All characters are property of CLAMP. Standard disclaimers apply.
Tsuriai
(Part 13)
An "X" Fanfic
Presented by Harem of Doomed Bishies
The sight of his own kekkai brought deep anguish to Kamui's heart. The saintly glow of the five-pointed stars only served to remind him of the unattainable person who used to be able to create this very kekkai, and reinforced the sense of loss when that person left him to join the enemy because of one wish.
Kamui did not want to judge Subaru's decision. He could not bring himself to blame Subaru for anything. Even during their last meeting when he had tried to push the Sumeragi aside, he did so more out of fear that he could never compete with the late Sakurazukamori in Subaru's heart than from any real anger towards Subaru. As long as Subaru was happy, Kamui would be able to endure any pain, loneliness, and even death.
He took one deep breath and then leapt skywards, towards the rendezvous point. This was the day he was born for. Whatever comes tomorrow was of no consequence to him.
In the distance below, someone cried out his name. Probably Karen. He ignored the voice. His mind was focused on only one thing.
*
"Sorata! Stop it! You can't hold on like this forever!" Arashi pleaded desperately. She could see Beast's incessant attacks gradually breaking down Sorata's shield.
The Kouyan monk gritted his teeth as sweat oozed from his temples. Struggling to maintain his shield, he said, "No. I've promised to protect Ne-chan and I'm going to do it."
"You idiot! You can't protect me if you're dead!"
"Ne-chan...?"
"If you think I'm going to watch you die for me, you're sadly mistaken." After saying those words, she raised her sword to position and instructed her companion, "When I give the signal, release your shield."
Sorata nodded. He had no idea what Arashi was planning but the serious look in her eyes told him to trust her. The barrage of attack was getting more furious by the moment. Finally, just as Sorata was feeling his strength about to give way, he heard Arashi yelled "Now!" and immediately removed his shield.
In a horrifying split second, he thought he was going to be buried under tonnes of monstrous cables. But as Arashi swung her sword towards the enemy's attacks, the blade seemed to glow with great power and Sorata could feel an almost wave-like force emanate from the sword outwards in all directions. The jungle of twisting cables danced momentarily in the air and then collapsed suddenly.
*
"Damage report," Satsuki requested.
Beast flashed: LOCALISED SYSTEM FAILURE. SUSPECTED E.M.P. DEVICE.
The computer genius cursed. She had not expected that the Seals would be able to generate a pulse that interferes with electronic devices.
"We cannot underestimate the Dragons of Heaven," she said calmly. "Lie low and wait for them to retract the kekkai. Then we'll attack them together with help from the others."
Beast acknowledged her instructions with a short beep.
*
The cables lay dead on the ground. There were no further signs of renewed threats.
Sorata scratched his head, a perplexed frown on his face. "We couldn't have killed her that easily."
"No. The blow was enough to render her attacks temporarily useless, but it's not enough to kill her," Arashi coolly replied.
"Ne-chan, you're really something. I was ready to die for you back there, but I guess you're right. I'm stupid to be so fatalistic," he said. An earnest smile lit his face and Arashi found herself returning that smile unconsciously.
"Does this mean that you'll agree on a date with me?" Sorata asked.
With a blank expression, Arashi replied, "I'll think about it if we survive this."
Sorata was about to say something when he noticed a ringing in his ears. Arashi's frown told him that she was hearing it too.
"A kekkai!" he said, "And over Tokyo Tower."
Arashi gasped, "I think it is Kamui's."
"Damn!" Sorata cursed. He quickly retracted his kekkai and made his way towards Tokyo Tower together with Arashi.
*
"Hinoto-neesan?" Kanoe whispered tentatively.
The dreamgazer raised her head in the direction of the voice and projected her speech.
"Kanoe..."
Unable to control her emotions any longer, Kanoe rushed towards her sister. She prostrated herself before the dreaming princess, and lay her head gently on her lap.
"I finally get to see you, Hinoto-neesan..." she sobbed quietly.
Hinoto raised a hand and tenderly stroked Kanoe's long silky hair.
"Do not cry. Be happy, for everything is going to be over soon."
