"Korin..." Nuriko said quietly as he looked up towards the sky, "How long have you been here?"

"NURIKO!"

He turned to see Tamahome and Miaka running towards him before collapsing in the snow. Blood was dripping down his face and his clothes were torn. He tried to comfort Miaka, for he knew that he would be alright. However, no matter what he said, she kept crying.

Finally, he was able to get up and walk very lightly. He had never experienced it before, yet it felt right. He approached his sister, who turned to him as she noticed him coming closer. She smiled like she always had; it was the smile that always brightened Nuriko's day and made everything better. He had missed her so.

"Korin," he repeated, "How long have you been here?"

"What do you mean?" she replied. "I could ask you the same thing!"

"Y-You mean…?" Nuriko couldn't finish. He couldn't bring himself to say it. He knew it was alright and that Miaka would be able to be happy, yet he couldn't.

"It's alright," said Korin, running into his arms. "It's alright now! You'll see! Everything is fine! I can be by your side forever."

Nuriko put his hands on her shoulders and looked down into her eyes. He couldn't hold in his great sadness or his great happiness. Tears started to slowly roll down his cheeks. He could see that in Korin's eyes, tears had also started to well up.

"Ryuuen…You'll always be Ryuuen to me," she said, "We can do everything we wanted to do before…that I wish we could have done before."

"I missed you so very much, Korin," Nuriko whispered. He brought her in closer to him and held her tight.

"I love you, Ryuuen."

Until the day of rebirth, Korin and Nuriko would laugh and run together; making up for the time that they had lost so many years before. Every day, they would stand and watch over Miaka and the other Suzaku warriors, and smiling down on them as they pursued and found the Shinzaho.

When the time came, Korin wept, having lost her brother once again.