Chapter 25

Two Days Later, Sunrise

Tasuki walked down the hall of the Konan palace, making his way towards Atsuna's bedroom as the orange morning sun reflected against the gold plating of the railing.

"Lord Tasuki."

The bandit leader screeched to a halt as he began to walk around the corner, his gaze meeting with Empress Houki, who had a guard flanking her on all sides. Tasuki bowed to her. "G'mornin', Lady Houki."

Houki smiled, returning his bow with one of her own. "Good morning to you, as well. Are you prepared for today?"

Tasuki's face turned somber. "I guess about as ready as I'm ever gonna be. I was just on my way to get Atsuna. She's gettin' ready. Have ya seen Chichiri?"

Houki nodded. "Yes. I asked him to finish a few details concerning the ceremony arrangements. I would have liked to give all of your friends and His Highness a proper funeral, but I know none of them would have wished for it."

Tasuki scoffed. "Nah, they weren't into the big frills an' stuff."

"Well, either way, if there's anything I can do for you, Chichiri, or Atsuna, please let me know. Today will be a little difficult for all of us, but I hope it will warrant good, proud memories."

Tasuki nodded in gratitude. "Thanks, Lady Houki. I appreciate that. I know Atsuna will, too."

Houki nodded with a warm smile and moved off, and Tasuki resumed walking down the hall, coming to Atsuna's closed bedroom door. He stared at it for a moment, sighing, before rapping his knuckles against it.

"Come in," came a feeble feminine voice.

Tasuki opened the door, finding Atsuna sitting at the edge of her bed in a bathrobe, her hair tied messily atop her head. She looked much as she had when he left her before dawn to get dressed for the ceremony. She stared out the window, looking into the courtyard, listening to the birds singing their morning song.

"Are ya okay?" he asked as he moved towards her. "Yer not dressed or nothin'."

Atsuna turned her head, looking to him with a small smile. "I'm all right. I lost track of time. I just sat here watching the sun come up, thinking about our friends, Miaka, my brother, wondering about the last time we were all here together." Her smile turned somber. "That seems like such a long time ago, doesn't it?"

Tasuki nodded in agreement and sat down next to her, pressing a kiss against her jaw. "A lot has happened since then." He slid his hand over hers, grasping it tight. "Like you."

Atsuna smiled, stroking the back of her hand against his cheek. "Never expected Tamahome's twin sister to appear out of the woodwork, did you?"

Tasuki scoffed. "I never expected to love a woman, period. I always hated 'em. Still kinda do." A toothy smirk curled over his face. "But yer a different brand of woman. An' I'm glad yer mine. Koji likes ya."

Atsuna chuckled softly. "I'm glad. I like him, too. Is he still here?"

Tasuki shook his head. "Nah, Koji an' those other guys can't stand formal stuff, so they went back up to Reikaku after we came back from Miaka's world. They're gonna help out some villages get back on their feet now that the war is over," Tasuki explained. He suddenly fell silent, hanging his head.

"What is it, Tasuki?" Atsuna cupped her palm on his cheek, stroking her thumb against him.

"Well, there's a lot of stuff we hafta talk about," he began quietly.

Atsuna pulled her hand away and nodded, trying to hide her concern. "All right. Like what?"

Tasuki cleared his throat and met her gaze. "Well, Koji asked me if I was comin' back to Mt. Reikaku to be the boss, an' I told him I didn't know."

Atsuna flinched, then frowned. "Why wouldn't you return? Tasuki, Mt. Reikaku is your home."

"I know, but there's somethin' more important to me now, an' that's you," Tasuki replied. "I don't wanna go up there if it's gonna separate us. I wanna be wherever yer gonna be, an' that's what I told Koji."

Atsuna smiled, her belly warming at his words. "Tasuki, I would never want you to separate from your home. They're your family." She paused, studying him. "Are you worried about me being around your bandits?"

"Well, yeah!" Tasuki shouted. "I don't wanna put ya around those guys if it's gonna make ya uncomfortable!"

"I'm not uncomfortable around you," Atsuna pointed out.

Tasuki couldn't help the grin spreading across his face. "I didn't think ya were, not after the last couple nights with me."

