Foundation
Standard Disclaimer: I do not own X or CLAMP. If I did, many, many things would be different. For one, it would be complete. Two, Keiichi would be in it a lot more.
His father was still dying. His father had been dying for years; his death had been the cause of his early removal from his foster family. His mother had rushed him to Tokyo in order to return in time.
That had been six years ago. He had just attempted to see his father, and once again had been refused. Moments like these were when all the attention was centered around his father was when he missed his friends the most, his foster brother and sister. Here, he was a princeling and above the servants, yet still below the prominent nobles, so insignificant they paid little or no attention to him. Once his father died, he supposed that would change. He missed his friends and the warm comfort their presence had provided. They treated him like an equal, but more importantly, they had treated him like a friend. He especially missed Kotori, the little girl who had made him feel the way he thought a normal boy should feel.
He would not feel so lonely if his mother were still around. Shortly after their arrival in the city, his mother had passed on, the only family he had left in the world. The circumstances of her death had never been fully explained to him. When he questioned, he only received cryptic answers such as "It was simply her time to move on." They refused to tell him exactly what she had died of. He wanted some closure to his mother's life; not knowing made her death seem meaningless.
He supposed his father still remained. His father, a man he had never seen or heard, whose name he had never known, was threatening to leave the country in his hands. He didn't want to rule a country; all he wanted was to return to that little villa in the forest where he had spent the better part of his life. But, no, his father, the Kamui, had to die and give the entire country to him.
He rounded a stone corner and was perplexed to run into a small body. He hadn't realized he had not been paying attention to where he was going. The black mop of hair bowed before him was apologizing profusely as the princeling struggled to figure out who it was. Servants ran off after apologizing and courtiers normally wouldn't waste their breath on apologies. Her clothes were all leather and fur, the skirt cut much shorter than any of the self-proclaimed respectable girls would wear. Though they were inside, he could vaguely smell the forest, not the tame forests that surrounded the city, but the deep, wild forests of the mountains. A glance to the side confirmed his suspicions as to the girl's identity as a wolf stared knowingly back at him.
He was in the presence of the wolf princess who had arrived at the capital only a few weeks ago. Seeing as how he was only an heir, and she was not yet the leader of the wolf clan, he had been quite surprised when she had eagerly approached him shortly after her arrival. Of course, he soon learned she approached everyone with the same eagerness. He had spent very little time in her company since then, and he was having difficulties remembering her name other than wolf princess.
She straightened herself up, and, upon, seeing who she was apologizing to, gasped and backed away a few steps. "Kamui, I'm so sorry. I was following Inuki, and I guess I wasn't paying much attention to where I was walking.'
Kamui looked again at the wolf that had been trailing by her side. He vaguely recalled being introduced to Inuki before; he knew the wolf was important to the princess, but Kamui had not really paid attention to him before. The wolf tilted its head as he stared up at him, the gaze almost as piercing as the Seer's.
He tried to remember the first time he had met the wolf princess. She had arrived at the palace on horseback, Inuki padding along on the ground next to her. The wolf had caused the biggest stir upon entry, and they soon had several crossbows leveled at them. After explaining to his father's magistrate who she was, she had bounded over to him, the wolf trailing closely behind her. 'Wow, you must be Kamui, right?' She had seemed so excited, he had not known what to say to her or in what manner he was supposed to respond. Fortunately for him, his silence did not seem to slow her down at all. 'I'm Yuzuriha Nekoi from the Mitsumine mountains, and this is my friend, Inuki.' She had gestured to the wolf which was seated by her side. Only later was he to find out that she was the wolf princess.
"It's alright, Princess Yuzuriha," he told her.
She giggled. "Please just call me Yuzuriha. I'm the one who's going to be serving you." She smiled brightly at him, as if there was nothing else she would rather be doing. He realized the times he hadn't seen her smiling were very few. Even though she had lost all her family connections as well, she was still frequently smiling. He could not remember the last time he had smiled, only that it had been a very long time ago. Before his mother had died.
"Kamui, are you feeling well?" He realized the wolf princess was staring intently at his face, the slightest hint of her worry in her eyes. He briefly wondered if it was because she was genuinely concerned or because he was the only heir to his father's title. The only heir they ever thought was going to exist, seeing as to how he was given the name of Kamui at birth.
"I'm fine," he assured her. At least as fine as he could be in the present situation. He felt he would be a lot better if he had no title to live up to; if all he really had to do was to be himself.
She looked doubtful for a moment, but her eyes soon brightened again. "In that case, let's go into the city and celebrate with sweets!" She knelt down and threw her arms around the wolf's neck. "We'll get Inuki some too, of course. Ever since I brought him to the city, he seems to have developed quite a sweet tooth." She laughed as Inuki gently nosed the side of her face.
"But what are we celebrating?" he asked, terribly confused and wondering where exactly the wolf clan had found their princess. She was nothing like the stern, solitary warriors he had heard about.
"Silly," she grinned up at him from her kneeling position, her arms still looped around the wolf who had also diverted his attention to him. "You don't need a reason to celebrate with sweets." She gave Inuki a final scratch behind the ears before standing.
"But don't you have somewhere important you have to be?" She had been rounding the corner to enter the wing he had just left. The only thing remaining in that wing was his father's sickbed.
"Nothing's too important that it can't be put aside for sweets." She walked past him, Inuki trailing by her side. When she realized he wasn't following her, she turned around to look at him curiously while Inuki gazed over his shoulder. "Come on, I know this really great place. They have this cinnamon pastry that's absolutely delicious."
