Disclaimer: The characters from Fushigi Yuugi are the creations and property of Yuu Watase and related enterprises. The characters from Doctor Who are the property of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). I do not own them and do not make any profit from this fiction except for my own enjoyment in spending time with them.

However, all original characters in this story, as well as the plotline, do belong to me and may not be used elsewhere without my permission.

****

Chapter 14. The encroaching darkness

The Doctor dismounted and trudged wearily towards the modest inn located near the outskirts of the bustling lumber town of Jouzen-shi. Pausing briefly to look up at the thickly forested hills that formed the western horizon of Konan, he calculated that if he traveled much further west, he would soon find himself crossing over into Sairou, thus overshooting his mark. However, he was still unsure if he were at the correct location; he would have to wait until the stars appeared tonight to make that final judgment.

Stepping into the dim coolness of the inn's public room, he became aware of the buzz of conversation tapering off upon his entrance. His eyes adjusted quickly to the shadowed interior, a welcome relief from the noonday sun…and he quickly realized his mistake. It was as if he had just walked blithely into a darts tournament at a neighborhood pub, the patrons staring at him with a combination of surprise and resentment. He had inadvertently chosen a place that the locals obviously considered their own.

Normally, he would have either backpedaled graciously out of the place or exerted his winning charm to make himself agreeable to the patrons, but right now, he was too travel-weary to care. He knew his velvet coat marked him as a foreigner anywhere in this city, but his nomadic robes had become so infused with dust during his long journey that they were too disgraceful to wear. Turning to the rough counter that served as a bar, he hoped that the natives would grow weary of staring at him and return to their own business.

The barkeep gave him a bland, unhelpful look. The Doctor repressed a small thrill of irritation and assumed an equally bland expression. "Excuse me, but I was hoping to procure a beverage. Would you happen to have any tea available? Cold would be fine."

Another flat stare in the thick silence. There was a snort of contempt from one of the patrons in the back, a woodcutter from the looks of him, with his rough, simple clothes and an impressive array of upper body musculature. The barkeep finally deigned to answer the Doctor's request. "Beer," he growled, slopping the contents of a frothy jar into a grimy glass and shoving it in front of him.

The Doctor lifted the glass and sniffed unobtrusively at the contents. The sour smell of the local fermented brew nearly turned his stomach. He replaced the glass on the counter and attempted a pleasant smile. "I'm sorry, but my religion doesn't permit the consumption of fermented drinks," he lied smoothly. Well, in all truth, he had studied the tenets of Zen Buddhism and Islam, both faiths discouraging the contamination of the body and spirit by alcoholic beverages. "Perhaps a glass of water would suffice?"

Another burst of derisive laughter from the customers in the back. At that moment, a young man of Houjun's age walked into the bar, waving a friendly greeting to the patrons and leaning up against the counter. His clothes were simple in cut, but the material was expensive and finely sewn, showing him to be a class above the laborers in the bar. "Noru-san," he greeted the barkeep pleasantly. "A very good day to you. May I have the usual, please?"

"Of course, Ou-san." The barkeep's manner changed instantly to one of friendly respect. He presented the young man with a tiny sparkling glass of plum wine, the light floral scent tickling the Doctor's nose.

The Doctor repressed a sigh, realizing that his lie now prevented him from asking for the same thing. He could tell that it was going to be one of those days. "Er, Noru-san?" he queried, hoping that the use of the barkeep's proper name would thaw the man's attitude towards him. "About that water…"

The atmosphere changed instantly. The barkeep glared at the foreigner. "Water's not so easy to get around here. A glass'll cost you four ryu."

The young man's eyes widened at the ridiculous price, but the Doctor merely gritted his teeth and dug in his coat pockets for the correct currency. "Just my luck to run into the local representative of the Evian company," he muttered under his breath but decided to avoid the obvious bait. He knew that he could make short work of the barkeep and the rest of the patrons for that matter, but his goal was to avoid drawing undue attention to himself. Dropping a handful of coins onto the bar, he hoped that at least some of them were acceptable tender in this place and time.

Noru-san appeared unimpressed. "No, we don't take any of this here. You'll have to take your business elsewhere."

Just as the Doctor was wistfully envisioning the barkeep pinned in the eight-limbed grip of his Venusian Aikido sensei, the young man stepped in. "Noru-san, you're being unforgivably rude!" he scolded. "Not to mention almost criminally deceptive! I see at least ten ryu here, but I'm certainly not going to allow this man to pay you for water. Here," he shoved two coins across the bar. "Here's your four ryu, but in exchange, I insist upon an entire flask of plum wine!"

"He don't drink no wine, he says," the barkeep replied, as sullen as a child scolded by his elders.

Ou-san looked over at the beer standing untouched before the Doctor. "And I would say the same if you put any of that foul swill before me," he observed shrewdly. "I would think your hogs out back turn up their noses at your cheapest home-brew!" He softened his tones, suddenly smiling with a charm that rivaled the Doctor at his best. "Come now, Noru-san, let's not argue. Just give me the wine, and we'll take a table out on the street. You may not realize it, but I've been waiting a long time to meet this man."

The Doctor swallowed, hoping that his expression was somewhat less surprised than the barkeep's. The murmurs in the back rose in volume as the young man turned to the Doctor. "I can tell that you're a stranger in these parts. Would you happen to be the man known as, hmmm, let me think, "sensei" isn't quite right. Oh, yes, 'Professor'!" he cried triumphantly, stumbling only a little over the foreign title.

Now the Doctor knew that his expression was openly shocked. He closed his mouth with an effort. "Yes, I have been called that in the past," he murmured hesitantly. How could this young man know Ace's nickname for him, unless--surely Ace could not be mixed up in this somehow!

Caught up in these jumbled thoughts, he followed the young man into a shaded courtyard set back a little from the dusty street. The muted thunk of woodcutters plying their trade reached the Doctor's ears, along with the sweet, pungent smell of freshly cut pines. The young man placed the wine on a convenient table and poured two small glasses, pausing to give the Doctor a polite half-bow. "Professor-sensei, it's a honor to meet you at last."

The Doctor bowed back. "I don't wish to be rude, Ou-san, but I have no idea as to how you know my name. Will you enlighten me?"

"Oh, yes! And please call me Kazuki, Professor-sensei, since I am about to be very much in your debt. I had heard of you from the monks of Suzaku. They have a small monastery in the next town--not the famous one back east but a respectable and holy place nonetheless. I had traveled there to procure a tutor for my younger brother, and they informed me that I could expect a foreigner known as the Professor to make an appearance in my town shortly."

