Part Seven
"Kaijin!" Miaka was still staring around, somewhat awed at what had just happened. "Protect Konan from all of its enemies!"
Miaka cried out and fell to her knees. It burns . . .
"Miaka!" The other seishi hurried over. "Are you okay?"
Miaka waved a hand vaguely. "Hai, I'm all right . . . I can do my second wish now . . . I'm going to just talk to the god . . ." She closed her eyes. "Kaijin!" I want to be happy. This includes . . . don't hurt me please . . . I want Tamahome back, plus his younger brother and father, and Shouka-san . . . make Nuriko a woman . . . he asked for that 'specially earlier . . . and make Yui-chan see the truth about what happened to her . . . this'll make my friends happy, and that makes me happy. Sorry that it's so long . . .
She could have sworn she heard the god heave a sigh.
~~~~
"TAMAHOME!!!"
Tamahome was blinking in bewilderment when Miaka bowled into him and knocked him over. Both of them went sprawling to the floor. Miaka began crying and laughing at the same time, totally hysterical, into Tamahome's shirt.
Chuei and Tamahome's father were watching in amusement as Miaka began to cover Tamahome with kisses and tears.
Mitsukake, who had not heard Miaka's wish, was gaping. "Shouka . . ."
"Juan . . ." Shouka was looking around in bewilderment. "Where . . .?"
Mitsukake walked over to her and touched her cheek. "Shouka . . ." Without another word, he wrapped his arms around Shouka and held her close.
Nuriko was standing in the corner, blinking, and blinking, and blinking. Then she let out a loud cheer and glomped onto Hotohori.
Hotohori looked bewildered. "Nuriko, I understand getting carried away in the moment, but . . ."
"Thank you, Miaka!" Nuriko cried.
Miaka looked up for one millisecond, long enough to give Nuriko a wide grin. Then she turned back to Tamahome.
"Nuriko, what . . .?" Hotohori asked.
She looked up at him with wide purple eyes. "Marry me, Hotohori-sama . . ."
~~~~
Miaka explained everything that had happened to Tamahome. "So, see, I know he killed you and all, but it really wasn't his fault because he was kind of freaked out. I know that sounds terrible but they really ended up helping us out in the end. I mean, we probably wouldn't have ever been able to get the Shinzaho back if it hadn't been for Amiboshi. So they're here but they're kinda traumatized and I really doubt that Suboshi wants to see you but he probably will sooner or later . . . so if you want to now's a good time . . ."
"Hai, I understand," Tamahome said. "As strange as it sounds . . . I think I would go just as crazy if someone killed my family . . . and I guess since we're all back I can understand more . . ."
Miaka knocked on the twins' door. "It's me!" she chirped.
Suboshi had been informed of what was about to happen, and was hiding steadfastly behind his brother and hoping to never have to leave his room ever again. "Hai . . ." he responded weakly.
Amiboshi gave him a quick hug. "Come in," he called.
The door opened; Miaka and Tamahome walked in. Suboshi glanced up at them, then immediately looked back down at his feet. He had no idea what to say, and was suddenly sure he was going to burst into tears. He managed to stammer, "I-I -- I'm s-s-s-sorry . . ."
Tamahome sighed. It's not even worth trying to deal with this . . . "Don't worry about it. Let's just let it go and pretend it didn't really happen."
Suboshi peeked out. "What -- how . . . oh God . . ." He hid his face in Amiboshi's shoulder.
Amiboshi looked at them. "He's having trouble dealing with the concept that not everyone in the world is trying to hurt him. You're gonna have to give him some time to work this out."
Tamahome nodded. "Well, just wanted to let you know . . . no hard feelings . . ." He and Miaka turned and left the room.
Amiboshi turned to his brother. "You okay?"
"I don't get it . . ." Suboshi moaned.
Amiboshi sighed a little. "You don't have to get it, Shun. Just accept it, and let it go."
Suboshi nodded. "I . . . I'll try."
~~~~
"Okay, this is just weird . . ." Tasuki said, eyeing Nuriko and Hotohori. Nuriko had been glomped onto Hotohori ever since the ceremony, with the exception of a few hour's sleep. Hotohori had seemed nervous at first, but by now had gotten used to it, and was even seeming to enjoy his fellow seishi's company. "Miaka, I think you made him weirder."
"Her," Miaka corrected, eating everything on the table.
"Hey, I wanted some of that!" Tasuki protested.
"Oh, gomen!" Miaka chirped. "I'm sure there's more . . ."