She seemed intent on going to this place with or without his company. He figured it would be best to follow her, just to make sure the wolf princess didn't get herself into any trouble in the heart of the city. Her grandmother would never forgive them.
It just seemed unfair to him that the wolf princess could dismiss a meeting with his father when he was not permitted to even hear the current Kamui's voice.
"I had a dream about Kamui last night," Kotori said as she approached her father in the temple. He encouraged her to continue, and she kneeled down on the floor next to him. He was bowed before the burning altar, praying about what she was not exactly sure. "He was actually the Kamui in my dreams. Do you think once he's Kamui he'll ever come to visit us?"
Her father smiled gently at her. "I'm sure he thinks about you every day and will come to visit as soon as possible."
He had been gone for such a long time, and Kotori wondered if he was the same boy he had been so very long ago. She worried most he was going to marry one of the princesses soon. She realized that the next time she saw him, he could very well have a wife at his side.
"Where's my brother?" she asked quickly in a desperate attempt to change the subject, even if it had initially been one of her choosing. The thought of Kamui married to someone else was too much for her to handle at the moment. Of course, she knew it would happen eventually, but she felt they were both far too young to be thinking about marriage.
"He's practicing his horseback archery." Kotori couldn't help but worry about her brother every time he went riding. So many things could happen out there in the woods. Accidents occurred. The wolf clan could mistake him for an enemy. And there were always the rumors about the dark things roaming the forests. Things not eradicated during the revolution now thirsting after revenge. She supposed that was why he had not said anything to her before leaving in the morning. Her father laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"I know you worry about him." She sighed; her father had no idea exactly how much she worried about him. She had been having disturbing visions lately in the middle of the night. "But your brother has a dream he's striving for." A dream? Her brother had never mentioned a dream to her before. He told her practically everything; sometimes things she had no desire to know. "Don't you have a dream, Kotori? Something you wish to see happen at any cost?" His hand migrated from her shoulder to her hand.
She had to admit she had never really thought about it. She supposed if she had to wish for something, she wanted Kamui and her brother to be happy. Her brother had changed drastically ever since Kamui had left. She knew it had been at the time boys were supposed to be maturing and changing anyway, but there had been something odd about his alteration, like a moth emerging from a butterfly's cocoon. She had voiced her concerns to her mother, but her mother seemed convinced it was a normal change for someone who had lost such a close friend. Maybe to Fuuma, Kotori's changes seemed just as unnatural.
Maybe she could have gone on pretending everything was alright with Fuuma. But a few months ago, shortly after they had discovered Lady Saya was pregnant, Saya had fallen very ill. The doctor's seemed unsure if she would be able to carry the baby to term. Her father had explained it all to her one night. How she had to prepare herself for the loss of her mother and not to prepare herself for the arrival of a new baby. Her father was certain that neither one of them would survive past the next few moons. Saya was too ill.
"Kotori. Father?" Her brother's voice brought her back to warm reality. Her mother was still alive, her father was sitting right next to her, and her brother was entering the temple still wearing his riding clothes. With a start, Kotori suddenly realized how similar his choice of riding clothes were to the uniforms of the Kamui's elite guards. Her brother bowed to their father.
"I'm sorry, father, but the doctor wants too check on Kotori before he leaves." Kotori sighed as she stood up. She knew the doctor would not dare to personally look in the temple for her. Besides, she had hoped Saya would keep him busy for most of the day.
Her father nodded. "Of course. Fuuma, please escort your sister back to the house. I'd like to stay here for a bit longer." He turned back to the shrine while Kotori was led out of the temple by her brother. If her brother spent an alarming amount of time training recently, her father spent even more time in the temple. She knew it had something to do with her mother, but somehow she did not think he was praying for her recovery.
Fuuma patted her arm reassuringly. "Don't worry, Kotori. I'm sure the doctor will make this a quick visit. He does need to get back before nightfall lest the wolves should make a mistake in his identity." Kotori had a feeling it was not the wolves the doctor should be worried about, but rather the forest itself.
"Yum, this pastry is delicious," Yuzuriha said before breaking off a piece and handing it to Inuki. Kamui was positive the wolf was smiling as he accepted the sticky treat from the princess's hand. Maybe he had been too sheltered in that cozy little villa. Yuzuriha, after selecting a wide variety of snacks for them to enjoy, had chosen to sit at a table outside where she claimed Inuki would be more comfortable. Kamui thought it was really so the wolf wouldn't be in the way or disturbing the other patrons. Or scaring them, he thought as he remembered how terrified he had once been of the Mitsumini wolves.
He had barely touched the sweets she had laid out on the table between them; Inuki was eating more than enough for all three of them. "Inuki," Yuzuriha scolded as the wolf snuck another particularly large treat from the table, "save some for Kamui." The wolf merely stared back at her, munching on his prize.
"Excuse me." One of the serving girls had approached them while he had been distracted by the antics of the wolf and the princess. For a moment, he worried something was wrong, maybe dogs were not welcome in the vicinity of this shop, but a glance at the wolf princess showed she did not share his fears. "Would you two like to try one of our new frozen creams?"
Kamui had never heard of it before, but Yuzuriha seemed excited by the prospect and instantly asked what flavors they had. Of course, she seemed to have been to the city a lot more than he had.
