But she couldn't just leave them all here, either. Like it or not, and whether she meant to or not, Gabrielle was responsible for their lives, just as Xena had been responsible for their deaths.

The enormity of her task threatened to overwhelm her. So she focused on one small detail. "Ching Chee, how am I supposed to cook for all these folks?" she moaned. "I don't even have a fire going." She didn't really expect an answer.

"Sushi?" he replied in a hesitant voice.

Gabrielle squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head.

"Ching Chee… just… never mind." She covered her face with her hands. Clothes, she thought. They'll need clothes, too. And shelter by nightfall.

She still had her eyes closed when she felt Ching Chee pulling frantically at her arm. "Look!" he said, pointing. "I think they're starting to wake up. It's too early. What's happening?"

Gabrielle dropped her arms and stared at the monk. "You're asking me?! " But instead of waiting for his reply, she followed pointing finger and spotted a small pink/white form squirming to be free of the bodies around it. Ching Chee started to dance from one foot to the other. The form freed itself and Gabrielle saw that it was a dog. The small, irritating, yappy kind.

"I've done my work here. Time to be moving on. Yes. Time for me to leave," the little man stammered.

"Ching Chee, you can't just leave me here! I need help! I need clothes, food… "

"But you… you're the one who has brought all these people back. There has never been a greater Awakening. Only someone of great power could have accomplished this. Surely you can deal with a small logistical problem."

"Wonderful. Thank you so much for your support. I don't suppose you have any suggestions about what to tell them when they recognize Xena?"

"Oh, that's not a problem," the monk said as he collected his pack and started to back away. "They won't remember anything."

"What do you mean?"

"One thing that all the ancient texts agree on is that the Awakened Ones will have no personal memories. Just general ones, like how to speak their native language. Stuff like that."

"WHAT?!"

"Well, not at first, anyway." Ching Chee was trotting away now, trying to evade the naked white dog, which had taken to nipping at his heels. "They should get their memories back in a while. Maybe. I dunno. They never told me that. Ow! You blasted cur!" He kicked at the dog, missing it completely, and tripping in the process. The dog managed to sink her teeth into the holy man's arm. He scrambled upright again, trying to shake the little bitch loose. The dog wouldn't budge, and Gabrielle had some satisfaction as she watched the man scramble away, his robes flapping and the snarling terror hanging from his arm.

An hour later all of the pets had awakened. Gabrielle supposed their early awakening had something to do with simpler brains. In any case, most of them were wandering amongst the humans, licking faces and private parts in an effort, she assumed, to find the masters they couldn't remember. The monkey screeched and nibbled at exposed appendages.

One medium-sized mutt had taken a liking to the bard, and followed her as she picked through the sleeping forms in a futile attempt to locate her soulmate. He seemed to like having his wrinkled neck scratched, and craved any attention she gave him. In a moment of nostalgia, she named him Joxer.

That was before he started humping her leg every time he got the chance.

Gabrielle shoved him away for the fourth time in as many minutes, and muttered a Greek curse. The little guy was just so earnest.

The sun beat down on her as she noted that the white, white skin of the sleeping villagers was turning pink. Very pink. When she found a baby sprawled face up, its cheeks and tummy already a ruddy red, she knew she had to do something. So she scooped him up and carried him back to the shade of the only tree on the slope. Soon she spotted another child and did the same. Within twenty minutes there were fifteen infants snoozing in the limited space. But she knew there had to be many, many more. The laws of mathematics alone dictated there had to be hundreds of children under the age of one. And how was she going to match them up with parents who couldn't even remember they had kids? She was so tired. And there was no end in sight, if she was to try to make these people's lives worth living.

Just then Joxer licked her hand and whined. "Good pooch," she muttered absently as she scratched his head. Joxer took the encouragement and pounced at her thigh.

Gabrielle was too involved with disentangling herself from his amorous attentions to notice that the villagers were starting to stir. The first indication she had was when one baby started to wail, and another picked up her cry. Within seconds dozens of babies were screaming their dissatisfaction. The adults couldn't be far behind. Not far at all, she thought, watching as everybody started to move. Gods, they're all awake!!

At first the bard panicked. Some long-lost maternal instinct told her that a crying baby must be tended. Oh, gods. I can't take care of all of them. What about the adults? Maybe they can help? What do I say to them? Think, Bard! But just as fast, she ordered her thoughts. The kids were safe. They couldn't be too awful hungry yet. They couldn't need changing because they wore nothing to change. The pain they felt was from their sunburns, and they could just deal with it. As for the older children, they seemed to be gravitating to the nearest adults, who were responding admirably, hugging the kids, and calming them despite their own confusion.

So she looked instead across the sea of arousing humanity. Forty thousand people, all with hangovers to beat Hades. She cringed, remembering how she and Xena had felt when they had awakened after their crucifixion. These poor people, she thought. Hundreds of screaming babies added to the pounding in their heads. And they don't even understand why.

But Xena was out there somewhere, alive. Somewhere her warrior was stretching new unused muscles, sitting up, looking around, and wondering what on Olympus was going on.

But how to find her? She couldn't just shout out her name. If Xena could recognize it, so could thousands of other people, and that would be the end of a very short resurrection. What would Xena recognize, that the others wouldn't?

