AN: Hi, welcome to chapter 1! ^^ I hope you're enjoying this so far. It should prove interesting. I'm not sure how long the chapters will be on average.. not long, perhaps, because I tend to get blocked easily. =\ Comments are always appreciated! Once again, this story is AU: I'm making a LOT of this up (mainly the family history of the Sumeragi and Sakurazuka families, as well as Watari's connection) for my own purpouses. ^.~ Another aside, I've been messing around with formatting.. -.-; I can't figure this out for the life of me, but I'm hoping this will work.
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- Hisoka -
Sakura trees disgust me. This one, in particular. I glare at it as Tsuzuki probes it carefully with his magic. I can -feel- the evil around it, and sense the agony of the souls trapped inside. I shift uneasily and force myself to look away. If the sakurazukamori catches us snooping around, we may be forced to fight him. Kachou told us that he is very strong, perhaps a rival for Tsuzuki. Definately stronger than me, which is another reason I decided to watch over the Sumeragi. The main reason, however, being that I -loathe- sakura. I was killed under a sakura tree by a similar-sounding maniac. Ironically, he is a doctor, while Sakurazuka Seishirou is a vet. I spare a moment for grim thoughts about the quality of health care.
"All done," Tsuzuki says. I turn to look at him, but he's gazing at the Tree thoughtfully. "It's strange, but.. it almost seems like it could talk to me if it really wanted to. It's definately an evil spirit, there's no doubt about that. The sakurazukamori isn't anywhere around here. I don't think he knows we're here, either."
I frown. "If he does, we're in it really deep." I turn away and cross my arms. "All right, then.. next stop, Sumeragi Subaru-san's home."
Tsuzuki blinks. "You know we can't just waltz in and talk to him, right?"
"Of course I know that," I reply, irritated. "I need to see where he lives, what he does.. I need to be able to sense his emotions."
"Right, right!" Tsuzuki beams at me. "All right, then, let's go."
We hitch a ride on a trolley to the onmiyouji's apartment, and I look up at the building and carefully extend my senses. I don't find much of anything in the way of magical residue, nor do I find anything that indicates a master of 'jitsu is in the building. "I don't think he's home."
Tsuzuki blinks and tilts his head. "Where else could he be, then?"
"On a job, probably," I say offhand. "He -is- the Clan Head, you know, and Japan's most powerful onmiyouji. I'm sure he's in high demand."
"I see." Tsuzuki seems to mull this one over. "The Sumeragi clan has protected Japan for the last two thousand years.. I'm sure they're fairly well known. I think the best place to go for this would be the Sumeragi estate. They can tell us more about this 'blossom star'."
I shudder. I don't want to get any closer to the sakurazukamori than I have to. "I suppose so. Do they live in Tokyo?"
"Nope. Kyoto, I believe." He smiles. "Let's teleport back to Enma-Cho and talk to Watari. He was born in Kyoto, maybe he knows more about them."
With a nod, we both teleport back to Enma-Cho. "He's probably in his lab," I say offhand. I usually don't state the obvious, but I'm deep in thought about this. A murderer who consigns souls to a sakura tree.. a murderer who rapes and tortures people under sakura trees. A shudder passes through me.
"Are you all right?" I blink, snapping out of my haze, Tsuzuki's concern washing over me like a warm blanket.
"Aa, fine." We stop at the door to Watari's lab, and I open it carefully. Working with Watari for the past few months has taught me great caution. "Watari?" I call.
"Haaai!" A cheerful voice rings out from the back of the lab, and a moment later, a slender blonde-haired man follows it out. "Ah, Tsuzuki, bon! Come on in, I'm not doing anything dangerous right now."
Tsuzuki grinns at him. "Watari, you're always up to something dangerous. Let's have some tea, okay? We need to talk to you about a case."
Watari blinks. "Sure, sure. This way." He leads us to his rather cluttered office, which is off to the side of his lab. Within moments, we all have tea. "So, what's up?" the scientist asks, crossing his legs and leaning back in his chair comfortably.
"You were born in Kyoto, right?" I ask. At his affirmative nod, I continue. "What do you know about the Sumeragi family?"
