Disclaimer: I do not own Tsubasa Chronicle. CLAMP does. (What do they do when they're bored? Torture their characters in an evil, angsty way. What do I do when I'm bored? Torture their characters in a wonderful, hilarious way…well it's funny to me).
Summary: Seishirou and Fuuma learn that there are always repercussions to every action and Subaru and Kamui find out exactly what the two treasure hunters have been up to lately. Sequel to Addicted To You. CRACK fic!
Title: Syzygial Chaos
Beta: LVandattae
A/N: You might want to read Addicted To You first. I guess this could stand on its own, but it's easier to understand if you read the prequel beforehand. Also, it's a bit serious and angsty the first half of the story. I'm as shocked as the rest of you. But no matter how hard I tried to get back on track, my muse wouldn't let it go. So bear with the slight drama please. It's only for a small amount in the beginning then it gets insanely…well, insane. Then it sort of alternates back and forth between humor and angst. Meanwhile I'm sure there's a few of you including my beta giddily happy at my exploration through my most hated genre and ready to scrutinize my successes and failures at it with your supreme superiority.
(And in case you're wondering what exactly the title of this fic means, I explain everything in the A/N at the bottom so stay tuned!)
Ch.1. A Gathering of Twyndyllyngs
Seishirou sat at a table outside of the ice cream parlor, ignoring his melting cup of Double Chocolate Ripple Fudge, holding his cigarette between his nervous twitching fingers, drawing great agitated puffs and exhaling like a broken down steam engine, so that he was literally enveloped by a swirling cloud of grey smoke. Mothers entering and exiting the ice cream parlor shielded their children's eyes from the sight, telling them that that was what happened to those who did not complete their education, and remarking how shameful it was for a man to loiter in public like that.
Seishirou ignored them, his mind on his own problems, and wishing he had gone for a strong drink instead of opting for sweets. He had spent the last half hour sitting there racking his brain, trying to think up a solution to his problem. The ice cream hadn't helped at all. In fact, he was sure it had given him brain-freeze as he now had a giant headache centered directly between his bloodshot eyes, and his thoughts had become rather sluggish as he sat there in a sort of half-dead daze.
And just what was this heavy anxiety preying viciously upon his mind and taking its toll out on his body? Well, it was rather complicated, but the main reason he was troubled was…
"Seishirou-san."
Seishirou looked up at the sound of his name and wasn't surprised to see Subaru standing in front of him. Of course, this Subaru wasn't the same Subaru he had been pursuing across multiple worlds for quite some time now. No, this one was left over from his now-extinct harem—ah, Subaru collection, having been thwarted in the end by a vindictive Time Witch and several vengeful copies of himself. Normally he'd be happy to have a Subaru at his side, not the true object of his desire, albeit one nevertheless. However, this version of Subaru unnerved him, and he was not a man to get unnerved very easily. But this Subaru had undergone more horrors and tragedies than any other version of his obsession that he had ever met.
It seemed that in this Subaru's universe, he, Seishirou, had been quite the sadistic bastard (in his head, a little voice, which sounded suspiciously like Fuuma, laughed and asked what the difference was). Not only had he toyed, broken and stepped on the young man's heart, he had killed his sister, tried to kill him, simultaneously stalked and attacked him, then in the end, tricked Subaru into killing him, throwing him into a role the young man very much despised and effectively causing him to slip into insanity. Oh yes, finally, in some sick twisted gesture, which his other self had probably believed to be a symbol of affection, had willed that his left eye be given to Subaru.
He must have been a masochist in that world, there was no other explanation. Seishirou took another long drag from his cigarette. Those facts still were a bit much to take in. Now, he appeared to be stuck with this Subaru—he'd never thought he'd rue the day when he could not escape Subaru's presence.
Now understand, it wasn't the fact that this Subaru wasn't Seishirou's true Subaru or that this Subaru was slightly insane that was bothering him. It was simply that this Subaru was very…smothering.
"Seishirou-san, you left the house without eating breakfast," Subaru said in his usual expressionless voice.
"I wasn't hungry."
"You shouldn't eat ice cream on an empty stomach, and you shouldn't eat so much. You'll get cavities."
"I brush my teeth everyday."
"Where's your helmet and knee-pads? You aren't supposed to go anywhere outside without them."
"They seem to have mysteriously vanished."
"That's all right. I bought you another set just in case."
A few minutes later, Seishirou, donning a shiny new red helmet and sporty black elbow and knee-pads was sitting at the table, the only sign he was unruffled being his left eye's spontaneous twitching.
Seishirou stubbed out his cigarette in the ash-tray and fumbled for a new one, only to realize he was out. He hadn't always been a smoker. However, he had taken up the habit to appease this new Subaru, who seemed to be of the opinion that a Seishirou who did not at least carry cigarettes on him, was downright blasphemous. Before he even had time to utter a curse, Subaru had handed him a fresh package of his favorite brand.
"Mild Sevens," he said, a sort of pain creeping into his voice. "I switched over to them when I—you…"
Once again, guilt he had no business feeling washed over Seishirou as he wondered what kind of man his other self from this Subaru's world had really been. Whatever the case, this Subaru had been crushed deeply at his death and now had carried all his feelings for him over to this newfound Seishirou, determined he wasn't going to lose another.
It translated loosely to Subaru following him around as a sort of odd bodyguard, being paranoid of any little thing that he marked suspicious (even old ladies with baby strollers weren't exempted), making sure he put his safety first (thus the helmet and knee-pads), and then the absolute worst crutch of it all: no world-hopping.
