Author's Note:
Keep your seatbelts securely fastened. Language, Agent-Smith-like Kanoe, small hints of gay, and Karen's hidden talent.
For those of you unfamiliar with the term, mochi is a kind of rice-flour candy, similar to marzipan in texture but with a very different taste.
(Very special thanks to Dools, because of her l33t fact-checking skillz, and because she encouraged me to keep Kanoe's "basement" comment. ^_^)
*`-,--
"Aoki Seiichiro-san... very pleased to meet you, sir."
Seiichiro was slightly taken aback at how polite this younger Subaru acted. True, the man he had known had never spoken a single uncivil word--but then, they had rarely spoken at all, much less smiled as readily as this teenager.
"Pleased to... ah... meet you as well, Subaru-san."
The young man shifted a little, tugging nervously at one of his sleeves with slender gloved fingers. "I'm sorry, sir, but... you've all been acting like I should know you, and... I don't really even know where I am."
"It's all right, Subaru-san..." Seiichiro paused, trying to think of a good approach to the conversation. If Subaru had lost all his memory of the past few months, or beyond that--how could he explain the current situation, or avoid bringing up painful events the boy couldn't remember?
Karen seemed to have been thinking along the same lines, for she was quick to speak up.
"We think," she said gently, "that you may have hurt your head and lost some of your memory. Would you mind telling us the last thing you remember?"
Subaru cocked his head slightly. "Well, my birthday party... mine and my sister's. We just turned sixteen..." Suddenly his green eyes went wide and concerned. "Where is she? Is she staying here, too?"
"She's perfectly safe, Subaru-san." In a sense, Seiichiro thought, it wasn't really a lie... at least, not as far as he knew.
"Where is she? Can I see her?"
"She's in Hong Kong."
Karen's expression was unwavering; Seiichiro had to fight not to stare at her. He didn't think he'd ever heard an excuse that outrageous in his entire life... and, from the way Subaru's mouth was now hanging open, he guessed he wasn't alone in his reaction.
"Hong Kong?" the boy stammered. "B-but why?"
"Subaru-san, does the term 'Dragon of Heaven' mean anything to you?"
"Well... yes... My grandmother told me a little about that, and about the Kamui..." He looked down at his gloved hands, and then, with a thoughtful frown, glanced quickly back up at the two adults. "What does that have to do with Hokuto-chan?"
"Subaru-san, these are very dangerous times. Both, er, versions of the Kamui have awakened, and..." If Karen was making all this up on the spot, she was doing a marvellous job of covering that fact. "...frankly, it just wasn't safe for her to stay in the country, considering how important you are. She knew the Dragons of Earth might try to harm her to get at you, and she didn't want you to have to suffer... so... she's staying with a good friend until it's safe to get back in contact."
She should be writing spy novels, Seiichiro thought, with some astonishment.
"Oh... I see!" Subaru bowed a little in his seat. "Thank you, I was getting really worried... we don't really spend much time apart, and--" Then he seemed to actually register the rest of her story, and his face went from glad to worried in what seemed like half a heartbeat. "But when did Kamui--when did all this start? I don't remember that at all!"
"Well, you see--"
And, in the room at the end of the corridor, Shirou Kamui screamed.
* * *
"It won't hurt to get to know your colleagues, Sumeragi-kun."
Sumeragi made a little noise of irritation as Kanoe led him towards the door, through the small labyrinth of cables; every so often one of them would move slightly against the floor, like a pulsing vein under the surface of a wound.
"I didn't say I didn't want to," he said.
"I know. But it never hurts to make certain, does it?"
"...hn..." A cable flicked at Sumeragi's ankle, and he flinched. "Where are we?"
"The basement." Kanoe flashed him a wicked little smile, delicately picking her way towards the door.
"Oh, that's specific."
"If you mean in Tokyo, this is the Metropolitan Government Building. I have to admit I'll be rather sorry to see it fall... One of the few disadvantages to seeing the future is that you know you'll have to lose your favourite chair." She sighed; he honestly couldn't tell whether or not she was being sarcastic. "Such is life, I suppose."
Sumeragi wasn't sure he wanted to invite further conversation.
Fortunately, another voice--male, this time--intervened before the yumemi could continue.
