Author note: Hello… that is all… hee.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything but this story.

Chapter start

Subaru Sumeragi could not be called a worrisome fellow. In fact, quite the opposite. If there was a problem, he handled it. If he needed something, he handled it. Never could it be said, after his disastrous fling with Seishiro, that he relied on others, or let them rely on him.

His carefully crafted persona was just that, a mask to keep the more annoying elements of human nature away. Smile politely; speak softly, sometimes using tender voice to gentle what needed to be said. And if someone continued to annoy him, and managed to rouse him, they regretted it. End of the story.

He didn't want love, he didn't want companionship. He wanted to be left alone to prowl with his mixed up feeling towards Seishiro, his sister Hokuto, and the completely convoluted mess of that year.

That was why his friendship with Fuma and the others was easy. Because they were as he was. They didn't want anything beyond what they gave, which was nothing at all. They weren't in a hurry to divulge secrets, or garner his. They didn't want to be more than superficially close, and yet that closeness was perhaps deeper than a normal group of friends. While they would never know him, they would never allow someone to harm him, and vice versa.

Therefore, it was somewhat jarring to find them all, more than once a day, staring at him as though he would explode. The bandages were long gone from his body, him deeming them unnecessary. The bruise along his temple had mostly faded.

"I just don't see how anybody could forget having sweet little, fiery Kamui," Yuuto said again. He had been saying similar sentences off and on, designed, Subaru realized, to irk him. While they didn't have much on him, they seemed to irritate the normally subtle Fuma even more.

Satsuki never could read an atmosphere. And she was analytical to the point of it being awkward at times. "I doubt that Kamui would be very fiery in the bedroom. His whole personality is to divert others attention from the fact he is an indecisive person. More likely, he would let whoever got him in that state do whatever. Simply because it would be easier than anything else."

No, that wasn't right, Subaru thought languidly. Kamui wasn't indecisive. Kamui was, in many ways, still a child it seemed, starved of affection and prone to pushing it away. Woefully naïve. He was the kind who was hurt easily, and trust was never won from him easily in the beginning.

Subaru paused, wondering at his thoughts. Then he shook it away as though it were an irksome fly. He didn't recall any relationship with the teenager, couldn't imagine one now. How would it have begun…? How far had it gone?

Kamui was roughly the same age Subaru had been when Seishiro approached him. Then it had been Subaru in his first year of high school, Seishiro in his third. Had Subaru been playing out a farce where he was the controller, as Seishiro had done to him?

"Oh look, there's the guy now!"

Subaru glanced up at Yuuto's words and wished he hadn't. For there indeed, Kamui was, and he was not likely to enjoy being interrupted.

Fuma chuckled when he took careful note of Kamui. When the small teen managed to shove a much larger teenager against the brick wall, with a sickening crack they all knew to mean a bone had broken, Fuma outright laughed.

The bigger teen slid down onto the ground while his partner tried his luck. Kamui was patient though and waited. With fluid motions, he dodged the swing, seeming to swirl behind his opponent. His leg pivoted out swiftly, jarring into the person's stomach and causing him to grunt.

Kamui wiped his hands together when he was done, looking bored. "Next time you could bring a bit of a challenge."

Yuuto started clapping, startling the teen that turned to them swiftly. His stance relaxed minutely when he saw them but his expression closed off when he saw Subaru.

Subaru ignored it, favoring his attention on the two people out cold. He tried to stifle the urge to scold Kamui, for some reason not liking him putting himself in needless danger. However, what right did he have? He had pushed the younger away forcefully when he first lost his memories.

Kamui had done a number on them but it hadn't come without bruises of his own. Emerald eyes surveyed him surreptitiously. The teen had blood trailing down his chin from a blow to the mouth it seemed, his cheek was slightly bruised. His neck bore marks as though he had been grabbed, while his left arm crossed over his stomach, his hand clutching his side.

Fuma stepped forward, smirking. "All my good work trying to get that energy out of you and you still find time to get hurt."

Kamui narrowed his eyes. "Get lost, Fuma. I told you I don't want to deal with any of you."

Fuma tutted as he walked closer, daring to enter the riled up tigers range. More like a kitten than a tiger, Fuma thought laconically.

Kamui didn't attack though, not in his current state. Experience warned him it would be useless. Beyond that, Subaru was watching, the emerald eyes devoid of emotion as they regarded him. Nothing would make him happier than to finish this quickly with Fuma so he could retreat.

"I'm being serious," he muttered.

"Yes, I can see," Fuma returned, "but, come on, Kamui. Like this, you couldn't hurt a fly, let alone stop me."

With the words, the teen grabbed Kamui's arm and tugged it away from his side, lifting the shirt, ignoring the protests. Yuuto came close and whistled lowly.

"Wow, hey, Satsuki look at this."

Satsuki cocked a brow as she regarded the large blood-crusted bruising. "It may have cracked ribs."