"Well, our newest flavor is mint chocolate."
"Oh, that sounds yummy, doesn't it, Inuki?" The wolf whimpered in happy response. "What do you think, Kamui?"
He didn't know what to think anymore. After all, he was only sitting at a sweet shop, in the city, with a wolf princess and her wolf, ordering some dessert he had never heard of before. There was nothing strange about that at all. "We'll take three." She nodded and promised to return shortly.
He stared at the remaining sweets and waited for the wolf princess to continued telling him about whatever she had been talking about. The last thing he remembered she had been telling him about Inuki. Something about the wolf's sleeping habits. However, the continuance he expected never came. Confused, he glanced up at the wolf princess. She was staring at him oddly, her bright eyes wide with something he couldn't quite recognize, but suddenly made him feel very shy at the same time. "Princess Yuzuriha?"
She looked like there was really something she wanted to tell him, but before she had the opportunity, the serving girl came back and placed three bowls on the table. Yuzuriha instantly grabbed one and placed it on the ground in front of Inuki. She fondly patted the wolf on the head before straightening and treating Kamui with a smile. "Thank you for remembering Inuki."
She eagerly tasted her frozen treat, her smile growing wider. "Wow, this is delicious. You should try some, Kamui."
He looked dubiously at the bowl placed in front of him. He couldn't remember ever seeing anything like it before. He slowly picked up the spoon and scooped some of the soft treat onto it. Yuzuriha watched him expectantly as he lifted the spoon to his mouth. He figured what did not kill the wolf princess could not possibly hurt him. The treat was cold, colder than expected and tasted vaguely like mint and chocolate. The only thing he was afraid of now was the bill he was going to get for these treats.
"It's good," he told her, lowering his spoon for another bite. He didn't plan on making it a regular occurrence, but perhaps, on occasion, he and the wolf princess could go for some frozen creams. Or perhaps they could do something else. She seemed pleased and returned to her own treat.
He contemplated his current situation as he savored his snack. Soon, he would inherit the title of Kamui, and he knew the girl would not be as open with him as she was now. Even if she was, she would eventually have to return to the mountains and take her place as leader of the wolf clan. In a way, it was satisfying to know she would always be protecting him from the north, yet he still wanted some consistency in his life. He wanted to be able to hold on to just one person, even if it was the strange girl who controlled the wolves.
"Kamui?" The urgency in her voice snapped him back to immediate attention. "Can I tell you something?" She was wringing her hands in her lap, and Inuki was staring quizzically up at her. Her nervousness did nothing to ease the worry that had been gnawing at him ever since she had called his name.
"Sure." He had a horrible sinking sensation that he really didn't want to hear what she was about to tell. Still, he also felt it was something he should know. He couldn't help it if he felt a little bit uneasy in his stomach, both terrified and intrigued by what she so desperately wanted to tell him.
She hesitated a moment longer, as if trying to determine whether or not she should actually tell him. The longer she waited, the more worried and intrigued he became.
"I just want you to know I'll always be there for you, and even if I'm far away, I'll still find a way to be with you, and you can always count on me for protection." She shut her mouth tightly and resumed staring at her hands.
She had spoken so quickly he had to take a few moments to make sense of her words. He knew once he became Kamui he would need extra protection, but she was pledging herself to him now. Furthermore, she wasn't even the head of the wolf clan yet.
"Princess Yuzuriha, what-?"
She sighed and it was only then he saw the tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "I promise, Kamui, I won't let them hurt you. I'll make sure Inuki keeps them far away."
He wanted to ask her who the "them" were. There were a lot of things he wanted to ask her, mainly what it was she was so worried about. He was destined to become Kamui and then nothing could harm him. He wanted to ask her what terrible future she alone saw that made her so frightened, so worried about him.
But before he could ask, the serving girl reappeared with their bill, driving all other thoughts away as he worried how the treasurer would react to it as he hesitantly displayed his father's crest. With a sigh, he wondered if the ones Yuzuriha had sworn to protect him from had been his father's treasurers. They would certainly be willing to kill him once the bill reached them. The wolf princess had offered to pay, but he had been polite and turned her down and now he would just have to face the consequences.
"We should head back to the palace, princess, before somebody realizes we're both missing." Inuki gave him a disgruntled stare. The wolf possibly wanted some more sweets even though he had neatly polished off the few remaining ones on the table, but he thought his allowance had suffered enough already. Besides, he was worried the wolf would become overweight, and Yuzuriha would blame him. She reluctantly agreed; he had never known an individual could have such an immense capacity for sweets.
She was either really tired or had run out of things to say, for she was mostly silent on the return journey, Inuki padding softly between them. Kamui thought perhaps she was still worried about the threat she had promised to protect him from. Maybe he should be the one protecting her. She was two years younger than him, female, and limited to her wolfpack and swordplay for protection. Of course, he supposed it could be very dangerous to underestimate the power of the wolfclan, but he was hoping that would prove to be his advantage instead of working against him.
Something wet pressed against his hand, and Kamui instinctively reached back to scratch the wolf behind the ears. Instead of the soft fuzz he expected, his hand came in contact with bare flesh. Blushing fiercely, he jerked his hand away and stammered a few apologies to the wolf princess.
She light-heartedly chastised the wolf, accusing him of being a matchmaker, a voyeur, and a bunch of other things Kamui rather would have not have heard. He had a feeling he didn't want to know exactly what they were. He didn't need a fourteen year old girl making him blush any more than she already had.