The Doctor took a sip of plum wine, savoring the fragrance while mulling over Suzaku's stratagems. This assignment of a tutoring role implied that the Doctor would be making a longer stay than expected, but at least he'd finally reached his destination. He smiled at Kazuki, taking in the fine, attractive features enhanced by large, moss-green eyes, his light chestnut hair pulled up into a high ponytail. "I am honored to make your acquaintance, Kazuki-san, and I'd be pleased to help you in any way I can." He glanced back at the door to the inn. "It's the least I can do after your kind intervention earlier. They don't care much for strangers in this town, do they?"

Ou Kazuki's eyes darkened as he sipped his wine. "It's unfortunate, Professor-sensei, but they've learned to be wary of newcomers. There are many power struggles over the logging rights in Jouzen-shi, and I'm sorry to say that certain rival loggers will stop at nothing in their quest to take over another man's business. It's a literal war that has forced the workers into tightly knotted and defensive groups. A new face in town can mean the appearance of a saboteur--or an assassin. I myself have had bitter experience of…" His voice trailed off as his face filled with pain.

The Doctor waited in sympathetic silence as Kazuki regained control. "We needn't speak of such things now," he murmured soothingly. "I believe that you said you had a younger brother?"

Kazuki smiled gratefully, his face brightening as his thoughts were diverted. "Yes! He's really the most extraordinary person--but you will see for yourself, Professor-sensei! If you don't mind, I will escort you to my home as soon as we're finished here."

It was only a short time later that the two men approached some dwellings far outside the borders of the town. The houses were set back into the foothills so that they looked down upon the busy streets from a quiet distance. The finest of these houses sat furthest up the gentle slope, most of its features hidden by the intervening trees. As their horses rounded a curve in the hilly path, the men caught the sound of children laughing. An open, grassy area came into view, occupied by several children ranging in age from four to twelve, by their appearances. They were playing a game that involved chasing a lopsided leather ball with sticks, often crossing sticks in imitation swordplay.

At the far end of the field, one lone child stood watching, hands tucked modestly into the sleeves of a long robe. The child's eyes followed the motion of the ball eagerly, while at times he clapped his hands at the moves, his chestnut hair bound in a topknot bobbing in excitement. He was very small, about the size of a six-year-old, yet he seemed to understand the rules of the game perfectly. At last the ball shot towards him from a wild hit. He caught it easily, running out to join in the game--only to have the ball snatched roughly from him.

The largest boy pushed him back. "Get out, Doukun, you're not part of this game! Go home!"

The small boy choked back a sob. "But you said that maybe I could play today!"

"So I changed my mind. Why don't you go back to your scrolls, you crybaby?"

Doukun retreated, wiping furiously at his eyes as the bigger children laughed in derision. The Doctor tensed, digging his heels into his mount, only to find his reins caught by Kazuki.

"It's no use, Professor-sensei," Kazuki's voice was low and sad. "If you intervene, they'll only hate him all the more. I know this from my own attempts. They sense that he's different, you see, so they exclude him out of fear and ignorance - and unfortunately, wisdom and tolerance cannot be forced on anyone."

The Doctor's eyes darkened, glinting green as they grew distant. He seemed lost in some grim memory from ages past. "I know," he muttered. "Believe me, I understand." He looked up into Kazuki's pained expression. "So this is your younger brother? Isn't he a bit young to require a tutor?"

"He's older than he appears, Doctor. He's nine years old, although small for his age."

"I sense a trend here," muttered the Doctor. He raised his voice to an audible level and assumed a cheerful smile. "Shall we see if we can improve Doukun's day?"

****

The Doctor looked up from the pile of unrolled scrolls to meet the wide eyes of the boy who knelt before him. He smiled at the eager yet fearful hope in that moss-green gaze. "Ah yes: an excellent example of spherical trigonometry. These figures are astoundingly accurate in plotting the longitude and latitude of the nearest star systems…er, constellations. I must confess, I had never expected to encounter such advanced science in this world, er, country."

Doukun broke into a huge smile. "Do you mean that you understand the equations?" He flushed as he realized how his remark could be interpreted. "I'm sorry, Professor-Sensei! I didn't mean to question your learning or to imply that I, uh…"

"Don't worry, Doukun, I know that you meant no disrespect. As a matter of fact, you're probably correct in assuming that there are very few people in this world who are able to understand this level of mathematical reasoning. However, since we've been fortunate enough to find one another, let's see if we can share our learning. Also, it would be a favor to me if you would address me as 'Doctor' rather than 'Professor.' I've become a little more accustomed to this title in the past few years."

"Of course, Pro….Doctor! Would you like to see more of my equations?"

"Perhaps in a little while. First, I'd like to show you something."

Doukun immediately bent forward to touch his forehead to the ground in a deep bow of acquiescent respect. The Doctor sighed and walked around to pull the boy to his feet. "I think the first order of business may be to establish some rules. In the academic world, Doukun, fellow scholars always treat one another as equals without regard to social rank. Only in this way can ideas be exchanged freely; otherwise, great insights would be lost in the morass of social niceties and respectful silences. Therefore, as long as I am your tutor, I shall address you as 'Doukun' and you shall address me as 'Doctor' and we will both dispense with excessive bowing. After all, how can you see what I'm demonstrating if you have your head pressed into the ground?"

Doukun looked up at the laughter in his tutor's voice. His heart lifted, and he was filled with hope for the first time in over a year. Maybe…maybe this stranger was someone who would understand him at last, in the way that his father had understood him! He quelled both his burgeoning excitement and his bittersweet memories in the face of a sobering thought. If the Doctor were to truly understand him, then he would have to be made aware of Doukun's secret…his shameful secret. As he was wrestling with this difficult dilemma, a flash of movement caught his eye.

The Doctor held a disc-like object that was spinning on the end of a string. He swung it and caught the string between the fingers of two hands, forming a sort of frame within which the disc swung back and forth like a pendulum.

Doukun clapped his hands in delight. "A perfect device to show the arc velocity of centrifugal force and the decay of momentum! What do you call this invention, Doctor?"

The Doctor shot him a rueful smile. "I call it a toy, a yo-yo to be exact. Haven't you ever played with one before?"

Doukun frowned at the object. It did seem slightly familiar. "Oh, yes, I think I saw some of the other children holding one once. But I've never seen anything like the motions you are putting it through."

"Here, why don't you try it?" The Doctor caught the yo-yo and handed it to Doukun.

The small boy held the painted wood object hesitantly, studying the string as it wrapped around the groove in the center of the double disc. He tentatively released the disc, then yanked on the string. His face fell in disappointment as the disc thudded onto the floor. "I'm sorry, but I can't seem to calculate the amount of force needed to reverse the motion of the yo-yo so that its momentum counteracts gravity."

The Doctor laughed. "No one succeeds with a yo-yo on the first try, Doukun. Just relax and play with it awhile."

