . just die and get out of this . . .

But if I die what happens to Kouji?

His eyes shot open.

I've got to get Kouji out of this somehow. I'll have to let him torture me so he'll lock us back up. I've got to give the others time to get to us.

His mind made up, he let his attention drift back to Makara's words.

He yelped as a short blast of pain exploded in his head.

He tried to look around, but splotches of color invaded his vision.

"Did you miss my little invention?" Makara asked. "I think she missed you, Genrou."

~~~

My worst nightmare.

I can't reach him, can't help him. Nothing I say makes a difference.

GENROU!

Oh God, he's gonna fuckin' kill him! No! Not after all we've been through! Not after how far he's come!

Kouji had seen the amazing changes in his friend in just the few minutes they had spent together. He was finally getting better. He was gonna be okay . . . but what about after this?

Makara had started the Torture proper now. Oddly enough, Tasuki wasn't making a sound.

What's he thinking about? Damn it, why can't I have any Seishi powers to help him? God, why did him come alone? FUCK!

Tasuki screamed as Makara held a long blast on him.

"STOP IT!" Kouji yelled, tears streaming down his face. He ignored the punches the guards landed on him. "GENROU!"

He pulled fiercely against the iron chains, desperate to get free.

Abruptly, the noise stopped. Makara stopped. Kouji's blood ran cold.

Makara held a hand over Tasuki's nose and mouth, feeling for breathing.

"You fucking killed him!" Kouji choked out, unwilling to accept this reality a second time.

"He's alive," Makara replied curtly. "He just passed out. He didn't last anywhere near long as I had hoped."

He looked up at the guards.

Before Kouji could figure out what was happening, he and Tasuki had switched places. He looked up at his friend from the table, hanging limply on the wall.

Makara looked down at him. "Ready to find out what Genrou's been through?"

"I'll kill you for this," Kouji growled.

Makara smirked.

~~~

Tasuki verged on the edge of consciousness. He felt like he was floating. He was separated from the pain in his body and endeavored to enjoy the sensation.

He could hear screaming in the distance.

Who is that? he wondered vaguely.

Kouji.

KOUJI?!

Makara . . . Makara . . . he's . . . NO!

Tasuki's eyes jerked open and confirmed his fears.

"NO! MAKARA, LET HIM GO!"

Makara looked up, a small smile on his face. "Oh, you're awake now, are you? Well, you tired out too quickly, so I started using Kouji-chan instead."

"STOP!" Tasuki screamed uselessly.

Kouji said nothing, but Tasuki could see he was shivering.

The Suzaku Seishi felt something building up in his chest. A spark -- no -- now a fire. A blaze. It hurt; it was hurting him. It was so immense, he couldn't even identify it. It spread slowly throughout the rest of his body. He could feel it in his arms.

I. Must. Get. To. Kouji.

His eyes slowly opened and then narrowed, focused on the Murderer.

He thought of nothing except stopping him.

With a growl, he pulled away from the wall.

The iron chains broke.

He raced forward, grabbing the tessen out of Makara's belt. He whirled around.

"REKKA SHINEN!" The huge wall of flames sent the four guards running out of the building.

He turned and nailed Makara in the stomach with the metal fan.

His tormentor slid to the ground. Tasuki quickly unchained Kouji and helped him off the table. His friend was still shivering. He gently set him down on the floor, then turned murderously back to the crouched form on the floor.

"Get up," Tasuki ordered.

Makara didn't move.

Tasuki kicked him in the side. "Get UP!"

"Genrou, don't," Kouji managed.

Tasuki dragged Makara up and slammed him onto the table, chaining him down. "NOW you're gonna know what it's like!"

"Genrou, don't!" Kouji said more forcefully. "Then you'll be no better than him!"

"DON'T GIVE ME ANY OF THAT CRAP!" Tasuki screamed. "He deserves it!"

Kouji struggled to stay conscious. "Gen, you told me that no one deserves what these monsters do. Not even him, Gen-chan, not even him. You said no one. Don't . . ." He moaned, closing his eyes.

"Kouji!" Tasuki cried, kneeling beside his friend.

Kouji shivered. "I just want to go home, Genrou."

Tasuki stood back up, looking at the form on the table, then at his creation: the Machine. He took out the tessen.

"Genrou, NO!" Makara screamed.

"REKKA SHINEN!"

The wooden contraption burst into flames and quickly crumbled to the ground. Tasuki used the tessen as a club, hitting the Machine into smaller and smaller pieces. The rock responsible for its power was shattered. Tasuki didn't notice the tears rolling down his face as he took out all of his anger on the Machine.

Makara shouted futilely for him to stop.

Hands gently grasped Tasuki's arms, quieting him.

"That's enough no da," the monk said softly. "That's enough."

Everything fell into place as Tasuki buried his face in Chichiri's shoulder. He broke the chains, he realized.

The monk soothed his friend for a moment. "C'mon no da. Let's get Kouji home."

Tasuki nodded. He and Chichiri helped Kouji to his feet.

