Anathema

Summary:

A long time passes before Subaru sees Seishirou again. Thinking the man had stripped him of everything that day in the illusion of the falling sakura petals, Subaru is forced to depart with more than he had expected.

Anathema: [/əˈnæθ ə mə/]

1. a person or thing loathed or detested

2. a person or thing accursed or cosigned to damnation or destruction

Sumeragi Subaru's vision cleared from the fog of unconsciousness when he awoke. The remnants of the sleep spell, which had taken effect as quickly as its caster had worked, faded away. Alert now, the young male looked around, trying to figure out where he was. Having been laid down on a rather luxurious canopy bed, Subaru gazed out further into the room. A hotel room?, he thought. Why on earth am I here?

He rose from the bed and started exploring, discovering that here was—in all actuality—a suite room at the Imperial Hotel in the downtown of Hibiya, Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo. A gaze out the window would reveal a lovely urban view with a sunset backdrop, the tiny figures of children rushing home after playing in the nearby park.

"It's amazing how much your powers have developed."

A sudden voice spoke up, followed by a quiet chuckle.

"Apparently, you can snap out of sleep spells more quickly than before. That's good to know."

Sakurazuka Seishirou leaned casually against the wall. He had heard his guest moving about from another part of the suite and had decided to investigate. He was dressed in his usual professional attire of black slacks and a dark blue shirt with a black tie to go with it. It was as if he were a normal office worker, having returned from the company. However, normal office workers did not give off the lingering stench of blood. The dark onmyōji honed in on the boy—no, young man now—with an amber eye and smirked. "My, my... How much you have grown up, Subaru-kun."

Four years. It had been that long since the incident at Shinjuku General Hospital. Four years since the Sakurazukamori had murdered his only, precious sister. And four years of hunting had changed the once pure-hearted, shy, bright-eyed and innocent teenager into a hardened and broken man of twenty. The shorter hair, monochromatic clothes—simple black jeans and a white long-sleeved shirt—and dulled emerald eyes were all a result of the assassin's cruel deception.

In response to the sudden appearance of his clan's archenemy, Subaru whirled around from where he had been standing and positioned himself defensively. "Why have you brought me here? The Imperial Hotel? Don't you think a less conspicuous spot to kill me in would be more practical?" After all, that was why he was here, wasn't he? So Seishirou could finish the job?

Another amused chuckle. "Oh, Subaru-kun, you know that I have friends in rather high places—so to speak. A client decided to thank me for my services with a couple nights stay here. He even said I could invite someone if I so desired." Even Seishirou was impressed by such grandeur. "And I didn't set this up just so I could kill you."

With swift movements, he closed the distance between them, trapping the younger male against him, his right arm encircling his waist. Seishirou's other hand took hold of Subaru's left. As he stared at the back of it, the hidden inverted pentagrams blazed to life. "I merely wanted to check up on my prey. After all, it's been a while."

The closeness made Subaru tense up. He flinched as the magically-seared scars on his flesh were revealed, putting an end to his concealment spell.

"It's a shame you cover them up. They suit you so well." Gentle yet possessive kisses to his clan's symbol.

Despite the erected walls around his heart, the organ then began to beat faster as if threatening to break them. Subaru remembered happier times when his once special person embraced him like this. How he missed it at times. The man before him may have had his face, but he was not the same as he had once been perceived as. Not by a landslide. Subaru pulled away and took a deep breath to steady his heartbeat, glaring at the Sakurazukamori. "Well, you got to see me." Having nothing else to say, he walked briskly toward the door of the hotel suite.

Of course, this wasn't over. The half-blind man summoned the ancient power of the Cherry Tree, weaving an illusion of sakura branches growing and entangling each other across the door. "What's the hurry, Subaru-kun?" He wasn't going to let him go so easily. It had been four years and although he felt nothing in particular for the thirteenth head of the Sumeragi clan, he wanted to amuse himself. And what better way to do so than this. The amber eye watched as Subaru faced him again. Wasting no time, Seishirou grabbed the younger onmyōji roughly by the arm, which was met with a struggle.

"Let go of me!" A hiss of pain escaped the younger's lips.

A smirk. "I broke your arm once. I have no qualms about doing it again."

Being dragged back into the bedroom, a loud thud sounded as Subaru's back hit the wall, the assassin pinning him there and speaking.

"Most people find a new toy at the first sign of wear and tear. Once a crack appears, it's deemed useless. Yet I prefer to continue playing with it, just to see how much it can withstand before it breaks beyond repair."

