Lots of Wiseass!Tree in this part, since everyone seemed to like it so much. I aim to please.

Part Six

Seishirou leaned against the Tree, lost in thought. "It's no use," he finally said, speaking aloud since he was in earshot. "They're off the map."

The Tree's leaves rustled. ::Do you think they left Tokyo?::

Seishirou paused. "No. No, I don't think so. They wouldn't be able to keep an eye on Subaru-kun if they had left. But Mitsuki's block is gone, and the magical blank spots have gone down to seven, which means that I should be able to find them, and I can't."

::Perhaps it's because you don't know Mitsuki that well?::

Seishirou shook his head. "Now that I identified that block as hers, I can recognize her aura. And the children have 'Sumeragi' branded all over them. I ought to be able to find them and I can't." Frustration was starting to seep into his voice. "Damn it, Subaru-kun is counting on me, and I can't think of anything to do."

::Calm down. They're either here or they're not; there's no in between and they can't be both.::

"But they are!" Seishirou lit up a cigarette and ran his hand through his hair. "There's no blank spot, but all the same their presence isn't showing up."

Pause. Thoughtful silence.

::They could be dead.::

"No," Seishirou said. "They're not. The kidnappers wouldn't kill off their ransom. And anyway, I think Subaru would know, magical blocks or not."

Another long pause.

::Then they've left the city.::

"But they haven't!"

::Seishirou, get a grip. It has to be one of the three. Either you can sense them, or there's a block up, or they're dead, or they're not in Tokyo. There are no other options.::

"There are, there have to be. There's something I'm missing." Seishirou closed his eyes, trying to think.

Longer silence.

::I'm hungry.::

Seishirou sighed. "I'm sorry. I haven't fed you in days, have I."

::No. I don't mind, but I'm hungry. Are you going to go deal with that other family?::

Seishirou paused, blinking. "What did you say?"

::The other family of magicians. Are you going to go deal with them?::

Seishirou stared off into the distance, eyes growing wider. "That's it," he said. "That's it!"

::What's what?::

The Tree was ignored as Seishirou took off at a flat run.

::I'm not getting dinner, am I. What's going on?::

"I know where they are!" Seishirou gasped out, waving at a taxi and then cursing as it passed them by.

::What? Where?::

"They're hiding inside one of the other blank spots!"

::Ah, so that's it.:: The Tree's voice was full of admiration. ::Pretty clever of them, really. Why didn't they do it earlier?::

Seishirou realized that a) he was running out of breath, b) he had a stitch in his side, and c) an hour wasn't going to make much of a difference at this point. He slowed to a brisk walk. ::They didn't know where they were,:: he explained, reverting back into thought-voice. ::But they were tailing us all day today; what happened in the slums proves that. They knew what we were going to do, and they used us to pick their next hiding place.::

::I see. So where to?::

Seishirou frowned thoughtfully. ::Not the one on CLAMP Campus. Obviously not yours. Not the one in that family's basement -- that was too small. The cemetery was off limits even to me; they wouldn't be able to stay there more than a minute. The crazy old lady didn't want anybody knowing she existed; she wouldn't appreciate someone leeching off her magic.::

::Which only leaves those two families.::

::And I'm guessing it's the first. The second one was hardly friendly, but they had some sense of morals and I don't think they would have approved of guarding kidnapped children. But the first seemed ready to do anything to make a quick dollar.::

::So what do we do?:: The Tree seemed curious. Also, Seishirou could sense it was hoping for a big meal.

Seishirou stopped dead in his tracks. ::Good question.::

::There's at least four or five of them, and they apparently have magic. And if they enlist that family on their side; we alone shouldn't take them on. With the Sumeragi's help, we could probably do it, but it would still be rather iffy. I dislike going up against large groups.::

::Then we wait.:: Seishirou sighed. ::I'll get you some dinner and then go home.::

::When are we going to go, then?::

::Tomorrow. During the ransom drop. There won't be many guards and they won't think we'll be coming then.::

::But they're watching Subaru. They'll be expecting him to go.::

Seishirou closed his eyes a long minute. ::No. I know how to deal with that, too.::

The Tree picked the idea right out of his head. ::Clever. I hope it works.::

::It'll work.:: Seishirou changed direction so he was again heading towards the bad part of town. ::Hopefully it won't take me long to find someone unsavory to feed you.::

::You don't have to feed me murderers and rapists all the time, you know.::

::Yes. I do.:: Seishirou's tone of voice indicated that the discussion was closed and that, in fact, the Tree was never to bring it up again. Not that this would stop the Tree; it brought this subject up on a fairly regular basis.