Yes, that was core of his whole bundle of problems. He wasn't able to cross dimensions. Oh, it wasn't that he couldn't. The glass eye the Time Witch had given him that enabled him the ability was still intact, however, one day he had woken up to discover Sakura's feather missing. He supposed it would be easier to simply say, "chuck it" and leave regardless, but it was one of the most treasured artifacts in his collection and he did not like it when his things, especially one of his favorites, was taken from his grasp involuntarily. He had no doubts in his mind as to who the culprit was, however, when he had requested tersely but politely for Subaru to give it back, he had been met with a defiant kicked puppy look, which read that Subaru fully expected to be punished for his audacity but, no matter the injuries received, would not hand it over.
"Seishirou-san might get hurt," Subaru had stated stubbornly, and then had proceeded to look so miserable that Seishirou had never brought up the subject again.
He was certain another part of the reason for Subaru taking it was that he feared Seishirou would leave him behind and he would be all alone once more. Seishirou really didn't know what to do. He supposed it wouldn't be bad having a Subaru to accompany him on his quest. The journey got to be lonesome at times. However, what would happen when he finally ran into his Subaru? He didn't think the vampire would be exactly pleased with finding Seishirou with a substitute of himself. Not to mention, he suspected this Subaru had formed in his head that he belonged to him now and anyone else was an interloper. Things might get messy if the two met—there might be bloodshed. From what vague information this Subaru shared of his world, he was some kind of mystical warrior—perhaps an even match for a vampire, who knew? On the other hand, it excited Seishirou to imagine the two Subarus fighting over him like he was a prized trophy.
Everything was getting too complicated. Maybe starting that harem—ah, collection—hadn't been such a brilliant idea after all. He needed time to think and having this Subaru around distracted him. He had to get him to give him some space and handle the situation delicately enough that he wouldn't bruise Subaru's already fragile emotional state. However, he seriously doubted Subaru would go away at his request, even for a short while. The young man didn't like when Seishirou was out of his sight. That was all right though. Maybe he could twist this situation around to his own advantage.
"Subaru-kun?"
"Yes, Seishirou-san?"
"I was wondering if you had any place in particular that you ever wanted to go."
"Go?" Subaru repeated, a brief flash of panic brushing past his eyes, before a cool mask settled swiftly over his face. "I am with Seishirou-san now. I have no place else I want to be."
"Oh, yes, I meant go with me of course," Seishirou said hastily, realizing Subaru had probably thought he was planning to drop him off somewhere—dump him—so he would be free once more without a cling-on.
That would be stupid, Seishirou thought. He knows where the feather is. How am I supposed to get off this miserable world otherwise?
Then again, this Subaru was used to being deceived by a smiling, seemingly innocent Seishirou on a daily basis. He may still care for him, but that didn't mean he trusted him. More was the pity—Seishirou could have used the benefit of a doubt right about then.
"I do not care where Seishirou-san goes as long as I go with him," Subaru stated in a manner that reminded Seishirou of an elementary-school child reciting laws of state and presidential speeches; like something that had been ingrained in Subaru's head ever since a young age and now there was only infinite loyalty.
Seishirou suspected his other self must have, over the years, brain-washed this Subaru into thinking there was no other person worthy of his attention or worth living for except him. It was no wonder this Subaru went unbalanced when he died.
"I meant go with me somewhere…as on a date," Seishirou finished, watching Subaru closely to see what his reaction would be.
"This Seishirou-san likes to tease me too," Subaru said without blinking, as if he had heard such a request many times before.
"What? No, I really mean it. Let's go somewhere together on a date," Seishirou pressed, a bit annoyed at his other self. Just how messed up had he been to utterly destroy this Subaru so that he was left with his sanity only hanging on by a thread?
It made time all the more important for this mission. Hopefully, he could wrangle out the feather's location before Subaru's mind finally slipped into the darkest brink from which there was no return…and if the young man appeared still lucid in the end, he might consider bringing him along with him for the next several worlds on his journey and decide what to do with him later on.
Subaru gazed at him for several long, slow seconds as if sizing him up and trying to see through to his true intentions. Then finally, after what seemed like eternity, he spoke up hesitantly.
"No place with bridges…or parks," he said, looking for the first time very unsure of himself and shifting his weight around from one foot to the next in a nervous fashion.
"Fine, fine, Subaru-kun," Seishirou said, throwing away his cigarette and standing up, smiling in what he hoped was a reassuring way. "Why don't we just walk around the city for a while before we decide what to do next, ne?"
Subaru nodded without saying anything, his eyes avoiding Seishirou's for the first time the man could remember. Subaru had been adamant about meeting his eye, as if, if he couldn't see it, something terrible was going to happen. Now, however, he walked in silence alongside him, head lowered and a pink hue slowly creeping across his face, all the way up to the tips of his ears.
Seishirou cocked a half-grin at the sight. This Subaru was rather adorable when he wanted to be (in a scarily psychotic kind of way). At least he didn't jump universes away when he suggested something intimate. Perhaps if Subaru was still with him when he caught up with his own cute vampire, he could teach his other self how not to be so terminally shy, although according to Fuuma, his Subaru wasn't so gentle and naïve as he would have Seishirou believe. (And there had better be another explanation behind that statement besides what it sounded like or he was going to kill his brother next time he saw him). In any case, maybe the idea of having a small Subaru harem—ah, collection—wasn't so far out to sea just yet.
He had learned his lesson after all last time: never pick up a stray Subaru that has a Seishirou owner still living.
This Subaru was gloriously unattached.
"Ne, Subau-kun," Seishirou breathed in the young man's ear, snaking an arm slyly around his waist. "I think I'll keep you…"
Subaru's pink face exploded into a crimson shade of red and there came an incoherent stream of stuttering and babbling at that proclamation, however he did nothing to push or pull away from the arm wrapped so brazenly around his waist. Seishirou was about to push his luck a step further…when once again the fates decided to intervene like they held some personal vendetta against him getting what he desired.