The journey through the woods could be dangerous, especially at the late hour he ended up leaving the villa, but the doctor had no fear of the forest. Especially he could never fear the wolves of Mitsumini. Because he served as visiting doctor to the wolf clan, and they had no other method of paying him, every time he traveled through the woods, one of the wolves trailed behind him to protect him. He knew how very important their presence was.
A man whose only son he had not been able to save had chased after him once, intent on his destruction. The man had found the death he craved, at the snapping jaws of the doctor's wolf companion. He never doubted the validity of the wolf clan's payment again.
At least his horse no longer got nervous with the wolves trailing around. She just plowed along with her head down. She knew the path so well.
A piercing scream filled the air, and he struggled to keep his balance while getting all four of the horse's hooves back onto the ground. The scream had come from the villa. He recognized the screams; they were the same screams she had loosed giving birth to Kotori. "Lady Saya!" Another scream ripped through the air. The doctor whirled his horse around, intent on going back to help ease Saya's pain.
The road was blocked. Branches from either side trailed across the road, twining themselves together and making passage impossible. He frantically looked to the side. The trees seemed to be growing closer together, and there was no way he would ever be able to fit his horse between the gap. He dismounted, determining to go on foot. He would have to be back to help Saya in any way he could.
"I'm sorry, doctor, but I'm afraid that won't work." He frantically looked around for the source of the voice, a voice that sounded like it belonged to a young girl. His wolf clan protection had never attempted to speak to him before, and the road had been empty. Besides, fear of the wolves would keep normal people off the road, so he knew whoever it was could mean him no good. "I cannot allow you to interfere."
The voice seemed to be coming from the trees; perhaps from someone hiding in the branches. However, he could not discern what direction the voice was coming from, let alone what tree the person was hiding in. "Who are you? Show yourself!"
"Please excuse my rudeness." He heard a low thud behind him as someone hit the ground. The doctor froze, unsure if he wanted to turn around. Was it just his imagination, or were the trees beginning to look a little bit more sinister? "My name is Satsuki." He slowly turned around to face the speaker. A young woman was standing in the middle of the road. Her clothes appeared to be what any girl would be wearing after the revolution, and for a moment, the doctor thought maybe he had been overreacting. The war was over, and the remaining Others were too frightened to show themselves in public now for fear of the greatest retribution. The rumors of what had happened to their comrades in the Kyoto High Security Prison were enough to keep most of them under control. This girl before him just had to be a normal girl from the closest village.
He attempted to convince himself of that, but the streak of auburn through her otherwise black hair belied the façade he so desperately wanted to cling to. "What do you want from me?" Saya screamed again, and beside him, his horse reared slightly, her eyes rolling widely. "The Lady Saya is in pain. Why don't you want me to help her?"
"You must not interfere with the Lady Saya's destiny. I am here to prevent that at any cost." Something about the look in the girl's eyes made him even more frightened than when the man had come to kill him. All the while the trees had been closing in even further.
The wolf that had been trailing him broke cover, jumping in between him and the strange girl. Before the doctor realized what was going on, the branches of the nearby trees had ripped through the wolf's body and were aiming straight for his chest. And his scream mingled with Saya's last piercing cry.
Yuzuriha and Inuki both lifted their heads abruptly, a frightened expression plastered on the girl's face as the wolf growled. Kamui jumped and looked around for the source of their terror. He could sense nothing, but Inuki was still growling deep within his throat. He looked down at the snarling wolf and realized he never wanted to be on the other side of those jaws. Though the wolf still seemed a bit agitated, the girl seemed to have calmed down considerably and had relaxed her stance. Now she seemed like she was on the verge of tears.
"Yuzuriha, what's wrong?" He felt awkward, like he should be trying to comfort her in some way, but he had no idea how to. Maybe once she talked to him, he would be able to figure it out.
"It's just - I think – Mizu –" She seemed to regain control of herself and shook her head; Kamui noticed the tears falling to the ground even if she had not meant for them to be known. "It's nothing. Just a strange feeling I had." Kamui had the feeling there was more to her strange feeling than she was telling him. Of course, everyone seemed to be keeping things from him anymore, so he didn't know why that should bother him so much. He figured if she wanted to tell him, she would. That didn't keep it from bothering him that she didn't trust him enough. She grinned at him, snapping him out of his self-pity. "We should hurry back to the palace before it gets dark."
He nodded his agreement and did not try to get her to talk to him again on the way back to the palace. He wished he knew something to ease her mind, she kept staring off in the direction she first had, and Inuki was now stalking between them as if he was hunting something. His own unwanted feelings of unease were not helping the general mood at all.
As they approached the gates, he saw a man standing there waiting for them. He was frightened for a moment, until he realized that Inuki did not seem to be threatened by this stranger. In fact, the wolf was acting once again like a docile dog. He knew the visitor could not be from the wolf clan evident by the lack of a wolf companion, so he wondered what the relationship between Yuzuriha and the man could be.
"You must be Kamui. I've been looking for you." The man stepped out of the shadows and approached them. He looked Kamui over once or twice, which made him feel even more uncomfortable around this stranger, before taking a closer look at Yuzuriha. "I see the wolf princess has already made your acquaintance. Then you should already know everything that's going on." Yuzuriha looked rather flushed to him and almost as if she were trying to disappear. The man laughed. "You two are both really pretty. If the rest of the Seals are as good-looking as you, I must be the luckiest man alive!" Kamui was growing more and more agitated as the man continued talking about things he had never heard of and didn't bother to stop to offer any explanations.