This time, however, it subsided.

****

Subaru looked at the ringing phone for a long time before he leaned over and picked up. "Hai, Sakurazuka desu," he said tentatively.

"Subaru-chan, is that you?"

"Hokuto-chan." Subaru let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you for taking care of my duties today."

"No problem," Hokuto said. "Did you and Sei-chan have any luck?"

"Sort of." Subaru related the day's events -- leaving out the alleyway -- to his sister. "Seishirou-san went to do some searching of his own," he finally finished with.

"Good," Hokuto said. "I'm sure he'll figure it out. What are you going to do about the ransom drop tomorrow?"

"I don't know." Subaru rubbed his aching head. "I suppose I'll figure it out in the morning. You caught me just as I was about to go to bed."

"You're staying at Sei-chan's again tonight? Good, I was hoping you would. How are the two of you getting along?"

Subaru was tempted to reprove his sister for making a comment at such a time, but her tone of voice was simple concern and nothing more. "We're fine," he said wearily. "He's . . . he's been a great help."

"I'm glad." Hokuto's voice was soft. "You ate dinner, right?"

"Hai. He's taking good care of me, Hokuto-chan."

She laughed a little. "Well, get some sleep. I'll call again first thing tomorrow morning. Let me know if you need anything, okay?"

"Okay."

"Oyasumi."

"Oyasuminasai." Subaru hung up the phone and crawled into bed, wearing the same clothes Seishirou had given him to sleep in the night before. He switched off the lamp and stared up at the ceiling. "God, why did he have to kiss me?"

The answer was simple enough; there was no better way to hide at the time. Subaru had seen other couples in other alleys that were similarly occupied. The question, then, was . . .

"Why did I have to kiss back?" Subaru groaned and rolled over onto his stomach. He could have pretended quite easily without giving in to what he was feeling.

Here I am looking for my wife like crazy and I stop to make out with Seishirou-san in an alley. That's great. Just great. And we were both pretending that we didn't both know that what we were doing had nothing to do with the fact that people were looking for us!

The initial idea, it was true, had been to disguise themselves.

Everything after that, as far as Subaru could figure, had been pure hormones.

Okay, so I wanted to kiss Seishirou-san. What's the big deal in that?

He sighed. He had hardly just kissed Seishirou. And Seishirou had hardly just 'kissed' him, either. If it wasn't for Seishirou's apparent self-control, Subaru didn't know how far they might have gotten. He wasn't sure he wanted to know, either.

He ground his teeth in frustration. "Why is that he, who has admitted to still being in love with me on numerous occasions to both my sister and my wife, has more control than I do?!"

Actually, that answer was pretty obvious too. Because Seishirou had admitted to being in love, the wave of emotions Subaru figured he had experienced hadn't taken him totally off guard the way it had Subaru.

He was expecting to want to go farther than he should. I, on the other hand, was taken completely by surprise like some half-wit village idiot.

Therefore, once the intial desire had passed, he had managed to get a hold of himself.

Which Subaru had not.

What did I really want?

The flaming blush that rose to his cheeks was answer enough to that question.

And what do I want?

The blush died down, allowing Subaru to seriously ponder this new problem. He attempted to go about it in his usual, methodical manner.

He wanted Mitsuki and his children back.

Why? His inner voice spoke up without prompting.

He sat up in bed, pulling his knees up to his chest and resting his forehead on them.

He wanted Mitsuki back because he loved her.

How do you love her?

No answer came.

Stop. Breathe.

Subaru took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "She's my wife," he said aloud to himself.

That doesn't matter and you know it. Would you be this upset if Hokuto disappeared?

"Yes. Of course."

Why?

"Because I love her."

Why?

"Because she's my sister. Because . . . she's always been there for me."

And Mitsuki?

"Yes." Subaru's voice was a whisper. "I love her."

Why?

"Because . . . she's . . . my friend. The mother of my children. She listens to me. She . . . helps me. She comforts me."

And?

"And nothing," he whispered.

Then what about Seishirou?

"What about him?" Subaru replied to himself, a little stung.

He helps you, listens to you, comforts you. He's always been there for you. When you let him be there. Do you love him?

"I . . . don't know."

Funny the way you get angry at him for lying, when you can't even bring yourself to face the truth.

"Shut up."

