"Houjun!"

The voice calling his name cut through the red haze that had settled over his vision.

"Houjun! Onegai, doko wa?"

She sounded terrified. A rushing sound filled his ears and he realized that it was the river. Shoryuugawa was flooding.

"Houjun!"

Hikou's voice. He turned and watched in horror as the bank began to crumble out from under his friend's feet. The knife fell from his fingers as he dashed forward and caught Hikou's hand, throwing himself flat on the ground for leverage.

"Taskete, Houjun!" Hikou cried, fear written on every feature of his face.

"Daijoubu," he called. "I've got you Hikou."

"Houjun. Hikou-kun."

He turned his attention away from the river. She stood a few yards away, her dress soaked through and her long hair plastered to her head. Tucked into the folds of her dress, near her heart, was the comb he had bought for her.

"Kouran," he whispered.

"Houjun!" she screamed.

He turned back to the river and saw the log coming. He jerked back, avoiding having the log smash into his head, and felt searing pain go through his left eye. He rolled back onto the bank of the river, clutching his face and screamed. He opened his good eye and stared at his hands. Where was Hikou?

Pushing past the pain he sat up and looked around. The river bank was deserted. Where was Kouran?!

He staggered to his feet, pressing the cloth of his sleeve to his facial wound and moved to where he'd last seen Kouran. There was no sign on the bank that she'd been there. No footprints. Had the bank given way beneath her? He staggered downstream as best as he could, looking at every rock, every overhanging tree in hopes that his best friend or his love had managed to catch hold. He didn't know how long he staggered along, barely holding onto consciousness before he found the small pool formed by a massive rock sticking out into the river. There, bobbing lifelessly in the water, was Hikou's body.

He let out an anguished cry of pain and loss before slumping to the ground and relinquishing his hold on consciousness. He'd learned later, from the people who had found him near the river, that Kouran's body had been found farther downstream. Both she and Hikou had been given proper burials, and he had had to move on with his life.

Chichiri blinked back the tears that stung his eye as he came awake. He hadn't had that particular nightmare for years now. Not since he'd met the demon Hikou and made his peace with his friend.

A small whimper caught his attention and he rolled over to face the room. Keiko was curled into a ball on her futon with a meager blanket wrapped around her. Even in the darkness of the room, he could see her shivering. He started to rise, intent on giving her his own blanket, when a gentle hand pushed him back onto the futon. Liang gave the warrior a smile, then stood and took his own blanket and wrapped it around the shivering woman.

"Arigatou," Chichiri said softly as the healer returned to his futon.

Liang nodded. "I'm used to the cold up here. Besides, it wouldn't do for me to have to tend you both."

Chichiri nodded and curled into the warmth that his own blankets offered. He watched Keiko as she responded to the warmth of the extra blanket and fell into a deeper sleep. He couldn't seem to take his eye off her. She looked so much like Kouran that it pained him to see her, and yet he could never seem to look away for long.

"Is she someone special to you?" Liang asked quietly.

Chichiri gave a start and then shook his head.

"She just looks like someone I used to care for a great deal."

"Perhaps she is the reincarnation of your special person," the healer said.

Chichiri shrugged uncomfortably. "It's possible. But if so, then why was she reborn into another world?"

Liang leaned back against the wall. "I think we are reborn into the world that best suites our development. She may have learned all she could from this world and chose another world to experience a different aspect of herself."

Chichiri nodded. It made sense. He tried without success to stifle a yawn.

"I'll be quiet and let you get some sleep now," Liang said.

"Gomen," Chichiri murmured, his eye sliding shut of it's own volition.

"Oyasumi," Liang said softly with a smile.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

Keiko woke to the sound of a low murmuring voice. She opened her eyes and looked around the small shrine. Sunlight was streaming in through cracks in the walls and roof, illuminating a carved plaque on the back wall. The plaque depicted a large bird with a long tail. Behind the bird were mountains and plains and fields. Keiko took it to be the land of Konan being protected by Suzaku.

Kneeling before the plaque was Chichiri. It was his voice, softly murmuring his morning prayers, that had woken her. Keiko quietly got to her knees and bowed her head. She had never been much of a religious person, but in the presence of this man, so obviously devoted to his god, it seemed improper for her to remain in bed.

Great Suzaku, she prayed silently, please help me to fulfil my purpose here and help your warrior.

Keiko kept her head bowed in thoughtful contemplation for a while, before realizing that the measured chanting had stopped. She raised her head and found Chichiri looking at her. He offered her a smile and she smiled back.

. . . . . . . . . . . .

A/N:

Whoa. Two posts in one day. Can you handle it?!

I wanted to thank all of you who have been with me so far and reviewed the story. I hope you are still enjoying it. With any luck I'll finish it up in two or three more chapters. Also, sorry for all the cliffhangers. I just tend to end a chapter where it seems natural (or I'm too exhausted to write anymore). Thanks for sticking with me!