Sunlight… it wasn’t so bad, really. But in my face first thing in the morning, I could think of better ways to wake. Grumbling faintly, I rolled over, catching hold of the pillow and burying my head beneath it. It was a solution, at least… a temporary solution, but it worked for a bit. Soon enough, it was stifling under there and I tossed it aside, laying spread eagle on the bed and staring at the ceiling. “Welp… so much for that.” I had to get up anyway, and glancing over at the alarm clock, I realized I’d beaten it by only a few minutes. Ah well, at least it was looking to be a nice day. Rolling myself out of bed, I walked over to the blinds and lifted them, letting in the cool morning air. This was the time of day I loved, and had I not needed the sleep, I likely would have been up much earlier. Today, however, I had places to go.

The chime of the doorbell gave me pause, and I turned towards it, calling as I went down the hall. “Who is it??”

No answer. Cheree… it had to be. I chuckled, running my fingers through my hair with one hand as I reached for the doorknob with the other. Peering through the peekhole, I saw nothing but black. Whoever it was had put a finger over it, and that only reaffirmed my original guess. I knew what was coming before the door even finished swinging open.

“DAAAAAA!”

“Aaaiieeeeee!” I yelled, falling back in a practiced heap, looking up at her with the quizzical ‘Ya got me’ look that I always gave when she did that. I rubbed the back of my head, looking up at her with the patented pathetic expression I’d learned while still in school. “Don’t DO that!! Hardwood floors aren’t exactly soft landings, no da?” I couldn’t help but laugh though as she stepped forward with that grin and extended a hand to help me to my feet. I stood nearly a head taller than she, and as I looked down at her, she stood on her tiptoes and hugged me tightly. 8 am, and she was already bounding around like an excited kitten.

“I was thinking about going to see a movie today and wanted to know if you were interested in joining me?” The way she looked up at me, I almost caught myself saying ‘yes’ before I realized it. Trust me… if you’d ever seen her, you’d know what I mean.

“Aw, Cheree, I’d love to…” I started, looking apologetic as I brought one hand to the back of my neck out of habit.

“But…”

I sighed heavily, shaking my head. “But… I have a job interview today and I can’t miss it. This place doesn’t pay for itself, no da.” I put up my hands, motioning to the tiny apartment I lived in. “But it shouldn’t take all day… what do you say we go this afternoon? I’ll be more than happy to join you then.” At first I thought that she already had plans, but the grin that spread across her face told me otherwise.

“Sounds great! I have a few errands to run before we go, but how about 3 o clock?”

Her grin was infectious and I nodded vehemently. “Sounds good to me too. I should be done by noon at the latest… sooner than that if they decide the scar is more than they can handle.” That was my main concern… most jobs I’d applied for took one look at my face and decided that my ‘qualifications’ weren’t enough. For quite some time now, my left eye had been sealed by the scar that traced its way from my eyebrow to the bridge of my nose. Questions posed to me about its origin only returned vague answers at best, irritating even the most patient of people. By the time I hit my junior year, people had just stopped asking.

“There’s the party tonight, too… are you going?” Her words brought me out of my reverie and it took me a moment to remember what she was talking about.

“Ah! Right, the costume party tonight. I nearly forgot. What are you going as?” I looked to her then and saw her cross her arms over her chest and look at me accusingly. I laughed then, tilting my head to the side and watching her reaction. “Lemme guess. Chichiri.”

“DAAAA!” She laughed then, striking a pose that definitely reminded me of her favourite monk. Ye gods, but she did resemble him at times. “So what are you going as?”

That one stopped me. I hadn’t really thought of it, to be honest, and likely would have forgotten completely about it if she hadn’t said anything. “I don’t know, no da… I’ll think of something, I’m sure. But for now, I have to get ready to go.”

“Ah! Sorry… I’ll get going then, and I’ll see you this afternoon!” She waved to me as she flew out the door, and I swear I could hear her giggling all the way down the hall. She was up to something, and I had a good idea that she was plotting my costume for the party tonight.

Shutting the door, I moved back down the hall, aiming for the shower as I pulled my hair free from the tie that bound it at the nape of my neck. That was another thing I was worried about. The place I was applying to had an ‘image’ they wanted to project. A guy with hair halfway down his back was likely not going to be looked upon fondly. Ah well… I’ll tie it back neatly and if they want me to cut it, they’ll tell me.

“Chris!!!”