"By the way, my name is Sorata, and I'm the visitor from Kouya. However, my real role as a Seal is one of an electric elemental." The man paused and looked up at the sky. "Speaking of which, the other Seals should be gathering soon. Don't you think we should go and meet them?"
Kamui had finally had enough and grabbed the man by the front of the shirt. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Whoa, calm down buddy!" The young man made a futile attempt to squirm away from him. "Hasn't the wolf princess told you anything?" Kamui glanced over at Yuzuriha who flushed and looked away. "I'm a bit disappointed." Yuzuriha sighed and looked even more dejected.
Kamui turned his attention back to their visitor. "You leave Yuzuriha alone." He was not about to let some strange monk ruin Yuzuriha's mood just because he thought she should have been telling him something. He trusted the wolf princess's judgment in her decision.
"He's right, Kamui." Kamui just barely loosened his grip on the young man and turned his full attention to the wolf princess. She was refusing to look in his eyes, staring instead at the top of Inuki's head. "I really should have told you everything. I just wanted the chance to get to know you before everyone else arrived."
Kamui dropped the annoying monk and took a step closer to her. "Princess Yuzuriha, what are you talking about?"
The monk's eyes softened and threw his arms around both of their shoulders. "Well, no harm done." He smiled at both of them. "Cheer up, little princess. If Kamui comes with us, we'll be able to meet the rest of the team."
Kamui felt as if he did not have much of a choice any more. The strange man, Sorata, led the way, his arms still wrapped around their shoulders. Kamui glanced behind them to see Inuki following closely behind them. At least the wolf seemed inclined to trust the man, and Yuzuriha did seem to know what he was talking about, even if she had mentioned nothing of it previously. Once again he felt helpless as he was dragged along beside the older man.
As they moved further into the palace, Kamui realized they were getting closer to the point where he had met Yuzuriha earlier in the day.
"Well, Yuuto, it would seem that the seven seals are gathering." She turned to the blonde standing next to her and was pleased to find his accustomed smile on his face.
"Then perhaps we should gather our team." That was precisely what she had been thinking. She had known for quite a while now every member destined to serve their Kamui and listened patiently as Yuuto listed them off. "Lets see, there's the water master - that's me - the forest elemental – " he grinned – "that's the cute girl you've been in contact with – Death, or Sakurazukamori, however you want to look at it – and the four we don't know the identities of; the earth elemental, the Seer, the demon, and of course, our Kamui."
That was the most frustrating bit of the entire business. None of the ones that had been in contact with so far seemed to know exactly who their Kamui was. And they still had a lot more to find. "We'll do what we can until we find him. In the meantime, I want you to retrieve Satsuki and bring her to Kyoto."
"Where will you be going?" he asked her rather politely.
She sighed and tossed her hair over her shoulder. "To see if Death knows anything about the other four."
"You're going to go in person?"
"Of course. He's blocked me from his mind so I can't learn his name." She had made contact with him once in dreams. He had briefly entertained her, listened to what she had to say, confirmed that he was in fact Sakurazukamori and part of their destiny, then proceeded to use his magic to kick her out. It had been rather painful on her, but when she had tried to reach him again, all she found was a shield of cherry blossoms. At that point she realized he really was the Sakurazukamori; only he would utilize so much flair in magic.
"Are you sure Death is going to help us?" Always the pragmatic one. She had thought of that possibility a few times herself. From her brief encounter with him, he had seemed rather inclined to do his own thing and not listen to anyone else.
"I'm not sure. But I do know one thing I managed to retrieve from his mind." She turned around to face Yuuto and got the questioning noise she had been expecting. "Death, more than any of us, has something quite personal wrapped up in this business."
"Perhaps he has a connection with one of the Kamui's?" Yuuto suggested.
She shook her head. "No. One of the seals. The other onmyoji." Yuuto, it seemed, was as intrigued about the subject as she was.
"It looks like the gang's all here," Sorata said walking into the room, effectively blocking Kamui's view a few seconds. The first thing he noticed when Sorata moved out of his way was another young man standing against the opposite wall who seemed rather unconcerned with whatever else was going on in the room. Kamui then slowly noticed the others in the room as well. The Seer Hinoto was sitting in the middle of the room. There was also an older woman with bright red hair, wearing an outfit that made Yuzuriha's look acceptable in comparison, another young woman with straight black hair holding a sword, an older gentleman who waved nervously at him, and another woman that reminded him vaguely of his mother. Upon closer inspection he realized that it was his aunt who he had met only once before; she had been the one to inform him of his mother's death.
She was the one who spoke to him. "Welcome, Kamui. I would like to introduce you to your Seals." He was still rather confused about what was going on, but took the few steps into the room. "The visitor from Kouya, Sorata" – the young man waved energetically at him – "the Kishu shrine maiden, Arashi" – the girl with the straight hair looked at him- "the fire master, Karen" – the scantly clad woman gave him a smile – "the wind master, Seiichirou" – the older man gave him a small wave – "the light onmyoji, Subaru of the Sumeragi clan" – the young man barely looked up at him – "and I believe you are already acquainted with the wolf princess, Yuzuriha." Yuzuriha started and blushed.