The metaphor was not lost on him. It had been made clear to Subaru a long time ago that the Sakurazukamori considered human beings the same as objects. However, he couldn't help but feeling some of those cracks strain under the cold reminder of what he was to him. "I am not your toy. You've played enough with me," he replied with anger in his voice. A brief attempt at a struggle resulted in his hands being pinned together above his head. "You've taken enough: my heart...my sister..." He heard his voice crack a little. "What else is there?"

"More than you realize."

With that, both onmyōji made their uncoordinated way to the bed. The older dominating, he secured the green-eyed male underneath him, furthering his previous illusion so that more tree vines sprouted out of the floor around the bed. They wrapped themselves around Subaru's limbs. As soon as the Tree realized who it had in its ensnarement, it reacted instinctively.

SUMERAGI!

The vines constricted tighter and even made a beeline for Subaru's throat. The Tree proceeded to drain its enemy's power as well as his life. Even it remembered the last time it had almost entirely consumed this essence.

Don't kill him. Seishirou told it firmly. He's mine.

Reluctantly, the Tree retrieved its branches from its victim's neck, leaving Subaru panting for air. Reasserting his ownership of the twenty-year-old, Seishrou forced a rough kiss on his lips. His hands touched the body beneath him, moving down his torso to his hips.

Breaking free of the mouth-to-mouth, Subaru gasped in air once more and looked down with slightly widened eyes. "W-what are you doing?"

The assassin had his suspicions and it was now time to prove them true. Straightening up to get a better view of the other's spread eagle form, Seishirou smirked. "Ah, Subaru-kun...still so innocent." He placed a hand on the boy's—Subaru would always be a boy to him—waistline, unbuttoning his jeans, and watched in dark amusement as Subaru squirmed in discomfort. His other hand found the smooth skin of his prey's stomach, sneaking under the shirt and running up to his chest, taking the fabric with it in its travels.

There would have been a time when Subaru would have turned a deep shade of red at the mention of sex due to his once bashful nature. Having been too occupied with work and family, he had never been in a relationship—especially not one that got so far as physical intimacy. Perhaps had things worked out between him and the Sakurazuka descendant (as he had once thought), then the Sumeragi leader would have willingly done anything the other asked.

Suddenly, a wet tongue descended upon his right nipple, licking and suckling it. Subaru continued to squirm, opening and closing his restrained hands, the branches not giving any slack. Where Seishirou's other hand was on his stomach moved downward, slithering into his pants like a serpent. He inadvertently let out a surprised cry.

"You asked me what else I could take from you, Subaru-kun," the Sakurazukamori said. "It seems appropriate that I should take your virginity, too." His tongue moved to the other nipple, biting it softly. He smirked in triumph as he saw the effects of the stimulation appear on Subaru's body. "If only your grandmother knew what kind of depraved activities her only grandson was up to. Not at all fitting for a Sumeragi clan head."

The young male fought against his bondage more violently this time. "S-stop this!" The growing friction in his nether regions caused him to bite his lower lip, not wanting the other to gain satisfaction from a vocal reaction. Still, Subaru couldn't help but start feeling aroused. The weakness in his heart for this man made itself apparent as he closed his eyes. Unconsciously, the struggling stopped as well.

This hadn't gone unnoticed by Seishirou and he wasn't going to let the opportunity slip away. For now, he was gentle as he pulled down Subaru's pants and boxers, revealing the semi-hard organ there. Without a word, he lowered himself eye-level with it and gripped it softly. His tongue licked at the tip a few times, the delicious gasps escaping his toy causing his own erection to form. He continued, engulfing it entirely, sucking on the cock to make it totally engorged.

"Sei-Seishirou-san..."

A first time in a long time that his name had been spoken as such. He had apparently struck a chord somewhere in the Sumeragi leader's heart. And another crack forms.

Meanwhile, Subaru was losing himself in the fragments of memory; he saw Seishirou the veterinarian, smiling, helping, cooing sweet nothings in his ear... Soon the pieces stitched themselves together and—as if his spirit were attempting to save itself—attached to the present. The utterance of a name he had thought would never be spoken again. Everything vanished from his mind's eye (his actual eyes still shut) with the exception of only the two of them in a white space. Nothing else existed in this moment.

"Subaru-kun, you're so beautiful." A deep yet soft voice whispered in his ear and the intoxicating scent of cologne and cigarettes. "Do you want me to continue?"

