Language of Flowers
Language of Flowers

By Maria Szabo

Disclaimer: The Characters and storylines of X/1999 are the property of CLAMP, their publishers and their distributors. This is a work of fan fiction, and no profit is being made from it, nor is any infringement intended. Please don't sue!

Part 2

Her chest was hurting again. The walk from the school to the Imonoyama house was not far, but this was the first day she'd been allowed to go back to class. She stopped and took a few deep breaths. Inuki gave a yip of concern and circled around her.

"Yuzuriha? Are you alright?" Kamui shifted his book bag to his other hand as he backtracked, concern evident in his eyes.

"I'm fine. I'm fine! Really!" She gave him a bright smile. "I'm still a little sore."

"We were walking too fast. I'm sorry."

"No, no! That's ok. You really didn't have to walk me back. I'm really much better!" She'd been surprised when he insisted on escorting her both to and from the school.

Kamui shrugged. "It's no problem."

That was Kamui for you. When she first met him, he'd seemed pretty full of himself, but she soon realized that he actually had a softer side to him, one he rarely revealed.

"Well, I'm ok now. No need to worry. Besides, Inuki is here. Right, Inuki?"

The inugami gave a happy bark and wagged his tail.

Kamui gave a brief smile and patted the puppy on the head. "Got your breath now? It's not much further."

She nodded her head. "Let's go. I've got a ton of homework!"

Inuki dashed about around them as they continued on their way. He had a tendency of floating more than his predecessor, but Yuzuriha put that down to lack of exposure to other dogs. There had always been lots of dogs back at the Mitsumine Shrine and the other Inuki had taken cues from their behavior. This Inuki was a little more rambunctious than the other, but she didn't mind. It would be fun training a new partner.

They rounded a corner and the house appeared in front of them. Imonoyama-san must be really rich, she thought, not for the first time. She was so lucky to be able to stay here and with her friends as well! She'd never been so happy in her life, even if they were having to fight for the survival of the world. Even the school here was better, although some of the other students still gave her odd looks when she talked to Inuki.

"Hello? We're home!" Kamui opened the door, dodging out of the way as the excited Inuki bounded past him and ran down the hall towards the dining room.

"Great! We're in here!" returned Sorata's voice, rich with its Kansai twang. "And I just got the…OUCH! Dammit, Inuki!"

She grimaced and ran into the dining room. Inuki was happily gnawing on the Kouya's priest's ankle. Arashi was sitting next to him at the table, with Subaru standing by the window, smoking a cigarette that he hastily put out once he caught sight of Kamui. Yuzuriha grabbed the puppy by the scruff of the neck.

"Stop that! Bad dog!"

Inuki tried to look contrite.

"Man, why am I the only one he chews on?" Sorata complained, rubbing his ankle. He glared at the puppy, who barked cheerfully back and wagged his tail.

"I'm sorry. I think he likes you."

"Huh." Sorata was not impressed with that logic. Then his eyes got a familiar glint in them. "I sure wouldn't mind if Neechan chewed on me a bit…what do you think, Neechan?"

He was rewarded by Arashi's cool glare.

"Maybe not. Hey, the mail just came. I got a package from Kouya! Wonder what Grandpa sent?" He shook a large box experimentally. "Hmmm…"

Yuzuriha caught her breath. "Did I..um…were there any letters today?"

"Oh, yeah, a whole stack of 'em." Sorata began to flip through the pile. "Sumeragi, Sumeragi, Sumeragi…man, you get a lot of mail, Suburu-san…Sumeragi…hey, Neechan! Here's one for you!" He gave the Ise Shrine Maiden a big smile and handed her the letter with a bow as if only he could have accomplished the task. "Sumeragi…"

Subaru crossed the room and took the rest of the letters from Sorata. "Since most of them are mine, maybe I should sort them."

Sorata shrugged and went back to investigating his box. Arashi had already opened her letter and was reading, her face as unemotional as ever. Kamui gave a glance of smothered longing towards the preoccupied Subaru and then wandered out of the room. Inuki made to follow him, then changed his mind and settled down close to the window. Yuzuriha watched them all with interest, trying to subdue her disappointment.

It was silly, she knew, to be expecting a letter from Kusanagi-san so early. She wasn't even sure if he'd gotten her letter yet. She'd felt a little shy about writing him since she'd admitted her feelings towards him. He had said that he didn't mind if she loved him. And when she said she wished they could get to know each other better, he said he felt the same way. He was so vague…but the look in his eyes…she put her hands up to her burning cheeks.

"There's a letter for you, Yuzuriha-chan." Subaru absently handed her an envelope. "The rest are mine."

"So why do you get all that mail anyway?" asked Sorata, shamelessly, as he continued his unsuccessful quest to open the package from Kouya.

"Clan matters, Arisagawa-kun." The Sumaragi sounded bored. "What happened to Kamui?"

Yuzuriha didn't hear the rest of the conversation. Her heart beating a little too fast, she opened the letter and started reading…

It was from her Grandmother. She'd heard that Yuzuriha had been hurt and wanted to know the details. The dogs were fine, but the new caretaker that was supposed to be helping with the cleaning was not working out. She hoped the battle for the end of the world was going well and that Yuzuriha was being careful. She missed her.

Grandma, she thought. Why do I feel let down?

"This is so cool! Grampa sent my winter robes!" Sorata's cheer broke her reverie. "Oh, these are great…Neechan, what do you think? Should I model 'em for you? Then you could finally show me yours…"

"No." replied Arashi, blushing slightly.

