Disclaimers: Dammit. You should know by now. ^_^

Warnings: MORE drama!!! (People who Like Drama: YAAAAYYYY!!! People who Don’t: **grumble grumble grumble**)

Tasuki closed the door behind him, shaking his head. All that worry over a kid. Sure, it’d been a weird kid, but still…he felt kind of silly. Here he’d been expecting anyone from the Kutou Royal Guard to freakin Rishun and his lackeys, and it had turned out to be some ten-year-old seeking a sympathetic shoulder. Heh. All this fightin evil’s made me paranoid. Gen-chan, ya gotta realize that the whole world ain’t full of insane wizards tryin to make themselves gods. Though it might take some time to convince yerself otherwise, given all the shit you’ve been through…first Nakago, then Tenkou, crap, no wonder you’re so jittery.

He leaned against the wall, glancing over at Horyuu and Kentoku on the bed; they were still dozing peacefully, though Horyuu had unconsciously flung his arm across his friend’s face. With a small snort of laughter, he moved over and gently placed the errant limb on the small boy’s chest. Can’t have you suffocatin yer buddy in his sleep, huh?…

But as soon as he had released it, the arm went right back to where it had been.

The bandit stared, then frowned and moved it back. Promptly, the child flipped his arm back over Kentoku’s nose.

"Dammit," Tasuki muttered, took Horyuu’s hand, and pressed it down firmly against its owner’s body. "Stay down."

Horyuu frowned in his sleep, sighed, and turned over to face the wall. "Mmmm, st’ppit…go ‘way, Miaka…"

For a long moment, the world went numb.

WHAT did he say???!! Tasuki stood as if paralyzed, eyes bugging out and mouth gaping open. He DOES remember!!! He HAS to, he HAS to!! He grabbed the slim shoulder and shook it, trying to rouse the child. "Horyuu!! Wake up, c’mon!! Wake up!!"

"Wha…?" said Kentoku sleepily, jolted awake by the movement beside him. "What’s wrong? What’s wrong with Horyuu?"

"Help me wake him up!"

Kentoku shrugged. "He’s a very deep sleeper…"

The purple-haired boy curled up more tightly. "Jus’ wan’ sleep…find y’r own breakf’st…"

"Horyuu!" Tasuki crawled onto the bed, taking both shoulders in his hands and shaking the kid slightly. Man, this is really weirdin me out! "Please, wake up, dammit!! Tell me what you remember!"

"T-Tasuki-san?" Beside him, Kentoku’s eyes were wide with confusion; then, the golden-eyed boy frowned and latched onto Tasuki’s arm. "Stop it, Tasuki-san! Leave him alone! Stop it!!"

The door opened quickly, and Chichiri was there, gazing in alarm at the scene before him. Then, in an instant, he’d rushed to his friend’s side, seized him, and pulled him back. "Tasuki! What’s gotten into you, no da?!"

"He remembers Miaka!" Tasuki struggled. "He was talkin to her in his sleep; he remembers! I have to wake him up before he forgets…"

"Calm down, no da," Chichiri attempted to soothe the man, still not letting him go. "You’re going crazy!"

But Tasuki continued to strain against him. "Wake up!" he called desperately. "Nuriko!!"

The name echoed hollowly in the confines of the room as the bandit suddenly froze. Wh…what did I…I didn’t mean to say…it just…

Silently, they watched Horyuu’s eyelids flutter and open. The lavender eyes stared up at the ceiling, adjusting to the faint light; then, the boy raised himself into a sitting position and rubbed his nose, peering around the room with a wide yawn. He blinked as he noticed his four friends watching him, and lowered his hand.

"Are you guys okay? I-I thought I heard someone call me." He smiled sheepishly. "I’m hard to wake up, sorry; Ken-chan usually just throws water on me…"

Tasuki felt his knees weaken, and he clutched Chichiri’s shoulder for support; Horyuu shot a nervous glance at Kentoku, who was staring regally, jaw firmly set, at the bandit and the monk.

