Disclaimer. FY belongs to Watate Yuu, Bandai, Flower Comics, Tokyo Television, Pioneer, Viz Comics, and others. No infringment was intended in the writing of this fic.

Author's Note: This is a "what if" type fic featuring the Boshi Twins. This fic is written with the assumption of the following. 1. Amiboshi didn't meet with Miaka again, nor did he regain his memory. 2. Suboshi never knew his brother was still alive. 3. Tomo wasn't killed by Suboshi. 4. Suboshi was never killed. Otherwise, everything happened as originally written. This fic takes place ten years after the TV series.

He waved back to the children and thought happily of his own two kids. He and Kara, his wife, were rather surprised when she gave birth to twin boys. For some strange reason, he'd named the oldest "Koutoku" and the youngest "Shunkaku". He told Kara and his parents that the names came to mind. And for all his happiness, he was struck with a sad feeling that someone else should have been there.

As he neared the house that his family shared with his parents, he saw the boys out in the yard playing. They saw him and ran to him. "Papa!! Papa!!" He got down on his knees and hugged the two 6-year olds. Kou-chan pulled back a little. "Why did you ignore us today, Papa?"

"Yeah, Papa," Shun-chan chimed in. "You just gave us a strange look and walked past. Mama's really mad that you didn't greet her at the market."

Kaika was confused. "I didn't see you till now. I haven't even been into town all day. How could you have seen me?"

Before the twins got a chance to answer, Kara came out of the house, looking very upset. Kaika held his hands up. "It couldn't have been me, Ka-chan. I wasn't even in town. I was in the fields all day. Ask Tochu. He was with me the entire time."

Tochu was walking past at the moment, so Kara called out. "Tochu-san. Was Kaika with you all day?"

Tochu walked up to them, giving Kaika a hard look. "Hai, which is why I thought it rather strange that he should snub me like he did a few minutes ago." He looked at Kaika again. "When did you change your clothes?"

Kara looked at her husband. "He's right! The person I saw, if it indeed wasn't you, was wearing different clothes. A style that you don't even wear. But how can it be that he had the same face, build, and hair that you have."

Kaika was still confused later as he and his wife laid in bed. She had already fallen asleep, but he was still awake. Something was whispering to him at the back of his mind. There was someone who looked like him. Why was there some feeling of familiarity with this? Why did that feeling of emptiness come back? That feeling that someone else should be with him?

The next morning was a resting day. "Ka-chan," Kaika said to his wife, "I'm going to the place of the windmills today. I need to be alone." Kara nodded and began to fix him something to take along. She was concerned. Kaika only went to the windmills when he was sad and she hated when he was like that. He was always such a cheerful person. Kaika saw the look on her face and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Don't worry about me, Ka-chan. I just want to be someplace quiet."

He walked out of the town, toward the windmills. The place had been abandonned many years ago and most of the mills were dilapidated, but he loved the place. He liked to go there once in a while to play his flute. As he entered the place, he saw another person was there, sitting on what was left of a crumbling wall. His heart started to pound as he drew nearer. The person looked just like him!!

The person, hearing the footsteps, looked up and froze. The two identical men looked at each other, shocked. As Kaika watched, tears began to roll down the other man's cheeks. He moved a few steps closer to Kaika. "Ani...ki...?"

Though the word was spoken a barely a whisper, it sounded like a clap of thunder to Kaika. The word echoed in his head, beckoning him. "Aniki...Aniki...Aniki..." He gasped as images burst forth in his mind. Memories from long ago screamed through his head, all around one word. "Aniki." Kaika looked at the other man. His twin. His younger twin. Tears began to roll down his cheeks as well. His throat contracted as he choked out a name. "Shun."

"Aniki!!" The two ran the short distance to each other and wrapped their arms around each other. Shun was sobbing by this time, "Aniki! It's you! It's really you!" He clutched Kaika, or Koutoku as he now remembered his real name to be. "I thought you were dead! I felt you disappear." He continued to sob. Kaika gently stroke his hair.

"I'm alive, Shun. Please forgive me for forgetting you."

Shun pulled away. "Forgetting me?"

Kaika nodded sadly. "I lost my memory when I fell in the river. Mother and Father told me I was their son, Kaika."

"Mother and Father??"