The world around them erupted in a storm of flying and falling debris as the nearby buildings crumbled into dust and the road in front of them heaved wide in two like a dragon awakened from a long slumber and now ready to devour those above in its eager jaws. People were running, screaming, tripping as the ground trembled mightily beneath them, knocking them off their feet, and, through the raging chaos, there was a furious distant roaring.
Never had Seishirou wished more that he had Sakura's feather to assist them in leaving such an unwanted atmosphere. It even occurred to him that now, in the midst of catastrophe, would be his best chance for learning of his treasured item's whereabouts—it would be needed to escape, wasn't it? However, Subaru wasn't completely rational at the moment. Rather, ever since the turmoil had started, he had frozen stock-still, eyes wide but glazed as if seeing something else other than the destructive scene in front of him—but what could possibly be worse than such a tragedy?
Seishirou hadn't time to ponder on it. He had grabbed at Subaru's wrist, intending to drag the young man out of his self-induced coma and away from the disaster area, only that action seemed to have been the worst thing he could have done.
Subaru convulsed violently at his touch, yanked his wrist out of Seishirou's grasp, and stumbled backwards a ways before falling to his knees and clutching at the sides of his face, caught up in whatever nightmare his mind had conjured up.
Shuddering and gasping, his pupils dilated wildly and he choked on air, spewing out crazed, desperate-sounding words that made no sense, "…earthquake… Rainbow Bridge… blood, blood, blood, blood… SEISHIROU-SAAAAAN!!!"
It was no good asking Subaru where the feather was right now. He was beyond reason and understanding, hopelessly ensnared by the horrors of his past…and an image of how exactly his other self had died was beginning to form with a disturbing clarity in Seishirou's mind.
Dust and debris were swirling dangerously around them; the air was filled with a thick acrid smoke that clogged up Seishirou's lungs, making it difficult to breathe, and stung his eyes, causing them to water involuntarily. Further away, the furious roaring had grown nearer, edging closer, and now was accompanied by a fire of gun shots and other loud explosions. Up ahead, the horizon had been dyed blood red as an ill omen of the setting sun, and the sky was filled with the buzz of hundreds of flying machines speeding to whatever calamity had befallen.
The instinct to survive kicked in and Seishirou rushed to Subaru, lifting him up off the fractured ground with the young man still screaming his name, then turned and ran, wondering if, when he had taken this Subaru under his wing, he had also taken up whatever ill-luck his other self had possessed.
oOoOoOo
"And today in downtown Shinjukuu, Black Knights launched a surprise attack endangering and injuring hundreds of civilians. The attack was swiftly counter-acted upon by Britannia armed forces, however no sighting of their infamous leader, Zero, who has been missing in action for almost a year now, was spotted. It is unclear whether the Black Knights opted for an attack on their own choosing since the motive of their attack has yet to be discovered, or if they were acting under direct command. Can this be the marking of another rebellion uprising against the Holy Empire of Britannia? Have the rumors of the elusive Zero's death been greatly exaggerated? Is Area 11 in the red and the center of controversy world-wide once more?" (1)
Seishirou turned off the television and scowled. He had been watching the news for three hours straight to determine just what had happened earlier that day and was extremely irritated to discover that the home he had taken great care to select for his peaceful reprieve—out of all the universes he could have chosen—rested in the middle of a country that was at war with another nation. Or was it a civil war, as it seemed Japan, or rather Area 11, was a colony of Great Britain, whose empire spanned most of the world in this universe? He didn't really care; all he wanted was to get off this world as soon as possible. He had extended his visit far too long.
He spared a glance at Subaru, who was resting fitfully on the couch. He had slumped over limply when they had reached their destination and had retreated somewhere within his own mind, and no matter what Seishirou tried, would not snap out of his comatose state. It was quite annoying. The day had started off with such potential—where on earth had he hidden the feather?!
The sound of the front door opening interrupted his brooding and Seishirou's eyes narrowed. Besides him, there was only one other person who knew how to access the wards he had erected around this house, but the last time he had seen him, that person had been rather eager to leave him behind, so why would he come back, unless…
"Oh, nii-san, I didn't know you'd still be here," Fuuma said, stopping in mid-procession on his way into the living room, the perfect picture of a deer trapped in headlights.
Seishirou was on the verge of saying something scathing, something condescending, something brilliantly cavalier and oh-so him…when his brother did a double take at him and blinked.
"Nii-san," Fuuma inquired dubiously. "Why are you wearing a helmet and knee-pads?"
Seishirou bit back a muffled curse. He had forgotten the safety gear Subaru had bestowed upon him earlier (who knew he would have actually been grateful for them that day). He had been wearing them inside the house ever since they had returned and had not even noticed? He must look like a fool.
"You weren't here long enough to know last time, but on this world, helmets and knee-pads are all the rage. It's very fashionable to wear them everywhere. What if I had had company call? I must look my absolute best," Seishirou lied smoothly.
"Oh," was all Fuuma said, not debating with his brother any further on the subject—quite a strange move on his behalf. Fuuma liked to argue with Seishirou about anything and everything.
"You seem distracted, Fuuma-chan. Is something wrong?" Seishirou asked interestedly.
"What? No, of course not!" Fuuma exclaimed far too quickly.
"Any particular reason you decided you'd just simply waltz into my house when you assumed I would not be here then?" Seishirou questioned airily, his countenance dark.
For once in his life Fuuma appeared to be speechless, stammering over several pitiful attempts at lying. In the meantime, Seishirou focused his gaze on his brother's left hand, which seemed to be clutching a narrow strand of rope that disappeared out of sight into the hallway…
Fuuma saw his brother's gaze narrow perceptively on the rope in his hand, and he gave it an involuntary jerk, causing the occupant on the other end, where it was fastened around its neck, to be wrenched forward sharply and take out its anger by gnawing viciously on Fuuma's leg with fierce growls of displeasure.