Doukun frowned in concentration, certain that he was failing some test that the Doctor was using to assess his abilities. He felt anxiety beginning to build, then choked in dismay as the bitterly familiar feeling of disconnection took hold in him. Oh gods, not now! Why did this have to happen just when he was trying to make a good impression on his new tutor?! The harder he tried to hold on, the quicker his control slipped away, until he was left holding the yo-yo limply in his grasp as he gazed up at the stranger with eyes filled with tears. "I…I don't know what to do!" he burst out.

The Doctor crouched and held out a comforting hand to Doukun. "Don't be sad. You don't have to do anything. Just play--but only if you want to."

Doukun looked into the kind blue eyes of the man kneeling before him. He fought back the feeling of failure that usually gripped him at these times, the feeling that he had forgotten something important, thus disappointing the adult who confronted him. But this time, the stranger (Doctor, whispered his subconscious mind)--that's right, the Doctor did not seem upset with him. His smile remained gentle and encouraging.

"That's a very interesting toy you're holding. Why don't you give it a try?"

Doukun swallowed, blinking back tears. He didn't want the Doctor to think of him as a crybaby, so he stared down at the yo-yo. He wound the string carefully around the center, then flicked the disc towards the ground, pulling back on the string just before the disc reached the end. The yo-yo jumped back up the string for a few inches before falling to the ground once more.

"Excellent! A fine beginning!" cheered the Doctor. "Try again!"

The next thirty minutes found Doukun becoming increasingly adept at returning the yo-yo to his hand from various positions, while the Doctor offered helpful tips and acted as his personal cheering section. The small boy turned pink with pleasure and triumph--until the world shifted a few degrees, and he found his thoughts once again bright and razor sharp. He tried to calculate the angle and velocity at which he snapped his wrist but overcompensated and dropped the yo-yo. Staring down at the toy rolling around the floor, he felt unsure of how to meet the Doctor's eyes now that he realized how fully he had revealed his weakness.

The Doctor stooped and picked up the yo-yo, rewinding the string and replacing it in his coat pocket. "We can continue this lesson later. Right now, I believe that you've learned how important it can be not to over-think a problem. Sometimes you just have to let go and let your feelings guide you."

"Doctor," Doukun stopped, unsure of how to proceed. He choked, saddened by the thought of losing this one promising teacher only a short while after meeting him. "I'm sorry." His voice was very soft. "I guess…I guess you're leaving now."

The Doctor shook his head. "Why would I leave? We've only just begun, Doukun."

"But now you know! I'm stupid--stupid at least half the time, if not more!"

"Don't use that word. You're not at all stupid. You're just a normal nine-year-old boy--with some special abilities, I'll admit."

"Special abilities," Doukun repeated numbly. He took a deep breath. "They're not what you think, Doctor. It's not as if I can concentrate and make myself intelligent; you don't understand!"

The velvet voice was gently sympathetic. "I understand that it's never easy to be a celestial warrior…Suzaku no Seishi Chiriko."

Doukun's mouth fell open in shock. He followed the Doctor's gaze down to the top of his left foot, where the kanji for "cho" gave off a crimson glow. "How did you know?" he whispered. "No one outside of my family knows about me."

"I know a little about a great many things, just as you know a great deal about a few things. Together we should be able to learn from one another. So, since I've just given you my first lesson, it's time that you taught me something. Are you ready, Doukun?"

Doukun couldn't help it--he burst into a radiant smile. It was like a waking dream, to finally find someone who understood him completely; someone to be a mentor and a friend. He eagerly proffered one of the unrolled scrolls. "Here, Doctor, let me show you how to find your way around Konan by charting the stars!"

The heads of the two new friends bent eagerly over the scribbles and calculations, exchanging ideas and information and laughter.

****

The night sky glistened with a sparkling array of millions of twinkling lights, set in the celestial arc like diamonds on black velvet. The Doctor leaned his arms on the balcony rail and inhaled deeply, content for once to appreciate the beauty of the galaxial display instead of rushing off to plunge into another adventure. Not that he could have done so even if he had desired; this adventure had not yet concluded, and he was stranded without his TARDIS.

Sensing the approach of another person, he turned around. "Konbanha, Kazuki-san. It's a lovely night, isn't it?"

Kazuki flashed one of his charming smiles. "Yes it is, Doctor, although very few people stay awake this late to appreciate it. I myself was heading to my bedchamber, but I saw you out here and decided to take the opportunity to talk with you. We've barely had a moment to converse since you arrived; Doukun monopolizes all of your attention." Although the words were mildly rebuking, they were belied by the laughter in Kazuki's voice.

The Doctor answered with a laugh of his own. "Yes, your brother's energy and enthusiasm are boundless! He has such an appetite for knowledge." He smiled more gently. "But he's no cloistered, distant scholar; his love for family comes first in his life. No lessons can begin until he's had a leisurely breakfast with your mother, discussing the minutiae of her day. I can see that his happiness means as much to her...and to you."

Kazuki's gaze turned wistful. "Yes, it does--and I can't tell you how grateful I am for your kindness to him. In these past four days, Doukun has nearly returned to the boy he had been before my father's death. For me, it's like a miracle, a wish come true."

The Doctor's voice was soft and sympathetic. "Apparently, he was very badly hurt by your father's death."

"Murder, Doctor--my father was murdered." Kazuki's voice had hardened, growing cold. "It's only been a little over a year since my family was shattered and for no better reason than greed. You see, there is a family here in Jouzen-shi who lusted after my father's lumber business. Their name is Numajiri, and although they possess untold wealth, they're always wanting more. Otou-san refused their multiple offers to buy his land holdings. You see, he disliked the way they treated their employees, and he had no intention of subjecting his woodcutters to the same fate."

The Doctor settled his arms on the balcony rail, listening attentively. He could sense Kazuki's need to tell this story, trying to make sense of it by presenting it to a near stranger. Kazuki settled near him, looking out over the courtyard--looking into the past.

"The Numajiris became frustrated, so they decided to get the land any way they could. They framed my father for crimes of fraud and tax evasion. You can only imagine how the Dowager Empress felt about businessmen in Konan who fail to pay into her treasury. We knew nothing of this, of course, until the morning that a contingent of Imperial soldiers marched up to our house and took Otou-san away. We never even got the chance to say good-bye."

"But the Numajiri family forgot about our secret weapon: my brother Doukun, who is also Suzaku no Seishi Chiriko. His powers of intelligence enabled him to ferret out the conspiracy within a week, and to gather evidence that would clear my father's name. We raced to the capital with the evidence, hoping to get the Emperor to hear our plea. But the Dowager Empress had her attendants tell us to wait, and the Emperor would see us soon. After an hour, she sent her advisors out to tell us that the Emperor was finished with audiences for that day, the Dowager Empress citing her fear for his health under such an exhausting schedule. We noted, however, that certain high nobles were entering and exiting the throne room on a regular basis. I became angry, but Doukun suddenly went into a panic, pulling at my sleeve and insisting that we get to the prison to make sure that Otou-san was all right. The advisors tried to stop us with renewed promises of seeing the Emperor, but we ran out of the antechamber, to the lower levels of the palace where the dungeon lay. It didn't matter...we were too late."

