Tasuki sat on the spare bed, sulking, as he watched Kouji packing his clothes. "It ain't fair," he said, for perhaps the hundredth time that day. "How come you get to go home, and I don't?"

Kouji snorted, shoving a pair of jeans into his suitcase. "Gee, Genrou, I dunno… it might have something to do with how you practically wrecked the cafeteria."

"I didn't do that, Kaen did," Tasuki replied, grumbling.

"And you'll note rumour has it that SHE doesn't get to go home, either!" Kouji pointed out.

Tasuki snorted and flopped backwards onto the bare mattress. "Great. I get to be stuck here with HER for company." Idly flipping a pen between his fingers, he absently wished he had his tessen to fidget with. Hell, he wished he had his tessen, period. "You're gonna be gone for a whole damn month, and so are Naisu, Min, and Kenji! I don't wanna spend my winter vacation by myself!"

Kouji grinned at him. "Houjun is staying too, isn't he? Didn't you tell me you were developing a thing for him? I figure you should be glad for some time alone with him!"

Tasuki blinked, then grinned wolfishly. "Now, there's a thought. Ya got a point, buddy." His eyes took on a dreamy look, as he plotted out just what he might do to 'keep Houjun company' over the long, lonely winter break.

Kouji cocked his head. "Are you serious? I thought you were just kidding. You've really got a thing for Houjun?"

Tasuki sighed, and wished once again that he could tell Kouji everything. But something deep inside told him it might not be a very good idea to start babbling about past lives and the Seishi of strange gods. His best friend was as skeptical of that sort of thing as he had been, and would probably arrange to have him committed.

"Yeah, I've really got a thing for Houjun," he replied instead. "In fact… Kouji, he's the one."

"The one what?" Kouji asked, stuffing some textbooks into his bag. He made a face at them. "Stupid Sensei, give us homework over Christmas break… geez."

"Kouji, I mean, he's the ONE. I'm in love with him."

Startled, Kouji dropped a textbook and jerked his head up to look his friend in the eyes. "What? When did THAT happen?"

Tasuki gave a wry grin at his friend's expression. "It didn't. Happen, I mean. I always have. I was just waiting to find him, is all."

Kouji stood and paced over to his friend, putting one hand on Tasuki's forehead and the other on his own. "You don't feel feverish…"

Tasuki batted his hand away and sat up. "I'm not feverish, baka. I'm serious. I'm in love with him, heart and soul. I was born to be with him."

Kouji stared at him, seeing the depth of his commitment in his amber gaze. "You're… really serious about this, aren't you," he whispered finally. Tasuki nodded, and Kouji blinked. "Well… hell, Genrou. What the hell am I supposed to say?" Straightening, he half-turned away. "Is that it? For us, I mean?"

Tasuki raked his hand through his newly-short hair - Naisu had helped him cut it back to the style he remembered having when he was a Seishi - and sighed with uncertainty. "Kouji. I love you, and I know you love me. But we both knew from the start that this wasn't gonna be forever. You like girls too much, and I…" he sighed. "I was already in love with Chichiri. I just didn't know it."

Kouji spun around, eyes wide. "Chichiri? You figured out who the hell it is?"

"Houjun is Chichiri," Tasuki replied quietly. "I know this doesn't make a whole hell of a lot of sense to you, buddy. I'm only just sorting it out, myself. He doesn't even know yet, so please don't mention this to him."

"HOW is Houjun Chichiri?" Kouji demanded. "Is it some nickname of his, that happens to be the same as that name that you're obsessed with? Is that what this is about?"

"It's not a nickname. Please, Kouji, I can't explain it. You're just gonna have to take my word for it for now, until I get this sorted out with him, at least."

"You're dumping me for him, and you don't even know if he likes you?" Kouji asked. "Hell, Genrou, you don't even know if he likes GUYS!"

Tasuki snorted. "I know, trust me."

Kouji's voice was bitter. "Oh, you know, do you? How long have you been screwing him, then?"

Tasuki's eyes went wide, then narrowed. "Kouji," he said quietly, his tone dangerous. "You know me better than that."

"Do I?" Kouji looked at him, hurt obvious in his face. "I thought I did. How long, Genrou?"

Tasuki stood slowly, trying to control his anger. "I would never cheat on you like that, Kouji. You know that. That's why I'm telling you now, in case something DOES happen over this vacation."

Kouji laughed bitterly. "You've been acting weird since that whole Kaen and Chuin thing, Genrou. Hell, even before that - you started acting weird after I got in trouble for sleeping in class. I feel like I don't know you at all any more. You don't talk to me any more! And now, out of the blue, you tell me that you love this guy, and that you're sure he likes guys. So what the hell am I supposed to think, huh?"