"Dragging back unwanted pets again, are we Fuuma?" Seishirou said, raising his eyebrows inquisitively. "Don't expect me to allow you to keep it."
"I'm no longer a little kid! I can be responsible! And you're one to talk! You still have your pet with you I see!" Fuuma declared hotly, motioning to the unconscious Subaru lying on the couch.
"Yes, well, this pet unfortunately has involved me in an unwelcome game of hide-and-seek that I can't afford to lose, and until I have what he has hidden back safely in my hands, I'm unable to dispose of him," Seishirou stated, his glasses glinting ominously. "However, I will not have that thing inside my house a moment longer. It's probably not even house-broken—where ever did you pick it up?"
"I trained him!" Fuuma cried, defending his pet protectively. "He was the pick of the litter! He's just a little rough around the edges and hates strangers, that's all! But he's really very sweet!"
Seishirou wrinkled his nose distastefully at the black-haired youth crouching on the floor (near-naked except for a loin-cloth fitted around his waist and odd-patterned tattoos decked across his body), who narrowed his amethyst eyes at him in pure dislike before continuing his rigorous chewing of Fuuma's ankle.
"Isn't he adorable?" Fuuma simpered, his face taking on a giddy moon-struck expression that he was thankful had never graced his own (or so he hoped).
"Echuta!" the primitive Kamui spat at them before suddenly leaping at one of the large windows in the living room in a run for freedom and hauling Fuuma along for the ride. (2)
"No, no! Bad Kamui! Sit! Heel!" Fuuma shouted, tugging back on the rope firmly as he was dragged to and fro around the room by the primitive Kamui's strength, which was stronger than it appeared.
"You know, how well the owner can control the animal demonstrates the highest capability to which he has mastered his own sexual prowess…or lack thereof," Seishirou stated with relish.
"Shut up, nii-san! You're making that up!" Fuuma yelled, glaring over his shoulder to his smirking brother, trying to restrain the primitive Kamui with no success.
It almost made up for the whole bad day. Almost. Seishirou was just about to relinquish the wary hair-trigger feeling he had been carrying on his shoulders all day when the fates decided to prove to him once again he was their own personal play toy. There was no other explanation for all the wretched coincidences that kept piling up on him.
There was a deafening crash as someone jumped through the roof of the living room to the floor, leaving a gaping hole behind, and not a moment later attempted to impale Seishirou straight through with elongated claws.
"YOU SICK, TWISTED, PERVERTED, SADISTIC SON OF A BI—!" his attacker shrieked furiously, but Seishirou side-stepped the onslaught with quick and agile ease.
"I seem to recall you using those derogative terms for me before. Can you not think up more eloquent words or is your vocabulary so terribly limited?" Seishirou clucked in mock sadness.
Kamui whirled around to face him, his usual amethyst eyes shimmering in a golden rage, narrowed into slits.
"YOU'VE GONE TOO FAR THIS TIME, YOU BASTARD!" the vampire cried, taking a fighting stance, readying himself for a spring. "I'M GOING TO DECIMATE YOU AND PUT AN END TO YOUR DECADENT IDIOSYNCRASY! THERE, HOW'S THAT FOR THE LAST WORDS YOU'LL EVER HEAR?!"
"Bravo, Kamui-chan," Seishirou lauded, clapping his hands. "Excellent adjective and vivid verbal usage. It's so nice to see that you can actually finish your sentences. I thought that was an inborn default on your part."
Seishirou supposed he could have pulled out his sword to deal with the infuriated vampire, however, it was no secret he enjoyed seeing Kamui flounder in a blind rage when he threw one of his many temper tantrums. So Seishirou resorted to a low trick such as ducking below the vampire's swiping claws and weaving behind him to trip his legs up and send him careening forward into the bookshelf, causing him to be buried underneath an avalanche of volumes, in order not to be cleaved in half.
"So strange," Seishirou commented lightly. "It seems no matter what I say he just takes it the wrong way, even a compliment like that."
There was a commotion as the mountain of books flew up into the air like a volcanic eruption as Kamui broke through, breathing exerted in suppressed fury as he pointed one long nine-inch claw at his nemesis and snarled, "YOU HAVE NO SENSE OF MORALITY, YOU DEPRAVED PIG! IT'S BAD ENOUGH THAT YOUR PURPOSE IN LIFE IS STALKING MY BROTHER TO BRING ABOUT YOUR OWN SECULAR SATISFACTION, BUT GOING AS FAR AS CREATING A HAREM FULL OF HIS INCARNATIONS AS SUBSTITUTES—YOU DON'T EVEN DESERVE TO DIE! A LIFETIME LOCKED UP IN AN IRON MAIDEN OR SOME OTHER TORTURE DEVICE THAT CAUSES EXCRUCIATING PAIN BUT DOES NOT ALLOW A MERCIFUL DEATH AND TAKES A VERY SLOW TIME TO KILL—THAT'S THE KIND OF FATE YOU SHOULD GET!!!"
"I'd rather not hear about fate any more today; it's been dogging my heels all day, thank you very much, Kamui-chan" Seishirou said, his voice clipped with annoyance. "And I see that you must have met up with one of my doppelgangers on another world, am I correct?"
"He was only too gleeful to share about your corrupt misdemeanors when he found out my purpose in life was to protect my brother and keep him far away from you! So he warned me about this version of himself traveling around universes and collecting Subarus like they were going out of style! I knew it had to be you—you are the most perverted out of all your incarnations!" Kamui accused.
"Well, I'm not going to ask how you found me so quickly, Kamui-chan. I know you won't tell me. But I must inquire, if you're here, is Subaru-kun here also?" Seishirou questioned, eyes glistening with intense interest. "I know how loathe you are to leave your brother's side for any reason."