"Hai," Kaika said, smiling. "They adopted me! Oh, Shun, wait till you meet them! They are such wonderful people! But first, you must tell me what happened! I know the emperor of Kotou is dead and that the city was rebuilt with the aid of Kounan." The smile faded. "I also know that Hotohori-sama was killed in the war. But what became of the others?? What happened to you since then? Is Seiryuu no Miko still here?"

Shun sighed painfully. "Iie. She went back to her world after she summoned the god."

"Summoned the god? But...but how??? I was gone! She needed the seven seishi in order to summon Seiryuu!"

Shun shook his head. "It was learned that Yui-sama could summon Seiryuu with the aid of the Shinhazo from the miko of Genbu and Byakko. She got those and was able to summon him, though I don't know what she asked for. I only know that she disappeared after her first wish."

Kaika looked at his twin, but said nothing about the sadness he noted in his voice. Instead he asked, "and what of the others? Nakago, Soi, Tomo? Were Miboshi and Ashitare found?"

"Hai, they were, but both are dead. They're all dead. We're the only Seiryuu Seishi still alive." Kaika gave him a startled look, but before he could ask, Shun continued. "Soi was killed while saving Nakago from a sword thrown by Tasuki. Tomo was killed by an arrow from a foot soldier. Strange, I always figured he'd be killed by a seishi. Nakago, I think, was killed by Tamahome. Miboshi was killed by Chiriko and Ashitare was killed by Nuriko."

"And what about the Suzaku Seishi? What became of them."

Shun gave a soft, sad laugh. "I figured you'd ask that. Well, you know about Hotohori. Nuriko, in the act of killing Ashitare, was killed himself. The same thing happened to Chiriko. Tasuki and Chichiri were still alive last I heard. Mitsukake, was killed I think. Well, Nakago hit him with a chi-blast, so I'm not sure if he is, but I've never heard anything about him. I don't know what became of Tamahome. Legend has it that he went to the Miko's world."

Kaika reflected on that. The Suzaku Seishi. His friends. The face of each came to his mind, with the exception of Chiriko, whom he never met and never would. Of the Seiryuu Seishi, he had only known Nakago, Soi, and Tomo. What a waste it all was. His supposed death didn't change anything. People were still killed. The war still went on. He looked at Shun. All the pain he'd caused with brother was for nothing. But he knew that the pain his brother felt wasn't entirely his doing. "You loved her, didn't you? Yui-sama."

Shun nodded sadly. "I still do. Even after ten years, I still love her. You and she were the only two I loved and both were taken away from me." He looked up at Kaika, a soft smile on his lips. "But now, I have you back, Aniki. If I could only have her back, I would be happy beyond my wildest dreams." He shook his head. "But that will never be. I meant nothing to her. All she thought about was Tamahome."

"Well, you can still be happy. Come with me and meet your family."

"Family?"

"Hai! Mother and Father, who will no doubt be thrilled to have another son. Plus your sister-in-law, and you nephews." He smiled at Shun. "Kara, my wife, and Koutoku and Shunkaku, the twins, will want to meet you, too."

"Twins? Koutoku and Shunkaku? You named them after us?"

Kaika nodded. "Though I didn't know why at the time. Come."

He tugged at Shun's sleeve, but the younger twin didn't move. "I don't think I should go. I don't think you'd want your family to know what a monster I've become."

Kaika stopped. "What do you mean," he said, slowly. "You're not a monster, Shun."

"Yes, I am and you'll agree when I tell you what I've done." He turned his eyes away. "I killed Tamahome's family." He winced at his aniki's pained gasp. "I killed them because Nakago told me I should revenge your death. He told me it was Tamahome's fault you died. That he killed you. I believed him and took my revenge on his family."

Kaika's eyes filled with tears. Tamahome's family. Dead. By his own brother. That sweet old man and the wonderful children. The little one whom he sent to sleep with his flute. Those sweet innocent people killed. His hand formed into a fist, and before he knew what he done, that fist connected with Shun's jaw. Shun didn't argue back, only rubbed his jaw. Kaika turned away, sickened and appalled.

Horror swept over Shun. Though his brother was just a few steps away from him, Shun rushed forward and threw his arms around his shoulders. "Aniki!! Please don't hate me! I don't care if the whole world hates me, but please, Aniki, please don't hate me. I've changed, I swear I have! I even gave up the ryuuseisui. Don't leave me again, Aniki! I'll die if you leave me! I've repented for what I did. When I realized that Yui-sama would never come back, I thought about what I did. I saw that all the pain I brought, all the horrible things I did, all for those I loved. I thought I was doing the right thing, but I wasn't. They were all wrong. They didn't make Yui-sama stay. They didn't bring you back."

