Disclaimers: ………

Warnings: Talking seashells, traumatic memories, cheesy chapter title, drama, drama, drama.

Notes: Caffeine is my friend. ^_^

Looking up from the hastily-scribbled message, Kouji fixed Asaku with a solemn look. "The bastard’s actually attacking Kutou???"

"From their position, it looks like Shi’s telling the truth," the younger man said with a nod.

"I’m not questioning that. I don’t doubt what he says," the blue-haired bandit frowned, his eyes returning to the parchment. "He’s a good kid. But…" I can’t believe this is happening. How could we not have seen through him before?? If only we would have stopped him when he was here in Konan, here on OUR MOUNTAIN… "How far away is he?"

"Not far at all."

"And they’re planning on moving on the city tomorrow."

"He’s got about five hundred followers now," Asaku told him. "Most of them are outcasts from other bands. Some are Kutou exiles, and some are Konan prisoners, taken from the villages he destroyed."

Kouji sighed. Whatever harm Rishun had caused to date, it would only get worse if he won Kutou. Which, unfortunately, seemed fairly likely: despite the numbers of the Kutou army, it had grown disorganized and feeble under the rule of the new Emperor. He wants to wipe out everyone in Konan. For some reason, he blames the war on us… blames the civil war in Kutou on US. Bad sense of history, this guy…but if he truly believes it, it doesn’t matter if it’s true or not.

"Get everyone together," he instructed, folding the coded message. We can’t POSSIBLY get there before he strikes, and he WILL take Kutou…we’ll be outnumbered. But SOMEONE has to fight him. "We’re goin out there. We’re gonna start this war ourselves."

~*~

The dreams always began like this.

He was on a mountaintop, looking out over a world of desert…the wind rippled across the sand, moving it like an ocean, but never touched him; the sky was so bright it was almost white, and the sun glowed down upon him…

"Tomo."

Gen’ei glanced up to the horizon, startled at the voice; then he turned, slowly, and stood face to face with….

Usually it was a monster, a hellish creature, a zombie or demon. The awful manifestations of the evil he’d done, whether knowingly or not. But this time….this time, it was…a man. Just a man.

He had long, yellow hair, and pale blue eyes that seemed as hard and cold as ice. Dressed in Kutou armor and a long, blue cape, he radiated power, pride, dignity.

The boy swallowed. He remembered this man. Or rather…his soul did. He stared up into the icy eyes, and said in a voice that was both small and firm, "I’m not Tomo."

The man smirked mirthlessly. "Look again."

And he looked.

His hands were white and slim, and longer than they should have been…his dirty, grayish tunic had been replaced by something ornate and bright red. There was something suffocating on his face; he brought the unfamiliar hand to his cheek, and it came away sticky with something white and pasty.

He heard the man laugh.

Jerking his head up again, wide-eyed, he took a step backward….only to be frozen in place with a gesture of the blue-clad arm.

"Leaving so soon? I don’t think so."

"Y-you’re him," Gen’ei said shakily, surprising himself with the words. "Nakago. You’re the one…who made us fight for you. You made us believe we were right…"

"I did not come here to speak of the past," the man interrupted adamantly. "I have no use for it. I am already paying for my arrogance."

"Of course it is," the deep voice agreed.

"Make it go away!" Frantically, he tried to move his arms, to tear the horrible clothing, to claw the make-up off of his face, but the Shogun’s invisible bonds held him fast.

"Do not act like a child."

"I am a child! I’m Rourikana Gen’ei!! I’m not Tomo; I’m not!!"

"You will not awaken until I have finished with you," the man said impatiently. "Listen. Hear me now. You cannot change who you are. But you have been given the chance to redeem yourself."

He stopped struggling then, panting heavily, a tiny bead of perspiration trickling from his brow.

"I was not given this chance. My soul is immobile," Nakago said, his face expressionless. "I can never be reborn. That was my punishment. But you can repay the world for what you have done."

"What you told me to do." When had he gotten this impudent? It must be the dream.

The comment was ignored. "I have come to return something that belonged to you." The blond-haired man stepped closer, holding out his hand…there was an aura surrounding it, so bright that Gen’ei couldn’t see what it held. Closing his fist around it, Nakago freed his captive from the magical restraints, took one of the strange hands, and pressed something into it. "Use it to save, not to destroy," he said softly. "Tomo. You were never evil. People…aren’t evil. It is only life itself that bears that name. Don’t let it claim you again."

And then, he was gone.

~*~

He opened his eyes, staring up at the ceiling of Houjun-sensai’s house. Chichiri’s house. I know I came here. Why am I…what…am I in a bed? I saw…Nuriko, and Hotohori. That’s right. It’s not just me.

Sitting up slowly, he noticed the other two children sleeping beside him, the purple-haired one practically smothering the brown-haired one with his arm.

There was something pressing into his hand. Startled, he raised a small, clenched fist to his face—I’m me again, it’s my hand, not his—and opened it slowly, almost afraid of what he would see.

The aura around it had vanished with the dream, and all that remained was the tiny object itself: a small, cream-colored shell.

Do you remember me? the thing seemed to whisper to him. For I remember you…

~*~

As the sun slowly rose over Kutou, Rishun stationed himself at the front of his army and gave the order to move forward. For the thousandth time since becoming a Redeemer, Shi felt as if he would vomit.