Kamui was blushing heatedly now. Still, at the words he shook his head just as Fuma said, "No."

Both the teens had experience with broken bones, after all. Subaru hated the way his gut churned at the sight and the way Kamui had a connection to Fuma, a shared knowledge, even if it was through the crass form of fighting.

Fuma never loved long. He was a predator, through and through. Once, he had jokingly told Subaru he was merely looking for his 'precious one' in the most expedient way possible. Subaru had retorted the teen would probably give that 'special one' a gift that couldn't be returned, the way he lived.

Fuma was too careful for diseases though. And despite the fact he played with many, only a few ever made it to that level of intimacy with him. Subaru saw the look in his friend's eyes as he roved over Kamui with his big palm, testing the bruise. Saw the delighted twitch when Kamui jerked from his pressing too hard.

"Enough."

The word was out before he could think it through. Fuma caught his eyes through his shades. "What? I'm merely being concerned over my charges welfare. What do you care?"

The challenge had been issued and Subaru was tempted to let Fuma have his fun. He didn't care about Kamui after all, despite what text messages and various pictures he'd deleted led him to believe.

Still, it wasn't in him to let a kid be led into the dark games his group liked to play. Not Kamui.

"I said enough, Fuma." Subaru didn't change his stance or tone, merely continued to look straight into Fuma's eyes. It was as though he could see past the dark shades, straight to the heart of the man he was challenging.

Kamui took the time to tug away from the group, pulling his shirt back down, stifling the grunt of pain as he brushed the wound himself. He rubbed the back of his neck, curious eyes looking at Subaru.

This was a side he didn't know. His Subaru had always been kind, gentle mostly. The emerald orbs had usually had a trace of lingering sadness in them. This one seemed to be more likely to step over a dying human, if that human didn't interest him. The eyes were distant, but focused, as though he was thinking even as he issued the challenge.

Finally, he shook his head. "Kamui, come here."

"Why?"

With the mumbled question, the emerald eyes left Fuma, who chuckled. "I told you before, Subaru. If you don't get your head straight you'll loose something precious."

He reached out and pulled Kamui forward again, this time into his arms. The teen squawked but the arms were worse than steel, impossible to break away from. Fuma's breath tickled his ear, making him shiver.

"That guy always comes charging in to save you, doesn't he? But, do you want to be saved anymore, since he isn't your Subaru now?"

"I don't need saving." Kamui retorted.

Fuma chuckled as he let him go. "Well, I think I'll leave you two at it. Kamui, try not to get hurt anymore. It will only cause me an annoyance, if one of them gets lucky enough to make you need hospitalized. Not to mention…"

Fuma had been walking away as he talked, Satsuki and Yuuto trailing behind, when he paused to point at Subaru. "Not to mention, that guy gets scary when his property is damaged."

At the words, Subaru looked icy while Kamui just looked miserable, forlorn.

Yuuto chuckled when they had rounded a corner. "Really, I must admit I'm startled. Kamui actually didn't listen to Subaru."

Satsuki hummed. "Those two are all kinds of trouble. Statistically speaking our Subaru could never make someone like Kamui happy."

"No real surprise there. Subaru did a good job, hiding himself the first round. A real king cobra kind of guy." Yuuto grinned. "So, are you really trying to play with Kamui now? Or, are you maybe playing with them both?"

Fuma shrugged, smirking. "I'm just passing the time."

Satsuki shook her head. "But is it worth it, if he has to hide who he is? If he has to change…"

Fuma hummed. "Subaru wasn't always this way, you know. He wasn't like you, who found humans boring, or like Yuuto, who found himself oddly apathetic to anyone or thing. He certainly isn't like me."

"I am aware of that," Satsuki murmured. "Subaru was, in fact, quite happy, if not far too caring for others, prior to his first year. It didn't change until-…"

"Satsuki," Yuuto interrupted. "Satsuki, it's really quite simple. Why is it wrong to kill a human being?"

Satsuki regarded him while Fuma scoffed, muttering, "Oh, really?" Yuuto ignored him, still smiling pleasantly.

"I don't know. There is not anything wrong with it. Humans are merely an animal life form, and they kill other life forms easily. The fact humans are also the only life form capable of rational thought does not exempt them from being killable."

"Wrong!" Yuuto smiled, reaching out to brush her cheek. The skin was a little chilled, not as warm as his own. Just like Satsuki herself. "It's wrong because when a human dies, is killed… another human will cry for that person, and be sad."

Satsuki merely tilted her head. "That still does not answer why it is acceptable for Subaru or Kamui to change for the other."

Fuma clicked his tongue. "You really don't understand anything beyond your brain, do you?"

Yuuto chuckled. "If a human being dies, someone will cry for that individual. But that means, also, that they cared for that person. When two people care for each other it's only natural that they change, they grow, with each other."