"What did you call him?" he inquired calmly, his voice quiet, but full of the inbred authority even death could not take from him.

"Nuriko."

Four heads turned to the open door; four sets of eyes fell to rest on a slight, trembling form.

Gen’ei was smiling faintly, looking from Horyuu to Kentoku and back again. "I’m not the only one…I’m not," he whispered, and folded slowly to the floor.

~*~

"He’s Tomo," Tasuki said incredulously. "Are you freakin kidding me?!"

Chichiri drew the sheets over Gen’ei’s unconscious form, smoothing the unruly hair back from the boy’s ashen face. "I’m not. He is Tomo…but he’s not, no da. He’s Gen’ei, but he has Tomo’s memories."

"But he’s Tomo’s reincarnation."

"I would assume so, no da." The monk sighed. "It’s terrible. He’s just a child, an innocent child…and he remembers doing the most awful things, na no da."

"So how come he remembers and our two don’t?" demanded Tasuki. At least, not when they’re awake…

"I don’t know, no da…But it could possibly be that…" He trailed off, sensing someone’s eyes on them. Simultaneously, the two friends twisted to see Horyuu and Kentoku standing in the corner, clinging to each other. Well, Horyuu was really the only one doing the clinging; Kentoku was trying to be strong, as usual.

Tasuki grinned at them forcedly. "Oiiiiiii, kiddos! Eh…sorry…heh heh, you guys…all right?"

"Nuriko. One of the Suzaku Shichiseishi," Kentoku said coldly. "You called Horyuu Nuriko. Why?"

The purple-haired boy’s eyes were huge, and he gazed at his friend in puzzlement and what might have been a tiny bit of fear.

Stepping carefully over to the children, Chichiri stopped when he saw the larger boy tense. "Listen, no da," he said quietly, "we have to talk to you. There are things you should know…things we ought to tell you."

Tasuki was at his side in a flash. "Are you sure about this?" he hissed. "We won’t screw ‘em up if we tell ‘em?! Look at that kid…" he gestured to Gen’ei. "Look what his freakin memories have done to him!"

"That’s different, no da," the monk replied. "He has memories of torturing and deceiving people, no da…Hotohori’s and Nuriko’s would be different!"

"Excuse me," said Kentoku. "I believe you mean to be speaking to us?"

Chichiri nodded reassuringly at his friend, then moved to kneel before the two in the corner. "Horyuu, Kentoku, no da……" Lavender and golden eyes regarded him expectantly, one pair nervous, the other hard. "Tasuki has not been entirely truthful with you, na no da."

Behind him, Tasuki let out a small squeak of indignation, which the monk promptly ignored.

"He really is the Tasuki from the legends," Chichiri continued. "A Star of Suzaku, no da. And I am Chichiri. The real one." He winked at Horyuu.

He let that sink in, hoping for the best. So far, so good, no da…

"You…are?" breathed Horyuu.

The monk nodded.

"That’s fine," said Kentoku stubbornly, "but you didn’t answer my question."

"Yes, no da…well…I was getting to that…" Chichiri took a deep breath. "You’ve heard the stories, I’m sure, no da, and you know that our friends, the rest of the Suzaku Shichiseishi, are dead." He waited for a response, and received two brief nods. "Ten years ago, we fought an evil demon named Tenkou, who was preventing our friends from being reborn into this world…"

"But then you beat him, and the barrier was broken, right?" said Horyuu in a small voice.

Chichiri smiled. "That’s right. We know our friends have been reborn, no da. We just weren’t sure where…or who…they were. Until now." He looked at their young faces, so small, yet so familiar. "We have reason to believe that you two are the first reincarnations of our companions, Nuriko and Hotohori."

They stared at him blankly.

"Are you all right, no da?" he asked gently. "I know this is a lot to have thrust upon you all at once…"

"I’m…Nuriko?" Horyuu said.