What was it the useless monk had said? Suddenly she had an idea, and climbed onto a rock and started shouting at the crowd. At first the only response was some confused looks, and several of the villagers appeared outright irritated by the gibberish. But a few heads turned toward her with looks of relief. Those individuals started pushing toward her. One of them shouted back to her. "You speak Greek! Thank Zeus!" Gabrielle closed her eyes and breathed a prayer of gratitude. How long before Xena heard her and came forward?

She looked over the dozen or so men gathering before her. They were Greeks, to be sure, and probably sailors, judging from the sway in their step. It made sense. A Greek trade ship must have been in port when the fire swept through, forty years ago. The sailors were probably ashore, doing what sailors do in a foreign port. Well, this is going to be one hell of a morning-after surprise.

"Uhm. This is going to sound a bit strange. You are in Japan. A while back, there was a fire here, and you were killed."

Shouts of disbelief drowned her words for a moment, but one of the sailors silenced the others. "Shut yer bleeding mouths, you idjits. Let 'er talk and maybe we can make sense of this. Go on, Miss."

So she gave them a bare outline of what had happened, leaving out a few unimportant details, like how the fire started, or that they had been dead for forty years and likely everyone they ever knew (but couldn't remember) was probably dead by now.

When their shock and disbelief subsided, she asked for their help. "We need to get these people out of the sun, and find them some clothing and food. And tell them enough to keep them from panicking. Some of you speak both Greek and Japanese? Good. And while you're doing that, I need you to help me find a woman, a Greek woman, taller than most of you, with dark hair… Never mind that part. Can you… will you help me?"

Predictably, a number of them grumbled, but soon they spread out, talking to the villagers, and giving just enough details to calm the growing panic. Joxer remained glued to Gabrielle's side, at times literally.

It was perhaps an hour later—a long, exhausting, confusing hour of directing people, answering questions, fending off angry attacks, and searching, searching for her soulmate—that she found her. She had just pointed a pregnant woman the way down a steep rocky slope when she felt eyes on her. Her breath caught before she even turned.

The warrior had moved away from the crowd and was watching silently from a rocky perch. Gabrielle held herself back at first, looking critically at her, to be really sure. But there was no mistaking the piercing blue eyes that gazed back at her, or the lean, muscular build. Or the way her own body responded at the sight of the other's.

All the pain of loss, the grief, the loneliness, the empty days—all of it swept through her and was gone, leaving her bursting with joy.

But gods, the Warrior Princess looked funny with no hair.

Gabrielle giggled. Exhaustion and relief made her giddy.

Xena tilted her head and frowned. "I'm glad you find me amusing. Do I know you?"

Gabrielle covered her mouth with her hand. "I'm sorry," she chortled. "But you just look… so… different!" The front half of the warrior was bright pink, and her backside was still quite white. And her head was quite shiny. And these were not exactly the words Gabrielle envisioned them speaking when they were reunited.

"I take that to mean we do know each other," Xena said dryly.

"Oh yes. Oh, gods, yes." Now the joy of seeing Xena alive banished every trace of silliness from Gabrielle's heart. Tears threatened to spill down her face.

Xena was unmoved by the display. "Then I suppose you might have some clothes I could wear?"

Gabrielle steadied herself. "Yeah, I uhm, have some stuff you can wear. I'll get it from my pack." She wanted to embrace her friend, but there was no flicker of recognition in the warrior's eyes. Gabrielle bit back her disappointment.

Xena shifted her gaze to study the mass of humanity. Gabrielle waited quietly, not knowing what to say. The warrior spoke finally. "And I suppose none of them remember anything either?"

"No. No, they don't." How was she going to explain all of this?

"But you're going to tell me what's going on." There was nothing in Xena's laser-beam glare but irritation. The glare cut a hole in Gabrielle's exhausted soul, but she somehow found the resources to rise beyond her pain.

"I'll try. Your name… Your name is Xena." She watched as the taller woman rolled the name over her tongue, seeking a familiar feel. "And I'm Gabrielle. We're… together. You, and all of these other folks, were dead." She waited for that to sink in before continuing. "And you've been brought back to life." I'll fill in those little details later. "You'll get your memories back sometime soon." We sincerely hope so, anyway. "In the meantime, all you really need to know is that you didn't die at the same time they did. And when they get their memories back, they may not be real happy to see you."

Xena absorbed the scant details thoughtfully. Gabrielle could tell she wanted more information, but that she decided not to press for details. "Okay. I can live with that for the time being. Now, is there anything we can do about all those screaming babies?"

Gabrielle had tuned out the squalling, but now she again heard the racket.

"I guess they're hungry, and hurt from the sunburn, but I don't know what we can do about that. I'm sorry, but I didn't realize what was going to…"

Xena waved off the explanation. "Never mind that. Maybe we can get the kids back with their mothers anyway."

"I'm listening." She has a plan already!

"If the mothers were breast feeding, it'll show. Especially if there's a baby crying. We may not get the right mothers with the right kids, but at least they would get fed and then they would shut up!"

Gabrielle grinned. She didn't have any idea about who she was, but still, she had a plan. "I think we can manage that."

And just for a hint of a moment, Xena returned Gabrielle's smile. To the bard, it was like the first hint of dawn after a long stormy night.