Kazuki's voice grew distant, his eyes hard. "Just as the guard granted us entrance to the cells, they were removing his body. They told us they were so sorry, but Otou-san had taken his own life. They pointed at the rope marks around his neck, telling us that he had hanged himself."

"Mother immediately went into shock, collapsing in my arms. Doukun, however--something changed in him. I don't know if it was Chiriko appearing when we needed him, or just the death of innocence in his soul. He told me to carry Kaa-san out of there, while he examined…the body. I must've been in shock as well, for I did as he ordered, never questioning the wisdom of leaving an eight-year-old boy alone with his father's corpse."

"Just as I regained my senses enough to become worried about him, Doukun, or I should say Chiriko, reappeared. It hadn't taken him long to do what he had to do. He was polite to the guards, asking them how much money we had to pay to take our father's body home for a decent burial. He made the arrangements, then paid them out of his little purse. I was overcome by the terrible wrongness of everything, and I began to querulously demand answers, but Chiriko grasped my arm and forced me and Kaa-san out of that place. He was very firm with me, saying that he had lost enough of his family that day."

"Once we were outside, I broke down…but Chiriko never wept. He just kept staring up at the palace with that strange, cold look on his face. 'I can't believe that Otou-san would kill himself!' I cried. 'He didn't,' Chiriko replied. 'There was no blood in the rope wounds on his neck. He was dead before they hanged him.'"

"'Murder?' I couldn't believe it. 'Yes,' he replied in that old, cold voice. 'Unless, of course, Otou-san is the first man in history to commit suicide by whipping himself to death.' At that I lost control, swearing vengeance against his killers, declaring my intention to destroy all those responsible. Once again, Chiriko hushed me up, reminding me that my first duty was to bring my mother home safely, my second was to bury my father with due ceremony and respect, and my third duty was to raise him as my father would. It was so odd, stumbling around in that haze of shock and grief, listening to a calm, adult voice tell me that I had to be his father now. But I did as he said and brought them all back here safely."

"I eventually won back most of the business that the Numajiri family stole from Otou-san. I did it through a few local court rulings based on the evidence that we had gathered, and through many clever business stratagems guided, of course, by Chiriko. I still wanted to hurt the Numajiri family in more physical ways, but Chiriko looked up at me with those huge, knowing eyes in that childlike face and said, 'Revenge is a dish best served cold.' I shuddered and didn't know if I hated the Numajiris more for murdering my father…or for destroying my brother's innocence."

"It took me a while to understand what Chiriko meant to do in terms of vengeance…but I began to notice that he kept away from his astronomical studies in favor of studying long, complicated scrolls on government policies. When I questioned him, he told me that there were many ways to challenge corruption in government. We could storm the gates of the Imperial Palace and impale ourselves on the guards' spears, all the while screaming out the truth of the Emperor's perfidy, but our cause would die with us, quickly forgotten--or we could infiltrate the Palace and fight corruption from within. 'In this way, we will become as hard to eradicate as rats in a cellar wall,' Chiriko explained to me. 'But first, I must become a High Government Official, and to do that, I must pass the three government exams.'"

"So he studies day and night. I must confess that I've been worried about him, Doctor. He loses his seishi powers from time-to-time and becomes Doukun again--but when the powers return, he seems to feel such frustration at the lost time. He seemed driven, angry, almost as if he wants to punish himself…and I don't know how to help him. Your presence here has been a blessing in every way; for the first time in over a year, my brother seems happy again."

"I owe it to you as well, Onii-san." Doukun's high-pitched tones were suffused with affection as he moved out of the shadows. Kazuki flushed guiltily at being discovered, but Doukun just took his brother's hand and leaned his cheek against it. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I was looking for the Doctor. I wanted to invite him onto the roof to see my astronomical instruments, but I'm glad I found you as well, Nii-san. I wanted to tell you that I know how much you've worried about me and worked to help me--and that you and Kaa-san are the two people who keep me from despair."

Kazuki scooped his little brother into his arms, leaning his face against the boy's rounded cheek. The Doctor smiled at the brothers. He wasn't certain that he was really needed here; Doukun had a warm and loving family who supported him at all times. But perhaps there was more to this story, more than Doukun wanted to confide to his brother.

The Doctor turned and smiled at the boy. "I believe that you had promised me celestial wonders?"

****

The boy moved confidently among the huge astronomical instruments. He stopped to peer up at the diamond-studded sky through a convoluted arrangement of bronze concentric circles suspended on a frame composed of intricately carved bronze dragons. At the center of the circles was a solid bronze sphere representing the earth. He rotated one of the outer rings which was marked off into the four quadrants of the heavens representing each of the four gods, then read the measurements and recorded them on a scroll with a fine brush. "This is my armillary sphere," he explained to the Doctor. "I use it to track the movements of the stars." The Doctor nodded, impressed with the engineering and artistry of the instrument, each circle evenly divided into 365 1/4 degrees for the days of the year.

It was only the two of them in the makeshift observatory on the roof, since Kazuki had pleaded weariness and retired to his chambers.

Doukun next lifted a triangular wedge to his eye. The Doctor recognized it as a quadrant, an instrument that measured the zenith distance of a star. After marking down more measurements and checking the exact time of night on an astrolabe, Doukun unrolled several huge scrolls across a large marble table. "These are my star charts. My father and I collected them while on a trip to Eiyou. He had somehow obtained permission for us to visit the Imperial observatories, and the astronomers were kind enough to allow us to make some rubbings of their black marble celestial maps."

The Doctor smiled at the excitement and nostalgia in Doukun's voice. "Your father sounds like a wonderful man."

"Oh, he was!" exclaimed the child prodigy, pausing briefly in his scribbles and calculations. "He didn't understand everything that I spoke of, but he was excited by whatever I explained to him. He used to say…" Doukun blushed but continued, "he used to say that having a son like me was like having his own private window on the universe. He said that he didn't understand everything he saw, but he loved the view nonetheless."

The Doctor laughed, appreciating Ou-san's enthusiasm that had rivaled his own passion for inexplicable marvels.

Doukun continued to reminisce, his voice growing soft with emotion. "I love to follow the stars, but that's not the only reason I spend so many nights among my maps and instruments. When I'm out here alone in the dark and the quiet, and the whole world seems to be asleep…I can almost feel my father standing behind me. Sometimes, I feel that if I just turn around very quickly, I'll catch him standing there, smiling that proud smile…" Doukun's voice faltered. "But I never do turn around. I'm too afraid to see the emptiness, so I…I just keep staring up at the stars, pretending he's here with me."

"And so he is." The Doctor's voice was very soft. "We never truly lose the ones we love; they live on here..." tapping his temple, "…and here." He oddly tapped each side of his chest instead of the middle, but Doukun understood his gesture.