I could stop this right now, he thought desperately. I could kill him…just like that. He would never suspect it, not now. But what good would it do? If he succeeded, he would be killed, as well. If he failed, he would likewise be killed. Of course, he would deserve it. But he couldn’t take the chance of failure. That would ruin everything.

He just hoped for a miracle, that the blood-crazed man would be stopped. He was fairly certain that the Redeemers would not hold without Rishun to lead them; he was the one with the Cause, and they were just along for the ride. But if he failed…

The horses began to trot; the men without mounts jogged at a steady pace, weapons drawn, grimacing and yelling, the narrow light glinting off of the scraps of armor many of them wore.

The first ones to go were the guards, quick as a flash of lightning…and then, through the streets of Kutou, toward the palace and victory. Most of the capital had still been asleep, roused only by the roars of the bandits. They had been told to avoid killing the righteous citizens of Kutou, but if any impeded their progress…

Running along across the cobbles, Shi kept his eyes firmly locked on the man in front of him, and hoped with all of his heart that somehow, by some stroke of luck, they would be stopped.

~*~

Tasuki awoke to the sounds of screaming.

"What the hell is going on?!" he demanded of no one in particular, scrambling up from the mat he’d been lying on.

In an instant, Chichiri stood beside him; it didn’t show on his face, but the bandit could tell that his friend was every bit as astounded as he was. "Keep away from the windows, no da…let’s get the kids."

They raced to the bedroom, the pounding of hooves shaking the ground beneath them. The children had been awakened, as well; the three small faces were frightened and confused.

"It’s all right, no da," Chichiri calmed them, shouting to be heard above the racket outside. "Come into the main room, right into the center, na no da…it’s all right, just stay with us!"

Horyuu was the first to react, darting between Tasuki and Chichiri; but instead of stopping at the worn wooden table, the boy went right out the door.

There were men with swords swarming past the house in droves, screaming wordlessly; the purple-haired boy stopped short, paralyzed with fear, his breath coming in short gasps. He watched them run, trampling the people who stood in their way, knocking over water urns and smashing through carts… The flailing hilt of a sword smashed into his shoulder and he fell with a cry of pain and surprise, scraping his palms on the rough stones of the street.

And then, there was a large hand on his arm; a gentle hand, helping him to rise. He looked up into a pair of umber eyes set in a wide, dark face; a large boy with shaggy, blue-gray hair, dressed in an olive-green coat. The eyes locked onto his own, and a bolt of burning heat went flashing through his mind…A snowy mountaintop…cold, so cold… glowing eyes, glaring scar… strong enough to beat him…take a flying leap and then…and then……hurts………did he…get me?…

He saw something glimmer in the strange boy’s face, and then he was gone, running again with the others, and there were strong arms around his waist, lifting him up and carrying him quickly back into the house.

"DAMMIT!!!" Tasuki screamed at him, setting him roughly down on the bench. "What the hell were ya thinkin’, kid?!! What did we tell you to do, huh??!!! Center of the room!!! Shit! You could have gotten killed!!" And I couldn’t take it if it happened again…I couldn’t freakin take it!!

Horyuu just looked at him with terrified lavender eyes, reached out his shaking arms, and grabbed the bandit around the neck, holding on tightly.

What the…?! More than a bit surprised, Tasuki stopped in mid-rant. I just freakin yelled at him, for cryin out loud, and now he’s… "Shit, are you okay?"

Chichiri looked on in concern, an arm around each of the other two reborn Seishi. "What’s wrong with him, no da?"

"Do I look like I freakin’ know?" the younger man shot back. "Crap!! Crap, crap, crap…freakin scared the shit outa me, kiddo!"

"What’s going on?" Kentoku asked quietly.

"I don’t know, no da," the monk replied. "We’ll find out soon enough, I think, no da." But whatever it is, it can’t be good, na no da…

~*~

The defense at the palace had been simply laughable. The emperor had been a weak fool, probably of mixed blood. Both he and the city had fallen easily enough. There was no one to challenge him, no one who would dare.

As the last fleeing members of the Imperial Court were being hunted down and done away with, Rishun stood at the throne and chuckled deep in his throat, a soft, chilling sound that made even his closest followers swallow in discomfort.

TBC…

Gahhh….I know, I know, I ended with a Dramatic Rishun Scene for the second time in a row…sorry. And I just want to explain, for all you guys who are wondering, "Well, why the heck did Nuhoryuu run out into the freakin street?" that the kid just had his village burned down under similar circumstances. And what do you do when there’s the threat of a fire?? That’s right, kids!! You exit the building!! ^_^ I’m gonna explain that in the next chapter, but I wanted to make it clear that it wasn’t just a random, "Hey! I’m a stupid kid, I think I’ll run out into the street so I can run into the reincarnation of the guy who killed me in my last life!" type of thing. ^_^ It has psychological backing!!!

Oh………and who guessed that Shi was really Ashitare?? Oh, come on…I know some of you must have. ^_^

And I freaked myself out with that whole Shin whispering thing. ~.^;; Yyyyyeah, so it was a little bizarre. ^_^

Haven’t forgotten about Chiyu and Shunshuu…they’re coming up! They just went AWOL for a while.