"'Ooooff."' Subaru had stopped in front of Sakura a few seconds ago but since she was occupy with the sight-seeing, she didn't noticed he stopped until she bumped into his arm. "'Crashhh!"' a pot of plants dropped in front of the two.
"Stay close and keep your guard up." Subaru said before stepping over the broken pot and continued forward.
Before they got much further, Subaru stopped again. Sakura stopped right behind. "Stay here." Subaru walked a couple steps forward and stopped. A wooden wheel began to spin and produced a threatening aura. The wheels multiplied and circled Subaru. Subaru dodged to the left as one come spinning at him. Another above. Then right.
While the wheels was playing tag with Subaru, a blur caught Sakura's eyes. Oblivious to the danger around her, as always, Sakura followed the blur into an ally. The blur turned out to be a kitten. It was new born and was rolled up in a corner. It was scratching its eye. "No no. Don't do that." Sakura said as she picked up the kitten. "Meow meow." The kitten said as it roll around in Sakura's palm. Sakura was awing in her head at how cute the kitten is.
After he had taken care of the wheels by turning them into wood splinters, Subaru looked over to find Sakura gone from the place he had told her to stay at. He ran to find her in a corner with a dark aura surrounding her. "Sakura." Subaru's voiced called out made Sakura spin around. She fleetingly saw him before a building appeared between them. "Let go of " Subaru was cut off before he could finished.
Subaru threw two ofudas at the opposing buildings and they faded away. Sakura was no longer at the other side. He figures she was probably transported elsewhere.
Sakura looked around to find herself surrounded by bamboo trees. "Oh this is not good." Sakura said to herself as she checked on the kitten. She tickled its nose and the kitten meowed happily in return. "Lets find our way out of here before Subaru worries." Sakura began walking forward but not really sure to where.
Subaru's POV
Subaru searched for Sakura's spiritual energy and followed it through a tunnel. "Subaru." A voice Subaru knew too well sang. "Subaru. " Another voice called. "Subaru. Subaru. Subaru." The two voices called out simultaneously. Subaru stopped and looked behind him with pain in his eyes. Hokuto and Seishiro appeared side-by-side behind Subaru. Both of them beckoned him toward them. Subaru wanted to go. It would be where he would be happiest but he knows that Hokuto would lecture him if he goes there. Subaru couldn't help himself but to walk toward the light where the two people he loves most are.
"Subaru." A gentle voiced at the other end of the tunnel called out, stopping Subaru in his track. It was Sakura's voice; she was looking for him. Taking one last glance at Hokuto and Seishiro, Subaru turned to his original course and continued forward. Out of the tunnel is a forest of bamboos. Walking further into the forest, the tunnel faded away behind Subaru.
The forest seems to endless. Every directions and corners looked the same. Subaru took out an ofuda and flung it at a pair of criss-crossed bamboo trees. At contact, Sakura's image flashed in Subaru's mind. She stumbled forward and blood flow down her right arm. Subaru quickly retract his ofuda and his eyes shined with an unreadable look.
Sakura's POV
Sakura kneed by one of the bamboo tree, the pain shocked her. "Meow." The kitten sense Sakura's pain and attempted to lick Sakura's blood, but she pulled away. "No. Don't." Sakura stood up and balanced herself before continuing forward. Sakura sensed that it was Subaru's power that had caused her injury. She could also sense his present nearby but something had obstructed the her from being able to pin point Subaru's exact location.
As Sakura was walking a series of sharpened bamboo sticks flew at her. "Jump. Released." A pair of small pink wings appeared on each of Sakura's feet and she jumped backward to avoid the sticks as it stabbed into the ground where she once stood. The bamboo sticks continued to strike and Sakura continued to dodge. Sakura landed in an opening and the bamboo sticks hovered around her. Holding the kitten with her uninjured arm, Sakura used the other one to take out a card from her side bag. She threw the card up above her and her magic circle appeared beneath her feet. "Firery. Released." The card glowed and dispersed into a hurricane of flame. Behind Sakura, Firery appeared and send forth its flame to incinerates the bamboo sticks.
Firery and Jump returned to their card from once all the bamboo sticks were gone. "We're ok now kitty." Sakura assured the kitten. "Meow."
But Sakura spoke a bit too soon because with the first step Sakura took, the space around her became distorted. The bamboo surrounding began to disappeared into a darkness that was spreading out under Sakura's feet. She lost her balance and fell backward. "Ahh." Out of the corner of her eyes, Sakura saw a white blur next to her and before she knew it, she was caught by someone's arm and pull into their embrace. It was Subaru.
Normal POV
Taking out five ofudas Subaru spread them into a circle and at his command, a white light connect the five ofudas into the shape of a star. With the star completes, Subaru's spiritual power spread out and restored the distorted space. Within seconds, the bamboo background returned to the way it was.
Knowing that it was safe, Sakura stepped back from Subaru. She looked up at him. His eyes unreadable. He reached his hand up. Sakura thought he would hit her for not listening and for causing trouble. Sakura closed her eyes and braced, but instead of a slap, it was a soft touch. Surprised, Sakura looked up to see concern in Subaru's eyes. "Sorry, does it still hurt?" For a moment Sakura was confused but then she remembered her wound.
Looking down at her injured arm, Sakura shock her head. "It doesn't hurt anymore." She gave him a cheerful smile but it did not lessen the guilt in his eyes.
"Meow." The kitten interrupted and drew attention to itself.
"Look Subaru. I found this kitten in the ally. How cute." Sakura showed Subaru the kitten.