"I believe you, Doctor, but sometimes…sometimes I ache so badly for the tangible: the sound of his voice, the warmth of his hand on my shoulder. You see, he was the one person who truly understood me, all of me: the quick and the slow, the smart and the stupid. I know Onii-san and Kaa-san love me and support me, but I can see the confusion in their eyes when I begin talking of strange sciences or when I suddenly can't remember how to do simple sums. But Otou-san--he knew who I was at all times. He had such a vast mind and heart; he was like a giant to me, a hero of legend. So when I saw him," Doukun faltered for a moment but forced himself to go on, "when I saw them bringing his body out of that prison, I couldn't believe it. He looked so small…so small and broken. I had to touch him, examine him with my own hands to make myself believe that it was him."

The boy's voice finally broke. The Doctor reached out a hand and grasped his shoulder but remained silent, sensing Doukun's need to tell his story. After a few moments, Doukun found his voice again, but it was older, husky with remembered grief. "I did what I had to do, and this knowledge that Suzaku bestowed upon me told me how he had been murdered. I didn't need the seishi powers of Chiriko, however, to tell me that Otou-san had not committed suicide; I knew in my own heart that he would never do that. He was a fighter--and whatever else I might be, I am his son. I vowed that day, that very hour, not to rest until I put a stop to the powers that had destroyed him. No one should ever be allowed to take a man like my father and make him small. No one, not even the Emperor himself."

The Doctor broke in. "I want to assure you that the Emperor had no knowledge of this. I know him personally, and he is a very fair and upright young man. I suspect that the Dowager Empress may have…"

"Yes, and she is dead. But you can't assure me that corruption has been completely eradicated from his government."

The Doctor shook his head, remembering the inexplicable appearance of the Kutou contingent in the throne room to claim Joss. No, he couldn't deny it; traitors and spies still remained within the highest circles of the Imperial government.

Doukun continued. "So I study for the government exams, trying to become part of that which helped kill my father--trying to fight them from within."

"A noble cause, Doukun: vengeance without blood."

"But is it the right way? I can't do it without the power of Chiriko, but that power is not mine to command. At times I sit here studying madly, and suddenly the scrolls make no sense. What if this happens to me in the exams? Why doesn't Suzaku consider me worthy of keeping this power? Will he deny me in the end? Am I unworthy to be one of his shichiseishi? I don't know. I only know that I fail more than I succeed, and," his voice became very small, "I wonder if my father is ashamed of me."

"No!" The Doctor's voice was harsh, making his young pupil jump guiltily. He immediately softened his tones. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to scold, but I don't want you to think such things. I'm certain that your father is very proud of you, Doukun--and if he's half the man you said he was, he's prouder of you for trying when the power deserts you than when it gives you strength." The Doctor knelt before Doukun and tipped his chin up so that their eyes met. "That's where true courage lies: in trying your best when you're weak and uncertain as opposed to when you have celestial powers. It's in the effort that the merit lies, not necessarily in the success. You mustn't lose faith in yourself, Doukun."

Doukun closed his eyes for a moment as if he were committing the Doctor's words to his heart. They must have found their place there, for when he opened his eyes, they were shining with new hope and optimism.

"There's another reason why I chart the stars." Doukun's voice was suddenly bright and happy as he turned back to his charts, scribbling on a fresh scroll as he performed rapid calculations on an abacus. "I like to watch the lives of my celestial brothers or sisters from a distance. I feel this connection to them, and I imagine…I imagine how it will be when we all meet up at last. I keep hoping that they will understand me in the same way that Otou-san did! And it's so exciting to observe their lives, although sometimes they frighten me with how close they come to danger. I used to lose sleep worrying over the constellation Tasuki; he or she would come so close to disaster so many times that I thought it was over. But Tasuki doesn't seem to be very easy to kill; she or he always triumphs in the end. The others also seem to come through their trials, and recently something has been pushing away the dark celestial shadows that encroach upon them."

The Doctor smiled secretly to himself as the boy continued to chatter happily. "However, the one that has worried me most in recent times has been the constellation Chichiri. Until a short while ago, Chichiri was eclipsed by a very dark cloud, but now…" Doukun's voice suddenly caught in his throat. He stared at his calculations, then grabbed his abacus and ran through them once again.

"What is it?" The Doctor tried to control his sudden sense of dread.

Doukun waved him to silence, racing back to the armillary sphere. He rotated the rings a few times to generate new numbers while staring up at the stars with narrowed eyes, then grabbed the astrolabe to recheck the celestial time. He ran back to the charts and plotted the raw numbers. The beads on the abacus clicked and flew back and forth as he tried one new calculation after another. Finally he stopped to meet the Doctor's gaze, his face pale with fear.

"Something's wrong!" he choked. "Chichiri--the darkness--it's coming fast! Unless something changes--it's the end!"

The Doctor leaped up, his own features reflecting his panic. "I need your best horse, Doukun, and I need it now! I have to leave this instant!"

Doukun nodded, and the two took off racing through the house. Doukun stopped to rouse Kazuki, knowing that the master of the house would get quicker responses from the sleeping stableboys. The three ran to the stables, Kazuki grabbing up a few canteens of water and tossing them to the Doctor as he shouted for assistance. It was scant minutes later that the Doctor was able to leap onto the back of a fully saddled and outfitted horse.

"Doctor, let me get you some rations," urged Kazuki.

"No, don't worry, no time for that now." The Doctor bent to look Doukun in the eye. "I'm sorry that I have to leave you like this, Doukun."

"I understand," interrupted the boy.

"Yes, thank you. Just remember all that I have told you tonight--and keep watching the stars! If I'm able to save him, it will be because of you and your talents--never forget that!"

With that, the Doctor spurred his horse and galloped into the darkness, leaving the two brothers standing side-by-side, staring out into the night.

****

In a small tent more than half a country away, the dim light of a turned down lamp reflected off a dagger blade as it stealthily approached the sleeping magician. The dagger flicked quickly in the darkness, and the wielder retreated, slipping out of the tent flap.

Another figure rose and silently followed him, knowing that the quarry would get away if he became aware of his pursuer. The pursuit finally ended when the dagger wielder paused at the edge of the woods, pulling a bag from under his shirt and squatting to open it and rifle through its contents. The pursuer crept up on him and seized him in a strong hold, clamping a hand over his mouth.

Sharp teeth fastened in the hand of the pursuer, who stifled a shriek of pain. "Goddamn it, Shun'u, bite me one more time, and it'll be the last time you'll have any teeth left in your head!"

The two broke apart, Shun'u's eyes still wild with fear from the unexpected assault. "What th' fuck are ya doin', sneakin' around an' grabbin' me?"