"He doesn't even know where I've gone! He's safe back on the world where I left him, where you can't get to him, and where I'm going to return once I've finished with you!" Kamui declared, his fangs bared as he threw himself bodily at Seishirou for a final attempt on his life.
Then a sudden gale storm of wind swept up out of nowhere and Seishirou's eyes widened in amazement as Kamui was assaulted by a flock of glowing white birds, and he had no idea how they had managed to enter his house. The vampire beat at their fluttering wings with his claws, unsure of just how to fight off this new assailant, however, in the end he was overwhelmed by the mass of tiny bodies pressing and pecking against his own and the next thing he knew he had been slammed into the now disheveled bookcase behind him and pinned in place there.
Seishirou turned his head to see that Subaru had finally snapped out of his numb catatonic state of mind, some inbound instinct warning him that Seishirou was in danger, and was standing on his feet, one hand stretched out towards the bound Kamui, his eyes narrowed into hard steel slits as he spoke in a dangerously cold tone, "You will not harm Seishirou-san."
"S-Su-ba-ru?" Kamui choked out, his yellow vampiric eyes reverting back to amethyst in shock as they saw their attacker.
"Kamui?" Subaru said, recognition slowly filtering through his rage-filled eyes, and he dropped his hand, startled, causing whatever spell had held the vampire in place to dissolve.
The two stared at each other for several long seconds, taking in the other's appearance, both from different universes, yet still possessing a striking resemblance in figure and traits to their counter-parts.
It was Kamui who finally shattered the silence with his indignant screeching (aimed at Seishirou of course).
"HOW CAN YOU CLAIM TO LOVE MY BROTHER IF YOU'RE HAULING ANOTHER ONE OF HIM AROUND WITH YOU AS IF HE WERE SOME FASHION ACCESSORY LIKE THOSE STUPID ONES YOU'RE WEARING RIGHT NOW?!"
Seishirou was really beginning to hate his helmet and knee-pads more and more with each passing minute. When he had the chance and no one else was around, he decided he was going to build a gigantic bon-fire and roast them (along with a bag of marshmallows). And he would make s'mores. He liked s'mores. And maybe this new Subaru wouldn't be so opposed to the idea of a Subaru S'more Sandwich. Mmm, yes.
A book went sailing past his head just then, breaking him out of his reverie.
"PAY ATTENTION WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU, YOU TWO-TIMING BASTARD!!!"
"If you want to talk about two-timing, Kamui-chan, Fuuma-chan would make a better conversationalist as he has an ample example of this very subject," Seishirou stated pleasantly, turning to his brother, who had been trying to sneak away unnoticed amidst all the chaos.
Kamui spun around at that, his eyes darting wildly about until they landed on a very sheepish, very guilty-looking Fuuma, still clutching the leash of Heathen-Kamui, who had now clamped his jaws around the rope and was fixated on chewing through it, drool dripping down the corners of his mouth and gathering in a pool on the floor.
Heathen-Kamui glanced up from his task when he noted that the Strange Beast With Spiked Head who held the other end of the Strong Vine he was tied to had stopped his tugging at it and was staring at another Strange Beast across the room, which looked like himself and his other clan-mates back home on the island, especially with that Fierce Scowl they always practiced.
"Bona nai kachu, doopa meekie," he said to Strange Beast With Spiked Head, laughing sinisterly. "Hohoho."
Seishirou found it extremely fascinating how many different colors Kamui's face changed as he was unable to tear his gaze away from the sight of Fuuma and his primitive doppelganger—from white, then green, to red, and finally settling for a vivacious prune hue. The vampire opened his mouth several times to speak and only managed to mouth wordlessly like a goldfish gasping for air; his body itself seemed incapable of movement at the moment (although it was trembling violently), something Seishirou thought his brother should be eternally grateful for, otherwise, he was certain heads would be rolling about the room in a wholly unhygienic and disgusting fashion.
Seishirou wasn't sure how long they stayed locked in position, frozen in a highly volatile and awkward situation where everyone was a hairs-breath away from giving or receiving grievous injury if anyone made any sudden moves. All he did know was that suddenly the living room of his house had lit up spectacularly in a brilliant white-hot splash of light like that of a dozen suns through the gaping hole in the roof where Kamui had crashed through, and the heavy whirring of a helicopter's blades sounded from above like a giant angrily buzzing insect.
"WE HAVE THE HOUSE SURROUNDED!" shouted a voice from a megahorn. "ZERO, GIVE YOURSELF UP PEACEFULLY AND THERE WILL BE NO BLOODSHED!"
"You have got to be kidding me," Kamui scoffed, tilting his head upwards to peer through the roof's hole with an expression of disbelief, but not seeming surprised or confused at all by the boisterous interruption.
"Kamui-chan," Seishirou began in an oh-so-innocently sweet voice. "I am wondering…just how exactly you happen to know about this 'Zero' person, whose name is smeared across every channel and wanted poster, if you've only arrived on this world a short while ago?"
"I have no idea who 'Zero' is," Kamui said, shrugging carelessly. "All I know is that when I crossed dimensions, I happened to crash onto this enormous white robot-looking thing someone was body-waxing, and cracked it right down the middle. Next thing I know, this guy is freaking out when he sees me, starts shrieking about 'Zero' something-or-another, jumps into some military airship vehicle and starts blasting at me. I thought I had lost him in all the commotion he caused nearly hitting that civilian sector earlier today."
"You caused that incident downtown where the city was blown up?" Seishirou inquired incredulously, feeling a surge of irritation towards the brat. He was the one who had indirectly sent Subaru into a catatonic state…
"SURRENDER, ZERO! YOU HAVE TWENTY SECONDS TO COMPLY!!!" the voice from the megahorn warned.
