THANKS TO: panatlantic (repeat reviews are good! they let me know people continue reading), Kuro Hoshi (i'm actually a huge sei/sub fan. they are the most perfect yaoi couple), and marian (no offense taken. i often get the urge to kick kamui away from subaru and cheer for seishirou-san).
PREMISE: Tokyo Babylon and X both occur in the year 1999. This means that Seishirou, Subaru, and Hokuto retain their TB ages/personalities.
DISCLAIMER: Tokyo Babylon/X and their characters are not mine.
Be Careful What You Wish For
Chapter 3: Dreams of Sakura
It was lunch time on CLAMP campus. Kamui and his friends were gathered in their usual spot: a nice, grassy area behind the main building that they had claimed as their own in the beginning of the school year. Today, they were sprawled out on the large checkered picnic blanket that Kotori had thoughtfully brought, chatting and swiping each others' food.
Kotori was offering homemade onigiri to Kamui, who took one and thanked her distractedly; Sorata was flirting with Arashi and being steadfastly ignored; Hokuto was tearing into her lunch with single-minded determination; and Yuzuriha, the youngest of the group, was munching on a variety of oil-laden and chocolatey snacks which didn't seem to affect her weight or complexion in the least.
Even Subaru was back after a day's reprieve to recover from work. He sat quietly, staring up at the sakura trees that shaded them and lost in thought.
Kamui noticed and scooted closer to him. "Is anything wrong?" he asked, lowering his voice and leaning toward Subaru so that no one else could hear.
Subaru shook his head slowly, not as an answer to the question but rather to clear whatever thoughts had been occupying his head. He looked at Kamui, hesitant. "I've been having these dreams..."
Kamui nodded encouragingly, thrilled at being held in the reserved boy's confidence.
"The details get fuzzy once I wake up, but I remember sakura petals falling... and..." Subaru closed his eyes and scrunched his forehead in concentration, "an older boy."
Upon hearing the "older boy" bit, the first thing that came to mind was Seishirou. Kamui scowled, hoping that sakura wasn't symbolism for anything sexual.
"I'm really young," Subaru continued shyly, "and I have a feeling I should be scared, but I'm not. And when he reaches out and touches me... I feel like... like I'm complete. Like I've been going around with a piece missing, without even realizing it until that very minute."
During his speech, a warm smile from the recesses of his heart graced his lips, and gloved hands stole their way to cover his heart.
Kamui was silent, unable to think of anything appropriate to say.
"The boy... he's so familiar," Subaru mused thoughtfully. "It's as if I've known him all my life." He blinked his eyes open and started to chuckle nervously.
"Ano, you must think I'm weird now," he blushed, poking at his neglected lunch.
"No, not at all," Kamui said, now jealous of this dream boy on top of Seishirou. He wanted to ask if it could be him that Subaru was dreaming about, but he somehow doubted it. His luck had always bad when it came to the beautiful Sumeragi heir.
"That sounds so romantic!" Yuzuriha stopped munching on her chips long enough to exclaim.
"Yes, it does," Kotori seconded, shooting a longing look at Kamui. "I think that boy must be your soulmate. The one just for you." She sighed wistfully as she failed to catch Kamui's eye.
Subaru jumped, then pulled down his hat so that the brim covered his red face. He hadn't even noticed that the individual conversations had died down as everyone stopped talking to listen in.
"Ne, Subaru," Hokuto nudged, "Do you think that boy is Sei-chan?"
"Hokuto-chan!"
"Well you two are awfully close," she grinned cheekily. "Inseparable, you might say."
"You spend even more time with him than I do," Subaru shot back. It seemed the only person he could stand up to was his twin, and the resulting arguments were always amusing to bystanders.
"Ohohoho! Is my precious little brother jealous?"
"N-no!" Subaru stuttered. "Seishirou-san is allowed to spend time with whomever he wishes. He could move in with—" Subaru groped for a name, "—Sorata for all I care."
Everyone laughed. "Hey, why me? I'm straight."