"Is this our guest, Kanoe-san?"
He glanced past her. Leaning against the room's immense doorframe was a rather pleasant-looking man with tousled blond hair, who was watching them both with what looked like intense interest. Sumeragi noticed with mild surprise that the man was, like himself, wearing mostly black beneath an off-white trenchcoat; the dark green scarf slung around his broad shoulders was the only hint of colour on him.
"Ahh... Yuuto." Kanoe grinned, inclining her head so that another long coil of hair slithered down over her shoulder. "So glad Satsuki-chan managed to track you down."
The man flashed her a rather charming little smile. "Am I so difficult to get hold of?"
"Not generally... but, before I forget. Yuuto, this is Sumeragi Subaru, the new Sakurazukamori... Sumeragi-kun, this is Kigai Yuuto, our resident watercaster."
Yuuto stepped forward and extended his hand in a a single fluid, impeccably polite motion. "Very pleased to meet you, Sumeragi-san."
Sumeragi managed what he hoped was a faint smile, and shook his hand. "Pleased to meet you, Kigai-san."
"Is Satsuki-chan upstairs?" Kanoe cut in.
"She is." Yuuto ran a hand through his hair, tousling it just a little further. "She wanted to know if she should take the mochi out of the refrigerator."
"Well, why not? It's a special occasion." She stepped past both men to stand on the threshold. "We might even call it a celebration of sorts."
"And what are we celebrating?" Yuuto asked, his gaze wandering back to Sumeragi's face for just a moment; the Sakurazukamori found himself fidgeting.
Kanoe's laugh rippled through the air, low and dangerous.
"We'll be celebrating... equilibrium."
* * *
"No!"
Kamui was drowning in one of his own nightmares.
His eyes were wide and unseeing; the bedsheets had twisted around his body during the night, and now he thrashed hard against them, as if they were holding him away from preventing disaster. "No--!"
"Kamui? Kamui, c'mon, can you hear me? Kamui!" Sorata was trying to shake him into wakefulness, his own face as full of concern as the younger boy's was with fear.
"Fuuma, stop--please stop--" Kamui's voice was choked and heavy, thick with urgency. "Oh god, the bridge--Subaru--"
It seemed as if everyone began to speak at once.
"Is he all right?"
"What's going on?"
"Did the Dark Kamui--"
"Where th'hell is Imonoyama-san when ya need him?"
And then, breathless, from the doorway: "Who called for me?"
Everyone looked up at once. For the first time, Subaru actually resembled his older self--the look of protective determination on his face was exactly the same in its intensity and unconscious power.
"He's--we think it's a bad dream--" Sorata blinked. "What's--"
"Here."
Almost before he was really aware of what was going on, Sorata felt a gloved hand on his shoulder, gently nudging him aside. Like the other Seals in the room, he could only stare as the boy knelt by Kamui's side.
With a kind of quick, precise grace, Subaru pulled several cards marked with strange symbols from somewhere inside the folds of his immense jacket. One he slapped to the headboard of Kamui's bed with a decisive thunk; one he pressed to the other boy's forehead, sweeping his sweat-tangled hair aside with expert, perfect ease. Both cards began to glow almost immediately with the same sort of gentle bluish-white of sunlight filtering through water, and Sorata recognized the symbol as the Sanskrit om.
"On mani peme hon..."
Kamui's scarred hands clenched and unclenched; strangled little cries like a dying animal's broke loose from his throat. Subaru's focus held steady, and he kept the card he held firm against the other boy's forehead as he chanted.
"On mani peme hon; on mani peme hon..."
The atmosphere stayed heavy and tense for a heartbeat--two--and then, with a little sigh, Kamui's eyes fluttered shut. Peace settled over his sharp features, and then his head lolled back against the pillow as he sank back into dreamless sleep.
The others stared.
Subaru withdrew his hand slowly, brushing at Kamui's hair once before turning a bright smile to the Seals.
"He'll be fine now."
And then he fell.
*`-,--
Just a quick note: the chant Subaru uses is a Buddhist mantra called the Heart Sutra; it's used to invite peace and divine help. It's a bit like the Lord's Prayer in Christianity. (And the most common English romanization you'll find, should you wish to look it up, is actually "Om mahni padme hum".)
