kei_fic_2ndchances4

      Under the shimmering stars, two figures were camped by a small lake.
       "Ne, Chichiri, I miss the others..."
       Silence, then, "Me too, no da."
       A pause, "Do you believe in reincarnation?"
       Another silence, "Yes I do, no da."
       "Then do you think the others have been reincarnated? Or are they waiting for us? I hope they're waiting for us. Then we can go visit Miaka."
       "I'm sure they're waiting for us, Tasuki, and we'll all go see together no da."
       "Ne, Chichiri, is it okay if we stay like this forever?"
       "Nani? Tasuki? What do you mean no da?"
       "I mean, I don't want to go back to being a bandit, ever. I can't go back to being who I was before I met everyone. It wouldn't feel right, and it'd be wrong to pretend that everything that's happened didn't."
       "Demo, Tasuki, wouldn't you miss Kouji?" Chichiri propped himself up on his elbow, looking across the fire at Tasuki intently.
       "Well, of course I'll miss my buddy, but I just don't think I'll be suited for the job of bandit leader anymore. I'm Tasuki now, not Genrou, and I can never go back." Tasuki held his breath for the decision that would change the course of his life. There was too long a silence, so he looked up... straight into Chichiri's steady gaze.
        Chichiri spoke, his eyes locked with Tasuki's, "Tasuki, if we're going to travel together, then I need to tell you something..." He moved towards Tasuki.
       Tasuki's breath caught, "Yes...?"
       Chichiri popped into SD form, "Daaaa... I'll need to show you how to take off my mask in case of emergencies and I get injured no da. A face wound would be mighty hard to treat with a mask in the way no da!"

***********************

       Everyone fell against the mirror, including Suzaku.
       Nuriko pushed himself up with an effort and rubbed his temple, "I thought for sure that it was going to turn into a love scene..."
       Tamahome sweatdropped, "Let's... Let's go check on Miaka..."

***********************

       Miaka, at that moment, was in a daze. ~I... I didn't get into Jonan...~ Next to her, Yui had the same empty-headed expression on her face.

***********************

       "Oh, the inhumanity! My brilliant Yui-sama didn't get into the school of her choice!" Suboshi sobbed. Amiboshi wacked him on the head.
      "Eh? Aniki?! When'd you get here? I thought you were living with... No! You died?! How?!"
      "Er... I tripped and fell on a scythe..."
       Tomo sniggered. Suboshi rounded on him angrily, "Don't you make fun of my aniki! I killed you once and I can do it again!" That shut Tomo up.
       A bit farther off, Soi was sitting in Nakago's lap, murmuring sweet nothings into his ear, while Nakago merely looked uncomfortable. Miboshi was sitting with Ashitare, the former in his original body, and the latter in human form. Without warning, Seiryuu appeared. He was inside a red orb, and looked slightly embarrassed to be that way. All seven seishi immediately bowed in deference. Seiryuu coughed a bit and began hesitantly, "As all of you are here, you may now be reincarnated. You'll be reborn into the miko's world, years before she and the Suzaku miko first open the Four Gods Sky and Earth."
      Suboshi cheered at the prospect of seeing his beloved Yui-sama again; Nakago suddenly had an evil glint in his eyes. Seiryuu sweatdropped ~I really have created some strange people...~ He continued, "You may not remember your past lives right away, unless you come into contact with either each other or your miko. I'm going to change a few things about your lives, but other than that, you'll remain pretty much the same. Are you ready?"