Subaru bowed his head. "It was the first name that came to mind," he said apologetically.
"Well, I much prefer the company of a beautiful young lady than some old man," Sorata sniffed, feigning offense, and put an arm around Arashi to illustrate his point.
She rolled her eyes at the blatant come-on and smacked him, even as Subaru said defensively, "Seishirou-san isn't old."
"I wouldn't mind having a guy like Sei-chan. He's sexy. Even if he is old," Hokuto said teasingly. "Ne, guys, did you know that Subaru spent a whole night with Sei-chan? Just the two of them, unsupervised—"
"It was for a job!"
"—on the observation deck of Tokyo Tower!" Hokuto turned to everyone else. "And you know that's the popular spot for lovers. I'm pretty sure they weren't sleeping the whole time. At least, not in the conventional sense," she amended with a suggestive lift of her brow.
"How obscene. I never expected Subaru-san to be the one-night stand type," Arashi murmured, reforming her opinion of the seemingly shy, modest teen.
"N-nothing happened!" Subaru denied, wishing he didn't feel so guilty.
He was telling the truth. Nothing had happened, at least nothing like what Hokuto was implying.
He reddened as he recalled being held in Seishirou's arms, the older man sweeping him away from danger just as his barrier had broken. Even in the heat of danger, Subaru had been unable to keep from noticing how good-looking Seishirou was, or how safe and protected he felt. He had been disappointed when he had been put down, and secretly pleased beneath the mortification when Seishirou steadied him by putting an arm around him, drawing him close. And then the hand had slid down lower, fitting the inward curve of his waist perfectly, the electrifying touch burning its heat through the thin fabric of his shirt...
Subaru's vision glazed over as he relived the moment. He gave no response even when Yuzuriha stuck out her hand in front of his eyes and waved it around.
"He's gone," Sorata announced the obvious.
"Hmph. That's no fun," Hokuto grumped. "I wanted to poke some more fun."
The bell rang then, signaling the end of lunch.
Everyone grumbled good-naturedly as they picked up their belongings, tossing garbage into nearby bins and calling out their goodbyes.
Kamui lingered and gave Subaru a light shake.
"Subaru, it's time for class," he informed, when Subaru returned to the present.
"Oh, right. Thanks."
Kamui helped him up.
Then, large green eyes fixed on him with sudden intensity and Kamui felt his pulse race. He palm, still clasped to Subaru's, was sweating and he was thankful for the gloves that served as a barrier.
"Can I ask you something, Kamui?"
"Anything."
It was impossible to refuse Subaru anything under normal circumstances, and even more so with that sweet, pleading look Subaru was directing at him.
"I have... feelings... for someone I've known for a while now." Subaru faltered, trying to phrase this delicately while still making his dilemma clear. "I wasn't sure if I liked him just as a friend or something more, but I know now that I'm in love."
Was this finally his Wish come true? It had only been two days since he had visited Fuuma but then again, Yuuto had said his case was top priority.
"How can I help?" Kamui leaned toward Subaru imperceptibly.
"I'm not sure if the feelings are returned. I mean, I think they might but I'm not really good at telling those sort of things." Subaru looked adorably confused, and Kamui resisted the urge to jump him right there. "Should I take the risk and confess, at the risk of losing friendship?"
"HELL, YES!"
Subaru jumped at the too eager response.
"I mean, yes, you should," Kamui said firmly. "If you're honest with your feelings, things can't go wrong."
"You really think so?"
Kamui nodded, and the next thing he knew, Subaru was hugging him. "Thank you, Kamui. You're such a good friend."
Then, he pulled away.
"I had my doubts but now, I know what I should say to Seishirou-san."
"Se-se-seishirou-san?" Wow, I sound just like Subaru, a detached part of Kamui's mind noted.
A faint blush spread across Subaru's face. "Hai. He asked me to meet him at Ueno Park afterschool and... I think I'll tell him then."