Tasuki's fist clenched, and he took a deep breath to calm himself. Deliberately, he counted to ten, then did it again backwards, just to be sure. Rage glimmered in his amber eyes, but his voice was calm and steady. "Kouji, I'm gonna say this one last time. I have not, in this lifetime, slept with Houjun. He kissed me, once, just before the Kaen and Chuin thing, and shocked us both. I kissed him, once, just after the Kaen and Chuin thing, to let him know that he hadn't scared me off or anything."

Pausing, he took another deep breath, then continued. "Since then, and since the thing in the cafeteria, he's been actively avoiding me. As for why I haven't been talking to you much, it has nothing to do with him! It has to do with your denial of what happened to you because of the sleeping in class thing - and it has to do with some stuff I learned about myself while I was sick in bed."

"For the last time, Genrou, NOTHING happened to me! They beat me a little, yeah, it was harsh, but nothing I couldn't handle!"

Tasuki jumped to his feet, frustrated. "Kouji, you were black and blue and bleeding! You were cowering in bed, whimpering and with your voice gone from screaming. You had nightmares for three hours straight, until you finally calmed down and went to sleep for real. I leave for dinner, get back, and you're acting as if nothing had happened!"

"Nothing DID happen! I don't know what you think you saw, but I wasn't black and blue and bleeding, and my voice was fine, and I certainly wasn't cowering in bed, when you came to see me after dinner. And, it was the first time I saw you that day after the shower thing."

Tasuki growled. "The fact that you were hardly injured at all is what makes me so damn nervous!"

Kouji growled back. "I think you're just trying to change the damn subject. Tell me again how Houjun and this 'Chichiri' are connected?"

Tasuki's felt his temper reaching the boiling point. "DAMMIT!" he yelled. He knew he had to get out of there before he said or did something that would destroy their friendship permanently. He stormed towards the door. "I don't want you to leave while we're fightin' like this, but if I stay, I'm just gonna say somethin' I'll regret later. Go home, cool off, and think about it for awhile. If you're still not mature enough to deal with it when you get back… well, I'll deal with that then."

As he slammed the door behind him, he caught a glimpse of regret in Kouji's eyes. But the bitterness was still prevalent, and so although it hurt him to do so, he continued along the hallway to the stairs.

He slammed the door to their room behind him, still fuming, and flopped down onto his bed, pillowing his head in his arms. He ignored Houjun, gaping at him from his desk.

:Dammit. Geez. You'd think I'd have figured out what NOT to say to him after the FIRST time I told him I was leavin' him for Chichiri! But I didn't do any better this time around. I guess there's just no easy way to break that kind of news. But dammit - I love Kouji, he's my best buddy, in this or any other life. But I'm not IN love with him! I'm in love with Chichiri, and I won't let anything stop me from being with him!:

"Genrou?" Houjun finally ventured to ask the shuddering teen collapsed on the bed. "Are you okay? Did you have another run in with Kaen and Chuin?"

Tasuki shook his head. "I had a fight with Kouji," he replied miserably. "And he's leavin' in half an hour, so he's gonna go away mad at me. But dammit, I was right! He had no cause to be jumpin' all over me like that!"

"Oh." Houjun seemed to be at an unusual loss for words. Tasuki kept his face buried in his arms, not wanting Houjun to see his eyes just then. "What did you fight about?"

Tasuki snorted. "You don't want to know." :What would you do if I told you that we were fighting 'cause I'd just dumped him for you?: The thought of Houjun's probable reaction brought a small smile to his face, despite himself.

The silence stretched out for long moments, until Tasuki finally couldn't resist his curiosity any longer and had to peek to see what his roommate was doing. Houjun was staring at the wall, his gaze distant and withdrawn.

"Genrou," he finally said, making Tasuki jump a little. "I need to know. What happened, two weeks ago in the cafeteria? Of all the people involved, you were the only one who didn't seem surprised by what was happening."

Tasuki sighed, and sat up slowly. "Houjun, you probably wouldn't believe me if I told you," he said, sighing again. "In fact, I KNOW you won't believe me. I can't explain it to you any more than I could explain it to Kouji. Either you'll understand some day - or you won't." Tasuki's heart clenched at the thought that Houjun might never regain his Seishi memories. He desperately wanted to hold his soul mate, tell him that he loved him, and have that love returned.

Houjun sighed as well. "Is this what you fought about? I can see why. You've taken on a downright mystical bent ever since you were sick, Genrou, and it's starting to get on my nerves." Standing, he headed for the door. "I'm going to say goodbye to Kouji, since he's leaving. I'll see you later."
 
