Chapter 5 - Awakening

Chichiri

"How is he no da?" I asked Kouji as I sat down at the humble wooden table.

"He's been good. Really good. The nightmares are coming less and less often," the ex-bandit replied as he set a teapot and cups on the table. "His speech is a lot better. And he's just been a lot happier in general."

"That's wonderful no da," I replied, pouring myself some tea. I paused before continuing. "Has he … remembered anything?"

Kouji shook his head a little sadly, sitting down next to me. "He still doesn't seem to have any recollection of being a Seishi … or much of anything before he was taken."

I clapped Kouji's shoulder reassuringly. "Give him time no da. It may still happen."

Kouji shrugged. "I shouldn't worry about it so much. He's happy now. Does it matter if he can't remember who he was?"

"Kouji-kun … I know it bothers you more than that. He can't remember the past that you two shared. And as for me … I'm still saddened that he can't remember our fellow Seishi. But we'll just keep hoping that one day, he will remember."

Kouji shook his head, clenching his fists slightly. "I can't believe the amount of damage they did to him in such a short amount of time."

I nodded subtly towards the doorway as Tasuki came in cheerfully from the garden.

He seemed a little startled to see me at first. Then he relaxed into a grin. "Chi-chiri," he said slowly, setting down a basketful of vegetables from the garden.

"Those look great no da. Kouji tells me you've developed a talent for gardening," I said warmly.

Tasuki nodded, still a little shy, and handed the vegetables over to Kouji to be prepared for dinner.

"Let me help no da," I said, standing up. "I can't let you go to all this trouble by yourselves."

"Sure," Kouji says, handing over a knife. "I'll just run to the market at the bottom of the hill real quick. I think I saw he has some fresh fruit we could have for dessert."

"Sounds good," Tasuki says, hugging him from behind.

Kouji grinned, letting the redhead nuzzle him playfully. Sometimes it was strange for me to see them acting like a couple; although I had learned of Kouji's feelings during our journey, I wasn't sure Tasuki would ever reciprocate. I was pleasantly surprised to see how happy they made each other.

"I'll be right back," Kouji said, finally disentangling himself from Tasuki.

As we peeled and chopped the fresh vegetables, I kept an eye on Tasuki. His dexterity had certainly improved, but he didn't handle the knife with the grace I'd seen him possess in the past. I sighed inwardly. He truly had forgotten who he was. The tessen was no doubt collecting dust somewhere in the small house.

On the other hand, I couldn't deny that he seemed calm and content as we prepared dinner and chatted amiably. Perhaps it wasn't fair to judge his new life by the standards of his old.

Maybe Kouji's right. If he's happy now, who are we to say that he's missing something? There are many sad memories mixed in with the happy ones. Maybe ignorance really is bliss.

We both turned as we heard shouting outside.

"I'll check it out no da," I told Tasuki as I headed for the door. "You wait here." As I stepped into the evening sun, I saw Kouji at the bottom of the hill, surrounded by three men. I broke into a run as two of the men grabbed him. The scene seemed to be playing out in slow motion; my breath sounded harsh in my ears as I raced to help my friend.

The rocks and dirt on the path slid under me, and I lost my footing completely. As I crashed noisily to the ground and rolled forward a few feet, I saw an orange blur out of the corner of my eye and heard a sound I never dreamed I'd hear again.

"REKKA – SHINEN!"

By the time I regained my footing, the men attacking Kouji had fled. I limped down to the bottom of the hill, looking from Tasuki to Kouji and back again.

"Are you all right no da?" I asked, leaving the question open to whoever would answer first.

Tasuki held out a hand to help Kouji off the ground, but Kouji could do nothing but stare.

"Tasuki-kun?" I asked softly.

He turned to face me with eyes that had regained their old focus. It seemed too good to be true.

"I … I remember. I think … I remember everything."

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After taking care of minor scrapes acquired during the scuffle, the three of us sat down to dinner. None of us touched it.

"It's so strange …" Tasuki began slowly. "It's like … I knew that I had forgotten some things, and they were important. But my thoughts were all scrambled, and I just couldn't reach them. But when I needed those Seishi skills, they just came. And everything just fell back into place." He picked up the tessen from the table and gave it an affectionate kiss. "Glad I remembered how this thing worked. I missed it."

"Seeing Kouji in danger must have given your mind a jolt and brought all those memories back," I mused aloud.

"Do you remember everything? Your … captivity and what happened afterwards?" Kouji asked softly.

Not looking at either of us, Tasuki nodded. "I remember it all. Some of the stuff with the slave traders is kind of fuzzy."

"That's probably for the best no da," I assured him.

"But I remember you guys taking care of me … and everything after that. I had trouble understanding you at times. It … it was just so fucking strange."

I patted his shoulder. "It's all right, Tasuki-kun. It's over now, and you're back."

We both looked up in surprise as Kouji abruptly stood and left the room.

To be concluded ... Very soon, I promise! Thanks for reading and reviewing!