Title: Tainted Purity
Author: Tankyasue
Warning: Shounen-ai. Lime in later chapters.
Disclaimer: I don't own Tokyo Babylon, Clamp does.
Summary: Subaru discovers who Seishirou really is before the end of the bet.
Chapter 1 - Who's That Boy?
It felt odd to find himself curled underneath his sheets when he had been certain that he'd been standing outside underneath a cherry blossom tree only a moment ago. 'It was only a dream... just like every other time,' Subaru thought to himself, wishing that he could only believe that the statement was true. Though the statement sounded logical to his mind, it didn't stop his heart from beating loudly in his ears nor could it stop him from believing that there was someone watching him from outside his window. For a moment, he thought that he could see a man staring at him through the glass, but it must have been his imagination.
It wouldn't be possible for anyone to look into the window of his apartment. It was simply too high.
However, knowing this did not prevent Subaru from rising from his bed, and walking towards his window, his entire body trembling with every step.
Only when he finally got to his window did he realize that it had been left open, as if the person that he'd seen on the roof before had used it to enter his room that night.
'I'm just being paranoid,' Subaru scolded himself, absently scratching the back of his left hand. 'I must have opened that window myself yesterday, and forgot all about it before going to bed last night. Hokuto-chan always tells me how absent-minded I am, and anyway it does sound like something that I might do.'
Subaru closed the window hastily before walking over towards his dresser and taking a simple outfit from the bottom drawer. He knew it would only be exchanged with his sister's more flamboyant clothes the minute he went outside his bedroom door, but it would feel nice to be able to be able to dress normally, even for only a little while.
He wouldn't have minded wearing the outfits that Hokuto made for him as much if she didn't insist upon showing off her strange creations to Seishirou just so that the man would have an excuse to harass him with his strange sense of humour. It was hard for Subaru to have to deal with having another man tell him how beautiful he looked in his sister's strange clothes.
However, it was even worse when Seishirou would tell him things like: 'I love you,' and 'I want to marry you,' especially when the two of them were alone together.
He knew that he could not be serious about what he was saying since they were both men, but it still bothered him anyway. There was just something about the way that Seishirou looked at him whenever he said 'I love you,' that terrified him. Not that the man didn't unnerve him at the best of times anyway.
Perhaps it was because he clearly resembled the boy that he saw underneath the cherry blossom tree in his dreams every night, but that didn't mean that they were the same person. Seishirou was lively, and childish, and sweet-like the pastries that he was so fond of. Though he could be a little perverted at times, he was still very, very kind. It was obvious that he was harmless, and it was very silly for him to be afraid of him.
The boy that he dreamed about was the exact opposite of Seishirou. He was empty and cold to the point that it was difficult to believe that he was alive at all. He seemed more like a living doll than an actual human being.
Though this disturbed Subaru, he still found himself drawn to the boy each night. He knew that the boy was dangerous, and he was terrified of him, but he still didn't want to leave the boy all alone because he knew that he was lonely.
Besides, it wasn't as if he disliked the boy. At times, he even thought that he could become fond of him if he could ever see the person hidden underneath that cold, doll-like exterior.
Subaru shivered as he removing his shirt, and looked out the window. He was certain that he would see a man watching him from the rooftop of the building next to his, but all he saw was a bird. The bird flew away before he could get a good look at it, but he continued staring out the window for a long time anyway, afraid that he had missed something.
'I really am an idiot,' Subaru thought as he pulled a simple turtleneck over his head. 'I'm always getting paranoid over nothing... I really wish that I'd stop having these dreams.'
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Subaru sat next to his sister because he usually felt safest with her close to him, but that morning he could still feel Seishirou staring at him from his seat directly across from his. He hadn't wanted to have breakfast at Seishirou's apartment after what had happened that night, but there was no way that he could have convinced Hokuto that he'd just wanted to stay home for the day.
He supposed that it was natural for him to feel awkward sitting so close to someone that he regarded as little more than a stranger, but there was something about the way that Seishirou was looking at him that deeply unnerved him.
"Breathtaking," the veterinarian murmured with a decidedly unpleasant expression. Though the remark was meant to answer Hokuto's question regarding her latest creation, it seemed to be directed towards him.
"Are you talking about the outfit or my brother?" Hokuto remarked glancing at Subaru, causing his face to turn bright red.
"Both. I find all of your outfits refreshingly original, however Subaru-kun would look wonderful in anything, or even nothing at all! It's a shame that I don't get to see him more often, but considering the nature of his occupation I suppose it can't be helped."
"Well, it's not like there's anything preventing you from taking Subaru out today at least," Hokuto began slyly.
"Hokuto-chan, why are you-" Subaru whispered to his sister, but she ignored him entirely.
"I don't think that Subaru has any work to do today at all, so why don't the two of you spend the entire day together!"