 

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Houjun didn't return until much later that evening, but Tasuki had been expecting that. Houjun had been spending as little time around him as possible for most of the last two weeks. As they settled into bed after lights out, Tasuki finally ventured to ask some questions that had been bugging him.

"Ne, Chi… uh, Houjun?"

"Hai, Genrou? What is it?"

"How come you're stayin' here over the break? Are they makin' you stay, like me? Or did you just not want to go home?"

Houjun sighed. "I wasn't given the choice, either. Although, honestly, I probably would have stayed anyway. I don't really have any family left, so going 'home' is pointless."

"Why do you suppose we weren't allowed to go home? Do ya think it's 'cause of the cafeteria thing?"

Houjun snorted. "You're the one who's determined to figure out what's going on here… haven't you realized yet? The students who don't get to go home are the ones who've never been punished for anything."

Tasuki blinked. "Can't be. I got in trouble for missing breakfast that one time."

"That doesn't count. You just got Hall Monitor discipline. I'm talking about the serious punishments, like Kouji got for sleeping in class. The ones that leave you with a haunted look in your eyes, and in serious denial about what happened."

Slowly, Tasuki started to put the pieces together for himself. "They've been brainwashed, or somethin', haven't they? So that they don't remember what happened. But we haven't been… so if we got out, we might start tellin' people about what's REALLY goin' on here." Excited, he sat up. "Shit, Houjun, this is worse than I thought! We've GOT to find a way to tell people what's happenin' in this place!"

Houjun shook his head, barely visible in the darkness of the room. "You still don't get it. The only way you'll ever leave these school grounds, is after you've been thoroughly broken by them."

"You've managed to keep your nose clean so far," Tasuki pointed out. "And you graduate in another four months, don't you? You'll be out of here then."

"In the year and a half that I've been here, I have not yet seen anyone graduate who had NOT been punished at some point. Either I will 'fail' a necessary course, or they will find something to accuse me of. I have little doubt of that."

"And that doesn't BUG you?" Tasuki demanded. "For cryin' out loud, Houjun, don't you want to know just what the fuck they're going to DO to ya?"

"And what, exactly, should I be doing about it?" Houjun asked, sounding very tired.

"Help me!" Tasuki responded, pounding his fist against the mattress in frustration. "Most of the staff are gone for vacation as well, right? So now's the perfect time to find out what the HELL is going on in this school! With two of us looking, we're more likely to figure it out."

Houjun was quiet for long moments, and Tasuki held his breath. The Chichiri that he knew would never have allowed this sort of thing to continue, without trying to fight it. Had Houjun's life been different enough, that he didn't care about others the way that Chichiri had? Could Tasuki bring himself to love someone who didn't?

"All right," came the quiet reply at last, and Tasuki nearly whooped in relief. "All right, I'll help you. We'll wait a few days, until most of the staff are gone. They relax the rules a little during the holidays - the only alarms activated at lights out are the ones outside the buildings, so that we can't leave. But the hallways are free. We'll search the principal's office."

"You won't regret this, Houjun," he whispered fiercely, glad to have his partner once more by his side.

"Oh, yes, I will," Houjun replied, but there was a thread of laughter and relief in his voice. "But at least I'll know what's going on. You're right, it HAS been bugging me. I feel much better, now that I've decided once and for all to do something about it. Now, go to sleep, Genrou. We're both going to need all the rest we can get."
 
 

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Tasuki awoke, hard and trembling with desire, to the sound of his name. He blinked, the room brightly lit by the moonlight streaming in through the window, and looked around, confused. He'd been dreaming about Chichiri, which explained the hard on, but what had woken him up?

"Tasuki…" the whisper came again, sending shivers of lust up and down his spine. He sat up, to see Houjun lying, half-naked, twisted in his covers, panting and moaning softly. The mere sight was enough to double the strength of Tasuki's erection.

"Suzaku…" he breathed, drinking in the sight of his soul mate sprawled wantonly across his bed. Now he remembered seeing Houjun like this once before, on the morning he'd gone to meet Kouji in the showers - the morning this whole mess had begun. Later events of that day had driven this memory right out of his mind, but now it returned, full force.

"'I wonder who Tasuki is'" he snorted, remembering his earlier comment. "What a baka I was." Quietly, he stood and padded over to sit lightly on the edge of Houjun's bed. He knew he probably shouldn't be doing this, but he was irresistibly drawn.