The monk nodded. Maybe this won’t be as difficult as I thought, no da…

"Nuriko???"

Wait…something was wrong here… He didn’t sound too happy. Opening his mouth to say something, Chichiri found that he could think of nothing to say.

"That’s not fair!!" The purple-haired boy was indignant. "I finally get to be a Shichiseishi, a real one, and it turns out I’m Nuriko???"

Chichiri, flabbergasted, turned wide, astounded eyes to Tasuki.

"Mitsukake’s his favorite," the bandit mumbled.

"Gah…" the monk managed.

Suddenly, Tasuki’s eyes lit up, and he began to dig through his pouch in search of something. When he’d found it, he went up to the quivering child and showed it to him. "Horyuu, here, look at this, kiddo. Oi. Look at this." He took the boy’s chin in his hand and directed his gaze to the paper he held.

It was an image of himself, a man with blue hair, and a small-boned, purple-haired man dressed in a light blue tunic. The purple-haired man was smiling widely, one hand on his cheek.

"Y’see? That’s Nuriko," Tasuki said, sentimental tears beginning to well up in his eyes.

"That’s a girl," frowned Horyuu.

"No. It’s not a girl," Tasuki growled.

"But…"

"Nuriko had…problems. With his family. Like you," the bandit explained, "just like you. Except it wasn’t his parents who… It was him. Understand?"

Biting his lip, the child nodded.

"He was the greatest guy," Tasuki sighed, sniffing. "Came off so violent sometimes, but underneath it all, he was just…such a great guy. One of the best friends I’ve ever had. Just like Kouji. And this guy." He jerked his head in Chichiri’s direction. "He was noble and brave and loyal…and…he looked just like you, kiddo! Look!" Pointing to Nuriko’s mole in the picture, he followed by touching Horyuu’s own mole lightly with his finger. "You should never be unhappy about being Nuriko! He was just…he was just the best!"

Horyuu looked at him, brow furrowed. "You’re not a very good bandit, you know," he said. "You cry a lot."

Tasuki responded by hugging the boy tightly, tears streaming down his face. "Gahhhh, Nurikooooooo!!!"

"Mmmmphhh!" Horyuu waved his arms frantically, unable to breathe.

Shaking his head, Chichiri turned to Kentoku. "Are you all right, no da?" he repeated. "You haven’t said a thing, na no da."

"You truly believe I am Hotohori-sama?" the child asked, his eyes calm and intelligent.

Chichiri nodded.

Kentoku looked as if he was pondering the issue. "Hm, well," he said, "I suppose it makes sense, really. After all, Hotohori-sama was renowned for his wisdom and beauty."

The monk cocked an eyebrow.

"What concerns me more," Kentoku went on, "is what this means. Though I do believe you, Chichiri-sama, I don’t remember anything at all…should I? Is that what you and Tasuki-sama were talking about just now?"

"I’m not sure what it means, no da," Chichiri replied truthfully. "I’m not even sure you were ever supposed to know. But it’s too late to change it, now."

Pensive again, the boy frowned and nodded. "I’m glad," he said. "I’m glad you told us. Even if we don’t remember. It’s good to know who we were. And that boy over there, on the bed? Was he one of…us…as well?"

"Ahh, not exactly, no da…can we save that for another day, na no da?"

Kentoku smiled, and nodded once more.

~*~

The Redeemer Army halted, now hundreds strong. Over the fields, silhouetted on the horizon, the capital city of Kutou was visible, peaceful.

Rishun gazed at his goal, and smiled to himself.

TBC….

Wow, that was longer than I thought it would be. ^_^ And once again, I have somehow managed to put off Tasuki confronting Horyuu about his "subconscious memories." ~.^;; It just never seemed like a good place to do it in this chapter! I can only promise it will be brought up eventually. I know, it seems like I keep bringing it up, then ignoring it. Sorry! But thanks for reading anyway! ^_^