The process of carrying the wailing infants around and watching for the mothers' response was ably, if shyly, assisted by the Greek sailors. A number of older Japanese women began to help as well. Probably grandmothers, Gabrielle thought. Even without a common language, some needs are universally understood.

Actually, the crowd was beginning to behave more like a group of civic-minded people with a common goal. Natural leaders were emerging, calming and directing the rest, seeing that the elderly were assisted, and minding the kids. The task seemed a tad less onerous to Gabrielle as she watched.

Two hours later each of the babies had a willing mother feeding it. When/if their memories came back, they could pair up correctly. Maybe. If we're lucky. To Gabrielle, the kids all looked the same, but she supposed each mother would be able to spot her own, once they remembered them. If they remembered them. Don't think about that, she chided herself, but her concern was growing. These people were just plain clueless.

And so was her Warrior Princess.

Xena and Gabrielle sat down on the rocky perch for a brief rest. Xena now wore an old green top and brown skirt from the bottom of Gabrielle's pack. The material was stretched and frayed, as if it had been used to tie someone up. Xena chafed at the tight fit, but seemed glad enough for the cover. Gabrielle was quiet, and Joxer leaned into her side, begging to be petted. She absentmindedly ran her fingers over his bare skin. He whimpered when she petted too hard on his sunburn, and began licking her tummy where several of the infants had peed on her.

"So we know each other," Xena finally said. It was a statement. "I seem to have a sense of belonging to you, that my life is dependent on yours."

Gabrielle looked up hopefully. Even without her memories, Xena's soul apparently knew its other half. "Oh yes," she answered. "You belong to me. As surely as the sun will set tonight."

"Since you don't seem to want to tell me about anything else, how about that fresh tattoo on your back? I'll bet there's a story there."

"An old friend of yours gave it to me. To protect me from a demon." Gabrielle didn't really want to talk about Akemi right now. "The rest of that particular story can wait. We still have to find a way to feed and shelter all these people."

"Okay. It can wait." Xena closed her eyes. "But there's something I don't understand about this whole thing. Why is all this your problem?"

"Because I'm the one who brought all of them—and you—all back to life."

Xena raised a bare spot that had once worn an eyebrow. "That must have been a pretty big task. Another story?"

"Another story. I have many stories."

"I think I'd like to hear them," Xena said thoughtfully. She fixed Gabrielle with a direct look.

This time it was the bard who raised an eyebrow. "I'll hold you to that." She smiled at the warrior. "But in the meantime, you've got to help me with this."

Xena twisted the corner of her mouth into a grin. "I do, do I? And why is that?"

"Because, as you said, you belong to me," Gabrielle deadpanned.

"Oh."

Gabrielle was basking in the warmth of Xena's living presence. But while the acerbic nature of her personality seemed quite intact, so far the warrior was showing few signs of remembering who she was. What if she never does? The bard's concern was growing. Don't even think about that, she told herself. She'll be back. She has to.

"Let's gather the troops and have a chat," Gabrielle said. "The sailors seem pretty steady. And maybe some of the villagers, if they can tolerate my Japanese. I think we can count on them to help us."

"Sounds good. You're the boss," Xena answered. Gabrielle started to correct her, but then she decided she liked the sound of that phrase. Maybe just for a while we could let her think so. And besides, there were just a few things Gabrielle wanted to straighten out while she had the chance.

Like who got to walk ten paces behind whose horse.

First thing was to move off the snowy slopes of Fuji. Gabrielle and one of the villagers climbed to a overlook and after scanning the valley and coast below them, they picked out a plain several miles from present-day Higuchi that would serve as a good location to lay out and start a temporary town. Meanwhile Xena scouted the west side of the slope, seeking the easiest way down.

Gabrielle and her unnamed villager had just returned to the Fountain when one of the sailors came hurrying over. "Miss! I found something!"

And what he had found would probably save the day.

Xena had killed nearly twenty thousand samurai warriors in her little thermo-nuclear blast. But she hadn't damaged their food supplies or tents in the process. What the bandy-legged little man had spotted in his explorations was the supply depot, not far from the plain.

It was really too easy.

All they had to do was move the horde to the plain, fetch the tents and food and clothing, and set up housekeeping. And then, hopefully, Higuchi's present-day inhabitants would be willing to gradually integrate the former residents into their rebuilt town.

The trick would be to make the crowd happy and fed before they remembered who they were and who had put them there. It would be a race with time, with an unknown finish line.

And the more she thought about it, the better it seemed to just let Xena believe what she already seemed to—that she belonged to Gabrielle, in a more literal sense than was absolutely true. She needed her to do what she was asked, without question, and without explanation.

Gabrielle whistled to the sailors and the others in her group of assistants and soon they were gathered around her. Their expressions ranged from expectant to skeptical. She took a deep breath. Pretend they're Amazons. You know how to lead. Just do it.

"I need those of you who speak Japanese to start moving these people toward the plain just north of where that river enters the bay. The rest of you, go to that supply depot beyond the cedar grove to the east. There's tents and food there. And clothing. Please… put something on." The sunburn on their private parts was beginning to bother Gabrielle. Come to think of it, clothes would probably hurt, about now. Oh well. "Then start carrying supplies to the plain. Maybe you can enlist some more of the villagers? Get the tents and clothing first, so these folks can be covered by nightfall. Food can wait 'til morning." She repeated the instructions in Japanese.