:Like a moth to the fire. I won't wake him up. I just want to watch him. Gods, he's so fucking hot, I just wanna jump him right now and screw him silly.: With a wry grin, he gently traced his finger along the curve of Houjun's cheek. With a small moan, the older boy turned his face into the caress. :Down, boy. You'll scare him off. But damned if he isn't even more sexy in this life than he was in the last one.:

He continued to trail his finger downwards, brushing over a spot on his neck, just behind his jawbone near the base of his ear, that had always set Chichiri on fire. Sure enough, Houjun gasped and squirmed, mouth pursed into a sexy little pout. Tasuki brushed the spot again, and Houjun moaned loudly.

"Tasuki…" The red-headed youth shifted to relieve some of the pressure in his pajama bottoms, the sound of his name on his soul mate's lips setting his heart racing, as always. Sighing, he drew his finger away. Houjun protested vaguely and tilted his head to try to find it again.

Careful not to shift the bed and wake him, Tasuki leaned in until his mouth hovered just about his roommate's ear. "Chichiri," he whispered, barely a breath of sound. "Chichiri, I love you. Don't ever forget it."

Standing, he turned and made his way back to his own bed. Climbing into the warm covers, he found it was surprisingly easy to drift back towards sleep. Just as the warm embrace of his dreams caught him up, he could have sworn he heard Houjun reply, "Tasuki. Wo ai ni."
 
 

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Tasuki glanced at the door nervously, flashlight clenched in his trembling hand. Hissing his breath out through his teeth, he forced himself to concentrate once more on the papers he'd pulled from the principal's filing cabinet. He couldn't believe how easy it had been to break into the room; in any life, he was an excellent lock pick, and the wimpy bolt on the office door had presented him no problems. There had been no alarms, no traps, no nothing. The ease of the job was what had Tasuki's bandit-honed senses screaming that it had to be a trap. Either that, or what they were looking for simply wasn't here.

"Will you stop fidgeting?" Houjun snapped in a whisper. "You're making me nervous!"

"Sorry," he replied, just as quietly, glancing at the door again. Sighing, he stuffed the papers back where he'd found them, and straightened from his half-crouch. "There's nothing here, Houjun."

Houjun made a frustrated noise. "It HAS to be here. There has to be something! Some document on the drug they use, a record of some kind - something!"

Shaking his head, Tasuki began to examine the back wall closely. Something about the wallpaper on that wall was bugging him, but he couldn't quite figure out what it was yet. "There's nothing here. It was too easy to break in to. If there is any proof, we're not going to find it going through papers that are as easily accessed as… wait a minute. Bring your light over here."

"What is it?" Houjun complied, shining his light on the same spot as Tasuki's.

Tasuki drew his finger over a slight shading in the solid red wall. "Look, here. Doesn't it look like there are lines of a slightly lighter colour?"

Houjun peered at it, frowning. "Kind of. It's probably just faded, that's all."

Tasuki shivered, and suddenly felt cold. He drew his finger away as if stung. "No. This is what we're looking for. I'm sure of it."

Houjun looked at him. "What's wrong? You've suddenly gone pale." Suddenly he shivered as well. "Brr. What on earth is that? It feels like someone just stepped on my grave or something."

Tasuki eyed the pattern again. "It's not just fading. Look, it's a regular pattern…" he started the trace the pattern, then stopped, shaking.

"What is it?" Houjun's face was full of concern.

Tasuki shivered again, swallowing hard, as he drew his hand away. "It felt like something really nasty just crawled up my arm from where I was touching the wall. Somehow, I don't think tracing that pattern out is a good idea."

Houjun brought his light to bear on it again, and squinted at it. "You're, right, it is a pattern. Look, see here? There are five circular areas, about the right shape and placement for fingerprints." He straightened, and his gaze took on a far-seeing quality.

"It's warded," he said, his voice distant. Tasuki looked at him, surprised. He sounded just like Chichiri in a half-trance.

"What do you mean, 'it's warded'?" he asked.

Houjun was eyeing the wall with renewed interest. "It's a pentagram of warding, with a dimensional portal spell interwoven. If the right person touches their hand to it, it opens a door. If the wrong person does…" He shivered and blinked, his eyes focusing again. "What are you staring at me for?"

Tasuki's jaw was practically on the floor. "How did you know that?" he blurted, forgetting to be quiet for a moment.

"How did I know what? What are you talking about?" Houjun seemed confused.

"You said it was a 'pentagram of warding', with a something-door spell in it!" Tasuki insisted.

Houjun looked surprised. "I DID?" He turned to look at the pattern again. "Where on earth did that come from? I don't even believe in that sort of stuff…" His gaze became unfocused once more.