And he never really lied to you. You never asked whether or not he was a magical assassin.

"Hardly fair. Neglecting to mention vital information is the same as lying."

Then you've been lying for eight years. Why get angry with him? He never hurt you. He protected you dozens of times. He loves you, and you love him.

"No." Subaru closed his eyes to hold back tears.

Why not?

"Because . . . he kills people. And . . . he did hurt me. With what he did."

He asked your forgiveness. And you couldn't give it. Do you know how much that hurt him?

"No, and I don't want to."

Have you missed him?

"I . . . yes."

Why?

"Because he was my friend."

You wanted him to be more. And you never mentioned that. Isn't that the same as what he did?

"No!"

You neglected to mention vital information.

"Shut up!" Subaru burst out, getting out of bed and beginning to pace. He was confused; he'd been attempting to conduct a logical conversation with himself, but it was turning altogether two-sided. "Who are you?"

::Who do you think?::

Subaru's breath caught. "It's . . . you . . ."

He thudded heavily to his knees.

::Do you hate me?::

"Yes." Subaru's voice was harsh as he stared at the floor.

::Why?::

"Because . . . because you're the reason Seishirou and I can't be together!" Subaru blurted out.

::No, Sumeragi. You are.::

"What?"

::I have no problem with you and my master being together. You, on the other hand, seem to have a large problem with me. It's not my fault that you can't accept what the one you love is.::

Subaru didn't reply.

::What Seishirou is was neither his choice, nor mine. It's something he was born to do, and there's no way that any of the three of us could have prevented that. You could no more have decided you didn't want to be part of the Sumeragi Clan. Even if you had left Japan altogether, the magic still would have been inherent within you. Seishirou is tied to me by bonds neither of you can fully understand. His welfare depends on mine, and vice versa. It's not like he can just stop what he does; he would die within months when I starved. And the only way he can pass the job on is to be killed by someone else -- hardly a neat solution. So he does what he can -- he takes only those he is instructed by the government to kill, or those who do not deserve to live.::

"Who is he to decide who deserves to live?" Subaru asked in a low voice.

::Sakurazukamori, of course. That's what he's supposed to do. But you should be pleased -- since he met you, he only kills murderers, rapists, kidnappers, and varying other unsavory people.::

"And what about me?" Subaru tried to keep the tears out of his voice. "Why did he choose me?"

::He didn't. I did. He merely fell in love with you along the way, which was when I decided it wasn't my job to interfere with destiny, and I told him he could let you live if that was what he wished.::

"And why did you choose me?" Subaru asked angrily.

He could practically see the Tree smile. ::Because you're cute. I like you.::

"What?!" Subaru threw a pillow across the room, frustrated. "I can never tell whether you're serious or joking!"

::If it makes you feel any better, Seishirou always complains about that, too.::

Subaru wilted back onto the bed, feeling even more exhausted. "Why are you saying all this to me?"

::Sumeragi, if you had to deal with a frustrated, hurt, confused, lovesick Seishirou twenty-four-seven, you wouldn't even dream of asking that question.::

Subaru couldn't help but smile a little. "I see."

::I don't allow anyone to hurt my master.:: The Tree's voice went cold and serious. ::That includes emotional pain, and that includes you. You distract him, you frustrate him, you anger him. You cause him injury every time you cross his mind. It is unacceptable.::

Subaru felt himself growing cold. "Are you going to kill me?"

::Me? Sumeragi, I'm a tree. What can I do to you if I can't make Seishirou even lift a finger to hurt you? Not much, physically. But as you see, I can talk to you. So what I'm trying to do is straighten you out so you won't hurt Seishirou anymore. Then I might not have to resort to drastic measures.::

Subaru decided he was better off not knowing exactly what these drastic measures were.

The Tree told him anyway. ::Magic can go wild at the wrong moment, Sumeragi.::

Subaru looked away. "What do you want from me?"

::I want you to stop being a . . . how did you put this earlier? A half-wit village idiot. I want you to start telling the truth, to yourself and to my master. I want the two of you to just sleep together before his frustration drives me crazy.::

Subaru turned bright red. "He could go to a Soapland," he muttered, well-aware that it was a pathetic argument.

::He can. And does. And comes home just as frustrated as ever. You're his only hope, Sumeragi -- don't screw it up.::

The Tree's voice was gone from the back of his mind before Subaru could say another word, and the presence with it. Apparently he'd been called away to other things.

Subaru curled up under the covers, trying not to think.