The sailors made cheerful, grumbling complaint, as sailors do. Then they moved off to do the job.

Xena had returned in time to hear Gabrielle's instructions. Now the blond turned to her bald friend. Joxer nosed her crotch hopefully, and Gabrielle shoved him away, none too gently. She could have sworn she saw a hint of blush on Xena's pink face. Never mind.

"Glad you're back," she began. "I need you to round up the stragglers and the folks that have wandered off. And keep a close lookout for the kids." She tried to keep a level of authority in her voice, but she found it difficult when she addressed Xena. Well, I guess I shouldn't get too used to it anyway, she thought. She's bound to remember us soon.

Xena tilted her head again, as if to question the Bard's assumption of command. Gabrielle had a moment of doubt. Maybe I should just explain the whole thing, and let Xena take over. But she knew that would be far too involved. First she would have to talk about Evil Xena, and then the fire that killed everyone, which would mean discussing Akemi—not Gabrielle's favorite subject—and then the warrior's six-year search for redemption, and then the battle with Yudoshi, and the tattoo, and the water from the fountain, and then why Xena was supposed to stay dead, and, well, it would go on all night. And then how to describe the true nature of their relationship? Xena, you probably don't remember this, but something you really used to like… No. Never mind. Sometimes it's better to show than tell.

Xena was still watching Gabrielle, and had made no move to obey. "Xena, I asked you to round up the stragglers. I can see a group from here that's moving pretty fast off to the west. We need to catch them."

Xena bristled slightly. "Is that an order?"

Gabrielle met the blue eyes glaring out of the pink, bald face, and tried not to flinch. "Yes, if that's what you need it to be. You used to be quite responsive to my requests." Well, that much is true. In certain situations, anyway.

Most of the crowd moved willingly enough. They had a promise of shelter, food, and most important, clothing to cover their stinging skin, and as yet no reason to question the Greek men and women who directed them. They shuffled along gingerly in their bare feet, picking their way down the mountain. The dogs romped alongside, and the monkey screeched as he bounded from one set of shoulders to another. The cats had long since vanished. Gabrielle suspected their pride was a factor. No self-respecting cat would ever be seen naked.

Xena's stragglers were another story altogether. The teenagers constantly pressed their advantage of numbers, and one particular set of middle-aged men tried repeatedly to move off on their own. By the third time they broke from the group, Xena was obviously itching to resort to violence. Gabrielle sighed as she watched Xena break a young sapling to use as a staff to "encourage" their return. She started to shout to the warrior, but bit her tongue just in time. The crowd did not need to hear the name they would soon revile. Or hopefully would soon revile, assuming they ever remembered anything.

So she hastened over to them. "No violence," she called as she approached. "We're here to help these people, not hurt them." The last thing she wanted to do was arouse the warrior's violent streak.

Xena snarled her opinion of the villagers, and dropped the staff. The villagers grumbled, and moved once again toward the larger crowd.

"Watch your tone," Gabrielle warned. "It's been a very, very long day and I really don't need an attitude from you." Gabrielle was too tired to catch the remark before it passed her lips, and after she said it, she wondered where it had come from. How can I be so short with the one person I love most in all the world?

But Xena was in no mood for a reprimand. "Or what? You'll discipline me?" she said sarcastically. Joxer growled a warning at Xena, but was ignored.

Gabrielle tried to remember what the clueless warrior was feeling. No memory, no hair, bad sunburn, and scant clothing that didn't fit very well. She certainly had no reservoir of loving tolerance for the bossy little blond who was directing her.

"No, Xena, that's not my style," she answered levelly. And just for a fleeting moment, she thought she saw disappointment register on the other woman's face. Well, now. Interesting. There's something to keep in mind for later…

Xena took two quick, deep breaths before answering. "Then… what? This arrangement between us doesn't seem right somehow." The tall woman' frustration was clear.

"Xena… I can't tell you now. It's just too long and involved, and we don't have the time. Just believe me when I tell you we have to get these folks safe, and we have to be gone from here by the time they remember what happened to them."

"What did happen to them?"

How would her friend react to find out she was the one responsible for all their deaths? Xena's sense of self-forgiveness was fragile on the best of days. "Not now. Not yet. Just do what I ask, okay?"

"Does that mean I have to keep on taking orders, without question?"

Gabrielle took a deep breath before answering. If she gave her an out, she knew Xena would start questioning everything. The precariousness of their situation wouldn't allow for a full explanation of every request. She needed instant compliance, not a whiney retort. And besides, she remembered a few years of living under that kind of rule herself. "Don't question orders in a fight, Gabrielle. It'll get you killed. Just do what I say. Instantly." While she could understand the reason for it now, it had always rankled her.

"Yes," she replied smugly. "That's exactly what it means."

Xena shook her head, and looked at Gabrielle pleadingly. "Why is it that pleasing you seems to be the most important thing in my world? It makes no sense."

Suddenly Gabrielle had difficulty meeting the warrior's gaze.

"You're bossy and irritating, and you're too damn short," Xena went on. "Every rational part of me wants to cut and run, and I know there isn't anything you could do about it. But leaving you, whoever you are, is utterly unthinkable. Who are we?"

Tears threatened to well in Gabrielle's eyes. "Oh, Xena. If you don't know, there's nothing I could say to tell you."

