Keiko opened her eyes slowly. For the life of her, she couldn't remember going to sleep. She sat up and looked around the room she was in. The furnishings were very simple, consisting of the bed she was in, a wardrobe on one wall, and a small table near the bed.

It feels kind of like a hospital room, Keiko thought to herself.

The door across from the bed opened and Han-sensei stepped into the room. He smiled at her.

"You gave us quite a fright, Keiko-sama," the kindly physician said as he moved to stand next to her bed.

She gave him a quizzical look. "What do you mean?"

"Are you saying you don't remember what happened in the shrine?" Han asked, blinking at her owlishly.

Keiko nodded. "I remember going into the shrine with Tasuki and Aiko, but my next memory is of waking up here. Where am I anyway?"

"You are in the medical ward reserved for special guests and the royal family," Han said. "You collapsed in the shrine and Tasuki brought you here."

Keiko looked at her hands which were clasped in her lap.

"I don't remember."

Han patted her shoulder. "It's alright. You seem to be fine, but I'd like you to stay here overnight so I can have somebody watch you."

Keiko nodded.

"Do you need anything? Food or tea? You did miss dinner."

"No thank you," Keiko said. "I think I'll just get some rest."

Han nodded and left the room. Keiko lay down again and stared at the ceiling for a time, before drifting into sleep again.

. . . . . . . . . . .

Tasuki and Chichiri sat in the Shrine of Suzaku, at the base of the statue depicting the phoenix god. Chichiri leaned back against the marble base that supported the statue. Tasuki sat forward, arms resting on his legs and fingers intertwined, looking as if he were trying to find the meaning of life in the spaces between his fingers. Despite the power of Suzaku that swirled around the two in a way that it only did in the presence of other seishi or the Suzaku no Miko, there seemed to be an impenetrable wall between them.

They had been sitting that way for almost an hour. After Tasuki had carried Keiko to the infirmary he had returned to the Shrine. Aiko quietly told her husband that she would make his apologies to the Emperor and Empress Dowager for missing dinner, before leaving Tasuki alone with Chichiri. Tasuki had found Chichiri kneeling before the statue of Suzaku, praying quietly. The fiery seishi had returned to the doors of the Shrine and summoned two guards.

"I want ya ta guard these doors," Tasuki said. "Don't let anyone in 'til Chichiri 'n I come out."

The guards nodded and took up posts on either side of the door. Tasuki shut the doors and waited for his friend to finish his prayers. He wasn't sure how long he waited, but when Chichiri finally rose to his feet, Tasuki walked forward to meet him. They stared at each other for a long moment before Chichiri looked away. By unspoken agreement they seated themselves at the base of the statue, but neither wanted to be first to speak. Now, almost two hours since Keiko had collapsed, they still said nothing, and Tasuki could feel his temper rising. The more he thought about how stupid they were behaving, the madder he got.

"Why didn't ya write to me Chiri?" the fiery seishi asked from between clenched teeth.

Chichiri turned so that he was looking at the back of his friend's head.

"I didn't think that it would matter much." Chichiri's usually mellow tenor voice was deepened and ragged from the cough that seemed to be rooted deep in his chest.

"Of course it wudda mattered, bakayarou!" Tasuki yelled.

His kanji burst into angry crimson life betraying the depth of his anger.

"Who the hell da'ya think I am anyway? Just some idiot who tagged along with ya for nearly half of his life? All the battles we've lived through. All the heartache. Didn't that mean anythin' ta ya? I thought ya trusted me."

"I do trust you–"

"Bullshit! If ya truly trusted me then ya wudda come to me with yer grief. Instead ya hid yerself from everyone who wudda wanted to help ya. It's like that damn mask all over again. Well fine! Since ya made it glaringly obvious that ya don't want my help, I'll just be leaving!"

Neither man moved. The wall that had seemed so impenetrable moments before was crumbling. The glow coming from Tasuki's character seemed more sullen now than angry. Tears burned in his eyes and he blinked rapidly. He kept his face averted from Chichiri and waited for the other man's reply.

"Are you finished, no da?" Chichiri asked, a smile in his voice.

Tasuki shut his eyes and slumped back against the base of the statue.

"Aw hell. Yes, I'm done."

"Thank you Tasuki," Chichiri said softly. "I was an idiot and I see that now."

"Damn straight! By the four gods, I swear you can be so dense sometimes. Baka."

"Hai," Chichiri agreed. "I've never been good at sharing my feelings, but I'll do better."

"Good. I care about you a lot. You're like an older brother to me, but that doesn't mean that I can't listen to you and try to help you. Suzaku knows you've done that enough for me."

The older man nodded. "Starting tomorrow, I'll tell you everything that's happened and maybe you can help me find an answer."

Tasuki turned to look at his friend. "Why tomorrow? Why not now."

Chichiri smiled wanly. "I'm exhausted. Getting yelled at by you takes a lot out of me."

Tasuki jumped up. "Shit. I'm sorry Chiri. I didn't think about that."

He helped the other man to his feet and put an arm around his waist.

"I can walk," Chichiri said a bit indignantly.

Tasuki let him go and his legs nearly buckled.