Atsuna couldn't stop the blush overcoming her cheeks, recalling their nights of pleasured bliss to, as Tasuki explained, "celebrate the end of the war." She pressed her hands against his cheeks and kissed him, pulling away before he could deepen it. "I'll come live with you, if that's what would make you happy. I no longer have a fear of bandits. You and your gang are nothing like Ryozo and his. I know I have nothing to be concerned about. And I wouldn't want to be away from you."

Tasuki's eyes brightened, his smile spreading wide as he took her in his arms, raining grateful kisses upon her. All she could do was laugh. "Yer amazing, baby. Yer gonna love it there, I promise." He pulled away, wriggling his eyebrows suggestively. "Does that mean yer gonna become a bandit just like me?"

Atsuna couldn't help but laugh at his suggestive tone. "My relation to the Mt. Reikaku bandits is by association to their leader, is all," Atsuna remarked with a smile. "But it will be a very happy association."

Tasuki pulled her against him and kissed her, knowing full well her association with him would soon be that of man and wife, if she would have him.

"Today we are here to recognize the souls of those people who gave their lives for us and for our dear country," Houki shouted over the tower balcony of the Konan palace. Standing below her was a vast sea of citizens. "Our god, Suzaku, has been summoned, and our Priestess has made her three wishes and returned to her land. But sadly, the war with Kutou and the summoning of Suzaku has not come without loss. Of our seven celestial warriors, only two remain – Lord Chichiri and Lord Tasuki."

Tasuki and Chichiri emerged from the palace to stand next to Houki, both wearing red and gold ceremonial garb. "We are here to honor the brave celestial warriors that have fallen in the quest to save our land from peril. Those warriors are Nuriko, Chiriko, Mitsukake, and our dear Emperor Hotohori. And our fifth warrior, Tamahome, has engaged upon a daring quest to find our Priestess of Suzaku, Miaka, in her world, where they hopefully will live a long, happy life full of prosper and love.

"But know that our Suzaku champions did not go without aid in their quest to summon our god. Tamahome's sister, the Bearer of Light, Atsuna, has our sincerest gratitude for risking her safety to ensure the security of the summoning."

Atsuna walked out into the sun, wearing similar red and gold attire, and stood on the other side of Houki.

"Now, my beloved people, join me in a moment of silent prayer for our fallen Suzaku Warriors and many of the soldiers, both of Konan and Kutou, who perished in battle."

She, along with Tasuki, Chichiri, Atsuna, and everyone in the palace courtyard, bowed their heads, each giving silent thanks to their fallen friends and comrades, each having their own personal gratitude for their selfless sacrifices.

After several minutes, Houki lifted her head and placed her hands on the bannister, looking over at her people. "Citizens of Konan, always keep the memories of the fallen in your hearts, and remember their sacrifice so we could all live another day. Make them all proud."

With that, Houki bowed in finality, and there was a loud rumbling of applause. Houki smiled and turned, walking back into the palace, Chichiri, Tasuki, and Atsuna following close behind her.

"It was short, but they all still would have said it was too much, you know," Chichiri spoke up once in the confines of the palace walls.

Tasuki and Atsuna nodded in agreement. "Yeah, but it's not like we weren't gonna do anythin' for 'em," Tasuki pointed out.

"True enough. But I wouldn't have settled for anything less than today's ceremony," Houki replied, smiling at the small group behind her. She stopped and turned around, facing the threesome. "You are the only three left in the involvement of summoning Suzaku. I will never be able to thank you enough for everything you did. Hotohori would be so pleased knowing the state of his country is left in your hands. He can rest easy."

""We'll see to it that Konan recovers from the war, you know," Chichiri said.

Houki flashed an appreciative smile before being ushered away by her handmaidens.

"So, Chichiri, what are ya gonna do now that the war's over?" Tasuki asked, turning to his comrade.

Chichiri smiled through his mask. "I'll help with the reconstruction of the country. Lady Houki has asked me to be one of her advisors, and I found it hard to say no, you know," Chichiri replied. "So, I suppose I will be mostly staying here in the palace and serving her." He rested a hand on the shoulders of his friend, smile widening. "What about the two of you?"

Tasuki smirked. "Well, since ya asked, Atsuna is gonna move in with me at the hideout when we're done with everythin' here."

Chichiri's face beamed. "That's great news, you know! I'm sure the two of you will be very happy."