And so they continued their slow progression down the slope.

By late afternoon Gabrielle could see a hint of shadow on Xena's glossy half-white, half-pink dome. At least the hair was coming back.

But Joxer, who had remained faithful throughout and never once sniffed at another leg, now started to act strangely. He would leave Gabrielle's side for up to ten minutes at a time and dash into the crowd, as if looking for somebody. Then he would return forlornly, and take solace in the warm firmness of her calf.

Gabrielle was watching Xena as she encouraged the return of yet another group of stragglers, when she felt an insistent poke on her shoulder. She turned to see a naked face of fury. The hairless woman could be ageless, but the angry cast to her eyes looked well practiced, and Gabrielle supposed she was at least her mother's age.

"I demand to know what is going on!" she shouted into Gabrielle's face.

"Ma'am, soon we'll all know what's happening. In the meantime, we're on the way to a place with clothes and food and shelter."

"What?"

Gabrielle repeated herself, more loudly. She wished her Japanese were better, but it was passable. Her accent was probably what confused the woman.

But the woman wasn't satisfied, even if she did understand the bard. She wanted to know who she was right now. She wanted to know what her social station was in her town, who her friends were, what her husband did for a living ("Of course I'm married! How could any bachelor refuse me?"), how old she was, even whether her wrinkles showed. Gabrielle thought about pointing out how saggy her breasts were, but resisted.

"Look, lady, I just don't know. I don't know anything about any of you, except that you all used to live here."

"And just who are you anyway?" the woman shouted. "Why did you get the clothes and the hair?"

"Ma'am, my name is Gabrielle," the bard answered wearily. "Beyond that, there's nothing I can tell you about myself that would mean anything to you." She turned away, but the woman grabbed her from behind.

"Young lady, I don't think you know who I am!" The canned phrase fell from the lady's lips so easily that Gabrielle was certain she had used it often in her first pass at life.

"No, Ma'am. I do not. And neither, I believe, do you."

The woman reared back, as if to strike Gabrielle, but just then help came from an unexpected quarter.

From the edge of the horde a small pink mass of sound and fury launched itself at the woman's head. Tail flailing, arms and legs spread wide, the monkey landed full on her slippery, bald, head. The woman screamed and tried to swat it away, which caused the primate to thrust his fingers into any available orifice for a grip. One fist went into her mouth, and two fingers went up her nostrils. His body slid around to the front, and his two prehensile feet found their grasp on her nipples. His tail wrapped around her neck.

It took Gabrielle several moments for the significance to soak into her exhausted brain. For hours, the monkey had hopped from one to another, barely touching one person before bounding away. But now he seemed quite attached to just one. It hit her then.

The monkey had remembered its master.

That the master had not a clue about the monkey mattered little to Gabrielle. She covered her mouth to mask her laughter, and quickly ran ahead of the group. The woman's shouts of protest were covered by the shrieks of the monkey and quickly receded into the distance.

But an animal had remembered. It was the most hopeful thing that had happened since Ching Chee had first approached her.

As she slowed to a walk, Gabrielle felt Joxer's tongue rasp on her leg. She shifted to push him away, and then realized the pooch was simply licking her affectionately. She smiled at him, and he turned and started to move away. Then he stopped and looked back at her. He gave a gentle woof, and then trotted toward the crowd, and to one young boy in particular. The boy may not have remembered the dog, but there was no question that the dog remembered and adored the boy, and the lad responded as any eager boy would, meeting his dog for the first time. Gabrielle watched the joyous pair with bittersweet nostalgia for a moment, before looking for Xena.

The warrior was having her own problems. Her favorite group of stragglers had decided they had had enough of the Greek woman's orders. After arguing with her and trying to get past her, one of the men shoved her. The warrior barely stumbled, but another picked up a broken limb and waved it at her menacingly. Soon several men were shoving at her, and the man with the limb took a good poke. Another hefted a rock.

But Xena had taken Gabrielle's order for no violence quite to heart this time and wasn't even defending herself from their attacks. Gabrielle watched for a moment, as they grew more violent. Xena stood her ground, and the group closed in on her, murder in their eyes.

Gods, why doesn't she at least protect herself? Gabrielle thought desperately. She gauged the distance, and concluded it was too far for her direct intervention. What can I do from here? Hardly had the thought entered her mind than the chakram was in her hand and then in flight. She had not even consciously plotted its trajectory. It caromed once off a boulder, and divided into two. One half bounced, flat side, off the skull of the man with the rock. The other sliced through the broken branch. The two halves rejoined before smacking the remaining man on the butt and returning to Gabrielle's hand. The men wasted no time in scrambling back to the larger group.

Gabrielle was still staring, shocked, at the weapon in her hand when Xena trotted to her side.

"Well, that was certainly impressive," Xena began. "So you're a warrior?"

Gabrielle responded slowly, still somewhat stunned at what she had done. "Yes… I suppose I am. I mean, I'm a bard, but I fight. For the Greater Good. When I... we… have to."

"And I'm your sidekick? Is that it?"

"No. Yes. We… fight together."

Gabrielle clipped the chakram to her belt and turned to resume the trek, wishing to end that particular conversation as quickly as possible. Xena caught up in two strides and fell in beside her. "Then why don't you want me to use force to get these cattle moving?"