Everyone was sitting around a huge table. This included the newly arrived up-until-lately-deceased people, as well as all the Suzaku Seishi, Miaka, and the twins. There were two empty seats, though no one had told the twins who they were for.
Chichiri leaned over to Miaka. "Can I ask you a question no da?"
"Oh, hai?" She looked over at him and grinned.
Chichiri was looking a little depressed, even through his mask. "How come you brought back Shouka and everyone, but you didn't do anything . . ."
"For you?" Miaka regarded him a little sadly. "Chichiri, what would I have done? I could have brought Hikou and Kouran back for you, but would that really have made you happy?"
Chichiri looked at the table. "I . . . guess not, but . . ."
She hugged him tightly. "I'm sorry, Chichiri . . . I didn't know what to do for you . . . with Mitsukake and Nuriko it was easy . . . I guess maybe you'll just have to find happiness on your own."
Chichiri sighed a little. "I know . . . I guess somehow that makes it worse no da."
Miaka smiled at him. "You can do it, Chichiri. I know you can."
He managed a smile in return. "Arigatou, Miaka-chan no da."
The door opened and Sachiko and Suoh came in, looking somewhat nervous and a little out of place. Hotohori saw them and waved for them to come in, figuring it would be a nice surprise for Amiboshi. Sachiko walked in and put a hand on Amiboshi's shoulder.
Amiboshi let out a startled yelp and shied away. He turned so quickly in his chair that he nearly tipped it over, then saw who it was. "Kaa-san . . ." He turned his face away. "Please don't touch me . . ." The words escaped before he could stop them. Then he realized what he had said. "Oh God I didn't mean that! I . . ." He covered his face with his hands for a minute, then turned around and gave her a hug. "Gomennasai . . ."
Everyone else was watching in alarm. "Aniki . . . are you all right?"
Amiboshi nodded hesitantly. "Hai . . . just . . . surprised, that's all . . ."
That was not just being surprised, that was freaked out, Suboshi thought, but saw no reason to go into it at the dinner table. He hadn't asked Amiboshi what had happened to him, not sure he really wanted to know. I can ask later . . .
"How . . . why are you here?" Amiboshi asked, pulling out of Sachiko's arms.
"Well, Hotohori-sama sent for us," Suoh answered. "You two would be safer here, but we knew that you wanted to come back to us. So we decided to come here instead."
Amiboshi stared at them. "Kaa-san . . . Tou-san . . ." He hugged Sachiko again. "Arigatou . . ." He looked over at Hotohori and repeated himself. "Arigatou goziamashita . . ."
Everyone smiled. "He's so cute," Nuriko said, shaking her head wonderingly.
~~~~
"So what happened at dinner?" Suboshi asked as Amiboshi flopped down on one of the beds in the room.
"Nothing," Amiboshi said, trying to sound innocent and doing an extremely bad job.
"You're not fooling anybody," Suboshi said, sitting down next to him. "You were freaked out and you know it. Why?"
Amiboshi hid his face in his arms. "Just . . . don't like people touching me, that's all. Not when I can't see them, anyway."
Suboshi carefully put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "You're okay with me."
"But even when I can't see you, I can feel you coming . . . it's different with you, that's all. With the others, when I'm not expecting it . . ."
Suboshi began to smooth his hair. "Why, Aniki? What did Nakago do to you?"
Amiboshi shuddered. "Nothing that you want to know about."
"I do want to know," Suboshi said. "If I don't know, I can't help you. You need to tell me, Aniki. You need to trust me."
"He hurt me . . ." Amiboshi mumbled into his pillow.
"I know, Aniki," Suboshi said softly. "I know."
Amiboshi sat up and looked away. He was trying to find words, but couldn't quite find a way to say what he meant. "I-I . . . he . . ."
"It's okay," Suboshi said, rubbing his back. "It's okay, Aniki."
Amiboshi flinched away from his touch. "D-Don't."
Suboshi immediately took his hand away. "What?"
Amiboshi shuddered.
"Your back?" Suboshi guessed. "What happened, Aniki?" By this point, he was starting to get an idea. But if Amiboshi would never talk about it, if he held it all inside . . .
Amiboshi gave up on trying to explain it. He reached down and yanked off his shirt.
Suboshi let out a wounded gasp. "Aniki . . ."
Amiboshi stared at the floor. "I told you that you didn't want to know." He slowly pulled his shirt back on.
"I . . . I shouldn't have let you go," Suboshi said.
