Disclaimer: X doesn't belong to me, they belong to the Fab Four, CLAMP and some other people.


Tears of the Moon 3/?
reia shiioru

The private wound is deepest.
-William Shakespeare, Two Gentlemen of Verona

~*~*~*~
"Kamui, are you sure you'll be all right?" Sorata asked.
"Yeah, I'm sure," Kamui said opening the door. It was, as anyone not inclined to the End of the World would say a normal Monday.
"The school might not be safe fore you. Imonoyama-san said--"
"I don't care what he says," Kamui snapped. "Ja, itekimasu." He slammed the door behind him and walked away.
/He shouldn't poke his nose where it doesn't belong/

/I'm going to find out what happened to Subaru all by myself/

~*~*~*~

"Kaichou, I am detecting an abnormal energy wave in the campus," Akira said.
"Angel?!" Suoh gasped.
Nokoru looked so serious that none of the two dared speak more. They continued to monitor the screens and do whatever they can do to help.
"Where is Kamui?" Nokoru asked.
"Sorata said he went out..." Suoh said
"Where?"
"He didn't specify."
"Go and look for him right away."
"Hai!"
Suoh left the room. Akira still surveyed the monitors.
"What does he want to prove?"

~*~*~*~

Kamui stood under the shade of a tree as he watched people go pass by him, hurrying to go home. It was so hot that day, considering that the cold season was just a few weeks away. He leaned against the tree and turned to his left to see most of the CLAMP Campus.
"K'so!" he gasped. He had forgotten not to put too much pressure on his left side; his wound had opened again. He tried covering the small bloodstain on his shirt with his hand, but the blood continued to ooze out. He was making it worse. He took a few steps back then bumped into someone.

"Anou... sumimasen... Shirou-kun?"

Kamui turned around. "Se-- Segawa-kun?"
"Aa! Shirou-kun! You're bleeding!" Keiichi gasped, obviously alarmed at the sight of Kamui's bloody shoulder. "We have to get you to the clinic now!" Keiichi reached for Kamui's arm, but the latter pushed his away.
"No need..." Kamui mumbled.
"Wha--? What are you saying? It might get infected, or worse! Isn't that why you didn't go to school this morning?"
"No, it isn't."
"Oh? Anyway, we have to..."
Kamui let the other talk, not like he didn't care. He did appreciate that Segawa was being thoughtful, but there was something else that preoccupied him at that moment. He was hoping that the person in a black coat wasn't who he thought it was. Hoping never did give him good. 'Subaru' was walking toward him, no, /them/. Hadn't he suspected that Keiichi Segawa was one of his targets, he would have run off by himself. He grabbed Keiichi's arm and ran off toward the fields.
"M-matte, Shirou-kun. The clinic's the other way!"
"We're not going to the clinic."
"What? Where are we going? You have to get that wound fixed!"
"We're going somewhere safe." Kamui was worried. He wouldn't let anybody else get hurt.

/No, I'm not going to let you hurt anyone/
/I'll stop you no matter what happens/
/I'll do what it takes to bring you back, Subaru/
/Because I.../
/Because I.../
/I.../

Before they reached the clearing ahead, 'Subaru' had attacked with a dozen or more of his now black shikigami. Soil, mud and grass flew in all directions making them stagger a bit, but they made it into the clearing. Kamui stopped short as he saw who was there playing with an inugami. Keiichi was panting hard.
"Yuzuriha... You have to get out of here. NOW," Kamui commanded.
"Kamui-san... Is something wrong?" Yuzuriha said, clueless. ""She's right, Shirou-kun," Keiichi said in between gasps for breath.
"Yuzuriha, you have to trust me. Get out of here!"

Too late.
'Subaru' had sent more Shikigami to attack them.
"Kyaaaaaaa!!!" Yuzuriha screamed. She went flying back as one of the shikigami crashed in front of her. Inuki came yapping beside her. As for Kamui and Keiichi, their efforts to evade the shikigami were futile, resulting in the same way as Yuzuriha. Soil, smoke, grass and other stuff lingered in the air.

Little Inuki started growling and barking. They were now inside the black void of a maboroshi: the Sakurazukamori's maboroshi. They stood in the black void and waited for the predator to come to his prey. Then they realized that they were standing in front of an oddly large sakura tree. It was the cursed Tree of which the Sakurazukamori fed their victims. It was the tree to which Kamui had lost a friend whom he cared for so deeply.
The tree's branches started to move. They wrapped themselves around Yuzuriha and Kamui's bodies, around their limbs, their necks, their chests... Little Inuki yipped and faded. They heard the tree laugh a low baritone grumble. 'Subaru' was sitting on one of the Tree's thick branches watching as the two Seals helplessly wriggle their way out of the Tree's grasp. He looked at the person beside him, also enveloped in the Tree's branches.
"What do you want?" Keiichi Segawa demanded. He kept his cool, though inside him he was tense. 'Subaru' just smiled menacingly at Keiichi who felt the cold rush down his spine. 'Subaru' stood up and leapt toward Kamui.

"Feeling better, Kamui?" 'Subaru' asked coldly.
"Get us out of here you bastard!" Kamui hissed, glaring at 'Subaru'.
"Subaru-san, what happened to you?" Yuzuriha said quietly. She was on the verge of crying.
"Yuzuriha, that's not Subaru," Kamui said. He turned back to face the other Subaru. He glared at him, cursed and waited for a response.
"Where's your other friend, Kamui?" 'Subaru' asked. Kamui looked shocked, he forgot about him for a while; he started to look for Keiichi. Nowhere...
"Dammit, what'd you do to Segawa-kun?!" Kamui said sharply. 'Subaru' smirked and gestured upward.
"He's right there, Kamui."
"Segawa-kun!"
"Da-daijoubu, Shirou-kun!" Keiichi yelled. From where he was, they seemed so far away. This Sakura tree sure was enormous, even it's blossoms were larger than usual. Which was also one of the things that ticked his brain; the cherry blossoms aren't supposed to flower anymore in this time of year, right?
"It's me you want. Let them go!" Kamui demanded.
"Don't you get it, Kamui?" 'Subaru' laughed. "Then this wouldn't be as fun if I had finished you off already."

Yuzuriha felt helpless just watching Kamui suffer like this. Something should be done to stop this insanity. /Inuki!!/ Yuzuriha's eyes lit up, she made sure that nobody noticed. She had a plan.

"Where's Subaru?" Yuzuriha asked. Kamui looked at her, confused. 'Subaru' just humph-ed and looked back at the tree. The Tree opened up, revealing a small figure. It was the Real Subaru. He was curled up and tangled in the grasp of the Sakura Tree, arms across his chest forming an X, his eyes were glazed, eyebrows arched. It seemed as if he was struggling /inside/. Kamui gasped, beads of sweat trickled down. Yuzuriha decided, she was going to act. NOW.


~*~*~*~ tsuzuku

A.N.
hahaha, cliffhanger. someone asked for a dictionary of the japanese words i use here. i'm too lazy to do it right now, so maybe i'll insert it in the last chapter.