Joss sucked on the wound in her hand. "I think that you're the one who has some explaining to do, you little shit! What were you doing to Houjun in the tent?"

Shun'u stuck his hand behind his back. "Nothin'!"

Joss made a sudden lunge and caught Shun'u by the elbow and shook him. "Enough of this shit! 'Fess up!"

"All right, all right; jus' quit shakin' me, or you'll make me drop it!"

"Drop what?"

Shun'u held out his hand. Joss dragged him to the flickering embers of their campfire to get a better look at his prize.

It was a lock of Houjun's hair, the dark strands gleaming and reflecting the faint glow of the firelight. But even as they watched, the strands began to lighten, ending up shining with a silvery-blue light.

"What th' fuck?" hissed Shun'u in surprise.

Joss pursed her lips thoughtfully. So the hair color spell must wear off when separated from Houjun. It made sense, really. But how was she supposed to explain it to Shun'u, who was staring at the hair with something close to religious awe on his face?

"Er…um…well, you know that Houjun is a magician, Shun'u. It's best not to mess with his stuff."

Shun'u snorted in contempt. "Tough. I'm keepin' this--it's sugoi!" He pulled a thread from his tunic--no, her tunic! recalled Joss--and tied it carefully around one end of the lock, holding it together. "How d'ya s'pose he does this?" he asked, holding up the lock to admire it.

Joss held up a finger and solemnly quoted, "'Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger.'"

Shun'u wrinkled his nose, unimpressed. "What the fuck are ya babblin' about?"

Joss sighed. "Never mind. Just trying to be literary, except that it's before your time." She frowned, reconsidering. "Or after your time. Whatever. But listen, you still haven't explained your sudden interest in midnight barbering. Barbering without consent, I might add."

Shun'u shrugged, jutting out his chin and refusing to answer.

Joss narrowed her eyes. "So that's the way you want to play it. How about if I go wake up Houjun, and you can explain yourself to him?"

"No!" Shun'u sulked, realizing that he had betrayed himself. Setting his teeth, he seemed to come to a decision. "Look, I ain't doin' nothin' bad; it's just that it's a secret, an' everyone knows that girls can't keep secrets. Blab, blab, blab, that's all they ever do."

Joss was stung. "Girls can keep secrets better than boys! And I can tell you that the mouth that's shooting off all the time around here doesn't belong to a female!"

"Sticks and stones," Shun'u replied airily. "So yer sayin' that ya won't blab on me, on yer honor as a girl."

"Wait a minute, I never agreed to…"

"That's what I thought--girls can't keep their blabby mouths shut."

"All right! I'll keep your secret, but only if you tell me the whole truth, and there's nothing illegal, immoral or infectious about it."

"Deal!" Shun'u knocked his fist against Joss' fist. He stooped beside the fire and produced the bag he had been holding earlier. Joss noted his eagerness and repressed a smile. From his body language, it looked as if Shun'u was pleased to be sharing his "secret" at last.

The boy kept withdrawing one item after another out of the bag and placing them carefully in a line. Joss was reminded of the proprietary pride of her younger brother the time that her sisters had discovered his bug collection stored in his underwear drawer. He had blithely ignored their shrieking, proud to be displaying his "treasures" at last.

That's what this was, Joss realized. Shun'u's "treasure" bag. She gazed at the various shiny rocks, interesting bits of wood, and…

"Is that a snake skin?" she shrieked.

"Shhh! Yer gonna wake Houjun! What're you afraid of, anyway?"

"I'm not afraid; just a little…startled. Why did you…what are all these things, anyway?"

"It's all the stuff I found on this journey. That snake skin is from that big dead snake that Kazue trapped me with at th' lake. I went back th' mornin' after ya pulled me out, before we left, an' I pulled it off the snake."

"The decomposing snake."

"Yeah." Shun'u's voice held the hushed respect of a visitor to a cathedral. "Stunk worse'n anythin' I ever smelled before. Whoo!"

"But it's better now, right?"

"Yeah, but it still smells pretty strong." Shun'u dangled the snake skin before Joss' face.

She tilted her head away from the disgusting object and sought a distraction. "So what does this have to do with Houjun's hair?"

Shun'u dropped the snake skin and grew serious, staring into the fire. "I know where we're goin' now: you guys are takin' me home. An' that's okay, 'cause we made a deal, an' I intend ta stick to it…but I wanna remember everythin.'" His voice grew soft. "I wanna remember him."

The boy swallowed and turned his face away. Joss suddenly felt very close to Shun'u. Would she face the same pain one day soon, the pain of parting from Houjun? A lump rose in her throat, and she pushed those thoughts away. Time enough to deal with it when the time came. But she couldn't blame Shun'u for wanting to keep a part of Houjun with him forever.

She decided to give the boy some space to recover his control, so she started rifling through his treasure bag. "What else have you got in…gyah!"

"What?" Shun'u lifted his head, interested.

"Why have you got dead woodlice in here?"

Shun'u lunged and took the bag from her, reaching inside. He stared sadly at the pillbug bodies curled up in his palm. "Well, they were alive a couple of days ago. I picked these up while we were spyin' on that shithead kid and his little sister. Though I guess I got no reason ta wanna remember him." The woodlice were unceremoniously dumped into the fire. "Tired now," the boy muttered, stifling a yawn and shoving his treasures back into the bag. "I'm goin' back ta sleep."

Joss grinned at Shun'u. "Hey, why don't you ask me for a lock of my hair?"

Shun'u smirked at her. "Why th' fuck would I want anythin' from a girl?"

"Yeah, yeah…get your ass in the tent before I give you a helpful kick."

Shun'u skittered out of her reach, laughing. Joss lingered outside for a moment, giving him time to get settled in his bedroll. She lifted a hand and ruefully felt the back of her head for something she had noticed this morning. Yep, there it was: a ragged, uneven chunk among the short wavy locks.

"Yeah," she muttered sarcastically. "And what's supposed to be the reason that I happen to be losing chunks of hair? Termites?"

****

Two days later, the weary travelers pulled up outside of a modest but respectable farm nestled in the foothills of Mount Reikaku. Joss looked up the rising hillside and recognized the mountain path that had led them to the lake where they had found the drowning Shun'u. She looked across at the boy mounted on the shaggy pony. She didn't know if it was his new haircut, but he suddenly appeared older, more masculine and resolute. Perhaps it was due to the new seriousness in his eyes as he gazed at his home. Life had shown Shun'u many things in the time that he had traveled with them.

He turned back and locked gazes with Houjun. Once again, Joss was amazed at the way Houjun brought out the best in Shun'u, and how the two seemed to share a deep visceral connection. The boy's voice was hesitant, pitched somewhat lower. "I don' wanna leave you guys. What if ya need me?"