"Right," the fiery seishi said as he supported his friend. "Let's get you back to your room before you collapse."

"I'm alright now," Chichiri insisted. "I can walk."

"Hai, hai," Tasuki affirmed as he half carried, half dragged the other man toward the doors.

They bantered lightly back and forth as they made their way toward the medical ward. Tasuki helped Chichiri to his room and got him settled comfortably in bed.

"Tasuki," Chichiri called as the younger man was leaving.

The red-head turned.

"Who was the woman with you earlier?"

"Which one?"

"I know who Aiko is. I met her at the wedding remember? The taller woman, with the long hair."

"That's Keiko," Tasuki said. "She says that she's here from Miaka's world."

Chichiri's eyes went wide. Tasuki hurried to reassure his friend.

"Don't worry. She says that there's no danger to Konan. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow. Just get some rest now."

Chichiri nodded. Tasuki gave him a parting grin and left, closing the door behind him.

. . . . . . . . . . .

Keiko couldn't sleep anymore. She had no idea how long she'd been asleep, but it was still dark out. She rose and pulled on a short robe over her yukutta. On the wall near the foot of the bed was a sliding door. She moved to the door and opened it, revealing a moonlit garden. A good sized pond dominated the garden with a large willow at the far end.

Keiko stepped out onto the engawa that ran around the garden and connected all the other rooms of the ward. She took a deep breath, reveling in the clean air scented with night blooming flowers. Perhaps a short stroll around the pond would help clear her mind so she could go back to sleep. She returned to her room and found a pair of slippers which she put on. She stepped down to the gravel path that meandered around the garden and made quiet crunching noises as she walked.

She paused suddenly on the path near the pond. There was something very familiar about her surroundings. Keiko vaguely recalled the dream she'd had while still in her own world. A palace, a garden, and a man. She looked around quickly, but could see no one. Her heart sank a bit but she shook it off and continued her walk. The path led her beneath the overhanging branches of the willow. There, someone had placed a bench and Keiko took a moment to sit and enjoy the stillness of the night.

"It's very peaceful, isn't it?"

Keiko gasped and turned. A figure was standing in the shadows near the pond.

"I didn't mean to frighten you," the figure said.

Keiko gave a little shiver and wrapped her arms around herself.

"I wasn't expecting anyone else to be up," she said.

The figure moved into the moonlight, revealing a tall man. Much of the left side of his face was still in shadow, but he seemed familiar to her.

"You must be Keiko," the man said.

Keiko nodded. The man moved under the willow's branches and seated himself next to her. Keiko stifled a gasp as she got a good look at his face. A large scar covered the place where his left eye should have been. The man reached up to touch the scar.

"Does it bother you?" he asked.

Keiko shook her head. Strangely it really didn't bother her.

"I'm sorry," she said. "It's just that–"

He silenced her with his smile. Why was that smile so familiar?

"I haven't introduced myself," he said. "I'm Chichiri."

Keiko's heart gave a little flutter. Why was he affecting her this way? She looked away and stared out over the pond.

"I'm pleased to meet you," she said softly.

They sat in silence for a moment before Chichiri rose.

"I will leave you," he said with a small bow.

Keiko's heart clenched painfully. He couldn't go. She'd just found him. They had so much to talk about. Chichiri turned and began walking back to his room. Keiko stood abruptly and was about to call to him when seven guards burst into the garden. The stillness of the night was broken by a warning bell. The guards rushed forward and circled around Chichiri.

"Chichiri-sama," one of the guards said, "please come with us. Bandits have snuck into the palace and the Emperor has ordered that we bring you to him."

Chichiri nodded and Keiko pushed her way into the circle.

"I'm coming too," she said.

"The Emperor also wished to make sure you were safe, Keiko-sama," another guard said.

The guard flashed a look around the circle and the other guards nodded.

"We must hurry," the first guard said.

Keiko and Chichiri were led through the medical ward and out onto the palace grounds. Guards were rushing everywhere, and from the ruddy glow to the south, it looked as if a building had been set on fire.

"What about Tasuki and Aiko?" Keiko asked the guard nearest her.

He had a thick full beard and had a surly demeanor that Keiko didn't like.

"Another group was sent for them," the man answered.

The guards led them down a side street that Keiko remembered Tasuki saying led to the north gate at the back of the imperial complex. Keiko grabbed Chichiri's hand and slowed her pace. The guards closed in tighter around the pair and tried to force them to keep moving. Keiko stopped and the man behind her bumped into her.

"This isn't the way to the palace," she said. "This way leads to the north gate. Where are you taking us?"

The man behind Keiko grabbed her, pinning her arms to her sides. Two more of the men grabbed Chichiri. A damp cloth was held over Keiko's nose and mouth, and though she struggled to get free she could not break her captor's grip. The smell of pungent herbs filled Keiko's nose as she was forced to take a breath, and the world began to spin.

"You will come with us," the bearded man said to Chichiri. "Come quietly or we'll kill the girl."

Keiko tried to shake her head, but her body was no longer responding to her commands. Chichiri slumped in his captor's arms and nodded. Keiko watched through darkening vision as the men tied Chichiri's hands together. Then she was lifted and thrown over a shoulder and her world spun into darkness.