"Whoever created this sigil is very powerful," he murmured, tracing the pattern in the air an inch from the wall. Fiery light trailed from his fingers, hanging in the air and duplicating the complicated pattern. When he finished the last stroke, it flared once, then hung before them, shining brightly.

Houjun stared at his hand, his eyes haunted. "I'm doing it again," he muttered uneasily. "Like in the cafeteria, when I did that… THING."

"When you created a kekkai and saved my life," Tasuki supplied, gripping his friend's shoulder tightly. Houjun looked at him in shock. "Don't fight it, Houjun. I know you don't believe in this shit… but if there is magic of this kind of strength involved, I need you with ALL of your memories!"

"My… memories?" Houjun's eyes widened further. "I… I do remember this. I KNOW this symbol. I know how to break it. Tasuki, how do I know this?"

Tasuki's eyes misted over slightly, to hear Houjun calling him by his Seishi name. "Just trust me, buddy," he replied. "Just go with it. Break it, if you know how. We've GOT to find out what's beyond that doorway!"

Shaking a little, Houjun nodded, and brought his hand up before him. With a slight grunt of concentration, he closed his good eye and focused. Tasuki could feel him sending his chi out to probe the symbol. Slowly, red light formed on his fingertips, and he reached out to place his hand over the circles in his light-symbol.

There was another brief flare, and suddenly the wall was gone. In its place was a solid wooden door, with another, more complicated design burned into the wood.

Houjun was trembling badly now, and Tasuki squeezed his shoulder in support. "Genrou, what is happening to me?" he whispered.

Tasuki grunted. "Houjun, I already told ya - either you're gonna understand, or you won't. And it looks like you will. Lucky for us. Can you tell me what that symbol means?"

Houjun shook his head as if to clear it, and turned to face the door. "Yes. It's another warding pentagram, much stronger this time. I… if I know how to break this one, I don't remember it right now. And…" he paled suddenly, his eyes going wide.

"What? What is it?" Tasuki was afraid he might have pushed his friend too far.

"That's…" Houjun reached out and pointed at one corner of the ornate design. "That's a Mazoku's name, written in runes. I don't recognize it, but it's a very strong demon, I can tell from the ki signature." Licking his lips, he turned wide eyes on Tasuki. "I… I think I know what they're doing. The 'punishments'… are sacrifices. Blood and pain sacrifices… maybe even death sacrifices, I don't know. They're building a dark magic pool, to feed this demon!"

Tasuki paled as well. He and Chichiri had had one brief run in with a minor demon summoner during their wandering years, and the mere thought of the hideous creatures left a sour taste in his mouth. "They're FEEDING us to it?" he whispered in horror.

Houjun nodded, renewing his concentration on the sigil. He began to trace a light pattern of it, as he had before. "I… I don't know how I know this, but I'm CERTAIN of it. We HAVE to do something to stop them, or the demon will eventually gain enough power to open a portal from the Makai to the mortal realm! I…"

His fingertip accidentally brushed the edge of the pattern, and suddenly lightning seemed to arc between his body and the door. Houjun screamed, a terrible sound, and collapsed in a little heap.

Terrified, Tasuki watched as the door shimmered, and the wall appeared again. Shaking Houjun's shoulder roughly, he tried to wake the older boy. There was no response. Heaving, he managed to turn him around - and discovered that Houjun's eyes were wide open, staring unseeing into the distance, as he gasped for air like a fish out of water.

Swearing, Tasuki made his decision. He didn't want to move Houjun, but he didn't dare stay there. He was willing to bet that alarms were going off SOMEwhere, and he wanted to get Houjun away from the damn sigil anyway. Grunting, he slung the other's arm over his shoulder and slid his hands beneath Houjun's body. With a massive heave, he had Houjun in his arms, and was carrying him out of the room.

He got them back to their room as quickly as possible, deposited the still immobile Houjun on the bed, and turned off the lights. Then he stood, waiting near the door, straining his ears to hear something.

There was only silence. If anyone had gone to find out who had attempted to break the wards on the door, they hadn't discovered the culprits' identities. They were safe - for now.

Tasuki turned to find Houjun sitting up, one hand to his head, and a dazed look on his face. Holding his breath, he approached cautiously. "Houjun? You okay?"

His roommate blinked at him uncertainly. "T-tasuki? Is that you?"

Tasuki's eyes went wide, and he nodded tentatively. "Chichiri? You remember me?"

Houjun shuddered once, then his expression cleared. With a sunny smile that Tasuki remembered well, he replied, "Of course, no da. Didn't I promise you we'd be together in the next life, na no da?"
 
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