"I still don't understand what they're doing here." Kamui let his accusing gaze fall upon all of them; the only exception being Yuzuriha who had been the closest thing he had to a friend since arriving in Tokyo. Even if she really had withheld valuable information from him, he refused to hold it against her when she and Inuki had been so open and friendly.
"These are your Seals." The voice seemed to be coming from everywhere and nowhere at once. Kamui blocked his ears but the voice still resonated in his head. "It is their fate to protect your claim to the title of Kamui." At that point he realized it was the Seer Hinoto who was speaking to him. Oddly enough, no one else seemed to be disturbed by this, even though he knew they were all aware that they could hear her too. With the exception of Subaru, they were all looking at her. He slowly lowered his hands back down to his sides. "There will be another who will try to claim the title of Kamui. He and his Angels will try to return the world to the way it was before the revolution."
"Do you know the identity of him or his angels?" Why had they just waited until now to tell him this? He glanced over at Yuzuriha, and she refused to meet his gaze.
The Seer lowered her head. "I am afraid I do not. It is still too early to know who has inherited the other Shinken."
"Then you're not much use as a Seer, are you?" The girl he thought he remembered as being named Arashi started and glared at him, while the rest of the "Seals" looked at him dubiously. "How am I supposed to fight this enemy if you don't know his name or any of his associates." He turned to leave, beckoning to Yuzuriha to come with him. She at least had not only spoken to him for the sole purpose of helping him fulfill his so called destiny.
"Wait." He turned around to see the Seer extending her hand towards him. "I do not know the name of the Angels, but I do know their descriptions." He slowly walked back to kneel in front of the Seer. "The earth master, the water master, the dark onmyoji known as Death, the demon lord, the forest master, and another Seer."
He was still not getting enough information for him to believe any of what she was telling him. He was not about to feel obligated to fighting a battle for these people when they could not even correctly identify the enemy. "Where exactly am I supposed to find these people?"
"Death is locked away in the Kyoto High Security Prison, is that not correct, Subaru?" his aunt asked, pointedly looking in the young man's direction.
He pulled himself away from the wall to stand up straight. "There is absolutely no proof that that man is the dark onmyoji known as Death." He glared at all of them, and Kamui wondered who they were talking about. Perhaps it was somebody Subaru knew and thought was innocent. If they did not know the identity of the other angels, who was to say they had correctly identified Death? For that matter, how could they really be sure that all the people standing in the room were his Seals? Surely there were other fire masters out there. Granted, most of them like all the other elementals and the onmyoji were wiped out during the revolution, but some other ones had to remain. Just as he was sure that there were other members of the wolf clan in Mitsumini. Besides, he was having a difficult time imagining what a demon lord would look like.
"Kamui, there is one other thing you must know." He turned to his aunt, wanting to leave and go back out to the sunlight with the wolf princess at his side. "Starting tomorrow, you and the other young Seals will be attending the university in the city for your protection."
"Even Subaru?" he asked, thinking at least that might make things a little bit better. Except for his statement in defense of the man they had captured as Death, the onmyoji seem fairly uninterested in the proceedings going on around him. Kamui was beginning to picture him as a kindred spirit that he would be able to confide in about how dull this all seemed to him.
"No," his aunt quickly corrected. "Subaru's duties require him to be in Kyoto. His sister is soon to have a child from what I understand, and I'm sure he will want to be there for that occasion." If Subaru had seemed uninterested at the rest of the meeting, he started to look a little bit ill as soon as she mentioned his sister. Kamui just wished they would stop talking about things he was completely clueless about. "You may go now, Kamui. We will summon you back down here when you are needed. The rest of you may go as well."
Kamui was actually one of the last people to leave the room, right after Subaru who did not seem to be very motivated to get back to wherever he was staying during his stay in Tokyo. Yuzuriha was the only one who remained behind him, and once they were both outside the door, she grabbed his hand to stop him.
"I'm sorry, Kamui," she said as he turned around to look at her. "I should have told you sooner. But I am glad I got the extra time to get to know you."
"That's alright, Yuzuriha." He smiled gently down at her and reached with his other hand to pat Inuki on the head. "The three of us will have to go for sweets again sometime soon." She nodded her agreement and wiped her tears away with the back of her hand.
Kotori waited patiently for her father or brother to come back and tell her the news. When Saya had begun screaming, she had tried to go running to her mother, but Fuuma and her father told her to stay where she was. Waiting patiently in her room, she watched the darkness settle around the castle. Her brother and father had been gone for far too long. She sat and waited. She paced and waited. She sat back down and drummed her fingers on the windowsill.
She thought of Kamui more. She wanted to know what he looked like now, whether he was handsome and all the courtly girls were in love with him. She wanted to know if he had developed in the same way as her brother to become strong and muscular or if he had remained wiry for his entire life. Still, she supposed he could still have some physical charm even if he was still really skinny. And the added bonus of soon to become the Kamui would make him all the more attractive to any girl who was looking to get ahead in life.
She wished her brother would come back soon. Wanted him to go back so he could take her mind off of Kamui. When she was with her brother, it seemed to be all Fuuma, and sometimes it seemed like Kamui had never existed at all. If he was around, he filled her entire world. Which made her wonder about how things would be when the three of them were together again.
The door to her room creaked open slowly, and she turned expectantly towards it. "Fuuma!" she called, running towards her brother but stopping just a little short of him. In his right hand he was carrying a sword she had never seen before. A sword that looked far too expensive to have been bought by their family. Furthermore, something else was different about him. She got the distinct impression that the moth was almost completely free from it's cocoon. "Big brother?"