"I have no doubt our lives will be anything but boring living at Mt. Reikaku with Tasuki's gang," Atsuna said with a chuckle.

Chichiri nodded in agreement. "I should go and find Her Highness. There's a lot of planning to discuss in the reconstruction of the capital. There will likely be a meeting in the next day or two to map out a plan of action, you know. In the meantime, you two should enjoy some time together," Chichiri said with a smile. With that, the monk turned on his heel and walked off, the rings on his staff jingling.

Tasuki turned to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, tugging her against him and rousing a giggle from her throat. "Ya heard him. We should enjoy some time together. I can think of a couple things," he growled.

Atsuna swatted him playfully. "There's plenty of time for things like that, Tasuki."

"Why put off what we can do right now?" he asked, nuzzling his face in the crook of her neck. "I can't help how much I want ya to myself."

Atsuna smiled, trailing a finger along his rigid jawline. "I know. But there's something I need to do now that the ceremony is over, something important."

Tasuki's smile faded slightly, sensing the seriousness in her voice. "Sure, babe. What's that?"

"I need to go home. I need to visit my family's graves."

Atsuna could feel her heart quickening against her chest as she and Tasuki walked up to the abandoned home she and her family grew up in. She stared at the door, questioning whether to go inside.

Tasuki rested a comforting hand on the small of her back. "Ya don't hafta go in there, Atsuna. Ya don't know what you'll find. Yer family died in there. Are ya sure about this?"

Atsuna released a long, shaky sigh. "I don't wish to torture myself. But it's more torturous if I don't go inside." She placed her hand on the doorknob, pausing for a moment to collect her breath before turning it. There was a soft click as the door unlatched, the door giving way and allowing light to pour inside.

Atsuna took one long step inside the door, peering into the home that she hadn't seen for four years.

And she was surprised to find that things looked exactly the same as they did in her memories.

Her eyes moved first to the dining room table, recalling that it was there that Tamahome had found their father. She walked over to it slowly, eyes scoping the chairs and tables for any signs of blood.

She was relieved to find none.

As her eyes moved towards the corner of the large room, a tinge of red caught her eye in the floorboards. She felt her heart leap into her throat, a conjured image of the deaths of her younger brothers and sisters flashing in her head.

She forced herself to move towards the bloodstains ingrained into the old wood. She knelt down, her throat constricting with the onslaught of tears. But she choked them back and pressed her hands against the wood. She could feel the roughness of the wood, as if it had been scrubbed mercilessly.

She had to wonder how long Tamahome spent attempting to clean up their siblings' blood, if anyone had to stop him. She could feel his pain, his siblings' pain, reflected in the wood.

Tasuki stood hovering over her, watching her intently for any signs of distress, any signs of sobbing, surprised when she pushed herself to her feet and spun around, her eyes meeting with his.

"He did a good job cleaning the house after…" Atsuna's voice trailed off. Her eyes took one last, long look at the inside of the house until her eyes fell on a basket on the counter in the kitchen. She felt her breath catch against her throat, and she moved towards it.

She dragged her fingers along the woven handles, and it was now that the tears began to streak down her face.

"What is that, Atsuna?" Tasuki spoke up quietly, coming to stand next to her.

Atsuna cleared her throat, hoping to staunch the tears, and picked the basket up. "This was the basket I always used to pick nuts and berries. This was the basket I was carrying the day Ryozo took me." She swallowed hard, turning to lock eyes with Tasuki. "My mother made this basket. She used to weave in her spare time." A small chuckle. "What little time she had once all of my siblings were born. But it saved money rather than buying our own baskets. She would try to sell what she could to bring a little coin into the house."

A small smile cracked upon her face, and she placed it back on the counter. "It was a difficult childhood for all of us in this little house, but we were happy. So very happy."

Tasuki placed a hand on her shoulder, stroking his thumb comfortingly. "What are ya gonna do about the house? With Tamahome gone, it's all up to you."

"I'll have to come back and go through my family's belongings. It doesn't look as if anything has been disturbed since…well, since they've been gone. If there isn't anything of personal attachment, I will let some of the villagers take what they need," Atsuna replied. She folded her hair behind her ear. "As for the house, I'm not quite sure. My family is buried here. I'm reluctant to have the house torn away."