His eyes widen slightly. "The Sumeragi family? Why do you ask, bon?"
"We have a case involving the current Clan Head and the sakurazukamori," Tsuzuki replies. "Any information you can give us would be absolutely fantastic."
"Sou da ne," Watari breathes, putting his tea down in favor of twirling a lock of long blonde hair. "That's an interesting question. The Sumeragi family mainly keeps to themselves. They're strong magicians, as I'm sure you know.. mostly, they're devoted to making sure nobody uses evil onmiyoujitsu in Japan. They're mediums; they're often called upon to exorcize places."
I nod. "What do you know about their connection to the Sakurazuka family?"
He cringes. "That's a long and bloody story, are you sure you want to hear it?"
"Very sure," I reply firmly. "We have to know about this."
Slowly, he nods. His gaze becomes vacant, as if he's looking into the past. "My mother told me about it when I was younger, after we moved to Osaka. The Sumeragi family and the Sakurazuka family were once one, thousands and thousands of years ago. The heads of the family were happily married, and very in love, until an incident occured between them. Nobody quite knows what, but whatever it was, it split them up pretty well. Lost in grief and rage, the woman declared herself no longer part of the family, and she left. Half of the family went with her, and half went with her former husband. The woman, sick with grief, committed suicide under one of the many sakura trees that grew in what is now Ueno Park in Tokyo.
"She cast a curse with her dying strength that put her spirit in the sakura tree. She vowed to have vengance on the family that had wronged her, and bound her son to her to help her achieve her goal. Thus began the Sakurazuka family. When her husband found out about this, he was devistated. He went to try and exorcize her spirit, and his son appeared and killed him, making him the first sacrifice to the Tree. The family, whose name was Sumeragi, became violently opposed to the Sakurazuka clan. That's what started the whole bloody feud in the first place." Watari paused to take a sip of his tea, letting Tsuzuki and I digest the history.
"And now, Sakurazuka Seishirou is the blossom star.. the 'sakurazukamori'." I frown and lean back in my chair, ignoring my tea. "He made a Bet with the Head of the Sumeragi Clan." I explain the case briefly to Watari, who pales even further when he hears about it.
"That's horrible," he breathes. "The matter has become personal once again. For awhile, the families seemed to have forgotten.. I'd hoped that this would never start again."
Tsuzuki frowns slightly. "Watari.. what's your connection to the Sumeragi clan?"
Watari blinks, then sighs and bites his lip. "After my mother died, I was sent back to Kyoto to be fostered by the current Clan Head, the Lady Sumeragi." He shrugs a little. "I wasn't there for too long.. a couple years. She was old even then.. I'd imagine she's in her eighties by now."
I nod. "Somewhere along in there, yes. Do you think she would talk to you about the Clan Head?"
He grimaces. "It's possible. She taught me a lot about the Sumeragi family.. I became somewhat of an honorary member."
"Great!" Tsuzuki looks very enthusiastic. "This will be perfect. We can find out more about the events now. I'm -sure- she'll be able to help us."
Watari looks somewhat nervous, but he nods in agreement. "We'll see. I'm just wondering how she'll react to my presence.. since, you know, I'm dead."
"Well, she's an onmiyouji," I point out. "She couldn't possibly be THAT surprised."
"I hope not." He stands up and shrugs out of his lab coat, revealing his usual outfit of a sweater and khakis. "Let me make myself presentable, then we'll go."
I blink and look down at my own clothes.. jeans, t-shirt, denim jacket. "Should we change?"
"Nah." He smiles. "I'm just a mess, I've been working all day." He disappears back into his lab, and Tsuzuki and I remain in the office, both of us deep in thought.
"This is strange," Tsuzuki finally says. "Don't you think he'd be happy to see Lady Sumeragi again?"
"I don't know what to think," I reply. "I'm going to try not to anymore until we get more facts. Right now, everything I see tells me that Sumeragi Subaru and Sakurazuka Seishirou should never have met up in the first place."
Watari returns then, his hair combed and back in a neat ponytail. "All right, let's go!"