He slowly raised his eyes to look into hers and a shiver ran down her spine. His eyes were different. She could barely recognize them as Fuuma's eyes at all. "Mother is dead, Kotori. Father wants us to go to Tokyo to tell Kamui, Tokiko, and Tohru. We have to leave tonight."
"Tonight?" she repeated as if she had not heard him correctly and secretly hoping she had not.
"Yes, tonight," he repeated, reaching out to grab her hand. "It's no longer safe for me here."
"But –" She turned to look out the window at the sky that was growing ever darker. "We'll never make it before it gets too dark to travel."
"I'll protect us," he said, lifting the sword a little to make sure she was aware of its presence. "We can travel straight through the night."
Before she could make another protest, her brother had begun pulling her away. She would have to follow him. She entertained no desire to fight him, nor did she have the necessary strength to get away from him. Besides, she had no idea if what he said was true or not. They really could be in danger, and she might be putting them in more danger by not complying instantly. One thing bothered her as she followed him downstairs to the stables. She wondered why Fuuma had never mentioned their father.
She longed to ask her brother about this transgression, but she could not find her voice to speak as he lead her outside and to the stables. Though all the while she wondered why their father was not coming along and where exactly Fuuma had gotten the sword. Was the acquisition of the sword somehow responsible for them leaving so swiftly and silently? She could only hope that once they got to Tokyo her brother would be a little more willing to tell her exactly what was going on.
Confused as she was, in the gathering darkness she could not even tell that the direction he started them in was not towards Tokyo.
Yuuto had been sitting in his private room in the inn sipping a cup of tea when Kanoe suddenly reentered the room followed by a shorter young woman whom Yuuto immediately recognized as another Elemental despite her obvious attempts to hide this fact from others. Her hair, black with a single streak of auburn, was a sure identifier of her abilities. She belonged to the forest. "Back so soon?" he asked, placing his cup down on the table. "Surely that isn't death you have with you. Such a beautiful young woman could hardly be capable of the kind of morbid devastation Death has caused." The young woman in question blushed.
"There's been a slight change in plans." Kanoe informed him, walking over to sit down on his bed. "Satsuki has just informed me that the true Kamui has awakened sooner than expected and is coming here."
"How do we know this person is really the true Kamui?" He asked, politely, smiling over at Satsuki who merely stared blankly at him in return.
"Satsuki saw the sword. He is Kamui, even if he does not know it yet. And he is headed in this direction."
"But we don't even know the rest of our Angels yet."
"It is as bit troublesome. You and Satsuki will have to go to Kyoto and get Death out of that prison." Kanoe smirked. "While you're there, take over Kyoto so we can use that as our base." Yuuto nodded. They would need some place to operate from if they were going to restore the world. "I'll meet Kamui and bring him there as soon as I can. Hopefully we'll be able to meet a few of the other Angels along the way."
"There is always the possibility that some of the others are also at the Kyoto High Security Prison. That is where they keep most of the Elementals they consider dangerous."
Deep within the mountain prison, Death stirred. They were changing the guard, and it just so happened the one coming on the shift was one of the few he liked. He was still slight for a man and had green eyes that reminded him so much of someone else he had known. This one was talkative and often gave him information about the outside world, occasionally dropping news as to what the Sumeragi clan was doing. Of course, he did not consciously think about any of this. To him, he merely lifted his head to look at the new guard coming in to serve. "Well, Mr. Death, I must say I would rather spend the night down here with you than take one hour of that shift they have going on in the Research Wing."
Death silently watched the boy, his amber eyes studying carefully and judging how long it would be before the boy would start to talk about things he really wanted to hear. "You would not believe the research they are trying to do up there. They're trying to resurrect a demon-god through the body of a young girl by inserting demon blood into her. You should hear the screams."
Suddenly, the boy seemed to remember who he was talking to and stiffened with a nervous chuckle. "Not that I think you would enjoy something like that Mr. Death." A bit more nervous laughter. "It's just I always get so worried when Lord Subaru isn't in Kyoto."
So, Subaru had left Kyoto. Death wondered what could possibly take the young lord away from his home. Only something very important, because the head of the Sumeragi clan was charged with keeping the prisoners in control and inside the prison. He wondered if his sister had gone with him, or if she was still in Kyoto.
Apparently, the boy had no intention of telling him anything else about the demon-god, and he thought of the woman who had visited his dreams the other night. Subaru's sister had visited his dreams before trying to see if he really was Death or not, but the woman the other night was a first-time visitor. She had not been really interesting: all she wanted to do was talk about fate, Kamui, Angels, and Seals. She had mentioned a light onmyoji was one of the Seals. She had also mentioned a demon-god was one of the Angels. He figured it was a shame she had not come a night later for she would have been interested in the information the boy had just given him, but as it was, he had no intention of letting her back into his dreams anytime soon. He had his own plans that had absolutely nothing to do with the fate of the country. Granted, the fate of Kyoto was at stake in his plans, but only as an unfortunate side calamity. Fate he had no concerns about.
"Do you know when Lord Subaru will return?" he asked, startling the boy and making him glance over at the cell cautiously. The boy looked him up and down a few times, and Death did his best to keep a friendly expression.
"No one is exactly sure, but I heard he was going to Tokyo on very important business with the Kamui." Death smiled broadly at the young man before settling back against the wall again and closing his eyes.