"I had to go," Amiboshi said quietly. "And you know that as well as I do."
"But . . ." Suboshi tried to think of a logical argument. There weren't any. "I should've gone."
"And done what, passed out?"
Suboshi stared at the floor and mumbled, "Well . . ."
Amiboshi sighed. "It's okay, Shun. I did what I had to do. It just . . . didn't go as well as I would've liked."
Suboshi put his arms around Amiboshi's shoulders. "I still think I should've gone. Or not let you go. Or something."
"Like it would have been better if it had happened to you?" Amiboshi asked quietly. "Do you think I'd rather you get hurt?"
"Well, no, but . . ."
"Look, it makes sense this way. You were worse off than me in the first place." He paused, realizing this could be taken as an insult. "I mean, sorry, but you're screwed up. I am too, but to a lesser extent. So if you'd gone, you would've gotten totally . . . totally . . . I wouldn't have a brother left at this point. So it was better that it was me."
Suboshi took exception to this. "I would've made it through okay."
Amiboshi just looked at him.
"Well." Suboshi looked steadily at the floor. "Maybe not. But . . ." Not having any words left to express what he meant, he hugged his brother tightly. "I don't like this," he complained. "You got hurt."
Amiboshi almost smiled at that. "Like you didn't."
"Yeah, but I knew what I was in for . . . I hurt myself, and you . . ."
Amiboshi turned Suboshi's face towards him. "That's not what I meant. And you know it. You know I meant when I left. Even if I didn't mean to, I know that I hurt you."
Suboshi shuffled his feet. "But it wasn't your fault . . ."
"I know, but that doesn't stop me from feeling bad about it. The same way you feel bad that I got hurt, even though you couldn't do anything about it and we both know it."
Suboshi sighed. "So where does this leave us?"
Amiboshi hugged him. "Really screwed up."
"Oh." Suboshi hugged him back. "Tell me something I don't know."
Amiboshi took this seriously and considered. "Things'll get better."
Suboshi leaned against him. "Really, Aniki?"
"Really. I promise."
~~~~
Epilogue Number One
A year later...
"Just a little more," the doctor encouraged. "You're almost there." He looked down at the mother, who was desperately trying not to scream. "Come on, just a little more . . ."
Nakago reached down and took Soi's hand.
She grabbed the front of his shirt. "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"
Nakago backed away. "Umm . . . sorry?"
"There we go," the doctor announced proudly, holding up their son. He wrapped the child in a blanket and handed him to Nakago. "Congratulations, Heika-sama."
Nakago was staring down at the little bundle. I'm . . . a . . . father. He seemed a bit stunned.
Soi drooped backwards.
Am I smiling? Nakago wondered. I think I'm smiling . . . In truth, a wide grin was starting to spread across his face.
Soi looked at him. Dear God, I have never seen him smile like that before. "Nakago . . ."
He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "It's a boy," he told her.
Soi took the child from him. "He'll be a good emperor someday," she said softly, "just like his father."
Oh my God, am I blushing? Nakago wondered as his cheeks turned bright pink. This just has to stop.
Soi smiled up at him, thinking, If this keeps up much longer, I think he'll just drop dead.
"How are you feeling?" Nakago asked.
"Happy," Soi answered. "Oh, sorry about . . . you know, saying it was your fault . . ."
"I understand," Nakago said. "As long as you're happy."
She grinned. "I am as long as you are."
~~~~
Epilogue Number Two
"Happy birthday to you . . ."
Amiboshi tried not to wince. They were off-key. Suboshi was grinning widely.
The room exploded into cheers.
"Arigatou, Kaa-san, Tou-san!" Amiboshi said, hugging his mother.
Suboshi hadn't really wanted to call them Mother and Father. But he also hugged them, saying, "Thanks, Obasan. Thanks, Ojisan."
Nuriko grabbed Suboshi from behind and spun around, lifting him right up off the ground as he shrieked with laughter. "Put me down!"
"If you say so," Nuriko said with a wink. She let go while he was still in midair, sending him spinning across the room into Mitsukake. Suboshi held onto Mitsukake and blinked, trying to make the room stop moving.
"That wasn't very ladylike, Nuriko," Hotohori remarked, raising an eyebrow at her.
"Not fit at all for an Empress no da," Chichiri chimed in, making them both blush crimson.
Amiboshi was busy laughing at his brother as he hugged Mitsukake and Shouka.
"Can I light the candles?" Tasuki asked eagerly.