They left Makara alone, chained to the table.

~~~

Kouji groaned, slowly opening his eyes. The familiar sight of his room at Reikaku greeted him. He looked over to the left, seeing Tasuki beside his bed, watching him carefully.

"You all right?" Tasuki asked, his voice a little hoarse.

"Yeah, I think so." Kouji looked at his friend closely. "You been up all night?"

Tasuki nodded.

"Go get some sleep, aho," Kouji said, slowly sitting up.

Tasuki said nothing, just regarded him.

Kouji squirmed under his gaze, an unusual reaction for him. "What?"

"Are you really okay?"

Kouji looked up, his expression approaching angry. "You already know the answer. What's the point?"

Tasuki's face didn't change. "I want to hear you say it."

Kouji looked away, but he could already hear in his head the countless conversations the two had had when their roles were reversed. He took a deep breath, knowing that once he started talking, he wasn't going to be able to stop.

"Okay, I'm not okay. And you knew I wouldn't be. But maybe I'm just not fuckin' ready to talk about it even though I know I need to. And every time I close my eyes, I can see his face coming out of the dark. And I see what he did to you. And I just wish that none of this had ever FUCKING happened! It's not fair! Why did he do it?!" He stopped to angrily brush away tears. "How did you do it, Genrou? How did you stay so strong? He broke me in a few seconds. How did you hold out so long? I couldn't get away from him. And I knew you'd fuckin' come and there was nothing I could do about it! I felt so trapped. I knew I was bringin' you back into it. I wish he'd just fuckin' killed me so you didn't need to get involved. And th-that d-damn machine . . . I've never been so fucking scared in my whole life . . . Except when I thought you were dead. I was scared then, like I've never been. I was scared because I knew that you were missin' inside me, like a part of me had just been ripped away. And I woulda done anything to get you back. And now you've seen what kinda coward I really am and you're just gonna leave again, Genrou . . ."

Tasuki didn't -- couldn't -- hear any more. He hugged Kouji fiercely, cutting off his words. "You're not a coward, Kouji. That's the last thing you'd be! Don't say that, aho!"

"B-But you were stronger than me . . ." Kouji sobbed.

"You knew what to expect," Tasuki said patiently. "You saw what it did to me. You had every right to be afraid. And everyone has their own levels of tolerance, Kouji." He pulled away and made Kouji meet his eyes. "I could stand up to Makara. So what? If I had been in your place, I don't think I could've taken care of you the way you did for me. I would've been too scared. But you did that. Look at me now, I made it."

"But you're doing it now," Kouji pointed out.

"You're not exactly in this same shape I was when Makara was done with me," the redhead replied. "Everyone's got their own breaking point, Kouji. It doesn't make anyone stronger than anyone else."

Kouji calmed, leaning his head on Tasuki's shoulder. "I think that monk rubbed off on you. You're startin' to make too much sense."

Tasuki laughed.

They stayed like that for a few minutes.

"You okay now?" Tasuki asked.

"I'm gettin' there," Kouji answered honestly.

"Good. In that case, I'm going to bed."

Kouji nodded and let him go.

Tasuki smirked over his shoulder, then went to his own room.

~~~

A month later . . .

Kouji and Tasuki sat together, watching the stars in silence.

"Kouji?"

"Mm?"

"I-I don't think I can go by Genrou anymore," the bandit said slowly.

Kouji sat up. "Why not?"

"I know it's the name Hakurou gave me, but . . . I just don't feel like that's who I am anymore. It hasn't been for a long time."

Kouji looked thoughtful. "What do you want us to call you? Shun'u?"

Tasuki shook his head. The old name sounded strange rolling off of Kouji's tongue. "No, I never liked my real name."

Kouji chuckled. "How about just Tasuki, then?"

Am I worthy of my Seishi name? the redhead wondered. Is that who I am? He thought back to person he became as a Seishi and the person he was now. They were different, but not overly so. "Yeah," he answered slowly. "That sounds right."

Kouji smirked and laid back down. "Tasuki it is, then." There was a minute of uncomfortable silence. "You're not staying, are you?"

It took Tasuki a minute to answer. "No, I'm not."

"I understand," Kouji said thickly.

"Gomen na --"

"No, daijoubu. Don't apologize. You need to move on." He turned to face his friend. "Just come back and visit, aho."

Tasuki hugged him. "I will. I give you my word as a Seishi." He held back his tears.

"Don't worry," Kouji whispered. "If Makara couldn't tear us apart, nothing can. I'll always be your Aniki. And you can come back any time. You know that, right?"

"Yeah," Tasuki answered softly, a tear sliding down his cheek. "I know."

~~~

Ta da! The End! I toyed with writing a sequel to this, but I never really finished it. I don't really have any other serious FY fanfic stuff. Considering how obsessed I was with it, that's pretty odd. I write Backstreet Boys fanfiction now. So, if you're a BSB fan (or just feel like humoring me by reading my other stuff), check out my stories and poetry. If you're not a fan of BSB, please consider reading my tongue-in-cheek essay "The Physics of Screaming." ^_^ Thanks for the reviews!