"Tch, persistent E," Kamui jeered in contempt.
"Right, well, it sounds like you've been called to an invitation that you simply cannot refuse. I guess we're in the way—we'll just be going then," Fuuma said, as he tried to slink casually to the back exit, hauling Heathen-Kamui along as best he could.
"YOU HOLD IT RIGHT THERE, YOU DOUBLE-CROSSING TRAITOR!!!" Kamui roared, his vampiric assets flaring up again in a twisted fury.
"Now, Kamui-chan, my cute, little blood-sucking leech, this isn't what it looks like—"
"I'M GONNA SHRED YOUR LYING TONGUE INTO MINCE MEAT AND FORCE YOU TO EAT IT!!!"
"TEN SECONDS!" warned the voice on the megahorn outside.
"Seishirou-san, there are two Kamuis," Subaru said, stating the obvious as he blinked at the sight of Heathen-Kamui snarling at his other self and nipping at the vampire's heels as he came too close.
"Yes, Subaru-kun, I know," Seishirou said. "Your brother is the bane of my existence."
"Brother?" Subaru echoed, sounding confused.
Oh that's right. This Subaru was different. He wondered what kind of relationship he had shared with his own Kamui from his original world. Seishirou felt annoyed just imagining. The vampire twins had always seemed a bit too close for comfort even for siblings. God help any Kamui if he was presented with an opportunity for a relationship on a higher level with Subaru.
"DID YOUR FILTHY MONGREL JUST TRY TO BITE ME?!"
"Kamui-chan, you really shouldn't insult yourself like that—"
"DON'T DEGRADE ME TO THAT THING'S LEVEL!!!"
"DON'T YOU DARE CALL HIM A THING!" Fuuma bellowed suddenly as a sore spot had been struck and Kamui reeled back in surprise.
"He's not a thing," Fuuma repeated softly, looking very sad. "He's… he used to… it was my fault… he's not a thing."
Kamui stared at Fuuma's guilt-ridden expression, feeling as if he had intruded on something precious and private, and cast a glance down at his doppelganger, who appeared oddly melancholy for a little heathen—at least he had stopped viciously struggling to escape confinement and was only gnawing half-heartedly at his leash.
"FIVE SECONDS!!!" the megahorn boomed, breaking the mood.
Seishirou decided he really didn't care what happened to the others, but he didn't particularly fancy getting drawn into some other dimension's political agenda and his prospects were looking grim if he decided to stay here. Snatching Subaru by the wrist, he bolted for the kitchen and burst out through the side door.
The bright searchlight of the helicopter splashed down upon them in a blinding force as did the haze of bullets they narrowly dodged as they made their escape.
"TARGETS OUT THE BACK WAY! ALL UNITS GIVE CHASE!" came the shouted command in the sky.
Seishirou cursed as he was aware of several large android forms towering overhead and the numerous laser beams pin-pointed and shot at him. It appeared this society had opted for a scientific approach for the future of this world instead of magical. It was a pity—he had more of an advantage with the latter.
Leaping over an army tanker with uncanny dexterity, Seishirou was pleased to note that Subaru was keeping pace evenly with him. He wasn't a vampire like his own Subaru, he was most assuredly human; however, whatever his role had been in his original world, he had been graced with the ability to leap across buildings like a child playing leapfrog.
The blast from the tank they had just hurdled over missed its target and slammed into the house they had just fled from, causing it to explode into a fiery inferno.
Seishirou wondered if his brother and the Kamuis had managed to escape and then wondered why he even cared. He wondered if Subaru had hid Sakura's feather in the house and if he had, he wondered if it possessed enough power to remain unharmed. Then he wondered why he was wondering in the first place instead of paying attention to the enemy.
They were everywhere like pests that never died. The giant mechas were the big, metal bats locating their prey with their sonar sound, the tankers were slithering centipedes, the armed foot soldiers were the cockroaches in swarms, and the helicopters… the helicopters were the loud, annoying mosquitoes that hummed their music in one's ears.
"RUNNING IS FUTILE, ZERO! PUT YOUR HANDS ABOVE YOUR HEAD AND LIE DOWN AND YOU WILL NOT BE HARMED!" came the order from the megahorn of the mosquito flying directly overhead.
Another shower of bullets rained down around them and one stray ricocheted off the fender of a vehicle and grazed past Seishirou's leg, sending the man crashing to the pavement with a pained grunt.
"Seishirou-san!" he heard Subaru's concerned cry from above him, then a stream of incomprehensible babble which Seishirou dimly realized it was a chant—a chant churning with powerful magic…
He couldn't describe what happened next efficiently. He was down on the ground in a vulnerable position, his body paralyzed in shock, his nerves screaming in pain and the blood pounding so loud in his ears that everything else sounded like it was coming from the end of a long tunnel.
The earth shook violently below him as mounds of concrete broke up all around him. Behind him there came panicked shouts, deafening smashes and thick vibrations so intense the air seemed to fairly hum with energy. The noise seemed to last forever, then just as abruptly as it had started, it vanished, leaving behind an eerie silence.
Seishirou tried his best to shake off the dazed feeling still stubbornly clinging to him, but he could not so easily rid himself of the searing pain in his leg. Biting back a groan of agony, the man pulled himself up on his feet, shifting his weight onto his uninjured side and was vexed to discover his legs trembling in fatigue.
"S-Subaru?" he coughed, tasting the grit of the gravel in his mouth.
It was deathly quiet all around him. The noise of their pursuers was gone; the bodies lay strewn out over the ground unmoving at odd angles, as if they had been haphazardly flung about like rag dolls. The weapons and machinery they had been using against them were scattered about in thousands of shattered pieces, and the nearby buildings had crumbled inwards. Overhead, a lamppost hung brokenly, its steel frame bent in half as the light flickered on and off like that of a dying firefly.