I heard my name being called from the door and smiled as I finished making lunch. “Come on in, Cheree, it’s open!” She knew it would be, and the only time she ever knocked was in the mornings when she didn’t know if I was awake or not. She came barreling down the hall and collided with me as I stepped into the kitchen doorway. My arms came around her as she grinned up at me, her eyes glittering with mischief. “Alright… what are you up to?”

“Nothing! I just wanted to know if you decided what to wear tonight or not.” That wasn’t all of it, but if that’s all she wanted to say, I wasn’t going to push.

“Whatever it is, it had better go well with short hair. I have the job if I want it, but I they don’t want to ruin their ‘business image’.” I wasn’t too happy about it, but I needed the job, and it paid well. Besides, if I got tired of it, it would grow back. I was expecting her to be annoyed, but what I wasn’t expecting was the look of pure joy that crossed her face.

“I’ll do it! If you’re going to get it cut anyway, I was wondering if there was something you’d be willing to do…” She let her words trail off and gazed at me with that hopeful expression that let me know I was in for it.

“What…”

“Well… If we cut most of it short and leave your bangs long and a tail in the back, you could go to the party tonight dressed as Chichiri!”

I knew it. Rolling my eyes, I tilted my head back, stifling the chuckle that threatened to arise. “You know… it’s bad enough you got me saying ‘no da’ all the time out of habit, now you want me to look like him too?”

Her brow furrowed faintly, but the smile remained. “You DO look like him already, you just won’t admit it.”

I leaned forward, kissing her forehead softly. “Sometimes, I wonder who you love more. Me or Chichiri, no da.” My voice was soft, but the tone was one to let her know that I was just joking. She’d told me this nearly since we met, and after seeing some of the pictures, I had to wonder if I should be offended at looking like an anime character or what. She still was trying to get me to sit down and watch the series, but it hadn’t happened yet.

She pouted faintly, the glimmer still in her eyes. “What’s wrong with loving you both? Besides, you can’t tell me it wouldn’t work, and if you’re getting your hair cut anyway, what’s the harm in doing it for one night? I’ve got the outfit and everything, and all we have to do is find a pair of pants that’ll fit you because you’re taller than me!”

“Alright, alright… I’ll do it.” I sighed, but my smile mirrored the one that lit up her face as soon as I’d said that. “Let me guess, you want to colour it blue, too?” At the wink she gave me, I just groaned. “It had better wash out!”

As the clippers moved, I felt the chunks of hair falling to the ground and all I could do was close my eyes and wince. It didn’t take long, maybe twenty minutes, and Cheree stepped back, giving me an appraising glance. “Well, you can wash your hair now to get the stray hairs out, or we can colour it first. It’ll probably be easier to go ahead with the colouring, since your hair has to be dry to do it and you’ll have to rinse it out afterward.”

I nodded, leaning back in the chair and trying to blow the long bangs out of my face. Running a hand over my head, I realized that most of my hair now lay on the floor, all that was left was the clump of bangs in my face, and a long tail in the back. “This feels strange, no da.” I fought to keep from looking in the mirror just yet, knowing full well that I’d likely have a stroke if I saw myself yet. I trusted her, however, and she just smiled at me as she started working the dye into my hair.

About a half hour later, I stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around my head and drying my hair as I walked into the other room. A second towel was around my waist, and when I emerged into my bedroom, the costume was laying there, spread out on the blanket. I no sooner got the tunic on when Cheree walked in, armed with a can of hair spray and a comb.

“It’s going to be amusing to get your hair to go right… but I think we can do it.” She ignored my blush as I quickly yanked on the pants then moved to sit in the chair she motioned to. It didn’t take long before my bangs were standing on end, and I honestly thought I’d look in the mirror and die laughing at myself. I finished dressing in the bathroom, having to be careful and not destroy all the work Cheree had done on my hair. When I was finally ready, I walked out into the living room and held my arms to the side.

I was about to say something when she looked up first… and the book she’d been holding fell to the ground. I lifted a brow, looking down at myself and trying to figure out what was wrong. “What is it, no da? Did I get something misplaced?” The cloak was hanging off my shoulder, going underneath the opposite arm and clasped at my chest. The pants fit well, and the shoes we’d found were passable. I was looking for something out of place when I felt her hand against my chin, lifting my gaze slightly to face her.

