Tasuki smiles to the others. "This is where Shaun comes in, so I am going to give a small account from my end of this story, as I remember it, and then continue reading Chichiri's account."
SHAUN'S QUICK HISTORY LESSON, JOHN AND SHAUN MEET, RELEASE AND SETTLING IN.
When I was 8 years old, I was struck by lightening and upon waking up a few days later, not only was I told my heart had stopped beating, but I awoke with complete memories of being Tasuki. I also knew that I had lived other lives since then, but those other lives were unclear.
When I was 17, I ran away from my overbearing mother, who clung tightly to me after the lightening strike, and went out west, working on the railroad. I eventually came upon what is now known as the Tularosa Basin and settled into the foothills to live a life of seclusion. Yes, Tasuki, the Bandit Warrior of the Suzaku Seishi, living a life of seclusion, but I wanted space and after my memories were returned to me, I always felt as though I didn't belong. I started to think in ancient Chinese dialect and words of it would constantly escape me in my sentences. My parents were threatening me with a mental institute because of it. At this point I just wanted to be left alone.
Then I was captured, just like John was later. I had strayed too far and they took insult to most white folks. I was about to be executed when the village elder came running up, blabbering in their language, which I didn't know at the time. He was pointing at my forearm and gesturing to my body as a whole. I realized this man could see my symbol for some reason. When he realized I also knew it was there, I was escorted back to a shelter and spent the winter with the Apache tribe, learning their language and customs.
When spring arrived, I knew enough of their language that I was asked by the elder what the symbol meant. After I told him about Suzaku and the fight we all went through, he lead me to the circle and I was... encouraged (fanged grin) to share my story with the others. Reincarnation was sacred to them and upon completion of my tale, I was encouraged to show my granted Suzaku power and was given the name "Fast Lightening".
A few weeks later, I was released and escorted to my home. There I continued to hunt and fish for my living, returning to Tularosa occassionally for some supplies and trading furs and such that I had no use for with the Apache's for other supplies.
So, I was in front of my small cabin, chopping wood from a felled tree that landed close to my dwelling when the Apache warriors arrive. I am told that they captured a white man that the elder says has a symbol much like my own and my presence is requested. We left immediately and the elder takes me aside and says there is a man with hair the color of the summer sky, that defy's laws of the earth, with a symbol upon his left knee. Something in my face gives me away, that or my whispering of Chichiri. The elder gives a smile to me. "This could possibly be the Chichiri from your story?" I give a nod, the elder's smile tells me he has figured out my past feelings for the monk of my story.
We enter the shelter that the man is being held in and sure enough, it is a very frightened Chichiri. He looks very startled by my appearance and I crouch before him. "Hello"
He relaxes a bit and clutches his journal a bit closer to his body. "Hello, no da."
Those two words confirm for me that this is Chichiri and I smile. "So, I hear ya got a symbol on yer knee." He gapes at me and then puts his hand over his knee. "They saw it?"
I nod and take my jacket off and roll up my sleeve to show him mine as I reply "Yep, they also saw mine when I was captured a few years ago."
He reaches out a hand to touch my symbol, but pulls back and I smile. "Go ahead, ya can."
He touches it and the shock of Suzaku flows through the both of us. I felt a tingle all the way down to my toes. He stares at me, and his eyes, both this time, scan over my body and I realize he is not looking at my form, but my aura. "Like fire, eh?"
He glances up. "Da?" I grin at him and sit back on my heels. "My aura is like fire and flames, right?"
He gives a confused nod. "Hai, how did you know this, no da?" I grin "A very close friend of mine once described it to me. My name is Shaun, what's yers?"
"John, no da." I give him a smile and stand turning to the elder, who watches us carefully.
"This is Chichiri, no doubt. I can feel his symbol from here and when he touched mine, the presence of our God went through both of us."
The elder nods and gestures for John to be set free. "I will release him to you. If he is a warrior of this God, Suzaku, as you claim, I would not want to upset the bird god by killing one of his warriors. However, a blizzard approaches, he will not be able to make it back to the white man settlement in time."
I nod, having also realized the blizzard was approaching. "I will take him to my dwelling. Apparently he doesn't remember anything from the past or he would have been gone before I even arrived here." I smile over my shoulder to the now freed magician who looks lost and scared. "I will see if I can't convince him to spend time with me and see if I can get his memory restored. I know you would like to hear his version of the story." The elder's love of a good story is well known within the tribe and by myself as well.
We are given passage to leave and I lead him out of the tribe. He is quiet until we get away and then looks at me, fear in his eyes. "Who are you and how did you get me out of there?"
I smile at him. "I'm Shaun Smith. I was born in Savannah, Georgia and moved here about 6 years ago. A few years back I was captured much as you were and spent a winter with the tribe, learning their language and customs. Now I trade freely between Tularosa and the Apache tribe and I trap furs and live alone in the mountains. As for how you got out of there, the Elder noticed your well symbol. Now hush, we need to move quick."
He follows me and I can almost feel his anger. "I thought we were safe though, they let us go." I chuckle and lead him through an obscure path that leads back to my cabin. "We are safe from them, but a blizzard approaches and I'm afraid we are about to get it dumped on us. I will not be taking you back to Tularosa until after it is over." I glance at his shocked face and smile compassionately. He just had a very bad shock today and now he is about to be forced into a cabin and snowed in with a stranger. About 20 minutes later we make it to my cabin and I gesture him inside as I begin to pick up my ax and finish with my wood, knowing I am going to need it. He stands unsure in the doorway and watches me. "Do you wish for me to help you with that?"