- Watari -
Spring in Kyoto was traditionally a happy time for me. I remember the parties the Sumeragi family held, rejoicing in the season of new life. How ironic that I died in the springtime. Grimacing a bit at my morbidity, I lead Hisoka and Tsuzuki up the steps to the Sumeragi estate. It hasn't changed much since last I saw it. We're met at the gate by a girl in the traditional robes.
"May I help you?" she asks in a gentle alto.
"Aa, we're here to see the Lady Sumeragi." I smile charmingly at her. "Will you please tell her that Watari Yutaka is here?"
The girl bows slightly. "If you will follow me.." She turns and heads down one of the paths that branch away from the gate. I know exactly where she's going - the gardens. We follow her, and she stops us in front of the door to the pavillion. "Wait one moment." She disappears inside.
Tsuzuki looks around with a faint smile. "It's beautiful here," he remarks. "This is a really beautiful place, Watari. Is it different than you remember?"
"Not too much," I reply. "Then again, it hasn't really been -that- long.. twenty years or so."
The girl reappears. "The Lady Sumeragi will see you now." She gestures that we should enter the pavillion.
We do, and find her sitting under a weeping willow tree in a wheelchair. That sight makes my heart clench, for I remember her as a strong, stern woman. I walk to her slowly, with Tsuzuki and Hisoka keeping a respectful distance. I bow formally. "Lady Sumeragi," I murmur.
She looks up at me with the same expression I remember.. mostly stern, mostly cold, but showing hints of affection and warmth. "It is good to see you after all these years, Yutaka-san."
"It's good to see you as well, my lady," I say, taking her hands in mine and smiling down at her. "I suppose you're surprised to see me, since I died over twenty years ago."
"You should know better, child," she replies in a surprisingly gentle voice. "I am an onmiyouji. Seeing spirits does not startle me. However, you seem.. different."
I nod. "Aa.. I am a Shinigami now. These are my friends, Tsuzuki Asato and Kurosaki Hisoka." The two bow to her, and she nods graciously. "I brought them here because they have some questions for you about the family history. I'll let them explain."
Hisoka tells the story about the Kiseki, the Book of Souls, and then briefly summarizes the case. "What we need to know is everything you can tell us about the Clan Head, Sumeragi Subaru. It's important if we want to save him from the blossom star."
Lady Sumeragi closes her eyes and looks down, a pained expression appearing on her face. "It is not a pleasant story," she murmurs. "It is also partially my fault, because I did not try to keep Subaru-san away from Seishirou-san."
"We know about the Bet and their history," Tsuzuki says. "What we really need to know now is, are they still interacting with eachother?"
"No." She opens her eyes again and looks up at Tsuzuki. "Subaru-san changed drastically after all this happened to him. If the sakurazukamori were to approach him, there would be dire consequences for both of them."
Hisoka frowns. "All right, that's one problem out of the way. The next thing we need to deal with is that Tree."
Lady Sumeragi nods slowly. "That will be easier said than done, I'm afraid. Generation upon generation of Sumeragi onmiyouji have attempted this, and all have failed. Subaru-san is the strongest among us now, and even he could not do it."
"His sister is in that tree?" Tsuzuki muses. "If we could just contact her.."
I blink. "Sou! Tsuzuki, you may be on to something! If we can manage to get ahold of the girl.."
Hisoka nods slowly. "If someone's with me, guarding my back.. maybe my empathy would be able to reach her. Something like going Within."
Lady Sumeragi shakes her head. "It is too dangerous, child, even for a Shinigami like you. The sakurazukamori would be alerted immediately, and you would have to fight him. He is very, very powerful.. especially with the Tree backing him."
"Well, then," Hisoka says. "What we need is Sumeragi Subaru's help."
"That may be the hardest thing to acquire," the Lady murmurs. "I will do what I can for you, but.. it may not be enough. Subaru-san has retreated Within himself, and none of us have been able to pull him out thus far. He is here, however, and you are welcome to give it a shot."
Hisoka nods, setting his jaw in determination. "I will do it."
"Then, follow me," Lady Sumeragi says, waving for an attendant. "And prepare yourself."