Kamui found it impossible to sleep after everything that had happened during the day combined with the task of trying to remember who everyone was. He still was not sure whether or not he should belief the blind Seer and his aunt when it came to this whole prophecy aspect. In order to try to settle his mind and to perhaps get a small amount of sleep, he started wandering the palace aimlessly. Everyone else appeared to be asleep, which was just perfect for the sort of mood he was in. Other people would only be a distraction, and he had to decide whether or not he was going to go along with everyone else's plan for him. If it meant he could save Kotori that way, then of course, he would have no choice but to listen to what they told him.
After a few hours of wandering in which he had gotten himself hopelessly lost, he began to look around for someone that could possibly show him back to his room. He heard his aunt's voice and started towards the sound to ask her for help. Just outside the door of the room he was sure she was in, something made him stop and just listen to what she was saying. "Tomorrow Kamui is going to begin attending the CLAMP academy. You do realize the implications for yourself, correct?"
Kamui peered in through the small crack in the door. The room was dim, lit only be a small fire behind his aunt which silhouetted her face and that of the person she was talking to. The only thing he could discern about her companion was that it was male and if he did not know better, he would have sworn it was Fuuma. "Yes, ma'am," her partner responded stoically.
"I hope you realize the only reason you were selected for CLAMP academy was for this very purpose. You are to be Kamui's guardian, to keep him under control using the ancient methods. Make sure you give him a good first impression tomorrow." His aunt paused for a moment and appeared to sigh. "And remember, under no conditions are you allowed to fall in love with him."
"Yes, Lady Tokiko."
Kamui wished he could see the person's face so he knew who to avoid tomorrow and for as long as he possibly could. He did not like the ominous way his aunt had been speaking to the boy. Besides, it seemed they were using him as just one more way to use and deceive him. Wondering what type of person could possibly agree to such a thing, he did not realize that someone had snuck up behind him until he felt a hand pressing down on his shoulder. "It is impolite to listen to other people's conversations." Trying not to make too much noise, Kamui turned around to face his would-be-assailant, only to find the young man Subaru standing behind him. Subaru reached over and closed the door Kamui had been eavesdropping through. "You might just hear something you would rather not."
Seeing as how Subaru seemed to be speaking from experience, Kamui followed him when he started walking away, hoping to receive more information. However, the young man was showing no inclination to talk to Kamui any more, though he did not push him away either. "Why are you still up?" he asked, hoping to push the man into conversation.
"I could not sleep." Kamui could empathize with that, considering he was up wandering himself for the very same reason. "I keep thinking about something."
"About that man my aunt referred to as 'Death'?" he prodded. After a moment's hesitation, Subaru nodded once. "Who is he?"
"He was a friend of mine. They arrested him nine years ago and have held him there ever since despite no evidence that he really is the dark onmyoji known as Death, or Sakurazukamori." Kamui wondered how he would feel if Fuuma had been arrested under false charges and decided he really did not want to think about it too much. Especially if they were charges as high as the ones that seemed to be placed on Subaru's friend. "My own twin sister even seems to believe the claims placed against him."
"Well, you should be getting some sleep. You have to start school tomorrow." Kamui suddenly realized that Subaru had lead him back to his room without him realizing it. He quietly thanked the other man and slipped into his room, making sure to close the door behind him. At least it had been the most interesting day since he had first arrived in the city. And he really was starting to like some of the Seals.
Morning arrived quite painfully for him since he had not gotten nearly enough sleep, and he was ushered into what he was told was his "school uniform" as soon as he opened his eyes. After some servants shoved some breakfast into his mouth, they pushed him gently to the palace gates where he was greeted by some of the people he had meet yesterday, specifically Sorata and Arashi. Yuzuriha was there as well, and she blushed a little when she saw him and began fiddling with her skirt. At least they had been subject to wearing similar clothes to him.
The university was larger than he expected, considering it was in the middle of the city, and if he had not been informed it was a school, he would have thought it was some type of recreational class. "I wonder where we're supposed to go?" Yuzuriha asked as they wandered around aimlessly for the first few minutes.
Kamui wished they would know where they were going soon since he was most likely going to be separated from the others. Yuzuriha wasn't bad, but Sorata's occasional flirting with Arashi behind him was becoming annoying. Just when he was about to give up hope and just run away from them, he caught sight of a blonde male running towards them with an alarming amount of speed and waving.
"Hello, you must be Kamui." He smiled and shook Kamui's hand. "I'm Keiichi Segawa, your class representative." Kamui was unsure of how to respond to the guy when he wouldn't even let go of his hand. "Who are your friends?" he asked as if suddenly seeing the others for the first time.
"I'm Yuzuriha Nekoi." Yuzuriha bounded forward and took Keiichi's hand from Kamui. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"So you're the wolf princess, huh? You're definitely as cute as they say you are." Yuzuriha giggled, and Kamui scowled, having felt the sudden urge to strangle something. Sorata and Arashi attracted his attention by introducing themselves, and Kamui relaxed considerably. "Well, Kamui, we should be getting to class," he said, grabbing Kamui's hand again. "I'm sure your class representatives will find you soon," he called over his shoulder to the others as he started dragging Kamui away.
He continued smiling as he dragged him along, and Kamui found that was the only thing he could focus on as he was dragged across campus. He realized this boy did not have to worry about protecting the country, or even that the country was in danger, and for a brief moment, he envied him.
TBC….