Keep your seatbelts securely fastened. Language, Agent-Smith-like Kanoe, small hints of gay, and Karen's hidden talent.
For those of you unfamiliar with the term, mochi is a kind of rice-flour candy, similar to marzipan in texture but with a very different taste.
(Very special thanks to Dools, because of her l33t fact-checking skillz, and because she encouraged me to keep Kanoe's "basement" comment. ^_^)
*`-,--
"Aoki Seiichiro-san... very pleased to meet you, sir."
Seiichiro was slightly taken aback at how polite this younger Subaru acted. True, the man he had known had never spoken a single uncivil word--but then, they had rarely spoken at all, much less smiled as readily as this teenager.
"Pleased to... ah... meet you as well, Subaru-san."
The young man shifted a little, tugging nervously at one of his sleeves with slender gloved fingers. "I'm sorry, sir, but... you've all been acting like I should know you, and... I don't really even know where I am."
"It's all right, Subaru-san..." Seiichiro paused, trying to think of a good approach to the conversation. If Subaru had lost all his memory of the past few months, or beyond that--how could he explain the current situation, or avoid bringing up painful events the boy couldn't remember?
Karen seemed to have been thinking along the same lines, for she was quick to speak up.
"We think," she said gently, "that you may have hurt your head and lost some of your memory. Would you mind telling us the last thing you remember?"
Subaru cocked his head slightly. "Well, my birthday party... mine and my sister's. We just turned sixteen..." Suddenly his green eyes went wide and concerned. "Where is she? Is she staying here, too?"
"She's perfectly safe, Subaru-san." In a sense, Seiichiro thought, it wasn't really a lie... at least, not as far as he knew.
"Where is she? Can I see her?"
"She's in Hong Kong."
Karen's expression was unwavering; Seiichiro had to fight not to stare at her. He didn't think he'd ever heard an excuse that outrageous in his entire life... and, from the way Subaru's mouth was now hanging open, he guessed he wasn't alone in his reaction.
"Hong Kong?" the boy stammered. "B-but why?"
"Subaru-san, does the term 'Dragon of Heaven' mean anything to you?"
"Well... yes... My grandmother told me a little about that, and about the Kamui..." He looked down at his gloved hands, and then, with a thoughtful frown, glanced quickly back up at the two adults. "What does that have to do with Hokuto-chan?"
"Subaru-san, these are very dangerous times. Both, er, versions of the Kamui have awakened, and..." If Karen was making all this up on the spot, she was doing a marvellous job of covering that fact. "...frankly, it just wasn't safe for her to stay in the country, considering how important you are. She knew the Dragons of Earth might try to harm her to get at you, and she didn't want you to have to suffer... so... she's staying with a good friend until it's safe to get back in contact."
She should be writing spy novels, Seiichiro thought, with some astonishment.
"Oh... I see!" Subaru bowed a little in his seat. "Thank you, I was getting really worried... we don't really spend much time apart, and--" Then he seemed to actually register the rest of her story, and his face went from glad to worried in what seemed like half a heartbeat. "But when did Kamui--when did all this start? I don't remember that at all!"
"Well, you see--"
And, in the room at the end of the corridor, Shirou Kamui screamed.
* * *
"It won't hurt to get to know your colleagues, Sumeragi-kun."
Sumeragi made a little noise of irritation as Kanoe led him towards the door, through the small labyrinth of cables; every so often one of them would move slightly against the floor, like a pulsing vein under the surface of a wound.
"I didn't say I didn't want to," he said.
"I know. But it never hurts to make certain, does it?"
"...hn..." A cable flicked at Sumeragi's ankle, and he flinched. "Where are we?"
"The basement." Kanoe flashed him a wicked little smile, delicately picking her way towards the door.
"Oh, that's specific."
"If you mean in Tokyo, this is the Metropolitan Government Building. I have to admit I'll be rather sorry to see it fall... One of the few disadvantages to seeing the future is that you know you'll have to lose your favourite chair." She sighed; he honestly couldn't tell whether or not she was being sarcastic. "Such is life, I suppose."
Sumeragi wasn't sure he wanted to invite further conversation.
Fortunately, another voice--male, this time--intervened before the yumemi could continue.