"I don't want you to die. I summoned the Seven Angels and the other Kamui, hoping to protect you. Will you forgive me?"
Hinoto replied, "Thanks to you. The Kamui of the Dragons of Heaven shall fail. The other dream that I saw shall come true."
"The other dream?" Kanoe was surprised. She was unaware of such a thing, often believing that only one dream existed for the future.
"Yes. There are two dreams for two 'Kamuis'," she smiled. "Let us wait together...for the Final Battle."
*
Karen threw a fireball and then jumped aside to evade the bioroid's attacks. Since their previous meeting, Nataku seemed to have grown stronger in battle. Perhaps she was also distracted by the knowledge that Kamui was meeting the enemy alone somewhere above her, for it took the combined strength of Seiichirou and herself to fight off Nataku's attack.
"Why do you want to destroy the earth? Why do you want to kill?" Karen cried out to the young man.
"Because Kamui wants it to be so," came the flat reply. The ki-charged cloth danced around Nataku like a dragon poised for another attack.
However, Karen saw an opportunity and signalled to Seiichirou for help. The wind-master created a swirling column of air around the bioroid. A burst of flame from Karen's outstretched palms coiled around that column, creating a wall around Nataku.
Nataku struggled to break free of his prison, striking the fire-and-wind wall with his cloth, but found himself helpless against the fierce elemental forces.
Karen asked again, "But what about you? What do you want?"
Nataku paused from his struggles and gazed in her direction with innocent, perplexed eyes. The question triggered off a repressed need that had often haunted him in his dreams. He was often told by the researchers at the Toujou Corporation's secret facility that he could not possibly dream, but he did. He stammered, "I...I want...I want...my daddy...?"
All at once, Karen understood why Nataku had once reminded her of her own self. Nataku was also a lost child, abandoned alone just as she was once. But unlike her, Nataku never had a chance to grow up and be himself. In her gentlest voice, she asked, "And where is daddy?"
Nataku's eyes shimmered with sadness. Memories, once disparate and disjointed, began to gain coherence in his mind.
...Daddy, it hurts...
...Daddy will save you, Kazuki-chan...no matter what happens...
...Don't leave me daddy...I want to grow up and be your bride...
...Daddy...where are you?...
...You still do not have a soul, Nataku...Kazuki-chan...
"Daddy...is dead," he sobbed. "Daddy died to save my...to save Kazuki's life."
She was deeply touched by the display of emotion on the bioroid's face. It was the face of an innocent child desperate for love. She gestured to Seiichirou to release the barrier and then she offered her hands to him. Nataku blinked his tears away and stared blankly at her.
Suddenly he stepped back and said, "Kamui...no...daddy wants me to kill you."
Instantly, Karen thought she knew what was happening. She had heard something about the Dark Kamui's ability to project himself into a different persona. That was how he had distracted Subaru enough to defeat the Sumeragi at the Ikebukuro Sunshine Building. She quickly leapt away to dodge a ki-blast from Nataku and shouted out to him, "Kamui is not your daddy! Kazuki's daddy is a good person. He died so that Kazuki can live and be happy. He wouldn't want you to hurt other people!"
...Kazuki-chan is a good girl...Daddy loves Kazuki-chan...
"Daddy..."
Nataku felt lost and alone. He raised a hand to touch his own face, feeling the petal-like scars on his forehead. What was he?
"I'm not human..."
Karen saw the lost look in Nataku's eyes and carefully tried to approach him again. She cupped her hand over his, warming the bioroid's pale cheeks. "You have feelings," she said. "That makes you human."
Though his eyes were sad, there was also a measure of relief, as if Nataku had finally understood himself. He flashed a poignant smile and said, "Thank...you. This feels...nice."
"I have a daughter too," Seiichirou said. He was now standing right beside Karen and Nataku. Removing his wallet from his inner coat pocket, he took out a photograph and said, "I fight to protect her, because I love her."
Nataku traced the picture of a young girl hesitantly, staring at her with wide innocent eyes. "She looks like me...Kazuki." His face glowed with tenderness as he spoke.
Seiichirou replied, "I miss Yuka-chan. I want to see..."
