Disclaimer: If wishes were fishes...
Warnings: AU, Shounen Ai
Pairings: Touma+Seiji, Shuu+Shin, Ryo+Nasuti
Summary: Touma and his friends make up a secret group dedicated to the protection of Japan. While out one night, Touma stumbles across something that will change both his and his friends' lives...
A/N: I apologize to everyone for not updating this in months. I have no time. Another apology for ending this where it does. But, it's Spring Break now, and even though teachers are evil and I still have lots of work to do, there will be another update this week! I promise. And another apology to Shadow of Arashi, if you read this, I can't tell you what Seiji is yet, 'cause he doesn't remember. Lots of apologies today, yeah.



Half-breed
by Amyeyl

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Chapter 7

"Thanks, Ryo, really," Touma said angrily before steering Seiji away from the dark-haired boy to sit back down on the couch. Once everyone was seated, for Touma knew they wouldn't leave until the blonde had finished his tale, he gestured for Seiji to continue speaking. The blonde looked around nervously before continuing with his narrative.

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Seiji was lost. That was something of an understatement, but he didn't know a better way to express it. This building was worse than any labryinth he had ever heard of. No matter how far he ran, no matter the turns he took, almost every door he opened would lead him back to that bedroom. He stood at an intersection, the hallway brancing off in two different directions. His heart beat madly in his chest and he could feel the blood rushing through his veins.

Go left. The blonde took a few tentative steps in the direction, and was seized immediately with a fierce pain. He lifted his hand and placed it against the throbing wound in his throat. It came away stained red. Ignore the pain. Go! Hand pressed firmly against the wound in a feeble attempt to stop the blood flow, Seiji continued down the hall in a fast walk.

As he walked, he looked around himself warily. Where was he headed, and what was this strange feeling that was leading him there? And why did he feel that to disobey it would lead to something much worse than he had already experienced? Out of the corner of his eye, he detected a slight movement. He turned to face it and became rooted to the spot.

The hallway he was walking along was changing. Or at least trying to. One moment it would be the long, seemingling endless hallway he'd started down, the next it would terminate a few dozen feet ahead of him with a door most certainly leading back to that room. Go! What was this feeling? How could he go when it would lead him back there again?

"RUN!" The feeling manifested itself as a voice, shocking the boy out of his confused stupor. He looked around wildly, but could find no trace of the speaker.

"Run where?!" he called out uselessly, "There's a wall! Who are you? Where are you? What's going on?!"

"Seiji, go now! Before it's too late!"

"It's already too late old man." A new voice spoke up behind the blonde, and he whirled to face it. A tall man with long auburn hair stood, blocking the way he'd come. Seiji took a few involuntary steps backwards and the man smiled, taking a step forward. "Is the little pup afraid?"

Seiji looked behind him, hoping the wall was gone so that he could make a run for it. To his dismay, the wall flickered slightly before solidifying completely. He was trapped. No. The window. The window? Seiji glanced towards it. All he could see was sky. There was no hint of ground out on the horizon. There was no telling how high up he was. Jump.

"It's your only chance." Should he trust the strange, disembodied voice? What choice did he really have? He would rather die than be forced to remain with this Arago man. There was something about him that the blonde was deathly afraid of.

"Fool!" the long-haired man yelled. "The boy belongs to Arago, and this is where he shall remian." Before he'd finished speaking, he'd taken off in a sprint towards where the blonde stood. The blonde watched, terrified, as the ban closed in on him. Jump!

And he did.

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"NOOO!!!"

The lone word rang out loud enough that the large building seemed to shake. As he fell, Seiji couldn't bring himself to care. Arms outstretched, eyes closed, it wouldn't matter for much longer anyway. The wind whipped at his clothing and hair. Soon, the ground would embrace him harshly and he would cease to be.

Yes, any moment now...

How high had they been...?

Slowly, he opened his eyes. At first he couldn't see anything and he was frightened. He could no longer see the building he'd just escaped from, nor could he see the ground. He couldn't even see the sky, nor the sun that had just begun to rise. As he began to panic, gentle hands tightened their slack hold on him, bringing him closer.

"It's alright, Seiji. You're safe." It was the voice from before, low and benign.

"Who are you?" The blonde tried to turn in the embrace, to see who held him, but he found that he could not.

"You will know when the time comes. Now rest." And Seiji found himself drifting off to sleep. The smell of sakura wafted in on a slight breeze and a pleasant tinkling sound faded slowly into the distance.

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"When I woke up, I was here, in Tokyo." Seiji lifted his head to look at Touma. "I've been here for a few weeks."

"You were on the streets all this time?" Touma asked incredulously. The blonde nodded slightly.

"Oh dear.." Shin whispered from across the room.

"He's still after me," Seiji whispered, "The man that took me the first time, the one that took me out of the coffin, I've seen him around, looking for something. He's with a lot of other men, and I can only assume they're looking for me," he bit his lip and worried at it briefly. "Why would Arago want me? I'm nothing special."

Touma was inclined to disagree, but held his tongue. A budding sexual desire was not their main concern at the moment. They had to figure out what Arago was up to and somehow stop it.

Just then, a large white tiger entered the room, commanding everyone's attention. Its teeth were bared and it was growling lowly. Ryo made his way quickly to the animal's side, trusting Nasuti to the care of Shuu. Something was wrong.

There was an ear splitting noise and the window exploded inward. Amidst the dust and cracked wood stood Arago. His eyes blazed and each hand held a deadly sharp katana. He was flanked on both sides by four of his most trusted. Shuten, Rajura, Anubis and Naaza.

"Arago!" Ryo growled, hand reaching for the weapons that weren't there.

"I've come for what's mine."