Too incoherent to reply, the younger onmyōji nodded, which suited the assassin just fine. He knew where his prey was right now, or at least he didn't have to guess more than twice. Taking full advantage of Subaru's vulnerable state, he snapped his fingers quietly to break the spell of the Tree. The branches disappeared instantaneously, leaving their captive free. This let Seishirou remove his clothes, carelessly tossing them on the floor. Next, Seishirou took off his own belt and smoothly bound the scarred hands together above his head.

"Roll over," he instructed, watching the boy do so without hesitation. Seishirou positioned him as if he were a doll, Subaru's hips risen a little from the bed before he shed himself of his own shirt and let it join the other fabric casualties on the ground. "This will make you feel good, Subaru-kun," he purred as he climbed over the dreaming male. A strong hand grasped Subaru's length once more and stroked it. A pleasured whimper was heard, which prompted the journey of Seishirou's tongue down along Subaru's spine. It felt like each and every groove that existed between bone and flesh was filled by the oral muscle, applying electrifying sensations. More quiet noises filled the room until the wandering tongue reached its destination between buttocks.

Never before had Subaru let out such a cry of arousal and the shock forced him to open his eyes. He trembled in pleasure, the fantasy he had built for protection crumbling as reality came rushing back. Just then, his naked body was yanked up, being pulled flush against the Sakurazukamori's. A hand gripped his throat, applying pressure to his windpipe.

"As much as you deny it, you are my toy. Your life is in my hands. Or did you forget that?"

Losing his right eye hadn't been for naught. He had always vowed to maim or kill anyone who tried to cause physical injury to his precious Subaru-kun. After that child in the hospital could no longer fend off the onset of massive kidney failure, Seishirou had enacted his revenge upon the mother. She had blinded the top spiritual assassin in all of Japan; as much as he didn't care personally, the line's reputation would have been at stake had he allowed her to live.

Subaru's breath was shallow as his tormentor limited his air supply. It wasn't long, however, when the hand removed itself and two fingers were forced into his mouth. He felt the hold around his torso tighten slightly as the man behind him shifted. Once the intruding fingers were coated in own saliva, they were removed.

But then, they intruded somewhere else. The younger onmyōji groaned loudly in surprise and pain.

"So tight... How delicious." Seishirou's tongue licked up his prey's neck, up to his ear where he bit its shell.

Had he more will to fight, Subaru would have. With his body's arousal and Seishirou's ministrations, he was losing his mind. He felt the fingers gradually work deeper inside him, stretching and prepping him for what was to come. "S-Seishirou-san..." A hitched gasp was released.

After a few more minutes of this, the older male retreated so he could lay Subaru face-up on the bed. "Lift up and spread your legs," he told him with that smirk of his. He supposed that this would be the most exposed Subaru had ever been to him. Even when sleeping, Subaru was somewhat on-guard, but currently, it was clear that his defenses were inoperative. He didn't waste any more time; pulling his own hard arousal from his pants, he pressed it against the waiting entrance.

Finally, he pushed inside.

"Aahh!" Emerald eyes firmly closed, their owner tensed, his virgin body trying to expel the invasion.

Seishirou leaned himself over him, taking hold of his legs in the process. He cooed in his ear, "Relax or it'll hurt more." The concern that the fake Seishirou would've shown... Subaru couldn't take it, but he did as the other said. It did make the penetration much smoother and resulted in more noises of pleasure.

With their bodies entwined, the couple engaged in lustful sex. The assassin wasn't at all romantic about it—not in the slightest; however, he was careful not to damage his plaything—at least physically. When he felt him wrap his wrist-bound arms around his body for support, he smirked in triumph, having the Sumeragi right where he wanted him to be. Creating friction around his hardened erection, the Sakurazukamori worked on making him ejaculate. Meanwhile, Subaru continued drowning in his own pleasure and mental anguish. The will to oppose his betrayer disintegrated and a stray thought of his dead twin sparked to life for an instance.

Hokuto-chan... What would you think of me now...?

A sudden change in positions: Seishirou taking Subaru from behind. It wasn't long afterward that Subaru lost all remaining control he had over his body and orgasmed with a cry. And, shortly after that, Seishirou joined him in ecstasy, coating the younger man's insides with his seed. His primal urges now satisfied, he didn't think twice before pulling out and sampling the remnants of fluids on his right hand. He rolled Subaru onto his back once more, admiring the mess of sweat-sleeked and trembling skin.

The belt was undone from his wrists, leaving behind red and indented marks as evidence. Regaining his bearings, emerald eyes stared at the man above him. Shock, anger, disbelief, agony... A mixture of emotions were reflected within them as he processed what had taken place.