He never got a chance to complete his sentence as a mass of cables suddenly burst through the ground around them. Some of them coiled about Seiichirou, and soon he found himself dangling in mid-air, fighting to breathe as the coils wound themselves ever tighter around his chest.
"Aoki-san!" Karen screamed. Nataku threw his broadcloth in an attempt to free Seiichirou, but was blocked by a web of cables forming a shield between the wind-master and him.
Through the public address speakers, Satsuki's ominous voice boomed, "Have you betrayed our Kamui too, Nataku? You had your orders to kill the Seals."
"I..." Nataku stopped. Karen could see the dilemma tearing at Nataku's soul as the young man stood there silently. She shouted to the girl, "Nataku is neither yours nor Kamui's puppet. He should be allowed to make his own decision on what he wishes to do!"
Satsuki fumed. A signal from her and Beast instantly tried to stab Karen with a few strands of the thinner wirings. Fortunately, Karen managed to cast a fireball as a distraction before leaping away to safety.
"This is an internal matter of the Dragons of Earth and is none of your business," Satsuki warned.
Karen retorted, "Aoki-san is my business!" Having said that she began to launch furious fireball attacks at the forest of cables. However, Beast continued to maintain its hold on Seiichirou. In retaliation, a giant wave of wires and cables threatened to drown Karen. She tried to set up a firewall for protection but there was not enough time to run. Realising that Karen was in immediate danger, Seiichirou pushed himself to cast wind-blades to aid her, despite his precarious situation. The blades sheared through some of the wires that were hurtling towards Karen, thus saving her life. However, she still could not avoid being hit altogether. She cried out as she felt a sharp pain hit her left shoulder.
Satsuki laughed. "Your pitiful attacks cannot hurt Beast," she said. "Humans are so fragile. Both emotionally...and physically."
As if to demonstrate her point, a length of thin wire whipped itself around Seiichirou's neck. Somehow sensing what was about to happen, Seiichirou quickly shouted to Karen, "Remember your promise... I love..." His words were cut off as the wire sliced cleanly through his neck.
Karen watched in horror as Beast flung Seiichirou's headless body against her feet. Her knees buckled under the shock and she collapsed onto the ground. Tears of regret and deep unassailable grief poured down her face. She wrapped her body around that of Seiichirou's, trying to call out his name. But the words were caught in her throat.
Nonetheless her instincts told her that Satsuki was attacking again. She looked up but it was already too late for her to run. As Karen closed her eyes and prepared to feel the sharp cold wires pierce through her body, she sensed a shadow appear in front of her. There was a flash of energy erupting and then the cables retracted. Warm liquid dripped onto her lap. Karen opened her eyes and almost screamed as Nataku collapsed into her arms. The bioroid had protected her and took the worst of Satsuki's attacks.
"Do you think daddy will be angry to see me?" Nataku asked weakly.
Karen embraced the bioroid tightly and shook her head. "No, he will be very proud of you, Nataku."
The bioroid coughed and struggled to speak. "Please...call me...Kazuki..."
Karen wanted to scream against the unfairness of it all, but she controlled herself, knowing very well that it was Nataku's first and last chance to be truly human. She planted a tender kiss on the marks on his forehead and said, "Thank you, Kazuki-chan."
Nataku smiled and then closed his eyes forever.
"And now, it is your turn to die," Satsuki announced coldly. Tendrils of cables danced menacingly in the air, only to be sliced apart by a series of spinning water-blades.
A handsome figure in a well-tailored blue suit leapt down from Tokyo Tower and landed just beside Karen. It was Yuuto.
Karen stared blankly for a brief second as the water-master stretched out his hand to her, unable to comprehend the gesture in her state of shock, and then realised that she was still sitting on the ground. With a grateful nod, she accepted the hand and Yuuto helped her to her feet. Then he turned his attention to Satsuki and calmly said, "Has anyone ever told you that an obsessive woman is very unattractive?"
*
Deep within the bowels of the Angels' Headquarters where Beast lay, Satsuki hesitated. She was irritated that Yuuto should interfere with her plans. She was also jealous that the female Dragon of Heaven should act so close with Yuuto in her presence. But most of all, she felt fear. She had never seen Yuuto angry before, but his eyes were burning with rage now.