"Oh, come on! Pleeease? Ouch! Inuki!" The inugami nipped him again for good measure.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Yuzuriha cringed. "He just really likes you…"

"Good dog." Murmured Arashi. Her hand wandered over to the puppy and gave it an approving pat.

"Neechan!" the priest protested, "Some sympathy here!"

"Sympathy for what?"

They all turned at the sound of another female voice. Karen Kasumi was standing at the doorway, with Kamui and Seiichiro Aoki just behind her.

"Did she hurt you, Sorata-kun?" the red-haired woman asked.

"Always." He sighed, "But! I still love her anyway."

Karen giggled. "Of course you do."

She made her way to the table and took the last free chair. Seiichiro and Kamui had brought in two more chairs from the kitchen. Subaru hovered close, leaning against the wall.

"You're looking much better, Yuzuriha-chan!" said Seiichiro pleasantly. He took a package out of his briefcase. "My wife made these for you…she sends her best wishes."

"Thank you, Aoki-san!" It was a package of cookies. Yuzuriha grinned and set them on the table. "Please, everyone…"

"So, Sorata-kun. Why have you called us together today?" asked Karen. She was a little more conservatively dressed than usual. "Have you had any news?"

The priest shrugged. "Not much. But, now that Yuzuriha-chan's feeling better, I thought we'd better meet and catch up with our information. We're playing catch-up here. They've got that dreamseer…"

"Two of them." Murmured Arashi.

"And with Hinoto-sama ill…" Seiichiro continued the thought.

"Exactly." Sorata nodded decisively. "They've got a big tactical advantage."

"But "Kamui hesitated as they all turned towards him. "Isn't the Chairman and his people helping us out? We have the computers."

"They have computers too." Yuzuriha surprised herself with the bitterness in her voice. "And that girl…the one who killed my Inuki."

Puppy Inuki whimpered and pushed his snout against her hand.

"That's why we need to figure out a way to predict where the Dragons of Earth may strike next." Finished Sorata. He looked around the table. "What have we learned so far about them?"

"Very little." Admitted Seiichiro. "You know the leader, don't you, Kamui?"

Kamui looked pale. "I know who he used to be. Fuuma…Fuuma wasn't like that…"

Subaru placed a hand on the young man's shoulder. Kamui took a deep breath.

"I can't predict what he might do." He admitted. "What about the others?"

"It doesn't seem like they're acting in tandem." Arashi noted in her quiet way. "They seem to be working separately."

"Except the two that were at the train station." Seiichiro interjected. "There was the well-dressed blond man…and he was helping the other one…"

"The boy. I think it was a boy." Mused Karen. "He was very strange…like a small child in an adult's body…"

"The blond guy is probably that Kigai fella that I met." Commented Sorata. "He was dressed pretty snazzy."

"Handsome?" asked Karen.

"Oh, yeah. But not as pretty as Kamui here."

"Shut up." Muttered Kamui. He was sensitive about his looks. "What about the others?"

"Hmmm. Well. We got the leader. We've got the two guys that Karen-san and Aoki-san fought. We know there's a dreamseer somewhere…that's four."

"The girl I fought." Said Yuzuriha.

"That's five…"

"Sakurazukamori." Whispered Subaru. His eyes clouded over.

"That's six. There should be seven…anyone else?" Sorata looked around the talbe, but the others just shook their heads. "That's bad. There's one we haven't found yet."

"They might be keeping him in reserve." Seiichiro suggested.

"Or HER." Karen said. "We don't know what we facing here."

The rest of the meeting didn't go much better, thought Yuzuriha as she gave Karen-san a big hug and promised Aoki-san to read the next issue of the magazine he was editing. She smiled to herself wryly. Aoki-san was so anxious about his job and talked about it all the time...not at all like Kusanagi-san, who didn't say a whole lot about what he did. All she knew was he was in the Defense Force, but surely there were a lot of different jobs. She'd have to ask him. He'd tell her if she asked.

"What did you think, Subaru-san?"

He didn't answer at first, instead drawing on his cigarette as he watched Kamui, Sorata and Arashi walk the other two towards the gate. Finally, he let out a breath of smoke and turned his one good eye towards her.

"Arisugawa-kun had a good idea, calling us together, but I'm not sure we made any progress."

"No." she agreed. Inuki butted his head against her, demanding attention. She petted him absently. "They're so powerful…the Dragons of Earth."

"Hmm." Subaru let out another plume of smoke, looking much like a dragon himself. "Earth…now that's a thought."

"What's that?"

"Earth. They seem to correspond to us…Fuuma to Kamui, myself and Seishirou-san…"

"Who?"

He twitched a little. "The Sakurazukamori. That's his name. You and that computer girl each work with tools of a sort. We have Aoki-san, who controls air and Karen-san, who controls fire."

Yuzuriha was confused. "So?"

"That Kigai-san…Karen-san said he controlled water. It follows that they must have a geomancer as well. For earth. Perhaps that's the hidden Dragon."

"Air, Fire, Water, Earth." She said. "The four elements. It makes sense, I suppose. But what about Sorata-san and Arashi-san? And the strange boy and the dreamseer?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe it's not such a good theory after all." He finished his cigarette and crushed it under his boot. "Who could that be?"

The phone was ringing. Yuzuriha waited at the door for the others while Subaru ran to answer it. It had been too long a day, and she still had homework to do before she could get any sleep. She saw Kamui, Sorata and Arashi heading back up the drive. Inuki did, too, and decided to run to meet them.

"Inuki!" she reminded the dog, "Don't bite!"

She turned to go inside and ran straight into Subaru.

"Phone's for you." He said. "He didn't give his name."

To be continued