Then modesty overcame him and Subaru bowed, one hand plunked on the top of his hat to prevent it from falling. "Have a nice day!"
Kamui watched him leave.
"I hate my life."
tbc...
----------
October 6, 2002
PREMISE: Tokyo Babylon and X both occur in the year 1999. This means that Seishirou, Subaru, and Hokuto retain their TB ages/personalities.
DISCLAIMER: Tokyo Babylon/X and their characters are not mine.
Chapter 3: Dreams of Sakura
It was lunch time on CLAMP campus. Kamui and his friends were gathered in their usual spot: a nice, grassy area behind the main building that they had claimed as their own in the beginning of the school year. Today, they were sprawled out on the large checkered picnic blanket that Kotori had thoughtfully brought, chatting and swiping each others' food.
Kotori was offering homemade onigiri to Kamui, who took one and thanked her distractedly; Sorata was flirting with Arashi and being steadfastly ignored; Hokuto was tearing into her lunch with single-minded determination; and Yuzuriha, the youngest of the group, was munching on a variety of oil-laden and chocolatey snacks which didn't seem to affect her weight or complexion in the least.
Even Subaru was back after a day's reprieve to recover from work. He sat quietly, staring up at the sakura trees that shaded them and lost in thought.
Kamui noticed and scooted closer to him. "Is anything wrong?" he asked, lowering his voice and leaning toward Subaru so that no one else could hear.
Subaru shook his head slowly, not as an answer to the question but rather to clear whatever thoughts had been occupying his head. He looked at Kamui, hesitant. "I've been having these dreams..."
Kamui nodded encouragingly, thrilled at being held in the reserved boy's confidence.
"The details get fuzzy once I wake up, but I remember sakura petals falling... and..." Subaru closed his eyes and scrunched his forehead in concentration, "an older boy."
Upon hearing the "older boy" bit, the first thing that came to mind was Seishirou. Kamui scowled, hoping that sakura wasn't symbolism for anything sexual.
"I'm really young," Subaru continued shyly, "and I have a feeling I should be scared, but I'm not. And when he reaches out and touches me... I feel like... like I'm complete. Like I've been going around with a piece missing, without even realizing it until that very minute."
During his speech, a warm smile from the recesses of his heart graced his lips, and gloved hands stole their way to cover his heart.
Kamui was silent, unable to think of anything appropriate to say.
"The boy... he's so familiar," Subaru mused thoughtfully. "It's as if I've known him all my life." He blinked his eyes open and started to chuckle nervously.
"Ano, you must think I'm weird now," he blushed, poking at his neglected lunch.
"No, not at all," Kamui said, now jealous of this dream boy on top of Seishirou. He wanted to ask if it could be him that Subaru was dreaming about, but he somehow doubted it. His luck had always bad when it came to the beautiful Sumeragi heir.
"That sounds so romantic!" Yuzuriha stopped munching on her chips long enough to exclaim.
"Yes, it does," Kotori seconded, shooting a longing look at Kamui. "I think that boy must be your soulmate. The one just for you." She sighed wistfully as she failed to catch Kamui's eye.
Subaru jumped, then pulled down his hat so that the brim covered his red face. He hadn't even noticed that the individual conversations had died down as everyone stopped talking to listen in.
"Ne, Subaru," Hokuto nudged, "Do you think that boy is Sei-chan?"
"Hokuto-chan!"
"Well you two are awfully close," she grinned cheekily. "Inseparable, you might say."
"You spend even more time with him than I do," Subaru shot back. It seemed the only person he could stand up to was his twin, and the resulting arguments were always amusing to bystanders.
"Ohohoho! Is my precious little brother jealous?"
"N-no!" Subaru stuttered. "Seishirou-san is allowed to spend time with whomever he wishes. He could move in with—" Subaru groped for a name, "—Sorata for all I care."
Everyone laughed. "Hey, why me? I'm straight."
Subaru bowed his head. "It was the first name that came to mind," he said apologetically.