She released a heavy, shaky sigh. "I should go see them. It's why I came, after all."

"Hey, I'm with ya all the way," Tasuki said softly, his smile warm. "C'mon." He took her hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze, and they walked out of the house and around the building to the backyard, where a single oak tree stood tall with six marked graves lying under the protection of the leaves.

Atsuna moved to them, an eerie sense of calm washing over her. She was surprised to find herself happy that at least her family was all together in the same place.

Tasuki stood behind her, hands now in his pockets. "Ya want me to leave ya alone?" he asked. "I can beat it if ya want some privacy."

Atsuna turned over her shoulder, smiling. "No, I want you to stay." She took his hand in hers and knelt down to her knees, taking him down with her. Her eyes fell on the settled dirt of each newly dug grave, and she felt herself growing melancholy at the sight of the smaller graves, the graves of her younger siblings.

"After all these years, you'd think I would know what to say to all of you," Atsuna said, her voice soft. Her fingers tightened over Tasuki's. "But I never thought I would be sitting at your graves when I finally got to tell you that I have been alive all this time. I will always regret that I didn't swallow my fears and reveal myself to all of you when I had the opportunity. And I had plenty of them."

She bit down on her bottom lip, choking back the coming tears she refused to cry. "I never wanted any of you to know everything I went through. I didn't want anyone to feel guilty for it. I didn't want you to feel guilty of not watching closer, Dad. And I don't blame you or anyone other than Ryozo. But he's gone now, so you don't have to worry about me. I'm safe, healthy, and about as happy as I can be given the circumstances."

She turned to Tasuki, her lips tweaking into an appreciative smile. "I wish you would have been able to meet Tasuki, Dad. I think you would have liked him. He has been wonderful to me. And I feel safe with him. He has healed something in me I thought would always keep me a broken woman."

Her eyes fell back on her family's graves, skimming over each of them before continuing. "You deserve the rest, Dad, after raising all of us on your own after Mom died. I know we were not the easiest of children to handle. Tamahome and I could be difficult. But we always wanted to make you proud. You would be proud of the man Tamahome has become. And I know he's with Miaka in her world living a happy, fulfilled life with her. I can feel it in my heart."

She paused, and a single tear trickled down her cheek. "And I know in my heart that you and Mom are together again. I know you're all together in Heaven. And that comforts me. You are with your loved ones…and I am with mine."

Atsuna turned to Tasuki, nodding once, and they pushed themselves to their feet. Atsuna released Tasuki's hand and pressed a kiss to each grave marker, silently giving a prayer to Hikari for each of her family members.

She stepped back, taking in one last, long, forlorn look towards her family. "I love you all. And there will never be a day that goes by where I will not be thinking of all of you. I will do everything in my power to make you all proud. And I will live life to the fullest. You have my word."

Tasuki smiled at her and slid an arm around her waist, and the two of them walked silently away, neither of them noticing the spirits of Atsuna's father, mother, and younger siblings watching them walk from the end of one chapter into the next.

One Month Later, Mt. Reikaku

Tasuki stopped her one more time before moving to the double doors of the hideout's mess hall. She sighed exasperatingly as he rubbed his fingers against his temple. "Are ya sure yer okay with this? This place is gonna be full of guys. Bandit guys. I don't wanna put ya in a position where yer gonna be uncomfortable all the time."

Atsuna shook her head. "I told you several times that this was what I wanted, Tasuki," she replied. "I don't want you giving up your home for me, and being apart from you was not an option. Being the leader of the Mt. Reikaku bandits is a big part of who you are. And I know that you and your gang have an honor code. I know I have nothing to fear here."

Tasuki shrugged. "Yeah, I know, but maybe ya woulda felt better bein' in the palace with Chichiri. Ya coulda stayed there, been waited on, had a buncha frills an' stuff. The hideout isn't anythin' like that."

"You can't possibly think that matters to me," Atsuna said incredulously. She pressed a kiss against his mouth, pulling away with a smile. "Now, why don't we go? You assembled your gang to introduce me a good while ago. They're probably wondering if we got lost on the way." She couldn't stifle her giggle. "If you hadn't stopped about 20 times on the way up the mountain to ask me the same question, we would have been here on time."