Gabrielle shook her head and held her hands up. "Xena, it's complicated. Please trust me on this, all right?" She was beginning to get very tired of the warrior's challenges.

Xena bristled slightly, but said, "Whatever. You're the boss. Apparently."

"Good."

They walked in silence for a hundred paces, and then Xena spoke up again. "So do you think you could teach me to use that thing?"

Now it was Gabrielle's turn to bristle. How many times had Xena reprimanded her for even daring to touch her precious chakram? "Xena, this is not a 'thing'. Nor is it a toy, or something to be used frivolously. It’s a chakram, a weapon, something to respect. It's not something to play catch with, or clean fish with, or, or… " She sputtered to a stop.

Xena's eyes widened in mock offense. "All right! You made your point."

"Good." Gabrielle relented after a moment. "Why don't you go ahead and make yourself a staff to use."

"A staff. So I won't hurt anyone too badly."

'Precisely."

"Gee, thanks."

The sun had almost set by the time the group reached the plain. The sailors had delivered hundreds of tents and plenty of clothing, but it was evident there would not be enough for everyone until they could make many more trips to the depot. It would be a long time before the new town was complete. But the night was balmy, and little harm would come to those who slept in the open. More and more of the villagers were actively working to organize the site. Some had just taken a long time to get over the shock of their awakening, but now they saw the benefit in cooperating. Gabrielle realized it had been a long time since anyone had asked her for orders. Some went to the river to fetch water, while others made sure the tents were laid out in an orderly fashion. A location for a latrine was quickly identified. The older women were even making sure that the mothers with young children got first dibs on the tents and clothing. Maybe, just maybe, her work here was finished.

And then she could sleep.

She and Xena retreated a short distance away, and sank down on the bedroll. Gabrielle hadn't realized just how good it would feel to sit down. The blankets beckoned invitingly, and the sun was sinking contentedly. Xena stretched beside her. She didn't want to think past the moment.

"This is a lovely spot, you know," Xena began. "We could settle here. For a while anyway, so we can catch up on things."

Gabrielle took a few moments to watch Xena's feline grace and new, lean muscles appreciatively. The reconstitution had certainly not harmed her physique. Even her scars had been erased, along with the tired, pained lines that had encircled her eyes. Would those return with her memory, she wondered. Would the overwhelming guilt that had plagued her for so much of the past six years return? Or would she find redemption in the choice she had made?

"It is a lovely spot," she said tiredly. "But we won't be welcome here. And besides, we're Greek. Our homes, our lives, our gods are thousands of miles from here."

Xena toyed with a loose thread on the ill-fitting green top she wore. "You keep saying we won't be welcome. Can you tell me why yet? Or is that still under the category of 'need to know'?"

Gabrielle sighed. Xena would not rest until she had answers.

"The animals have regained their memories. They also woke up first. There's no reason to think the humans won't too."

Gabrielle just watched her friend, drinking in the sight of her, now that the day's major problems were past. Was that a hint of eyebrow shadow showing now? If she rubbed the warrior's head, would it feel stubbly? Gods, I must be fried to be thinking like this.

But Xena continued her questions. "And what happens then?"

Gabrielle really didn't want to stir those issues. But she needed to answer honestly. "Then we get out of here. As fast as we can."

Xena pressed the point. "If that's the case, why not start tonight? These people are safe now. They don't need your help anymore."

Why not indeed? The truth was Gabrielle yearned for a night's sleep. In the weeks since Xena's death, she had not slept even an hour soundly, except in her dreams, when her soulmate would come to her, and seemed as real as the bedroll she had clutched as she cried herself to sleep. Then her body would relax and she would drown in Xena's soul. But dawn always came early, with the pain of reality and the cruel presence of the cold ash pot beside her bed.

But to sleep now, with Xena, warm and real at her side. She could sleep a year that way.

But that wasn't an answer the bald woman could understand. And the reasons for leaving now were compelling. Gabrielle finally yielded to logic.

"You may be right. If we slip away under cover of night, they may not be able to track us in the morning."

Xena nodded, and the two women set to the task of packing up the bedroll. They were ready to travel within five minutes.

"Which way?" Xena asked as she hefted the pack.

"North, I would think," Gabrielle answered. "We came here by sea, but it would be too easy to track us to the harbor. We need to travel inland, and then up the mountain range until we can cross and find a port on the west side of the island."

They started their trek silently, leaving the sounds of the horde on the plain fading behind them as they slipped into the forest. She could hear the Greek sailors long after the rest, singing drinking songs. They sounded homesick for a land they didn't remember. Gabrielle missed Joxer, but the memory of him and his young master placated her. An almost-full moon had just risen as the sun sank, illuminating their path.

They had gone nearly a mile when Xena shook her head. "There's someone behind us. A man, from the sound of it."

"I know. Been there almost since we started," Gabrielle answered.

"Yeah. Want me to circle around and track him?"

"Not yet. We don't know that he's hostile. I'm not anxious to make any more enemies."

"Why do you keep saying that these folks will hate us when they remember what's happened?"

Gabrielle thought a moment, and decided perhaps it was time to ease Xena into her history. Gently.

"Xena, these people died over sixteen years ago. Actually, it's more like about forty years, their time."

"What do you mean by 'their time'?"