****

Author's Random Insert: I didn't even know until halfway through that scene that Subaru was talking to the Tree. I figured it out a few lines before he did. So sorry if it was sort of confusing -- in retrospect, it's supposed to be.

****

::Where were you? I had to shout three times to get your attention.::

The Tree took a minute to answer, being a bit too busy with its dinner to pay attention to Seishirou's question. Finally, as Seishirou looked for a taxi, he said, ::I was having a little conversation with your pseudo-boyfriend.::

Seishirou choked on the cigarette he'd just lit. "You were what?!"

::Having. A conversation. With the Sumeragi.::

Seishirou let his head thud against a nearby wall. ::That must have gone splendidly.::

::Actually, it went pretty well. All things considered.::

::Things being, in this case, that he hates you?::

::Precisely. We straightened that out, though.::

::Did you, now.::

::Yes.::

"Are there any taxis in this damn town?" Seishirou pitched his cigarette and decided to walk. ::And what did the two of you talk about?::

::You, of course.::

::Wonderful. What did he say?::

::I don't think I'll tell you.:: The Tree's voice was thoughtful. ::I'll wait and see if he does anything about it.::

Seishirou sighed. ::Then you shouldn't have brought it up.::

::I didn't. You did.::

Seishirou ignored him, walking briskly towards home. Subaru had left the door unlocked, as instructed, so Seishirou walked in, toeing off his shoes and hanging his jacket up.

Subaru had left him a brief note. 'Hokuto said she'd call in the morning. I hope you don't mind that I took the bed again. Please let me know when you come in.'

Seishirou tossed the note in the trash and got himself some food; he'd had a small dinner and he was hungry. After he finished eating, he went into his bedroom to check on Subaru and retrieve his pajamas. (Usually he slept in next to nothing, if that much, but with a houseguest, especially Subaru, he thought flannel pants and a T-shirt was as little as he could get away with.) As he changed, he watched Subaru.

The Sumeragi had finally fallen asleep curled up on his side, but he was murmuring in his sleep and tossing anxiously.

Seishirou sat on the edge of the bed and smoothed Subaru's hair, hoping to calm him some before waking him. Subaru cried out and rolled over, nearly falling off the bed. Seishirou caught him just in time, and he sat up bolt upright, breathing hard.

"Seishirou . . . san . . ."

"I didn't mean to scare you," Seishirou said. "You were having a nightmare."

"A . . . Aa." Subaru looked at the blankets. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it. I'm just letting you know that I'm home."

"Did you find anything?"

Seishirou blinked, realizing that he'd forgotten to tell Subaru his news. "Yes. I figured out where they are."

Subaru's eyes went wide. "Where?"

Seishirou explained the theory and the process of elimination he'd used to come up with it.

"Then let's go." Subaru started to get out of bed.

Seishirou held him firmly in place. "With a half-hour's sleep for you, and none for me, we aren't taking anybody on right now, let alone five angry kidnappers and a family full of magical lunatics. Tomorrow, Subaru. We can go during the ransom drop."

"But they'll be expecting me to go," Subaru said. "They'll be watching me."

"I know." Seishirou paused. "I think I know how to get around that."

Subaru paused, blinking, then he understood. "Hokuto-chan?"

Seishirou nodded.

"She'll be mad." Subaru half-smiled. "It took her years to grow her hair out this long."

"If I could think of another way -- " Seishirou began.

"No. Don't worry; she'll be fine with it. I just . . . I don't like placing her in danger like that."

Seishirou considered this. "My Shikigami could go with her."

"But you might need to use it," Subaru protested.

There was a long silence while both of them thought about it.

"Kakyou has no offensive magic, right?" Seishirou asked.

Subaru nodded.

Another long pause.

::I will protect the Sumeragi's sister.::

Seishirou blinked. "Really?"

::Yes.::

Seishirou kept blinking. Subaru looked confused. "Why, if I may ask?"

::Figure it out yourself, Seishirou.::

Seishirou sighed a little. "The Tree says it will protect your sister."

Subaru looked just as surprised as Seishirou felt. "Really?" He also looked a little suspicious.

"Yes, really. The Tree may be many things, but it's not a liar. If it says it will, then it will. Hokuto will be all right."

"How?" Subaru asked.

Seishirou blinked. "What do you mean, how?"

"I thought the Tree couldn't do anything on its own. Hurt people, I mean. I thought that's why you had to feed it."