I close my eyes, but trail along after them. Something deep inside is warning me that this is a bad idea.. but it may be our only hope.
Sumeragi Subaru.. Kurosaki Hisoka.
I hope you're strong enough, bon.
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Ne, ne? ^.~ The next chapter is on the way!
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- Hisoka -
Sakura trees disgust me. This one, in particular. I glare at it as Tsuzuki probes it carefully with his magic. I can -feel- the evil around it, and sense the agony of the souls trapped inside. I shift uneasily and force myself to look away. If the sakurazukamori catches us snooping around, we may be forced to fight him. Kachou told us that he is very strong, perhaps a rival for Tsuzuki. Definately stronger than me, which is another reason I decided to watch over the Sumeragi. The main reason, however, being that I -loathe- sakura. I was killed under a sakura tree by a similar-sounding maniac. Ironically, he is a doctor, while Sakurazuka Seishirou is a vet. I spare a moment for grim thoughts about the quality of health care.
"All done," Tsuzuki says. I turn to look at him, but he's gazing at the Tree thoughtfully. "It's strange, but.. it almost seems like it could talk to me if it really wanted to. It's definately an evil spirit, there's no doubt about that. The sakurazukamori isn't anywhere around here. I don't think he knows we're here, either."
I frown. "If he does, we're in it really deep." I turn away and cross my arms. "All right, then.. next stop, Sumeragi Subaru-san's home."
Tsuzuki blinks. "You know we can't just waltz in and talk to him, right?"
"Of course I know that," I reply, irritated. "I need to see where he lives, what he does.. I need to be able to sense his emotions."
"Right, right!" Tsuzuki beams at me. "All right, then, let's go."
We hitch a ride on a trolley to the onmiyouji's apartment, and I look up at the building and carefully extend my senses. I don't find much of anything in the way of magical residue, nor do I find anything that indicates a master of 'jitsu is in the building. "I don't think he's home."
Tsuzuki blinks and tilts his head. "Where else could he be, then?"
"On a job, probably," I say offhand. "He -is- the Clan Head, you know, and Japan's most powerful onmiyouji. I'm sure he's in high demand."
"I see." Tsuzuki seems to mull this one over. "The Sumeragi clan has protected Japan for the last two thousand years.. I'm sure they're fairly well known. I think the best place to go for this would be the Sumeragi estate. They can tell us more about this 'blossom star'."
I shudder. I don't want to get any closer to the sakurazukamori than I have to. "I suppose so. Do they live in Tokyo?"
"Nope. Kyoto, I believe." He smiles. "Let's teleport back to Enma-Cho and talk to Watari. He was born in Kyoto, maybe he knows more about them."
With a nod, we both teleport back to Enma-Cho. "He's probably in his lab," I say offhand. I usually don't state the obvious, but I'm deep in thought about this. A murderer who consigns souls to a sakura tree.. a murderer who rapes and tortures people under sakura trees. A shudder passes through me.
"Are you all right?" I blink, snapping out of my haze, Tsuzuki's concern washing over me like a warm blanket.
"Aa, fine." We stop at the door to Watari's lab, and I open it carefully. Working with Watari for the past few months has taught me great caution. "Watari?" I call.
"Haaai!" A cheerful voice rings out from the back of the lab, and a moment later, a slender blonde-haired man follows it out. "Ah, Tsuzuki, bon! Come on in, I'm not doing anything dangerous right now."
Tsuzuki grinns at him. "Watari, you're always up to something dangerous. Let's have some tea, okay? We need to talk to you about a case."
Watari blinks. "Sure, sure. This way." He leads us to his rather cluttered office, which is off to the side of his lab. Within moments, we all have tea. "So, what's up?" the scientist asks, crossing his legs and leaning back in his chair comfortably.
"You were born in Kyoto, right?" I ask. At his affirmative nod, I continue. "What do you know about the Sumeragi family?"
His eyes widen slightly. "The Sumeragi family? Why do you ask, bon?"
"We have a case involving the current Clan Head and the sakurazukamori," Tsuzuki replies. "Any information you can give us would be absolutely fantastic."