"What's the matter, Subaru-kun? Didn't you enjoy that?" The amber eye stared knowingly, seeing everything and missing nothing.

In all honesty, Subaru had indeed enjoyed it, which paved the way for regret and self-loathing to flood his mind and soul. What had he done—no—let happen? Hindsight was a curse that came after every bad decision a person made; this time was no exception. If the twenty-year-old had thought that he had been trapped by being marked for death before, then he hadn't fully pondered the consequences of belonging to the Sakurazukamori.

Quickly, ignoring any pain he may have felt, the young male escaped the bed. A wince and slight limp later, he managed to pick up his discarded clothing off the floor and proceeded to get dressed. Meanwhile, Seishirou just watched, shifting into a sitting position. He didn't move further until Subaru had completed dressing, approaching his prey from behind and gingerly taking his hands into his own. Kissing the reversed five-pointed stars, he spoke.

"Don't conceal them. You know that it makes it harder to find you."

"You ask the impossible." After a long while of not speaking, Subaru had finally found his normal voice again.

Another smirk. "I'm not asking." Now what would the Sumeragi clan head do in this predicament? Would he indeed obey him and reveal his condition to everyone? Would he rebel and hide the symbols? Or something in between? Regardless, if Seishirou found the boy with bare hands, he would deliver upon his threat.

But for now, I'll let you go...

Not waiting for an invitation to leave, Subaru made a swift exit, saying nothing as he left the extravagant hotel suite, walked quickly down the hallways to the elevator and took it down to the lobby floor. As soon as he was outside, he took a taxi back his apartment in Azabujūban (his most recent residence), not wanting to deal with the stress and population of the Tokyo Metropolitan train system. It was an expensive ride, yet Subaru could afford it. At least for tonight. By the time he entered his rather barren living quarters, the sun had set completely and the clock on the wall read 20:30.

There was no appetite nor will to do anything. The onmyōji felt barren; his archenemy having taken what he had wanted and leaving behind an empty shell. Desperate to fill the void, Subaru went over to the small desk he owned and opened up the solo drawer. He rummaged around in it until he found what he had been searching for: a box of cigarettes which he had purchased one day after his twentieth birthday. The off-white-coloured box with the black font of the name: MILD SEVEN. Even two months later, the pack remained unopened. At first, he had questioned himself as to why he had bought them other than the fact of having familiarity in his life.

Cracking open the box, Subaru took out one of the cancer sticks, twiddling it between his fingers for a moment before grabbing the accompanying lighter. Afterward, he stepped out onto the balcony looking out over the neighbourhood. Placing the cigarette to his lips, the lighter illuminated the end of it.

Inhaling... Coughing... Exhaling...

Inhaling... Exhaling... A bittersweet memory...

The recognizable scent formed a cloud of smoke around him, eventually seeping into his hair and clothes. A sinking feeling within resulted in him actually sinking against the balcony wall. Ending up on the pavement underneath him, Subaru let out a groan of angst. Seishirou-san... What have you made me?

From a nearby apartment in the same complex, faint music could be heard.

We were just like brothers
And we had each other
We were down for the good times
We were there for the troubles
Like a thief in the night
Broad daylight
You stole my sanity
Now you are the enemy

Are you sure you wanna play this game?
Are you sure you wanna play it?

Author's Notes:

1. The Imperial Hotel was built in 1890 and has even had the pleasure of hosting royalty and other high-ranking guests. The client Seishirou speaks of is a politician.

2. I wanted the Cherry Tree of the Sakurazukamori to be more alive than it is in the manga. I imagine that it has its own personality—so to speak—and isn't just a barrow or tool to be used by onmyōdo practitioners.

3. The child mentioned is Yuya from the Tokyo Babylon manga.

4. I am aware that the mechanics of the homosexual sex described are not accurate, but this is only fiction. Have safe sex, kiddies.

5. I have an unhealthy attachment to the pentagrams on Subaru's hands. I need help.

6. As for the choice of location for Subaru's apartment, I imagine that he moves several times around Tokyo for security reasons. It's more than likely that he would not stick around Kabukichō, in my humble opinion.

7. MILD SEVEN was the brand name of the cigarettes Seishirou smokes in the 1990s. In 2012, the name was changed to MEVIUS.

8. The lyrics are from Daughtry's song "Traitor". This song hits the nail on the head with these boys. I love it. Please go listen to it.