"Well, you and I faked death to escape from the wrath of the gods, but Ares, who was in lust with you, thought you were really dead and froze us in an icy tomb, where we slept for twenty-five years before an earthquake knocked a hole in the wall and the sun came in and…"

"Gabrielle. Short version."

It was the first time she had heard her name from Xena's lips, and she savored the sound of it for just a second before going on.

"Oh. Yeah. Anyway, about fifteen years before we got frozen, you were evil. Not evil, as in a demon or anything. You were just angry at the world, and lusted for power, and you were the mightiest warrior the world had ever known, which is probably why Ares fell in lust with you in the first place…"

"Gabrielle..."

"Oh. Yeah. Short version." The bard paused to collect her thoughts. She was having trouble focusing, between her exhaustion, and the sudden prospect that this might actually turn out All Right.

"So you were evil," she went on. "And you attempted to do something that was offensive to the folks in this town, and they were going to stone you to death, but you breathed fire at them…"

"I breathed fire?"

"Yeah, you breathed fire. Anyway, some of them caught on fire, and the wind was strong, and they ran into their paper houses—and why do people build paper houses? Anyway, the town caught on fire and they all burned to death."

"All of them? There must be fourteen thousand of them back there!"

"Yeah, that would be about right. I always thought forty thousand was a rather large number for a rural Bronze-Age town. My Japanese is pretty bad anyway, and the Ghost Killer probably said fourteen, not forty, and I didn't do a count, but I don't think that group would quite fill an Olympic stadium."

"Continuing on now…"

"Oh. Right." Gabrielle ducked under a low branch which hooked on her sword and snapped back to swat Xena in the face.

"Hey! Watch it!"

"Sorry. I'm not used to going first."

"I'm getting that feeling." Xena's voice was dry, and Gabrielle vowed to be more careful with the branches.

"Anyway. So about six years ago, or thirty-one, however you're counting, we met. Hercules had just shown you the error of your ways, and you were looking for redemption for all your past evil deeds."

"You mean I did more evil deeds than killing fourteen thousand people?"

"Ohhh, yeah."

This time Xena was silent. Gabrielle regretted her flippancy immediately. She was supposed to be making this easier on Xena, not taking out her own grudges. She went on.

"We've been together since then. You've taught me about being a warrior and fighting for the greater good, and I've helped you learn to forgive yourself. There's actually much more to it than that, but I think you need to remember it yourself. It loses in translation."

Xena had recovered her composure. "I suspect it does. I thought the 'servant' role didn't fit very well. But how did we all come to be lying naked in the sun on a snowy mountain in Japan? And you still haven't really told me why you got that dandy tattoo."

"Like a said, it was an old friend of yours who gave it to me. A ghost. A girl whom you beheaded to save her honor—don't ask—and her soul was held captive by an evil demon, who was actually her father, who captured all the souls of the fourteen thousand people who died in the fire at Higuchi."

"And she gave you the tattoo to protect you?"

"Right. To protect me. Anyway. You got yourself killed so you could fight the evil demon in his domain, and free the souls. And you did. Kill the demon, that is. But it turns out that since you had been responsible for the fourteen thousand dying in the first place, you had to stay dead in order for them to be avenged." Gabrielle' exhaustion was pushing her into a dream-state, even though her body still responded to the tasks required.

"Stay dead? Like I had a choice?"

"A choice?" she mumbled. "Oh, yes. Yes, you did. We've both been dead before, and come back to life. I was going to spread your ashes in the Fountain of Strength and bring you back this time, but you wouldn't let me."

Xena cogitated for a moment, attempting to integrate the tidbits with what she already knew of the truth. Finally she gave up. "And this will all make perfect sense to me when I remember it?"

"Uh huh."

"So you didn't bring me back then, but you did it now. How? And why everyone else?"

"Uhm, I didn't really know everyone was going to get reconstituted. The monk just said the ashes of all the souls had to be spread on the waters, along with yours. It was a minor detail he left out, like not telling me you would all be clueless."

"I am not clueless. I'm just having a little trouble remembering."

Gabrielle noted the tone in Xena's voice and took the warning. Somehow she doubted she would ever be able to pull off the master/servant role again. Unless, of course, they were playacting… No. Don't go there. Not yet.

"So you spread everyone's ashes, and poof, we all appeared."

"Actually, the process took a bit longer than that, but you've got the gist of it."

"So you figured that since you were responsible for their lives, you had to take care of them, and since I was responsible for their deaths, we need to be scarce."

"Exactly."

"But if I can't remember anything yet, then why would they? And if that's the case, then who's that following us?"

"I was starting to wonder that myself. You sure you still can't remember anything at all?"

"Nope. Not a clue."

Gabrielle couldn't resist. "So that would make you…"

"Don't say it. Don't even think it."

"Right." Gabrielle choked back her chuckle and they walked on. .

The moon was higher now, casting their shadows in clear relief on the forest floor. The game trail widened, and they walked side by side across a small clearing. When they reached the other side, Gabrielle turned quietly to Xena. "Now?" she asked.

"Yes. I think it's time."

In reality, Gabrielle only thought she had discussed the tactic with Xena. Her exhaustion blurred reality and thought. But even clueless, the warrior knew exactly what her companion was suggesting. As they entered the woods again, they split, each one doubling back along one side of the clearing, until they almost met again where the trail first entered the open space.