As angry as he was, Kaika couldn't blame his brother. "It was all my fault," he choked. He felt Shun's grip tighten on his shoulders. Shun never did know his own strength, but Kaika had never minded it. It was always reasuring to him to know that while he protected and took care of his twin, his twin was looking out for him. Now it made him feel more guilty. Guilty of letting Shun become so vulnerable. "If I hadn't let myself fall into the river. If I hadn't let you believe I was dead, this wouldn't have happened. Because I wanted peace, those innocent people died."

"Iie!! It was my fault. As always, I acted before I thought. It's my fault they're dead. Please don't blame yourself, Aniki! It wasn't your fault. I killed Tamahome's family. I did it from some sick need for revenge and I pay for it everyday. There's not a day that goes by that I don't think of them and what I did."

"It is my fault. I tried to run from my destiny and people died for it. Needless deaths that weren't stopped by me. That could have been stopped by me. Because of my thoughtless act, people suffered." He felt Shun's tears on his neck. He felt the pain that Shun felt. The sorrow and anguish he had carried for so many years. "You suffered. I made you suffer, and that is unforgivable."

"Iie, Aniki," Shun said into Kaika's neck. "True, I suffered, but it was mostly from what I, myself, did. I no longer hold anyone else responsible for my actions. No one is to blame for how I turned out, but me. And as for the suffering you caused me, it no longer matters." His grip on Kaika's shoulders loosened a bit. "Because I have you again. The gods have shown me some mercy and sent my aniki back to me."

Kaika turned in his brother's arms and returned his embrace. Although he was angered and saddened by what Shun did, he was happy to have him back all the same. And even though his acts were unforgivable, Kaika was pleased to see that Shun regretted what he did and had still, to some degree, maintained his humanity. In no way was he the monster he claimed himself to be. "Let's go."

They walked into the village with their arms around the other's waist. Everyone stopped to stare at the strange sight. Kaika had suddenly doubled! Kaika pulled Shun into the house and called out to everyone. "I want you to meet my twin brother, Shunkaku. My seeing him again brought back my memory." He introduced Shun to his parents, wife and children.

To Kaika's surprise, his mother started crying. "Now you will leave us again."

"Leave you? Again?"

His father spoke up. "We found you ten years ago by the river bank. We told you that you were our son, Kaika, who had been our real son once. He was killed and we had no other children. When you came and couldn't remember who you were, we felt the gods had brought us another son. And now that you know who you are, we're afraid you'll leave us."

Kaika left his brother's side, putting his arms around the old couple who had taken him in. "Iie, Father. I am still Kaika. I am still your son. And the gods have even been more generous to you by giving you another son." He motioned his brother nearer. "Shun, this is Mother and Father. Mother, Father, this is your new son, Shunkaku."

At that moment, the youngest of Kaika's sons stepped forward. He looked Shun up and down. "How can you be Shunkaku? I'm Shunkaku."

Shun laughed, a sound that Kaika reveled in. He knelt down and tossled the child's hair. "Well, you were named after me."

Koutaku stepped forward. "Then who was I named after?"

Shun looked up at his aniki, with warmth in his eyes. "After someone very special."

Later that night, Kaika lay next to his wife, an arm wrapped securly around her waist. He was now whole again. In one day, he remembered who he was and had been reunited with the person who meant a great deal to him. Was it all a dream? He had to find out. He tried to silently get out of bed to go check on his brother, but managed to wake his wife anyways. "Where are you going?"

"To check on Shun. I want to make sure he's okay." Kara regarded him for a moment. "Hai, hai," he said, with a faint smile, "and I want to be sure he's still here. That he is really and truly here." Without even having to tell her, Kara knew how much Shun meant to him. She decided to go with her husband to check on the brother-in-law she had just met. After all he was family and she wanted to make sure he was settling in alright.

They made their way to the extra room that was now Shun's bedroom. They found him asleep on his back. The kids were in bed with him, one on each side of him, with their heads on his chest. His arms were wrapped around the boys, holding them there. Kaika and Kara looked at each other then back at Shun and the boys. Kaika pulled Kara close, as he smiled at his twin. In a whisper that only his wife heard, he said, "welcome home, Shun."