"Subaru?" Seishirou called again, a strange emotion clogging the back of his throat…
"Seishirou-san," said a voice a few feet away, the most beautiful thing Seishirou thought he had ever heard.
He only had time to see Subaru slip the piece of paper he had been holding between his fingers back into his pocket when there was a crunching sound as someone's feet stepped over the carnage of human and machine wreckage and then the tell-tale sound of a trigger being cocked.
A human's figure slowly began to form through the thick clouds of debris hovering about until it came into plain sight: a soldier donned in a once splendid blue and white uniform, the crest of Britannia emblazoned on the left front, now torn and ragged. He was a young man with tousled brown hair, bleeding profusely from numerous wounds, but his aim was clear and unwavering, as was his gaze: the outlines of his eyes encircled by a strange, glowing red light…and he seemed to be chanting something under his breath.
"Live, live, live, live…"
Subaru's eyes narrowed at the unexpected adversary and his hand slowly inched back towards his coat pocket where Seishirou had seen him store that seemingly harmless piece of paper before. The paper that had been shaped like a bird…
"HEY, OVER HERE!" came a familiar shout.
The three of them swiveled their heads towards the voice and were greeted by the spectacle of Kamui gazing down on them from atop the mountainous heap of a destroyed building, his cape whipping about him in the night breeze and moonlight gleaming off his ebony hair and amethyst eyes.
"Were you looking for me?" Kamui asked, aiming the inquiry at their unknown opponent.
For the first time, the soldier's concentration began to slip as the hand which held the gun began shaking violently as he turned its muzzle onto the new target. His emerald eyes rimmed with red glittered crazily with an intense hunger and malice.
"LELOOOOOOOOOOUCH!!!" he screamed as he fired off a volley of shots, unable to restrain his anger any longer.
Kamui leapt from the spot with a vampire's natural ease, did a somersault in mid-air to avoid the spray of bullets and landed neatly on his feet in front of his audience with feline grace.
"Come and catch me, little E," he said mockingly, offering up the challenge to their assailant before turning and running the opposite direction, leaving Subaru and Seishirou to scramble after him.
The trio raced down the ruined streets with the Britannia soldier cursing and following doggedly at their heels, firing off another barrage of bullets at their fleeing backs, which they narrowly avoided by sharply turning the corner down a side-alley where they collided into Fuuma and Heathen-Kamui.
"Oh, you survived I see," Seishirou stated to his brother in a bored fashion.
"I am so touched to hear how very happy you sound," Fuuma said.
"Move!" Kamui cried, shoving them all forward as their pursuer rounded the corner.
"Lelouch Lamperouge, you are under arrest for treason against the Empire!" the soldier declared, his tone grim and determined, but his eyes tinged at the edges with that eerie reddish glow, shining brightly with a wild passionate frenzy.
They didn't stop running, not even after they had been chased for twenty blocks fleeing at an inhuman speed, but still, they could not throw off their assailant. The soldier stayed at a fixed distance behind them, matching their pace perfectly and showing no signs of exertion whatsoever.
"He must be some sort of demon!" Fuuma exclaimed, throwing an incredulous glance behind them.
"Keepuna!" Heathen-Kamui wailed, not liking his position of being slung across Fuuma's shoulders.
"No, he's a human—I can smell his mortal blood from here," Kamui said.
"Then why haven't you simply taken him out by now?" Seishirou demanded. He didn't like his life being threatened, and the fact that this human had apparently survived a magic blast meant to destroy everything in its path, making Subaru wary of attacking again, was not putting him at ease.
"There's something off about him… his eyes…" Kamui said, furrowing his brow in thought. "I don't want to get near… it feels wrong…"
"So you're afraid," Seishirou concluded amused.
Kamui snarled savagely and bared his fangs, looking for one instant like he might jump him and rip open his throat instead.
Then suddenly, a giant red android frame dropped from out of the skies and landed in front of them all with a ground-shuddering impact.
Oh, wonderful. Their pursuer had called reinforcements, Seishirou thought. Maybe he should reconsider hopping dimensions. No magical object was worth going through all this.
The soldier seemed to recognize the armored mecha and surprisingly enough did not seem pleased to see it at all. Seishirou discovered why when the red android launched a grenade at the Britannia soldier with its silver arm.
He should have died. No human could have dodged an attack coming from that speed. But Seishirou saw it all as if in slow motion: the grenade sailing through the air, the soldier's eyes flaring up red around the edges, his body convulsing and stiffening as if someone else had seized control and then flinging himself into a series of tumbling backward leaps, the grenade exploding where he had been standing just seconds before.
Smoke from the blast coiled upwards in thick columns and the group took this opportunity to use it as a shield and escape into a nearby warehouse, away from the maniac soldier and the deadly mecha.
"Subaru-kun, I really must insist you tell me the feather's location," Seishirou said once inside, gripping the young man's shoulders tightly. "And don't give me those puppy eyes!"
For Subaru was once again staring at him with wide, mournful, mismatched eyes and looking as if someone had kneed him in the stomach. Usually, this was when Seishirou gave in and began fussing over some small fastidious thing like Subaru's untidy hair or his shirt being buttoned wrong—anything to wipe that miserable expression off his face, but not today.
"Subaru, if you really want to keep me safe, it would be advantageous for us to get off this world, and even though I can leave without the feather, I suspect either Yuuko-san or the thrice-accursed fates will penalize me severely, so tell me: where is the feather?!"
"Hey, leave him alone!" Kamui said, not liking to see any Subaru under a Seishirou's control. "You see how he treats you when things don't go his way?" he asked Subaru. "That's his true colors! And you're still attracted to him?!"
"This is a personal, domestic matter, Kamui-chan, don't butt in. Go attend to your own," Seishirou said, pointing over to where Fuuma was running his hands smoothly over Heathen-Kamui's body, checking it for any injuries.