"Actually, that isn't-"
"Perfect! We can all go to Ueno Park!" Seishirou cried out, displaying far too much enthusiasm for a man of twenty-five. "I'll pack a lunch for the three of us."
"You two go have fun," Hokuto replied pushing herself away from the table.
"But Hokuto-chan," Seishirou whined, "It's important for me to spend time with my wonderful sister-and-law as well! It'll be fun to have a picnic with all three of us."
"No. You two never get to spend enough time alone with each other, and besides... I'd just be a third wheel."
"That isn't true, we both enjoy your company very much, don't we Subaru-kun?"
"Eh?"
"Anyway, I have a date in less than an hour, and I really need to get ready!" Hokuto said hurriedly before sprinting towards the kitchen door. "Be sure to take care of Subaru for me!"
"B-But, you never told me anything about that!" Subaru exclaimed helplessly as he watched his sister leave.
"Well, I suppose that the two of us can have fun on our own, can't we, Subaru-kun?" Seishirou said, smiling innocently as he placed a hand on his shoulder.
Subaru looked down at his gloved hands. He really didn't want to spend the day with Seishirou, but it would be rude to tell him that, wouldn't it?
XXXXX
Though Subaru hadn't wanted to go to Ueno Park before, he found that he was actually enjoying himself now that he was there. The cherry blossom trees were very pretty even though they were only in half bloom. They were not nearly as beautiful as the cherry blossom tree that he saw in his dreams, but they didn't scare him either, and looking at them eased his mind a little.
"Do you like cherry blossom trees, Subaru-kun?" Seishirou asked suddenly, startling him.
"Y-Yes," Subaru replied hesitantly, looking away from the older man.
iThe boy in his dream... he'd said that too, hadn't he?/i
Subaru began walking more quickly, hoping to put a little more space between him and Seishirou, but the man could keep up with him easily. He might have kept going anyway, if only to keep his mind off of less pleasant things, but then he noticed a cherry blossom tree that stood out from all the rest. This tree was unseasonably in bloom, just like the cherry blossom tree in his dream had been.
iI wonder where that cherry blossom tree was... surely this can't be it,/i Subaru thought as he approached the tree slowly, until he was close enough to touch its trunk with gloved finger tips.
"Everywhere else, the cherry blossom trees are still in half bloom. Why is this tree in full bloom?" Subaru asked himself aloud, momentarily forgetting that the other man was present.
iI wonder how that boy knew that there was a corpse buried underneath that cherry blossom tree? Who was he?/i
"Is something the matter, Subaru-kun?" Seishirou asked suddenly, placing a hand upon his shoulder. Subaru thought that the gesture was intended to comfort him, but it only made him feel even more nervous about being so close to the older man.
"This tree is already in full bloom. Don't you think that it's strange since all the other trees are still in half bloom?"
"I think you know why," Seishirou said, taking off his glasses. "You know about the corpse buried underneath this cherry blossom tree, don't you?"
"W-What?"
iIt can't be Seishirou-san! It just can't be!"/i
"Subaru-kun, are you alright? You look frightened," Seishirou asked, sounding concerned.
iJust when had he put his glasses back on?/i
"I-I'm fine really," Subaru answered, backing away slightly. "I justreallyneedtogetsomewater rightnowbye!"
Without giving the other man a chance to say another word, Subaru dashed away from Seishirou and the cherry blossom trees without looking back.
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Subaru looked behind him once he'd finally stopped running. He almost expected to find Seishirou standing behind him, and was strangely disappointed to find that no one was there.
'Why did I run away from Seishirou-san like that?' Subaru chided himself miserably. 'Seishirou-san is probably really upset with me now, and Hokuto-chan will be even more upset once she hears about this from him.'
Subaru knew that the only thing he could do was go back and apologize to Seishirou for being so rude, but what would he say if the man demanded an explanation for his actions?
Truthfully, he didn't even want to be near Seishirou after what had happened. If he knew about the corpse underneath the cherry blossom tree then could he be-
"Think it's frightened?" Subaru heard a boy ask from somewhere in the distance.
"W-What if someone sees us?" another voice replied. "I-I think I see someone over there."
"Relax moron. No one cares about what we doing. It's just a stray."
Subaru looked up and turned his head in the direction the that voices had come from to find two young boy's standing a few feet away from him. When he got a bit closer to them, he realized that the boys were crouched over a tiny, whimpering ball of fur.
"B-But why should we hurt it if it doesn't matter? Couldn't we just leave it alone?" the more timid of the two boys's asked. It was easy to see that he was about to cry.
"I wanted to see what it would be like to watch it die," the second boy replied cruelly, preparing to strike the animal again.
"Hey!" Subaru cried out as he dashed towards the boys. Both of them turned away from the puppy abruptly to look at him. The meeker of the two boys appeared terrified to be caught doing something wrong, while the other boy only glared at him.