"No." Seishirou blinked at him. "I'm the only one who can do the spell that supplies it with the food. It can kill whoever it likes. Wherever did you get that idea?"

Subaru felt himself growing red. "Nothing. Never mind."

::Fooled you,:: the Tree chuckled into Subaru's mind. ::He's right. I could kill you if I so chose. But doing so would only hurt Seishirou, therefore it's pointless.::

Subaru sighed. ::But you will protect my sister?::

::Honestly. With all my power.::

"Arigatou," Subaru said after a long minute.

"We can call Hokuto in the morning." Seishirou yawned.

Subaru looked at the floor.

"I've got to get some sleep." Seishirou rubbed his eyes and started to stand, then stopped when he realized that Subaru's hands were entwined in his shirt. "Subaru-kun?"

"Please . . . don't go." Subaru looked steadfastly at the floor. "I . . . I'm scared."

Seishirou paused. He wanted to stay, but . . . "Subaru-kun, if I want to be up to anything tomorrow, I have to sleep."

"You can stay here, I don't mind," Subaru blurted out, his face turning redder by the second. "Just . . . please . . . I don't want to be alone."

Seishirou stared at him. ::What on earth did you say to him?::

The Tree didn't answer, but it was radiating smug satisfaction.

"Okay," Seishirou finally said, pushing the covers aside and getting into bed next to Subaru. Not that I'm going to get any sleep now, he reflected with a sigh, reaching over to turn out the light. He could feel Subaru about a foot away from him; the younger man had released his hold on Seishirou's shirt.

"Seishirou-san . . ." Subaru spoke up after about a minute of silence.

"What?"

"When . . . did you realize you were in love with me?"

Seishirou was silent a long minute. "When I lost my eye," he finally said. "Because that was when I realized . . . I would rather die than let you be hurt. And certainly rather be hurt than let you die."

Subaru thought back to what had happened. Seishirou had told him the truth before he'd even gotten out of the hospital. The difference was a mere few days.

He never lied . . . he just hadn't realized until then. Subaru closed his eyes, feeling terrible guilt and an even more pressing sense of loss. We . . . could have been happy together. If I had ever stopped thinking about myself long enough to care about what he was feeling.

He rolled over so he was facing Seishirou; he could just barely make out his friend's face in the dim light from the window. The older man was staring up at the ceiling, looking younger in the darkness.

Subaru hesitantly moved a little closer, making Seishirou glance at him. The assassin had an odd expression on his face; Subaru might have sworn that he actually looked nervous.

"I'm sorry," Subaru finally whispered. "I'm so sorry that I hurt you. I never meant to."

Seishirou blinked at him for a minute, then closed his eyes. "It's okay, Subaru-kun . . . I understand."

"It's not okay," Subaru said fiercely. "How can you just say 'it's okay' and forgive me so easily? How can you be so much more forgiving than I was?" His voice choked and he looked away.

"Because . . . I know what it feels like to have forgiveness withheld," Seishirou said quietly. "And I can't do that to you."

"I'm sorry." Subaru's eyes burned with unshed tears. "I didn't know. I just . . . I didn't know what to do, and I . . . I thought it would be best . . ."

"It's okay," Seishirou repeated, his voice soft and tired. "Don't worry about it, Subaru-kun."

Subaru again moved a little closer, and this time Seishirou didn't move away, letting the Sumeragi curl up next to him, his chest against Subaru's back. After a minute, he put his arm around Subaru's waist and allowed Subaru to nestle closer.

He just needs comforting, he thought wearily. God only knows what will happen tomorrow. It's not anything more than that.

"Seishirou-san . . ." Subaru's voice was barely a whisper, almost a prayer. "For . . . for what it's worth now . . . I forgive you."

Seishirou was silent for a long time, and Subaru began to worry that he had hurt the older man even more with his words.

"Thank you," he finally said. "I don't think you realize how much that means to me."

Subaru didn't know what to say in reply, but he opened his mouth anyway, trying to think of something.

::Let it go, Sumeragi. You've given him enough to think about for one night.::

Subaru fell silent.

::And thank you. Not that I thought I'd ever be saying that. Now get some sleep.::

Subaru was going to protest -- though he wasn't sure what he'd say, other than that he wanted to spend more time lying awake in Seishirou's arms -- but he felt the Tree drawing darkness over his mind, and he sank into it without regret.

****

Yeah, okay, the Tree is weird. It's not my fault, I swear. It just decided it wanted to be a main character.