Her expression was one of mixed wonder, joy and I think a hint of fear, perhaps. “You… you look just like him…” I turned to the side, glancing towards a small mirror on the wall and only then saw exactly what she meant. Ye gods, I did look like him! I fought off the slight shudder and turned back to her with a smile. “Well, that just means we did good, no da. Now, shouldn’t you be getting ready too?”

It didn’t take her long, having had much more practice at this than I. I had taken her costume, so instead, she had opted for a different character… that of Kouran, Chichiri’s fiancé from the series. I couldn’t help but smile as we left my apartment. If there were any awards to be given for costumes, I was sure we’d get them. We just looked too damned good, in my opinion.

All in all, the party was a success. All of our friends had flocked around us, quite a few of them being just as insane about Fushigi as Cheree was. No one could believe how well we’d managed to pull off the costumes and both of us found ourselves the subject of pictures being taken all night long. It was well after midnight when we started walking home, and neither of us was in any rush. It was a beautiful night, and the walk was a pleasant one.

We chatted about the party, about the job that I hopefully would start soon… and I had to get in a tease or two about the fact that blue hair better wash clean at some point. We were nearing home when a gust of wind kicked up, knocking loose the kasa I’d been wearing around my neck. The tie had apparently worked loose and I hadn’t realized it until then. It went flying across the street and Cheree immediately shouted that she’d get it, running after it with a laugh.

I saw the headlights first, and then time seemed to slow. She picked up the kasa, turning towards me and catching the light from the car out of the corner of her eye. I saw her turn, her mouth parting in a scream, and then I moved. Bolting towards her, I did the first thing that came to mind. Looking back on it, I wonder if I couldn’t have gotten us both killed. As I reached her, one hand moved to her shoulder, pulling her back and behind me. As the headlights bore down, I brought both hands up towards it as if in some vain attempt to stop the inevitable. What happened next stunned us both.

A flash of light came from my palms, the beam striking the car and halting it instantly. We could hear the engine going, the tires shrieking against the pavement, but it was as if an unseen hand had come down and held the vehicle still. My eyes were widened in shock, and I felt my entire body trembling even as Cheree came from behind me, looking at first the car, then me in bewilderment. It was then that she saw it… a gleaming red light coming from beneath the cloak I wore. The wind chose that moment to pick up slightly, blowing the fabric behind me and revealing the flaring light of the symbol ‘Sho’ on my left knee. The Well…

I heard her breath catch in her throat and she grabbed my arm, pulling me out of the street and back onto the sidewalk. The driver of the car looked just as stunned as we, and didn’t seem to want to stick around and figure out what just happened. As he drove away, the surge of adrenaline seemed to leave me and I fell to my knees on the pavement with Cheree crouched beside me, shaking me by the shoulders.

“Chris… CHRIS! Come on…” Her voice was frantic and looking back, I can see why. I must have been pale as a ghost at that moment.

I didn’t answer her, but shifted back so that instead of being on both knees, I was kneeling on one, my hand brushing over the still glowing mark that had appeared. “Cheree…” I whispered. “That’s…”

She nodded not looking at the mark, but directly at me, gauging my reaction. “Sho… the symbol for ‘Well’.” She sighed softly, bringing one hand to my cheek and turning me to face her. “It’s the mark of Chichiri… one of the Suzaku Seishi.”

I was dumbfounded and simply sat there for a minute or two longer. My gaze kept moving to the symbol, which was now beginning to fade away. I don’t know why, but I felt my heart leap and moved my hand against it as if that would help it stay. “It… it’s going away!”

I heard her soft laugh and looked to her. She brought her hand to clasp my own and nodded once more. “It will… they only appear when needed, I think.”

The implications of this ran through my mind. I remembered her saying that the characters were reincarnated, or at least given the choice. But from what I could tell, this particular one hadn’t died. Either way, the proof was staring me in the face and was compounded by the one person of the two of us who knew what was going on. “This means…” I paused, wondering if I was going to sound crazy. “That… I’m Chichiri?”

Both of us were confused, but I knew her well enough to know that once the shock had faded, she would likely think that this was the best thing that could have ever happened. She nodded again, tears forming in her eyes although the smile only grew. It was infectious as always and I lifted a hand, brushing the tears away. “Don’t cry, no da.” I whispered. “Now we don’t have to wonder who you’d love more.”

She nearly threw herself at me then, wrapping her arms around my neck as I held her close. This wasn’t going to be easy… for either of us. But what’s done is done, and now only one thing remains to be answered.

Where were the others?

To Chiriko