"Sou da ne," Watari breathes, putting his tea down in favor of twirling a lock of long blonde hair. "That's an interesting question. The Sumeragi family mainly keeps to themselves. They're strong magicians, as I'm sure you know.. mostly, they're devoted to making sure nobody uses evil onmiyoujitsu in Japan. They're mediums; they're often called upon to exorcize places."
I nod. "What do you know about their connection to the Sakurazuka family?"
He cringes. "That's a long and bloody story, are you sure you want to hear it?"
"Very sure," I reply firmly. "We have to know about this."
Slowly, he nods. His gaze becomes vacant, as if he's looking into the past. "My mother told me about it when I was younger, after we moved to Osaka. The Sumeragi family and the Sakurazuka family were once one, thousands and thousands of years ago. The heads of the family were happily married, and very in love, until an incident occured between them. Nobody quite knows what, but whatever it was, it split them up pretty well. Lost in grief and rage, the woman declared herself no longer part of the family, and she left. Half of the family went with her, and half went with her former husband. The woman, sick with grief, committed suicide under one of the many sakura trees that grew in what is now Ueno Park in Tokyo.
"She cast a curse with her dying strength that put her spirit in the sakura tree. She vowed to have vengance on the family that had wronged her, and bound her son to her to help her achieve her goal. Thus began the Sakurazuka family. When her husband found out about this, he was devistated. He went to try and exorcize her spirit, and his son appeared and killed him, making him the first sacrifice to the Tree. The family, whose name was Sumeragi, became violently opposed to the Sakurazuka clan. That's what started the whole bloody feud in the first place." Watari paused to take a sip of his tea, letting Tsuzuki and I digest the history.
"And now, Sakurazuka Seishirou is the blossom star.. the 'sakurazukamori'." I frown and lean back in my chair, ignoring my tea. "He made a Bet with the Head of the Sumeragi Clan." I explain the case briefly to Watari, who pales even further when he hears about it.
"That's horrible," he breathes. "The matter has become personal once again. For awhile, the families seemed to have forgotten.. I'd hoped that this would never start again."
Tsuzuki frowns slightly. "Watari.. what's your connection to the Sumeragi clan?"
Watari blinks, then sighs and bites his lip. "After my mother died, I was sent back to Kyoto to be fostered by the current Clan Head, the Lady Sumeragi." He shrugs a little. "I wasn't there for too long.. a couple years. She was old even then.. I'd imagine she's in her eighties by now."
I nod. "Somewhere along in there, yes. Do you think she would talk to you about the Clan Head?"
He grimaces. "It's possible. She taught me a lot about the Sumeragi family.. I became somewhat of an honorary member."
"Great!" Tsuzuki looks very enthusiastic. "This will be perfect. We can find out more about the events now. I'm -sure- she'll be able to help us."
Watari looks somewhat nervous, but he nods in agreement. "We'll see. I'm just wondering how she'll react to my presence.. since, you know, I'm dead."
"Well, she's an onmiyouji," I point out. "She couldn't possibly be THAT surprised."
"I hope not." He stands up and shrugs out of his lab coat, revealing his usual outfit of a sweater and khakis. "Let me make myself presentable, then we'll go."
I blink and look down at my own clothes.. jeans, t-shirt, denim jacket. "Should we change?"
"Nah." He smiles. "I'm just a mess, I've been working all day." He disappears back into his lab, and Tsuzuki and I remain in the office, both of us deep in thought.
"This is strange," Tsuzuki finally says. "Don't you think he'd be happy to see Lady Sumeragi again?"
"I don't know what to think," I reply. "I'm going to try not to anymore until we get more facts. Right now, everything I see tells me that Sumeragi Subaru and Sakurazuka Seishirou should never have met up in the first place."
Watari returns then, his hair combed and back in a neat ponytail. "All right, let's go!"
- Watari -
Spring in Kyoto was traditionally a happy time for me. I remember the parties the Sumeragi family held, rejoicing in the season of new life. How ironic that I died in the springtime. Grimacing a bit at my morbidity, I lead Hisoka and Tsuzuki up the steps to the Sumeragi estate. It hasn't changed much since last I saw it. We're met at the gate by a girl in the traditional robes.