Houjun didn't smile at the boy's inflated idea of his usefulness as a companion. "We will have to try to get by as best we can. I'm afraid that this is where our paths must part, at least for now." He paused, remembering Myou Juan's words. "If Suzaku is good, perhaps we will join up again some day." He found a strange conviction in his heart. "Yes--something tells me that this is not a final farewell, Shun'u."

Shun'u suddenly turned his back to them both, appearing to stare up at his farm. But Joss saw his hand go up to his eyes, and she knew that he was fighting back his sadness. She also felt a lump in her throat and turned her own eyes to the farm. On the nearest sloping field, the figure of a woman bent wearily over her task. She was either pulling weeds or planting seeds, a large sack suspended from her shoulder, her absorption in her work keeping her from noticing the new arrivals. Her long russet hair hung over her eyes, its coppery glint clearly showing her relationship to Shun'u.

"Well, I ain't gettin' anywhere jus' standin' here, so…" Shun'u dismounted and grabbed his small sack of treasures from the pony's saddlebags. Joss flashed a secret smile at him. She had kept his secret, true to her word--although she wasn't quite certain that his secret had lived up to the "non-infectious" part of the deal.

Houjun dismounted, followed shortly by Joss. He strode up to Shun'u and took the small boy into a warm embrace. "Take care of yourself, my young friend, for I expect you to have grown in both body and spirit when next we meet."

Shun'u muttered something into Houjun's chest that Joss couldn't hear, but she saw the magician smile. When Shun'u pulled back from Houjun, Joss approached for her own farewell.

"Listen, kid," she started, her voice choking strangely as she saw him drag his hand across his nose in his typical little-boy fashion. She couldn't get the next words out, so she just opened her arms expectantly.

"Uh-uh," Shun'u shook his head. "I don' go in for this girl-huggin' shit. Can't stand girls."

Joss laughed as she thought of all the times he had snuggled up to her in the tent. "Sure you don't, you little shit. How about a handshake, then?" She laughed again as she felt her outstretched hand grasped in his sticky grip.

Shun'u turned away and took a few steps towards his home…then suddenly rushed back as quick as the wind, hugging Joss so fiercely that she gasped for breath. Just as quickly, he was gone, running towards the woman in the field.

"Hey, 'Nee-san! 'Nee-san, it's me! I'm back home again!" Shun'u's voice was back to its usual high-pitched shriek.

The young woman looked up, dropping her sack in shock. She took a few stumbling steps towards her truant brother, then broke into a run, catching him as he ran towards her and crushing him to her breast. Joss and Houjun laughed as they watched Shun'u struggle, flailing his arms in her frantic embrace. Finally the boy was able to push back enough to get some air.

"Fuck it, Aidou, ya tryin' ta kill me? Whassa matter with ya?"

Aidou seemed to come to her senses, wiping angrily at the tears that ran down her face. "Where have you been, you little brat?" she shrieked, the familial hot temper making Joss and Houjun laugh again. "Pretending to be dead, leaving me with all your work!" She still couldn't seem to keep her hands off him, but she masked her desperate need to hold him by smacking him on the back and head, punctuating each blow with another shriek. "Shun'u no Baka, you lying! lazy!--And what have you done to your HAIR?"

Shun'u pulled away as she grasped his spiky short locks with both hands. "Ow, damn it, Aidou, I thought you'd be glad ta see me! An' I cut my hair, 'cause I'm a man now, an' I'm sick of all that girly long hair hangin' down my back."

"Man?" shrieked Aidou in fury. "We'll see how much of a man you are when Kaa-san sees what you've done! You'd better run up to the house before I--"

Shun'u danced out of her reach before she could deal him another blow. He jogged backwards up the hill, waving to Houjun and Joss. "Ya see now why I hate girls?!" he shouted, then took off with his extraordinary speed to face the wrath of his bereaved mother.

Aidou suddenly registered the presence of the two strangers standing next to their horses. Her face twisted with strong emotion as she marched down to join them.

"Uh-oh," breathed Joss. "Do you think that she's gonna give it to us now?" Houjun had no time to reply before Aidou was standing before them both.

Up close, they could see that her youthful beauty was flawed, made grim by circumstance: dark circles around her moody brown eyes, lines of pain drawn by her finely shaped mouth. "You," she choked. "You're the strangers that Kazue told me about, the ones that pulled him out of the lake that day!"

Houjun and Joss nodded mutely, waiting for the explosion of temper that they had seen so often in Shun'u.

Instead, Aidou suddenly broke into a brilliant smile, her eyes now shining with tears of joy and gratitude. Joss caught her breath at the instant transformation of this careworn young woman into a stunningly beautiful creature, as breathtaking as her brother in his best moments. She dropped down into a deep and humble bow, touching her forehead to the ground.

"Arigatou," she choked. "I don't know how, but…you saved him, didn't you? I should have known better than to believe Kazue when she said that you had dumped his body back into the lake."

Houjun spoke at last. "Please, Aidou-san, accept our apologies for not returning him sooner. He was such a charming traveling companion." Joss tried to repress a snort and failed.

Aidou rose from her bow, still smiling that enchanting smile. "You are too kind to say so…too kind and not quite truthful!" Joss laughed aloud at Aidou's playful and perceptive observance. "May I invite you to the house for some tea or--?"

"I'm sorry, but we cannot linger, Aidou-san. We have people waiting for us."

"Neeee-saaan!" The high-pitched shriek carried all the way from the house on the slope. They could see the small figure of Shun'u jumping up and down.

Aidou's face suddenly changed, her eyes hardening with a kind of wicked glee. "Please excuse me; I must return to the house to…catch up with Shun'u." Her eyes softened once more as she turned back to wave to them. "Thank you again; thank you!"

Joss and Houjun watched her hurry up the slope to the small figure waiting above. Houjun sighed softly. "I think I'm going to miss him more than I realized."

"Well, that makes one of us."

"Joss!"

"Oh, all right, maybe I'll miss him--but just a little bit. A little, tiny, miniscule bit."

"Mm-hm. You can take your hand away from your eyes now; he's too far away to see you crying."

"I'm not crying! It's dust from…from the road. Damn these dusty roads!"

"We're on a grass path, Joss."

"Always one to belabor the fine points," Joss grumbled. "Have you had enough fun yet? The Doctor may be waiting for us."

Houjun laughed. "Don't be angry with me. If the Doctor's not there, we'll have to wait for him--and it would be sad if you're not speaking to me. After all, it will be just the two of us…alone."

Joss perked up immediately, her eyes wide. "I forgot about that!" She ran to the side of Houjun's horse, patting the saddle impatiently. "Well, what are you waiting for; let's ride!"

****

Less than two hours later, they dismounted near the placid waters of the mountain lake. Joss was just turning away from the saddle when Houjun caught her in his arms and seized her lips. She melted into his kiss, pulling him close, tasting his sweetness. They clung to one another as he leisurely explored her mouth, letting waves of sensation sweep through them. They finally broke apart, grinning at one another.