The words seemed to Ping-Pong inside her head. Yuuto was about to congratulate himself for settling the matter when Satsuki ruined the moment.

"So, because Kamui and Subaru cared for each other, they changed? And now that Subaru no longer has those feelings, they both reverted… I understand that."

"Good," Fuma said.

"Yet, in other cases. Taking in your points, Yuuto, two people who care for each other will change for each other, by their own volitions. They will also cry and be sad when the other dies. So, would they not mourn the person their loved one was, before that person changed for them? They fell in love with who that person was, not with who they became."

Yuuto frowned. Fuma laughed. "Sorry, Satsuki. But human beings are a lot more complicated than anything else on the planet. You can't boil a human down to theories and science, to numbers and crunched data in a computer."

The girl released a gentle breath of air while the group continued on, tilting her head to look up at the clear sky. A bird flew across her field of vision; a cloud looked a little like a lopsided rabbit. A silly, mindless preoccupation, cloud-watching, one made up by people unaware of the things she knew about.

Another sigh. "Human beings… are predictable mostly. I don't want to understand them."

After the three had vanished, Kamui had spent a studious amount of time not looking directly at Subaru. The other teen was focusing on the two still-unconscious people Kamui had beat up. Finally, Kamui thought it best to leave.

When he tried though, muttering, a firm voice stopped him. "Why did you do this?"

Kamui paused, heart fluttering. For a brief moment, he could pretend… the emerald eyes were serious as they were on him, a stern line in the slant of the mouth. It was the look his Subaru gave him, when he fought then.

Then Kamui recalled… Subaru didn't remember him. And Subaru had no interest in getting to know him, either. Though he wanted nothing more than to curl himself into the elder's arms, he knew such an action would be rebuked. In that heart, Kamui did not exist anymore.

"Subaru…" Kamui couldn't help if the name sounded like a curse. "Why do you care?"

Rather than answer Subaru moved closer. This was a new teenager to him. This wasn't the brash one Fuma dealt with. And it wasn't the teenager who had, after his release, looked broken and defeated, with a small-but-fading glimmer of hope to the amber orbs.

This one was still broken, but he was also trying so hard to be strong. Subaru could admire that.

Logically, he knew the situation couldn't have been pleasant for him. A man he thought he loved forgetting him and denying him. Too much, maybe, even for someone not damaged.

Subaru waited a few moments before he resolved himself. "Fighting… eventually, there may be one you can't come back from. Is that what you want?"

Kamui sighed. "You don't have any idea, do you?"

Subaru tilted his head, taking the time to light his cigarette. Kamui eyed him warily. "No, I suppose I don't," Subaru answered finally. "If it's what you want to do, then I won't stop you."

Kamui hummed, ignoring the sting to his heart. "Then we're done here."

Quick as a flash Subaru grabbed the teens arm above the elbow. "At the least, let me treat the wound."

"I don't need help."

"I know." Subaru was soft. "But still, let me."

Kamui was silent for a few seconds, eyes hazy with his inner monologue. Subaru took the fact the teen slumped warily and remained silent for acceptance of his aid. Without much thought, he started moving back towards the campus.

Kamui slowed. "Subaru, where are we going?"

Kamui was giving him a confused look. Subaru frowned. "I…"

Surely, if all he wanted were to treat a wound, then taking Kamui to his own apartment would be wise. He didn't know anyone except Satsuki who lived on campus, and she mostly stayed with Yuuto off campus, so her place was probably locked.

"My place isn't far from here," Kamui offered.

Subaru nodded. "Then let's go there. It'll be better in any case, to be in your own surroundings while recovering."

Right. Kamui didn't comment aloud, finding silence an effective tool. If he opened his mouth too much, he might break. The swirling mass he felt festering beneath his skin might burst from the box he had closed. All the hurt, the pain, the anger, and even the helpless child he buried on the inside would spew forth.

He still had so many questions, questions destined to be left unanswered. Being near Subaru only added more to the pile, burying him.

Why did it have to be this way? Why did the Subaru have to be buried under this version? Why had Kamui been so unimportant that Subaru could forget him, and continue with life as though he hadn't cruelly clawed the beating heart of one who loved him?

This would be, Kamui knew, nothing but trouble.

End chapter

Author note: Well, next time we see Subaru and Kamui a bit more. We get to see Subaru angst over the fact he cannot leave Kamui alone, after two months of successful ignoring. Honestly, he does nothing but brood in this fiction. I will be showing off more sides of him though next time, and digging into him as I usually do.

And gosh, I never thought I would have so much fun writing Satsuki and Yuuto. They really make me giggle, and so does Fuma. He is one of those wildcard players that I cannot pin down without it being war haha.

I am trying to mesh him with the X version and the Tsubasa version. So playful and deadly, while still being possessive and cruel. Ah… I'm gonna die from this one day…

Anyway, please review!