"Well, I much prefer the company of a beautiful young lady than some old man," Sorata sniffed, feigning offense, and put an arm around Arashi to illustrate his point.
She rolled her eyes at the blatant come-on and smacked him, even as Subaru said defensively, "Seishirou-san isn't old."
"I wouldn't mind having a guy like Sei-chan. He's sexy. Even if he is old," Hokuto said teasingly. "Ne, guys, did you know that Subaru spent a whole night with Sei-chan? Just the two of them, unsupervised—"
"It was for a job!"
"—on the observation deck of Tokyo Tower!" Hokuto turned to everyone else. "And you know that's the popular spot for lovers. I'm pretty sure they weren't sleeping the whole time. At least, not in the conventional sense," she amended with a suggestive lift of her brow.
"How obscene. I never expected Subaru-san to be the one-night stand type," Arashi murmured, reforming her opinion of the seemingly shy, modest teen.
"N-nothing happened!" Subaru denied, wishing he didn't feel so guilty.
He was telling the truth. Nothing had happened, at least nothing like what Hokuto was implying.
He reddened as he recalled being held in Seishirou's arms, the older man sweeping him away from danger just as his barrier had broken. Even in the heat of danger, Subaru had been unable to keep from noticing how good-looking Seishirou was, or how safe and protected he felt. He had been disappointed when he had been put down, and secretly pleased beneath the mortification when Seishirou steadied him by putting an arm around him, drawing him close. And then the hand had slid down lower, fitting the inward curve of his waist perfectly, the electrifying touch burning its heat through the thin fabric of his shirt...
Subaru's vision glazed over as he relived the moment. He gave no response even when Yuzuriha stuck out her hand in front of his eyes and waved it around.
"He's gone," Sorata announced the obvious.
"Hmph. That's no fun," Hokuto grumped. "I wanted to poke some more fun."
The bell rang then, signaling the end of lunch.
Everyone grumbled good-naturedly as they picked up their belongings, tossing garbage into nearby bins and calling out their goodbyes.
Kamui lingered and gave Subaru a light shake.
"Subaru, it's time for class," he informed, when Subaru returned to the present.
"Oh, right. Thanks."
Kamui helped him up.
Then, large green eyes fixed on him with sudden intensity and Kamui felt his pulse race. He palm, still clasped to Subaru's, was sweating and he was thankful for the gloves that served as a barrier.
"Can I ask you something, Kamui?"
"Anything."
It was impossible to refuse Subaru anything under normal circumstances, and even more so with that sweet, pleading look Subaru was directing at him.
"I have... feelings... for someone I've known for a while now." Subaru faltered, trying to phrase this delicately while still making his dilemma clear. "I wasn't sure if I liked him just as a friend or something more, but I know now that I'm in love."
Was this finally his Wish come true? It had only been two days since he had visited Fuuma but then again, Yuuto had said his case was top priority.
"How can I help?" Kamui leaned toward Subaru imperceptibly.
"I'm not sure if the feelings are returned. I mean, I think they might but I'm not really good at telling those sort of things." Subaru looked adorably confused, and Kamui resisted the urge to jump him right there. "Should I take the risk and confess, at the risk of losing friendship?"
"HELL, YES!"
Subaru jumped at the too eager response.
"I mean, yes, you should," Kamui said firmly. "If you're honest with your feelings, things can't go wrong."
"You really think so?"
Kamui nodded, and the next thing he knew, Subaru was hugging him. "Thank you, Kamui. You're such a good friend."
Then, he pulled away.
"I had my doubts but now, I know what I should say to Seishirou-san."
"Se-se-seishirou-san?" Wow, I sound just like Subaru, a detached part of Kamui's mind noted.
A faint blush spread across Subaru's face. "Hai. He asked me to meet him at Ueno Park afterschool and... I think I'll tell him then."
Then modesty overcame him and Subaru bowed, one hand plunked on the top of his hat to prevent it from falling. "Have a nice day!"
Kamui watched him leave.
"I hate my life."
tbc...
----------
October 6, 2002