"Is this our guest, Kanoe-san?"
He glanced past her. Leaning against the room's immense doorframe was a rather pleasant-looking man with tousled blond hair, who was watching them both with what looked like intense interest. Sumeragi noticed with mild surprise that the man was, like himself, wearing mostly black beneath an off-white trenchcoat; the dark green scarf slung around his broad shoulders was the only hint of colour on him.
"Ahh... Yuuto." Kanoe grinned, inclining her head so that another long coil of hair slithered down over her shoulder. "So glad Satsuki-chan managed to track you down."
The man flashed her a rather charming little smile. "Am I so difficult to get hold of?"
"Not generally... but, before I forget. Yuuto, this is Sumeragi Subaru, the new Sakurazukamori... Sumeragi-kun, this is Kigai Yuuto, our resident watercaster."
Yuuto stepped forward and extended his hand in a a single fluid, impeccably polite motion. "Very pleased to meet you, Sumeragi-san."
Sumeragi managed what he hoped was a faint smile, and shook his hand. "Pleased to meet you, Kigai-san."
"Is Satsuki-chan upstairs?" Kanoe cut in.
"She is." Yuuto ran a hand through his hair, tousling it just a little further. "She wanted to know if she should take the mochi out of the refrigerator."
"Well, why not? It's a special occasion." She stepped past both men to stand on the threshold. "We might even call it a celebration of sorts."
"And what are we celebrating?" Yuuto asked, his gaze wandering back to Sumeragi's face for just a moment; the Sakurazukamori found himself fidgeting.
Kanoe's laugh rippled through the air, low and dangerous.
"We'll be celebrating... equilibrium."
* * *
"No!"
Kamui was drowning in one of his own nightmares.
His eyes were wide and unseeing; the bedsheets had twisted around his body during the night, and now he thrashed hard against them, as if they were holding him away from preventing disaster. "No--!"
"Kamui? Kamui, c'mon, can you hear me? Kamui!" Sorata was trying to shake him into wakefulness, his own face as full of concern as the younger boy's was with fear.
"Fuuma, stop--please stop--" Kamui's voice was choked and heavy, thick with urgency. "Oh god, the bridge--Subaru--"
It seemed as if everyone began to speak at once.
"Is he all right?"
"What's going on?"
"Did the Dark Kamui--"
"Where th'hell is Imonoyama-san when ya need him?"
And then, breathless, from the doorway: "Who called for me?"
Everyone looked up at once. For the first time, Subaru actually resembled his older self--the look of protective determination on his face was exactly the same in its intensity and unconscious power.
"He's--we think it's a bad dream--" Sorata blinked. "What's--"
"Here."
Almost before he was really aware of what was going on, Sorata felt a gloved hand on his shoulder, gently nudging him aside. Like the other Seals in the room, he could only stare as the boy knelt by Kamui's side.
With a kind of quick, precise grace, Subaru pulled several cards marked with strange symbols from somewhere inside the folds of his immense jacket. One he slapped to the headboard of Kamui's bed with a decisive thunk; one he pressed to the other boy's forehead, sweeping his sweat-tangled hair aside with expert, perfect ease. Both cards began to glow almost immediately with the same sort of gentle bluish-white of sunlight filtering through water, and Sorata recognized the symbol as the Sanskrit om.
"On mani peme hon..."
Kamui's scarred hands clenched and unclenched; strangled little cries like a dying animal's broke loose from his throat. Subaru's focus held steady, and he kept the card he held firm against the other boy's forehead as he chanted.
"On mani peme hon; on mani peme hon..."
The atmosphere stayed heavy and tense for a heartbeat--two--and then, with a little sigh, Kamui's eyes fluttered shut. Peace settled over his sharp features, and then his head lolled back against the pillow as he sank back into dreamless sleep.
The others stared.
Subaru withdrew his hand slowly, brushing at Kamui's hair once before turning a bright smile to the Seals.
"He'll be fine now."
And then he fell.
*`-,--
Just a quick note: the chant Subaru uses is a Buddhist mantra called the Heart Sutra; it's used to invite peace and divine help. It's a bit like the Lord's Prayer in Christianity. (And the most common English romanization you'll find, should you wish to look it up, is actually "Om mahni padme hum".)