"Please don't pick up wild animal." Subaru took the kitten from Sakura and set it down on the ground. The kitten struggled in Subaru's hand to not be let down and bit Subaru's finger to hold tighter to him. Subaru flinched.
"Subaru. Stop." Sakura quickly took the kitten from Subaru's palm.
"Sakura." Subaru protested.
"No. We can't abandon her." Sakura cup the kitten protectively in her hands.
"Sakura. Let go of her." Subaru said firmly.
Sakura backed away from Subaru as if he was a threatening presence. "No. Subaru, you're so mean!" With that, Sakura turned from Subaru and ran away in the exact opposite direction that they were suppose to head toward. Subaru looked after Sakura; he didn t want to stop her, she was angry. She won't want to talk to him right now.
Subaru walked out of the bamboo forest and from the foot of the stair case, he could see the family estate up ahead. In no time, he was at the door of the estate. A woman in kimono answered the door; she was graceful and elegant. "Welcome. This way please." She led Subaru through a corridor of doors and stopped at one in the middle of the hall. She opened it and inside revealed to be a man and a woman. They were sitting together and looking at the garden scenery. "My son." The woman who led him there said.
The couple were entranced with each other, not noticing Subaru and the mother. Without needing for any explanation, Subaru went right to work. He began to chant one of his exorcism spell. Part way through the spell, the woman next to the son noticed Subaru and she glared at him. She lifted her arm and points it toward Subaru. At her command, a barrier surrounds her and the son. Subaru and her then engaged in a battle of will and power.
Sakura POV
After some time of running, Sakura slowed to a stop. She couldn't understand why Subaru was so forceful about the kitten. If Subaru didn't want to keep the kitten, he could have just told her and given her time to find a good family. "I don't understand Subaru at all. Don't worry kitten, you're ok now."
"Meow. Meoww. Meoww." The kitten whined. It seems something was hurting it.
"Hey. What's wrong?" Sakura said worryingly.
"Meow. Meowwwww!" The kitten screeched in pain. It scratched Sakura and jumps out of her hands. It weakly tried to crawl away from Sakura.
"Kitty. What's wrong?" Sakura walked slowly after the kitten.
The kitten stopped when it could no longer moved. Then a dark aura surrounded it and dark whirlwind surround the kitten. Sakura was blew backward and slammed into a tree. "Ahh." After the pain subsided, Sakura watched in horror as her new friend transform into a black beast. It became a large feline. It crept toward Sakura and, with its sharp claws, slash at her. Sakura reached out an arm and flipped out of the way, but she did not manage to dodge completely. Sakura looked at the five slash wounds on her arm before dodging another attack.
Sakura dodged left, right and in front. Then she jumped back and did a cartwheel to get further away from the beast. "Please stop. I won't hurt you." She pleaded but it seems to produced no response. "Please!" Sakura continued to plead as she continued to dodge. She wanted to try to get the kitten back to its sense but she knew it was to no avail. The kitten transformed right after she sense Subaru's spiritual energy clashed with another. It must be the spirit that Subaru was hired to exorcize.
The kitten must have been a familiar of that spirit. It was harmless alone, but if the spirit is threatened, then the familiar will transformed into a dangerous beast. This kind of spirit familiar doesn't have a mind of its own after it transformed. If she leaves it alone, then it will only grows stronger. The beast turned toward the family estate. Its planning to answer the call of its master. Sakura jumped in its way. She knows that if it return to its master's side then it would only cause trouble for Subaru.
"Sorry." Sakura said before releasing one of her cards.
Subaru POV
After the exorcism, the mother ran to her son's side and held him. "She made him happy."
"Then why?" Subaru asked.
"Because I m selfish. That's why. I don't want anyone to take my child away from me. Not even if that person made him happy." The mother answered. As the mother comforts her son, Subaru let himself out.
Subaru walked down the steps of the cement stairs and near the foot, Sakura sat at the root of a tree. Subaru walked up behind her and knee down. On her lap was the body of the small kitten. Its eyes closed and unmoving. Sakura was sniffling and her shoulders jumped up and down. With a touch of Subaru's hand, the kitten faded into glowing light balls.
"Sorry." Sakura said between hics. "I didn't listen to you. And I called you mean. Sorry." She covered her face with her palms. "You were trying to protect me so I wouldn't have to hic . and I hic . sorry . I was unfair to you . sorry."
"No." Subaru hug Sakura from behind. "I should have handle the situation better." Sakura shock her head to tell him that it wasn't his fault. "You really are too much like my younger self." Subaru sighed. "Shall we make a bet Sakura?"
"A bet?" Sakura looked up at him, her eyes still filled with tears.
"One year. For the next year, I will spend as much time with you as possible. Within that one year, you must make me fall in love with you. You don't have to love me, simply make me love you."
"Why?"
"Because I am tire of being haunted by the past. I want to give it another chance."
"What if I can't?"
A sad smile appeared on Subaru's face. The wind begins to pick up. "Then it will be goodbye forever."
At his words, Sakura's eyes tear up more than they already has. "But that would be so sad."
Subaru picked up both of Sakura's hands and raise it over her head toward him. "Then do your best to prevent it from happening." Subaru pressed Sakura's hands to his lips. Through the kiss, Subaru send his energy into her. Cherry blossom petals swirl around them. At the shock of the power surging through her, Sakura's eyes becomes dull and she felt a sharp pain on the back of both her hands. Sakura's eyes closed and she collapse into Subaru's free hand.
Subaru parted his lips from Sakura's hands but still holding onto them. He lifts her body closer to himself. Once again, a sad smile appears on his face. "Sorry Sakura. I guess all human beings are truly selfish."