"OI!!!" Kamui yelled, outraged, momentarily distracted.
Heathen-Kamui's eyes narrowed into slits as he saw his counterpart glaring viciously at them, and he snuggled closer to Fuuma and whispered in his ear, "Pateesa," all the while smirking smugly at Kamui.
It seemed to be one of the few words from the primitive language that Fuuma recognized as his face lit up with a surprised yet mollified smile.
The only reason everyone was still breathing afterward was because Kamui couldn't decide who he wanted to kill first.
"Hey, look at the bright side," Fuuma spoke up as a heavy storm-cloud sizzling with eruptive energy seemed to settle over the group. "At least things couldn't possibly get any worse!"
Of course, one should never say things like that in life. That's just tempting the fates.
"Seishirou-san?" came a voice from out of the darkness of the warehouse as a figure stepped out from the shadows.
A figure of a slim youthful young man with fine black hair dressed in Victorian-era garb and a traveling cloak, whose green eyes widened, quite startled at the sight of the five people: two of whom looked like each other and one who looked just like him.
"Subaru-kun," Seishirou said, beaming, a nervous sweat breaking out across his forehead. "How wonderful it is to finally catch up to you."
The wind outside the warehouse blew mightily, and hidden in its depths, he could have sworn he heard laughter.
To Be Continued…
A/N: Stand by for super, ultra, mega long author's note…
1)We're going to have some fun in this story. Yes, Seishirou and crew are unwittingly going to star in a TRC/Code Geass fic! XD Before anyone starts panicking, I wouldn't label this as a crossover. More like it's a TRC fic which has CG in the background, understand? That is, they aren't going to get drawn into the massive CG plot. They're just going to try and not get killed by some psycho with a gun who has deluded himself into thinking someone in their group is Zero—Kamui does look just like Lelouch in his TRC-drawn style.
I suppose I should put in a Disclaimer here too: I do not own Code Geass. It is a series created by Sunrise, directed by Goro Taniguchi and written by Ichiro Okouchi, with original character designs by CLAMP.
2) Echuta: derived from Star Wars, a Huttese swear word meaning Go to hell. (Found by Wookiepedia). Yes, the primitive Kamui shall speak in nothing but vulgar Huttese translated here. It shall be fun! My beta tells me that Mokona possesses the ability to translate the different languages of every dimension for the TRC gang, so it's reasonable to assume Seishirou, Fuuma, and the twins probably have a way of translating languages too. So why can't they understand Heathen-Kamui's? I believe it is explained in my beta's fic (see below).
Bona nai kachu, doopa meekie: You're in trouble now, double-crosser.
Keepuna: (exclamation) used to denote displeasure.
Pateesa: "sweetie/darling"
Right, right, the explanation for the title:
Syzygy= in astronomy, it means the alignment of three or more celestial bodies in the same gravitational system along a straight line. And in philosophy, Russian theologist Vladimir Solovyov, said it signified "unity-friendship-community" as 1) a pair of connected or correlative things and 2) a couple or pair of opposites
So all this info got the gears in my head thinking: name the fic "Syzygy" because there's going to be 2 different versions of Kamui and Subaru running amuck with Seishirou and Fuuma both of whom are dimensional-travellers as well as vamp-Sub and Kam. That's definitely 3 or more bodies (otherwordly in a sense) plucked out of different universes and thrown together in one country... that's a syzygy if I ever saw one. Then I figured, maybe jazz it up a little. Maybe "Syzygial Chaos". What do you all think? Does it all make sense now? XD
As for the chapter title: Twyndyllyngs is a plural archaic form of the English word twins, that is all. I know technically, only TRC Subaru and Kamui are twins, everyone else is just a double, but you have to admit it sounds better than "A Gathering of Doppelgangers".
Don't be too surprised at Subaru killing people. I don't know if he would, but then, he 'is' the Sakurazukamori now from another world, and I secretly like the fact/idea that Sei's death has made Subaru fiercer, more willing to do anything necessary to keep Sei safe. And if you haven't figured it out by now, yes the soldier chasing them was Suzaku who survived because Lelouch put a Geass on him to "Live" and if you watch S2, he uses this to win in unbeatable scenarios to his advantage, and he's fully aware of it too. I would place this time-frame after S1 of CG but before the start of S2, so Suzaku would know who Zero really is then. (Yes, Kamui broke Lancelot when world-hopping, lol).
If anyone draws fanart of Heathen-Kamui, my beta would die of sheer happiness. She loves that little guy to death. That's why she wrote a companion piece to this fic to explain how Fuuma and Heathen-Kamui met. It's called To Make Mortal by LVandattae . I give it an eleven out of ten for cuteness and angst as well as creativity! X3 It is available to read now! Go check it out then if you want to view their back story. She also has written a kind of prologue for Addicted To You, which this fic is a sequel of. It's called Repercussions, and it deals with what happened with Kamui and Subaru while Seishirou was gathering his Subaru harem—ah, collection.
(Holds up big sign which reads: FEED THE AUTHOR). Doncha know? Authors live off reviews. As of now, I am starving. (pickets with sign and chants) "Hey-ho, doncha know, lurkers, lurkers gotta go! We don't like hit and runs, press that button and have some fun! Be a good sport and ace the test! Reviews, reviews, they're the best! GOOOOOOO, CLAMP!!!" (does a cartwheel). There, I think I've earned some feedback now. XD Come on, what do I have to do to get you people to comment?!
Really, please tell me your favorite lines and scenes if you do review. It just makes my whole day! I hope you enjoyed reading this and I hope to see and hear from you all again next chapter!
P.S. In case anyone's wondering… yes, Seishirou is still wearing a helmet and kneepads. XD
