Down By the Water
by Siadea
Notes/Disclaimer: I really should stop with these short little stories, but they're SO addictive... Moving on, nobody's mine. They belong to the X movie people and Clamp. (Yes, yes, I know, the movie sucked and I'm using it anyway...) The title of this is a song by Poe. The song itself hasn't much to do with the fic, but the title is appropriate...
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Shogo Asagi dreamed - but not the dreams of an ordinary man. Not even the dreams of the Angel he was. No, Asagi dreamed a dreamseer's vision. He himself was not a full dreamseer. Even though he had the gift, he chose not to develop it as much as he could. This vision was not his own. Another dreamseer had called him in his sleep - a more powerful summons than he dared resist.
Now he 'stood' in pitch-blackness, illuminated by a glass globe of the Earth. Green and red dragons fought over the sphere, cracking it. Asagi ignored the prophetic vision, bowing politely to the pale dreamseer before him. The fragile dreamseer only had the slightest interest in his own dream - a contempt born of familiarity.
"I am Kakyou Kuzuki," the frail other informed Asagi, politely returning the bow. "You are Shogo Asagi?" A formality: Asagi knew that for whatever purpose, the dreamseer had selected his dreaming mind very carefully.
"I am," he returned, just as formally. "Have you brought me here to show me a vision of the future?" Asagi indicated the globe and dragons with a sweep of his arm.
The dreamseer shook his head, sending long pale hair waving. "No - to ask the content of your own dreams."
Asagi blinked, then laughed. "You overestimate me, Kuzuki-san. I have the potential for dreamgazing, but *not* the will to cripple myself by using it!" It was rare of him to be so blunt, and he regretted the words as soon as they'd left his mouth. It was, after all, rude to insult one's host. Even if one had no choice in the invitation.
Kakyou Kuzuki's impassive expression didn't waver. "No. The dreams you mistake for nightmares and fantasies - those are your visions, and they are valid."
Asagi tried not to let most of his startlement show, only raising an eyebrow in query. "My dreams have none of the power of a dreamseer's vision. I'm afraid you're mistaken, Kuzuki-san."
Kakyou's steady gaze didn't flicker. "Your dreams lack a dreamseer's ambiance because they are stripped of the shrouds other dreamseers see. I do not see what you do. I see - generalities, not particulars." He indicated the dragons as an example.
Asagi's mind called up flashes of dreams - not particularly pleasant ones. An inferno of fire, and a woman commanding, "Burn!" ...Nataku being hurled to the pavement from a high rise building, reaching toward Asagi, screaming - odd little Satsuki being strangled by her own creation; a dark-haired boy - the Kamui - clutching a severed head, two Shinken beside him...
He hoped that Kuzuki didn't catch his discomfort. That hope was crushed by the pale dreamseer's quiet affirmative, then soft question. "Have you seen the world destroyed?"
"Destroyed?" Asagi repeated. "No. Of the two Kamui, what I saw was the - original, I suppose - victorious." He smiled humorlessly. "Which, of course, means that the entire struggle is meaningless. Chess pieces, all of us - but I knew that already."
Kuzuki regretfully bowed his head in agreement. "It was but a faint hope."
"A dreamseer is allowed hope?" Asagi asked, knowing he was mocking the other.
Kuzuki's cat-slit eyes slanted up to meet Asagi's gaze. "No. But in that humanity survives - so I have also seen. I merely wished to confirm. Death will come to all of the Dragons, will it not?"
Asagi did not allow himself a reflexive shudder. "Yes."
Kuzuki smiled, faintly. "Then I may not survive after all. Thank you, Asagi-san, and I apologize for disturbing your sleep."
Asagi forced a smile. "I'm sure I won't miss it."
And he doubted he would. In fact, he doubted he would sleep much at all until Kamui arrived.
by Siadea
Notes/Disclaimer: I really should stop with these short little stories, but they're SO addictive... Moving on, nobody's mine. They belong to the X movie people and Clamp. (Yes, yes, I know, the movie sucked and I'm using it anyway...) The title of this is a song by Poe. The song itself hasn't much to do with the fic, but the title is appropriate...
****
Shogo Asagi dreamed - but not the dreams of an ordinary man. Not even the dreams of the Angel he was. No, Asagi dreamed a dreamseer's vision. He himself was not a full dreamseer. Even though he had the gift, he chose not to develop it as much as he could. This vision was not his own. Another dreamseer had called him in his sleep - a more powerful summons than he dared resist.
Now he 'stood' in pitch-blackness, illuminated by a glass globe of the Earth. Green and red dragons fought over the sphere, cracking it. Asagi ignored the prophetic vision, bowing politely to the pale dreamseer before him. The fragile dreamseer only had the slightest interest in his own dream - a contempt born of familiarity.
"I am Kakyou Kuzuki," the frail other informed Asagi, politely returning the bow. "You are Shogo Asagi?" A formality: Asagi knew that for whatever purpose, the dreamseer had selected his dreaming mind very carefully.
"I am," he returned, just as formally. "Have you brought me here to show me a vision of the future?" Asagi indicated the globe and dragons with a sweep of his arm.
The dreamseer shook his head, sending long pale hair waving. "No - to ask the content of your own dreams."
Asagi blinked, then laughed. "You overestimate me, Kuzuki-san. I have the potential for dreamgazing, but *not* the will to cripple myself by using it!" It was rare of him to be so blunt, and he regretted the words as soon as they'd left his mouth. It was, after all, rude to insult one's host. Even if one had no choice in the invitation.
Kakyou Kuzuki's impassive expression didn't waver. "No. The dreams you mistake for nightmares and fantasies - those are your visions, and they are valid."
Asagi tried not to let most of his startlement show, only raising an eyebrow in query. "My dreams have none of the power of a dreamseer's vision. I'm afraid you're mistaken, Kuzuki-san."
Kakyou's steady gaze didn't flicker. "Your dreams lack a dreamseer's ambiance because they are stripped of the shrouds other dreamseers see. I do not see what you do. I see - generalities, not particulars." He indicated the dragons as an example.
Asagi's mind called up flashes of dreams - not particularly pleasant ones. An inferno of fire, and a woman commanding, "Burn!" ...Nataku being hurled to the pavement from a high rise building, reaching toward Asagi, screaming - odd little Satsuki being strangled by her own creation; a dark-haired boy - the Kamui - clutching a severed head, two Shinken beside him...
He hoped that Kuzuki didn't catch his discomfort. That hope was crushed by the pale dreamseer's quiet affirmative, then soft question. "Have you seen the world destroyed?"
"Destroyed?" Asagi repeated. "No. Of the two Kamui, what I saw was the - original, I suppose - victorious." He smiled humorlessly. "Which, of course, means that the entire struggle is meaningless. Chess pieces, all of us - but I knew that already."
Kuzuki regretfully bowed his head in agreement. "It was but a faint hope."
"A dreamseer is allowed hope?" Asagi asked, knowing he was mocking the other.
Kuzuki's cat-slit eyes slanted up to meet Asagi's gaze. "No. But in that humanity survives - so I have also seen. I merely wished to confirm. Death will come to all of the Dragons, will it not?"
Asagi did not allow himself a reflexive shudder. "Yes."
Kuzuki smiled, faintly. "Then I may not survive after all. Thank you, Asagi-san, and I apologize for disturbing your sleep."
Asagi forced a smile. "I'm sure I won't miss it."
And he doubted he would. In fact, he doubted he would sleep much at all until Kamui arrived.