"We have to look for the cloth tied to a branch, just in case he's been here before us."

Joss sighed. "Do we have to be so responsible? I know that it was my plan, but couldn't we look for it, uh, later?"

"Joss."

"Just a little bit later? A little, teeny bit later?"

"That's not exactly flattering to me, your belief that we'll need only a little bit of time."

Joss laughed at Houjun's mock-wounded tone. "Oh, all right, but let's at least look quickly."

"The fastest way will be if we search the area from two different directions. I'll start over there," he pointed to a heavily wooded ridge on the eastern part of the lakeshore, "and you start over here, on the western shore. That way, we can meet in the middle."

Joss wrapped her arms around Houjun and nestled against his chest for a brief moment, inhaling his clean, sunlit scent. "Sounds like a plan to me, Master Magician! First one to the middle gets to make the first call!"

"First call of what?"

"Ah, that's the fun part! I'll explain it to you when you get there."

"Not if I get there first!"

"Fine, it's a race! Let's go!"

Joss plunged happily into the underbrush, her heart hammering in anticipation. "Remember the cloth, remember the cloth!" she scolded herself as she pulled at the branches of the shrubs and trees. She shouldn't lose sight of their purpose in searching the area, but she could barely breathe, she was so suffused with excitement. The air seemed heavy as well, although she could see a light wind moving the branches.

Subconsciously, she slowed, yielding to the languorous feel of this sultry day. She couldn't repress her happiness, however, humming snatches of old show tunes. "There were birds…in the air…but I never heard them singing. No, I never heard them at all, Till there was you." She felt silly and loopy and…"Wait a minute." Joss frowned, shaking off her lethargy. She couldn't hear any birds--and that was downright weird on a bright summer day.

She looked up to see if there were thunderclouds threatening a summer storm--but the sky was clear, blue, shimmering. At that moment, it hit her--a powerful wave of evil: smoky, acrid, so pervasive that it caught in her throat, filling her lungs. She choked, clawing at her collar, desperately gasping for air. Just as she felt the corners of her vision turning dark, it was gone, releasing her to gasp in teary-eyed gratitude for the sweet flow of oxygen. The air was fresh and clean, washed and scented by the light breeze. She might have thought that she imagined the whole episode, except for the hairs standing straight up on her arms and neck.

"Houjun!" Joss shouted at the eastern ridge, not caring that she sounded panicky. "Houjun, did you feel that?"

Silence was all that answered her, the birds remaining stubbornly voiceless. Joss felt a rising tide of fear sweeping over her. "Come on, Houjun, I have to talk to you! Houjun? HOUJUN!"

The realization hit her like a blow, and she fell to her knees, knowing that he wasn't going to answer but unable to stop herself from screaming his name nonetheless. "Houjun! Houjun! HOUJUN!"

****

****

Glossary of Japanese Terms

Konbanha - Good evening; the correct spelling and pronunciation of a greeting frequently misrepresented as "Konbanwa."

Kaa-san - Mother (familiar, yet still respectful form)

Otou-san - Father (respectful, but not as formal as "chichi-ue.")

Onii-san - Elder Brother (respectful)

Sugoi! - amazing!

Nee-san - Elder sister (familiar)

Arigatou - Thank you

****

Author's Notes: (11-13-03) First of all, there is a VERY IMPORTANT warning at the end of this author note, so if you don't have the time or inclination to slog through my interminable ramblings and acknowledgements, please go straight to the end of this note now. I'm not kidding: big, important info there, minna.

Music credit: "Till There Was You," from "The Music Man," Words and Music By:Meredith Willson. Yes, I know that Joss has sung the lyrics a bit wrong, but I'll just give her some artistic license here, 'kay?

Next, a very grateful acknowledgement to Tetris no Miko for her online summation of the plot of Yuuai Den, the Chiriko Gaiden novel. However, since it was only a summary, I had to make up certain facts that were not specified, such as the names of Doukun's family members. Any inaccuracies in Chiriko's history are my fault, not the fault of Tetris no Miko.

All right, on a more upbeat note, there were some references in this chapter for those of you who know the Doctor, especially Jack! See if you can find a reference to the Third Doctor--and the Seventh. Or was it the Fourth? And Jack….(shakes him hard) Lucky, lucky, lucky you! I m so jealous! You got to meet Ace and Doc6? Urgh, I would've loved to be in your shoes! If you get the time, tell all in an e-mail.

Speaking of references, I deliberately did not credit the source of Joss' quote to Shun'u about wizards, just so I could quiz you. How many of you can tell me the source of that quotation? Extra points if you can name the character saying this. If you miss this one, Ryu-chan, I'm going to spank you! Answer to be posted next chapter, so that I can give credit where credit is due.

Research chatter: You might find it odd that Chiriko recognizes a yo-yo, but…like almost everything else I've researched, yo-yos are thought to originate in ancient China. So since the ShiJin is supposed to be an alternate universe of ancient China, it's possible that yo-yos existed there. (Oh, yes - very important to be accurate about fantasy worlds! ) Also, you might be asking yourself how I know so much about yo-yos. You might be thinking that she is possibly quite skilled in that arena.

You might be wrong.

Here is the sum total of my empirically derived knowledge of yo-yos:

1) If you drop a yo-yo from your hand, it hits the ground and stays there.

2) BUT…if you yank really hard on the string just before it hits the ground, it can come swinging back in a wide arc and clock you a good one in the head.

3) In general, heavy wooden yo-yos hurt more than plastic ones.

Thank God for the Internet and helpful Quicktime movies on how to perform "walk the dog," "rock the baby," and "around the world," or else I might be in a hospital right now. - -;; Speaking of which, for more extra pop-quiz points, can any of you name the move the Doctor first demonstrated to Chiriko?

Okay, enough dithering and rambling AND quizzing--here's the serious stuff.

Very Important Warning: As you may have guessed from the cliffhanger ending, we are now entering a different phase of "Bridge Over the Abyss." In all honesty, despite its M-rating "Bridge" has essentially been a T fic, the exceptions being the violent ending to the failed exorcism and of course, Shun'u's (and Joss') foul language. However…Bridge is now turning a corner and entering deeply into "M" territory for the next few chapters. This rating means that this story is unsuitable for the young or sensitive reader. It's no accident that Shun'u has exited the story at this chapter; from this point onward, this is no place for children.

The major contributors to this rating will be scenes of shocking violence and intense horror, but there will also be adult sexual situations. I will not cross over into NC-17 material, but there is plenty to upset the sensitive reader while staying within the bounds of the M-rating. Please, please, if you think that this sort of material will offend, confuse, or upset you, please exit this story now. As those of you who have followed me from my debut fic "White Stones" should know, I am an adult who writes for adults, and I am giving fair warning that the M-rating of this story needs to be taken seriously.

Thank you,

Roku Kyu