"May I help you?" she asks in a gentle alto.
"Aa, we're here to see the Lady Sumeragi." I smile charmingly at her. "Will you please tell her that Watari Yutaka is here?"
The girl bows slightly. "If you will follow me.." She turns and heads down one of the paths that branch away from the gate. I know exactly where she's going - the gardens. We follow her, and she stops us in front of the door to the pavillion. "Wait one moment." She disappears inside.
Tsuzuki looks around with a faint smile. "It's beautiful here," he remarks. "This is a really beautiful place, Watari. Is it different than you remember?"
"Not too much," I reply. "Then again, it hasn't really been -that- long.. twenty years or so."
The girl reappears. "The Lady Sumeragi will see you now." She gestures that we should enter the pavillion.
We do, and find her sitting under a weeping willow tree in a wheelchair. That sight makes my heart clench, for I remember her as a strong, stern woman. I walk to her slowly, with Tsuzuki and Hisoka keeping a respectful distance. I bow formally. "Lady Sumeragi," I murmur.
She looks up at me with the same expression I remember.. mostly stern, mostly cold, but showing hints of affection and warmth. "It is good to see you after all these years, Yutaka-san."
"It's good to see you as well, my lady," I say, taking her hands in mine and smiling down at her. "I suppose you're surprised to see me, since I died over twenty years ago."
"You should know better, child," she replies in a surprisingly gentle voice. "I am an onmiyouji. Seeing spirits does not startle me. However, you seem.. different."
I nod. "Aa.. I am a Shinigami now. These are my friends, Tsuzuki Asato and Kurosaki Hisoka." The two bow to her, and she nods graciously. "I brought them here because they have some questions for you about the family history. I'll let them explain."
Hisoka tells the story about the Kiseki, the Book of Souls, and then briefly summarizes the case. "What we need to know is everything you can tell us about the Clan Head, Sumeragi Subaru. It's important if we want to save him from the blossom star."
Lady Sumeragi closes her eyes and looks down, a pained expression appearing on her face. "It is not a pleasant story," she murmurs. "It is also partially my fault, because I did not try to keep Subaru-san away from Seishirou-san."
"We know about the Bet and their history," Tsuzuki says. "What we really need to know now is, are they still interacting with eachother?"
"No." She opens her eyes again and looks up at Tsuzuki. "Subaru-san changed drastically after all this happened to him. If the sakurazukamori were to approach him, there would be dire consequences for both of them."
Hisoka frowns. "All right, that's one problem out of the way. The next thing we need to deal with is that Tree."
Lady Sumeragi nods slowly. "That will be easier said than done, I'm afraid. Generation upon generation of Sumeragi onmiyouji have attempted this, and all have failed. Subaru-san is the strongest among us now, and even he could not do it."
"His sister is in that tree?" Tsuzuki muses. "If we could just contact her.."
I blink. "Sou! Tsuzuki, you may be on to something! If we can manage to get ahold of the girl.."
Hisoka nods slowly. "If someone's with me, guarding my back.. maybe my empathy would be able to reach her. Something like going Within."
Lady Sumeragi shakes her head. "It is too dangerous, child, even for a Shinigami like you. The sakurazukamori would be alerted immediately, and you would have to fight him. He is very, very powerful.. especially with the Tree backing him."
"Well, then," Hisoka says. "What we need is Sumeragi Subaru's help."
"That may be the hardest thing to acquire," the Lady murmurs. "I will do what I can for you, but.. it may not be enough. Subaru-san has retreated Within himself, and none of us have been able to pull him out thus far. He is here, however, and you are welcome to give it a shot."
Hisoka nods, setting his jaw in determination. "I will do it."
"Then, follow me," Lady Sumeragi says, waving for an attendant. "And prepare yourself."
I close my eyes, but trail along after them. Something deep inside is warning me that this is a bad idea.. but it may be our only hope.
Sumeragi Subaru.. Kurosaki Hisoka.
I hope you're strong enough, bon.
*********
Ne, ne? ^.~ The next chapter is on the way!