And there they waited, each about ten feet off the trail, until the follower came between them. Within seconds, they had him down.

And then they stared at him. He was completely clothed, and had a full head of hair. And he was certainly not Japanese.

"You… you're not one of them!" Gabrielle said in surprise.

"One of who?" the man gasped. Gabrielle hadn't meant to, but she had inadvertently had thumped him fairly hard in the stomach.

"One of the fourteen thousand naked Japanese villagers."

"Gods, no. You don't recognize me?"

Xena snorted. "I wouldn't recognize my own mother right now. Gabrielle, any ideas?"

The moonlight was mottled through the trees, but Gabrielle could make out enough of the man's face. "You're the captain of the boat that brought us here!" She rocked back a little to let him breath easier.

"Yes. The boat that you dove off of before you paid me."

Gabrielle let go of the fabric of his jacket, and he sat up. Xena kept her makeshift staff pointed at his chest.

The bard shook her head and exhaled deeply. "Zeus. You're right. I forgot completely, in everything that followed. Xena, let him up."

The warrior backed up a step, and the man stood up warily, not taking his eyes off the tall bald woman with the big stick. "You're Xena?"

"So they tell me," she answered dryly.

"I didn't recognize you without any, you know, hair and stuff."

Xena snarled, but flipped her staff back to a ready position. The man bent over warily to brush the dirt and leaves from his clothes.

"I am so sorry, Captain. Xena usually handles all that, and, well, I didn't think. Why didn't you just find me and ask?" She glanced at the warrior, who had a perplexed, almost bemused look on her face. Something was going on there.

"Find you?! Find you after that fire, and with twenty thousand samurai attacking the village? And then there was that little explosion that took out half the forest. No, thank you. I stayed where I was for almost a week, safe and sound on my ship out in the harbor. And then when I did finally come ashore, I ran into this huge mob of naked pink people. They told me a short, blond, Greek woman had led them off the mountain. That could only have been you." He shook his head and made a gesture of supplication to the gods. "This is one strange place."

"Well, you've found us now. What did we agree on for passage?"

"The cost of your passage is the least of my problems. Most of my crew went ashore last night to sample the hospitality in Higuchi. You know, that town is still celebrating after you put out the fire? Anyway, Greeks are popular there right now, and they decided they wanted to stay. Take advantage of it for a month or two. I picked up a perishable cargo yesterday, and now I don't have enough sailors to get underway back to Greece."

"Tell you what," said Gabrielle. "I know where you can find a crew."

"I need Greeks, not a bunch of foreigners who can't understand my orders."

Gabrielle started again. "I know where you can find a Greek crew. If you can recommend a good port on the west side of the island, we'll meet you there and pay you double for passage back to Greece."

The captain started to smile. "Now that makes sense. Where are these Greek sailors?"

"They're part of that mob of naked pink people. Only they probably have some clothes by now. It's easy to pick them out. Just start shouting in Greek. The Japanese will look at you like you have two heads, but the sailors will come. You'll probably get enough volunteers. How many will you need?"

"About a dozen will do."

"A dozen?" Xena cried. "That little fo'c'sle of yours will never hold a dozen! That borders on cruelty!"

Something's not right here, Gabrielle thought, but her brain was churning in slow motion. The captain spoke up quickly, before she could identify it.

"All right, all right. Eight should be enough."

"Good. Where shall we meet you?" Gabrielle asked.

"Noguru has a good harbor. It's at the base of the western hills."

"It's a deal, then. Safe sailing."

"I'll see you there." The captain turned and disappeared into the gloom back down the trail he had come on.

Something nagged at the back of Gabrielle's mind, but it evaded her grasp. She shouldered her pack and turned away from Xena, back toward the clearing.

"Well, that certainly solves some problems," she began, as she took a few steps ahead of the warrior. "By the way, you'll need to kill us some supper when we get farther away. I always like rabbit, but in a pinch, I'll eat about anything you can… " She stopped suddenly, as it struck her. Literally and figuratively. "

"OWW!." Gabrielle spun around, her hand rubbing her offended backside. "What was that for!?"

Xena was glaring at her, her eyes piercing Gabrielle to the core, even in the moonlight. There was no mistaking the self-awareness, or the danger in them. Gabrielle stopped in mid-breath.

"Uh oh." The bard spoke in a very small voice.

"That was for letting me think I was your servant. I can't believe you gave me orders like a slave! Or your sidekick! I don't know which was worse!" She took a step closer to Gabrielle, and the smaller woman backed into a tree. "And I'll take that back, thank you very much." She reached and snagged the chakram from Gabrielle's belt. "Like you were actually going to teach me to use this." She looked for a spot to hook it to, and finally gave up, waving it instead under her soulmate's nose.

"And as for the 'clothing' you gave me to wear." Now she towered over the trembling bard. "I never liked that top, even on you. We're taking a small detour to the spot where I buried my real clothes, and don't you ever dress me in bile green again!"

Gabrielle shrank away from the menace that bore down on her, but a smile began to tug at her mouth. She knew this game.

"Xena… I only did what I thought was… Ow. Don't. Stop! No! That tickles! Xena, please, no tickling…"

The warrior smiled and raised a shadow of an eyebrow. "Oh, tickling is just the beginning."