"You'd set the house on fire," Chiriko pointed out.
"I would not!" Tasuki protested.
"Go ahead," Sachiko said, not altogether acquainted with Tasuki's enthusiasm when it came to fire.
"REKKA SHI -- " Tasuki leaned over to the candles. "eeennn...."
Sachiko backed away as the candles burst into flame.
"Now we get to blow them out and make a wish!" Amiboshi proclaimed, dragging his brother back over.
"Wait, why are you gonna blow 'em out? I just lit the damned things!" Tasuki yelled.
"Calm down Tasuki no da," Chichiri said.
"But -- "
Amiboshi and Suboshi simultaneously leaned over the candles. Both of them wished the same thing, without knowing it. I wish things could always stay like this.
They blew the candles out and passed the cake around.
"This is a weird tradition," Tasuki complained.
"Miaka told us about it before she left," Nuriko said. Miaka and Tamahome had stayed long enough for the royal wedding, then gone back to Miaka's world together. (Authors' note: With none of that shit about memory globes and being reborn! They were there! They were happy! And that was all!!) Yui had accompanied them, having mellowed quite a bit once she realized that Miaka had never betrayed her.
They shared the cake out and devoured it quickly.
"Where are you two staying tonight?" Suoh asked the twins. "Are you going to be here, or at Mitsukake's?"
Suboshi shrugged, his mouth full of cake. He liked to stay with Mitsukake occasionally, having formed quite an attachment to him, and his twin, of course, always accompanied him. They also occasionally stayed at the palace, since Nuriko was thought of as an older brother. Or sister. Or something. Tasuki split his time between the palace and Mt. Reikaku. Chichiri wandered like Chichiri always did, but always made it back for special events. Chiriko also split his time evenly between the palace and home.
"Ne, Aniki," Suboshi said, poking his brother in the shoulder.
Amiboshi looked over. "Yeah?"
"You know what? You were right."
"About what?"
"About things getting better." Suboshi grinned. "And here I thought you were only saying it to make me feel better."
"It's kinda nice to be right," Amiboshi said. He put an arm around his brother's shoulders. "So there."
~~~~
Author's notes/commentary/dialogue/whatever. You want to read this. Really.
Kouri: It is now 6:32. We finished a story at a sane hour. This is quite impressive for us. And by the way, I know most of you think this story is long. Trust me, for me and Karasu it isn't. And it took us less than a week to write it.
Karasu: Betcha you didn't think Mitsukake would be a good father figure, did you?
Kouri: It's cute. It wasn't really supposed to happen that way. It was supposed to be Chichiri no da. But it was still cute.
Karasu: It worked out well.
Kouri: Plus he's a doctor, which helps.
Karasu: Suboshi had somebody to hug when he was behaving with the emotional stability of a five year old. We've decided they stopped emotionally aging at the age of five when their parents died. Look at how they act during the show!
Kouri: Not that this makes them any less adorable.
Karasu: Maybe even more adorable.
Kouri: Oh, and by the way, we know that we made Nakago an unmitigated bastard and then gave him a happy ending anyway. So what? He deserved one. With his past, I'd be an unmitigated bastard too.
Karasu: He'd also be a damned good father. And Soi would be a great mother.
Kouri: Besides, Suboshi did kill Tomo. I forgive Nakago for being a little pissed and taking it out on Amiboshi. The kid was already screwed up anyway.
Karasu: And no shrieking and yelling about Nuriko. She said she wanted to be a woman in the show. We didn't make it up; we just made it come true.
Kouri: And she married Hotohori. ::snickers::
Karasu: Wouldn't that be what you would do?
Kouri: Hell yes! ::stops:: Well, no. I'd marry one of my twins.
Karasu: ::rolls eyes::
Kouri: You asked. You could have the other one.
Karasu: ::cackles:: If I wasn't happily involved, I'd probably take you up on that.
Kouri: Now I have to decide which one I want.
Karasu: Take Suboshi. You'd kill Amiboshi.
Kouri: I would not!
Karasu: He wouldn't know how to fight back!
Kouri: Shut up! I hate you.
Karasu: You do not.
Kouri: Okay, I don't. But still. It wasn't fair.
Karasu: Life isn't fair.
Kouri: Yeah, look at what happened to them in this story.
Karasu: They got a happy ending. That's way more than they got in the show. They're still alive, and in possession of their full memories.
Kouri: Yup. We made it all better. Well, sort of. Is this the end?
Karasu: Sure.
The End.
It's a miracle! A miracle!