I shake my head and keep on chopping, but respond. "No, but could ya go inside and start a fire? I'm almost done with this and will be along shortly."
When I enter the cabin the fire is going and a kettle of coffee is boiling on the stove, giving my cabin a wonderful smell. I dump the arm load I have brought in, the rest stacked neatly outside for easy reach, and strip my outer layers off in the warmth of the cabin. My dwelling is finely built to withstand winters such as this and no drafts drift in.
As I strip to my trousers and shirt, John is pouring out two mugs of coffee and I sit at the rough table with a word of thanks and sip the beverage. The man apparently knows how to make coffee. As I warm up some, I glance to him to find his eyes upon me. "You seem very familiar no da."
I grin "No da?" He blushes some and looks away, stuttering. "Ummmm, it's in an ancient chinese dialect. It means."
"You know" I finish his sentence for him and he stares in shock at me. I take the chance and switch to the language from Konan. "Trust me, I know quite a bit."
He is shocked and then responds in kind. "What is going on here. I feel like I know you, not your form, but your aura."
I grin at him and switch back to English. "That is because we have met before, John. Do you believe in reincarnation?" John gives a nod. "I have always had dreams of being in Ancient China and a reincarnated warrior of a God named Suzaku, but don't remember much more then that."
I grin at him and lean back in my seat, a very Tasuki like move. "Yep, something like that. I also am a Suzaku warrior. I am Tasuki, Celestial Warrior of Suzaku. And we do know each other, I know you." He stares at me and then mutters softly. "I once saw a purple haired man on the street in Boston."
I chuckle and stand. "Very good looking, he could be a woman, right?" I grab a book off the hearth of the fireplace and open it, pulling out a drawing I did in my late teens. I return with it and he takes the picture from me. He puts a finger over Nuriko's face "Yes, this is the one. He is also a Suzaku Warrior?"
I give a nod and take the picture from him, smiling at him. "Yep, that's Nuriko. His symbol is Willow and his Suzaku power was amazing strength." I point to the others and give their names and powers and finally at myself. "This is me, Tasuki. My power is speed, plus my tessen was very useful." A soft whisper of "Rekka Shinen" brings my head up from the picture to smile at him. "Yep, those were the words to activate it."
I hand him the picture and he puts his finger to trace over himself. "Who was I? I don't recall much at all, just a quick flash here and there." I smile slightly at him, my mind racing. Chichiri had been the most powerful of us all and I don't know what good it would do to tell him the past. I decide to give small hints, but I won't give details and see how much he can remember on his own. "Your name was Chichiri. You were a monk of Suzaku and our resident Magician." I watch his face and he looks at me expectantly. "Is that all?"
I nod "All I am going to tell you for now." At his disappointed face, one that always has pulled at my heart, I sigh and lean forward. "Look, John. I have no doubt in my mind that you are Chichiri. You are the second person who has heard that I am Tasuki and not automatically assumed that I am crazy." He stares at me. "You would be the first?"
I shake my head "No, I thought I was crazy too, the first was Rippling Wind, the tribal elder." I sigh softly and try again. "Chichiri was the most powerful amongst us. I'm sure we saw only a fraction of his power and that he knew more secrets then all the others of us combined. Those memories are locked away somewhere within you. I want to help you release them, but I don't think me coming right out and telling you about your past is the best idea. I hope maybe being around a fellow warrior will help you remember. So, lets try that for now, see if just bein' around me will get you to remember something and then go from there, ok?"
He stares at me and then gives a nod. I smile at him and stand, pushing back from the table. "I don't know about ya, but I'm tired. Let's go find you a blanket and you can have the couch. It's plenty comfortable." He nods and puts our dishes in the wash basin and follows me to the bedroom, but stops in the doorway. I grab a thick blanket from the stand in the corner and hand it to him as he turns with it towards the couch. He stops in shock, finally noticing the blue fabric with white bubbles on it. I had found it in a store in Savannah and had bought it instantly, knowing what it was. Ya can't travel through that thing as often as I had with Chichiri and not feel the magic in it. His kesa rests along the back of my couch. I use it for comfort when I am missing him and the others.
He sets his blanket down and picks his kesa up, running his fingers over it. "My kesa."
I chuckle "Yep, found it back in Georgia and knew it was yers. Had to get it." He stares at me. "There is alot of magic in it." I give a nod, hoping he will remember more and he hugs it to him. "Thank you for getting it, Shaun, no da."
"Ah, yer welcome. Now, I must get some sleep. I have alot to get done tomorrow." With this I bid him good night and close the door to my room. It doesn't take me long to get ready for sleep and I lay in bed, listening to him putter around, also preparing for sleep. The sounds are comforting and I sigh, closing my eyes. As sleep claims me, I whisper "I love you, Chichiri."
CHICHIRI AND TASUKI'S APARTMENT-
Tasuki glances up and pulls out a few papers from the journal that are not attached. "I wrote these down as I remembered them when we were coming back to Japan. Also, here is the picture I drew of us." He passes it around the room and the others proclaim Shaun to be a good artist. Tasuki passes the book to Chichiri with a grin and picks up his food as the monk continues reading from the journal, the others still engrossed in the telling of Shaun and John.