"What the fuck do you want?" the cruel boy asked sardonically. The timid boy tried to run away, but the cruel boy grabbed him by the arm.
"Please leave that animal alone. You're hurting him," Subaru asked calmly, his tone barely masking the rage that he felt towards the boy.
"Why the fuck do you think that I care?" the cruel boy replied, still holding onto the other boy tightly. Smirking, he kicked the animal with his foot, causing it to whimper. "It's not like a fagot like you can do anything about it anyway."
"Would you like it if someone hurt you in the same way you've been hurting that animal?"
"Why can't you mind your own fucking business?"
"I'm not going to let you hurt that animal any more than you already have. Please leave it alone."
"FUCK YOU!" the boy cried out. He released the other boy's arm, before lunging at Subaru. He attempted to strike him with a jagged piece of glass that he'd kept hidden in his pocket before.
Subaru grabbed the boy's wrist tightly, causing him to drop the glass. The boy flailed about uselessly in his grasp, but it was impossible for him to get free.
"L-let me go! You're hurting me!"
"Only if you promise to leave that animal alone."
"F-Fine. I'll let it go. Just please let go of me!"
Subaru released his hold on the boy's wrist. The boy looked confused for a moment, then he ran away. The more timid boy had already left long before.
Subaru crouched down before the animal, hoping that it hadn't been too badly hurt. Now that he was close enough to see it properly, he could tell that the animal was a puppy, and luckily it wasn't hurt as badly as he'd feared. There were many cuts along his side, but none of them were very deep. He also had a sprained paw, but he doubted that the boy's had caused this.
Tentatively, Subaru reached out and gently began stroking the puppy's black fur. Though his body was caked with blood and dirt, Subaru wasn't afraid to touch him.
After a few minutes, the puppy hesitantly opened his eyes, and began to lick his fingers. Subaru laughed softly, but the worry hadn't faded from his eyes.
"So this is where you went to!" Seishirou exclaimed, coming up from behind him. "I've been looking for you everywhere!"
"Oh! Um-Seishirou-san!" Subaru cried out, knowing that his face must have become bright red. "I'm really sorry for running away from you like that. I should have-"
"Don't apologizing," Seishirou interrupted, peering at the bundle of fur beside him. "What have you got there?"
"Erm... it's a puppy. H-he's hurt and I was wondering if you could, w-well if it wasn't too much troubleā¦"
"Of course I can help the puppy for you, Subaru-kun, but first I want to get something in your stomach. It's too late for us to eat out here now, so I'll take you to my apartment for dinner."
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"Erm... G-Goodbye Seishirou-san," Subaru said, bowing much lower than necessary. "Thank you... for spending time with me today-even if I have been a nuisance, and thank you for taking care of the puppy for me. Please make sure that he finds a good home once he gets better."
"Don't worry, Subaru-kun! This puppy's going to be just fine!" Seishirou exclaimed cheerfully. "And don't fret over what happened today. I could never become angry with the man I love. I just wish that you didn't hate me so much that you felt that you needed to run away from me."
"I don't hate you, Seishirou-san..."
"I'm so glad! Maybe we can go on another date some other time then?"
"A date!?"
"It's rather late, perhaps you should get going before Hokuto-chan gets worried."
"Y-you're right... G-goodbye Seishirou-san, and thank you for everything!"
With that Subaru dashed away, leaving him alone with the puppy in his arms.
"He certainly is adorable, don't you think?" Seishirou said fondly, scratching the puppy behind his ears.
The puppy leaned into his touch, closing his eyes in pleasure. In many ways, the puppy was a lot like Subaru-kun, totally innocent and oblivious to the danger right in front of him. The puppy even looked a bit like Subaru-kun with its black fur and yellow-green eyes.
He only wished that Subaru-kun trusted him a bit more. Then maybe he could 'pet' him like the puppy.
Dinner with Subaru-kun had been rather bland. It had been very difficult to get the boy to say anything at all, and he'd barely picked at his food. If he hadn't made a remark regarding his own lack of culinary skills, he doubted that Subaru-kun would have eaten anything at all.
"Little Subaru-kun is going to have to try harder to maintain my interest. Otherwise, I might get bored with him, and kill him before the end of the bet," Seishirou whispered softly into the puppy's ear, stroking his fur gently. The puppy yawned contently in his arms, oblivious to what he had just said.
"You know, you're a lot like Subaru-kun. Both of you think that I'm 'kind' and 'gentle'. You don't even realize what kind of danger you're in."
Seishirou placed the puppy down on the floor suddenly. The puppy looked up at him and whimpered.
"I'll let you live for now... for as long as you amuse me, but if I ever get tired of you... if I ever have a reason to kill you, I won't hesitate to do so."
"When our bet ends, I won't hesitate to kill little Subaru-kun either."