Tasuki flashed his toothy grin and tugged her against his body. "Don't ya go teasin' me now, woman. I just wanna make sure yer okay with this."

"I'm more than okay," Atsuna assured. "Shall we?"

Tasuki nodded and released her to open the double doors into the mess hall. The Mt. Reikaku bandits were all filed inside with Koji in the front of the room, tapping his foot impatiently. They all grew silent at the sight of Tasuki and the blue-haired woman to his right.

Tasuki's second groaned loudly, throwing his arms up in the air. "Finally! I was wonderin' where the hell ya were! I thought maybe it's been so long since you've been here that ya had to stop fer directions!"

Tasuki punched Koji playfully in the arm as he came to his side. "I just had to make sure Atsuna was still okay with doin' this."

"The first 20 times he asked me didn't seem to get through his head," Atsuna added with a chuckle.

"Yeah, Genrou can be a little slow," Koji said with a laugh. Before Tasuki could fire back, Koji turned to the men. "All right, boys! Genrou's got an announcement to make, so pipe down!"

Tasuki stepped forward, tugging Atsuna forward. "Guys, this is Atsuna. She's Tamahome's sister, an' she's the bearer of light. She's gonna be livin' with us now. So ya better respect her or yer gonna answer to me." He paused, a wide grin spreading across his face. "Especially since she's gonna be my wife."

Atsuna snapped her head towards Tasuki, eyes wide and a short gasp escaping her throat. Before she could question him, he turned to Koji, nodding once. "Give 'em their assignments, Koji. I'll be back in a bit."

Koji flashed him a thumbs up. "Ya got it, Genrou."

Tasuki turned to Atsuna, smiling, and pulled her from the mess hall, saying nothing as they walked down the hall and moved outside to the balcony. The sun was disappearing behind the surrounding mountains.

Atsuna stared at his back, heart beating clumsily against her chest, cheeks burning, as she waited for him to speak. When he finally turned to face her, he was smiling like a young boy with a new toy. "I meant what I said. If you'll have me, I wanna marry ya. But only after yer comfortable up here. I know there's a lot to get used to, an' I'm sure you'll still hafta journey around to do yer work fer Hikari, but just the same, I wanna make ya my wife."

Atsuna released the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. She took a step close to him, placing her hands on his cheeks. And her mouth curled into a smile, tears brimming in the corners of her eyes. "Nothing would make me happier than to know I get to spend the rest of my life with you as your wife, Tasuki."

Tasuki wrapped his arms around her back. "Is that a yes? You'll make an honest man outta this bandit?"

Atsuna couldn't help but laugh. "I don't think I could do that no matter how hard I tried."

Tasuki dipped his mouth against hers, sucking the breath from her lungs in a passionate kiss. He grinded his body against hers, eager for the feel of her curves against him. And when he pulled away, licking his lips of their kiss, he flashed her his trademark fangs. "I won't ever get tired of hearin' ya laugh."

"Even at your expense?" Atsuna asked teasingly, flicking his wild bangs away from his eyes.

"'Specially at my expense," Tasuki replied with a wriggle of his brows. He turned towards the setting sun behind the mountains, staring as the sun's rays painted the mountainscape. "Can ya feel Tama? Ya think he's with Miaka an' he's happy?"

Atsuna nodded and rested her head against his shoulder. "He's alive. I can feel it. And I know he and Miaka found each other. They belong with one another, and the time and space between worlds isn't strong enough to separate a love like theirs. I have every reason to believe that he has found the one he loves." She looked up at him, gratitude and love flashing in her eyes. "Just like I have found mine."

The End

A/N: And here we are! I sincerely hoped you all enjoyed the revision of Kindling Dawn! I want to thank all of you for reading and reviewing. I always love hearing your thoughts! And thank you all for following Tasuki and Atsuna's story. If you enjoyed them, head on over to my profile for the other two stories in the trilogy, Illumination and Step Into the Light, both of which have been complete for quite some time. Illumination is the next installment, following the events of the Oni OVA/Tenkou story arc, and then Step Into the Light is the final story in the trilogy. You can also find the link to my blog on my profile, where I'll always be posting writing updates and other stuff! Feel free to check that out! I have thoroughly enjoyed the time spent on this story. Thank you all so much! Much love!

~Halo