*****
Author's Note: Sorry this chapter is so bad ___. It's going to get VERY interesting in the final two or three chapters, I promise!!!
*****
The Sumeragi Estate: 2:15that afternoon
The Shinigami approached the sprawling complex in awe. Immaculately trimmed gardens dotted the areas with tiny Edens, rivulets of the summer afternoon trickling peacefully down the path. One-story buildings with paper windows and tastefully ornate shrines graced the Shinigami with their presence. The primary building was a mix of all of these; it was both the headquarters and the home of the onmyoujistu clan Sumeragi. Tsuzuki and Hisoka shifted into the ethereal plane, and entered undetected.
"Hmmm if what Goushoushin told us was correct, then the head of the Sumeragi clan should be in the center quad. We can talk to him there." Hisoka fingered a small piece of paper with crude writing on it. "That way." He pointed through a set of doors leading to an open courtyard. The pair walked on, still having not encountered a living soul. A quartet of ponds opened into a larger moat that surrounded a small concrete island, mystic patterns carved into the walkways. A pentagram of stone connected the outer walkway to the center isle. A jade circle marked the center of the island, and Tsuzuki felt the power pulsing in the air. This building was more than just a building; it was a locus for the magical powers that the Sumeragis harnessed. Yet it was more than a fortress as well; it was also as home. Tsuzuki felt cleansed, as he hadn't in some time. In spite of the situation, he felt the stress ease out of him.
They walked to the center of the circle and paused. Sakura trees lent their soft scent to the surrounding air. Hisoka took a deep breath. "Well. He's not home at the moment. At least it's much nicer here than in the city."
Tsuzuki smiled, feeling his old energy return. "Hai. Maybe we should leave, come as guests! They would feed us, maybe ^____^"
A presence forced itself into Hisoka's mind one that was painfully familiar. The pale skin stood against the shock of black hair like it didn't belong on the same head. The eyes were closed, but then opened. One eye, a deeper emerald than his own, stared back with a bland emotion that was only surpassed by the empty stare of the other eye; blind, gray, lifeless.
"Tsuzuki!" he hissed, and pulled the larger Shinigami off on to a diagonal post and behind a manicured shrub. To use magic here might cause the complex itself to rise up against them they didn't want to risk having to fight an entire clan. Through the soft leaves, Tsuzuki watched as a lone figure walked to the center island, his back at an angle to the hidden figures. That coat, that frame that hair it couldn't be, but he's so much thinner than the one we met the other night, yet they look the same He looked over at Hisoka, who was staring intensely at the figure, the only sound the soft click of his shoes on the stones.
Subaru walked alone to the center of his power, his one place of solace outside of the Sakura tree. Finally, he had returned home today, and would have to work feverishly to make up for his lost labors as an exorcist then he stopped. Didn't move his head, but opened his mouth slightly, as if tasting the air. He turned around slowly and stared at a meek patch of foliage off to the side.
Time slowed.
Tsuzuki found himself jumping into the air as soon as he saw the blind eye stare in his direction; he seemed mired in a dense fog but the air rushed past his ears so fast. He sent forth a wave of magic down at the Sakurazukamori, wanting to destroy the existence of he who had caused so much suffering in his life. A red haze slipped over his eyes, and he couldn't remember feeling such a bloodlust. The Sakurazukamori took his hand out of his right pocket and faced the wave unflinchingly.
Tsuzuki paused that hand was clean?
A ring of ofuda whipped around the Sakurazukamori but they were also white. Tsuzuki swore to himself, and watched as the magics collided into a small shockwave. Tsuzuki landed on his feat beyond the reach of the moat, looked up, saw that the Sakurazukamori had taken skyward. Another wave his hand and a flock of doves streaked in towards himself. Swiftly he summoned a Kekkai and the doves splattered against the shield. But that was light magic!? He paused for a moment and ceased his attack. The figure landed nimbly in the center of the island and faced him. He spoke, the voice barely audible above the silent sounds of the garden.
"So you must be Shinigami, to have recovered from my attack so fast." The voice was a dead monotone, but Tsuzuki sensed powerful emotions behind it. Hisoka stirred from behind the bush and responded.
"Hai. We're sorry for offending you, but we needed to talk to you." Hisoka paused, and decided to shock the young onmyouji. "Will you let us talk, Sakurazukamori Subaru?"
Subaru didn't twitch.
Tsuzuki watched carefully, then walked towards the catatonic figure. His anger had been replaced by business and curiosity the moment Hisoka had started talking "Do you know where we could find the head of the Sumeragi clan?"
Subaru didn't move, but he said very softly, "I am him."
"O.o That's impossible!"
"Considering what has happened to me in the past few months, anything is possible." Tsuzuki's head spun as he grasped what was being said. The the Sumeragi continued. "So the Shinigami have come to seek out the Sakurazukamori and the Sumeragi. Why?"
"The magical stability of Tokyo has been unstable recently. We were wondering if you knew the reason why." Hisoka spoke deadpan, eyes carefully scrutinizing the Sumeragi for any sign of knowledge. He allowed himself to step into his spirit once more
"Nothing intentional, I assure you. I assume you know about the balance of power among the onmyoujitsu. Recently that balance has been somewhat altered." The Sumeragi withdrew his hands from his pockets. The right hand carried a white ofuda, the left a black one. He flicked his wrists, and the ofuda slipped noiselessly into Tsuzuki's hands. "Please, help yourself to anything you want in this building. I have some business to attend to." With that, he walked away without looking back.
Tsuzuki and Hisoka stared at the empty space for awhile, unsure of what to make of the sudden change in character. The Sumeragi was polite, allowed information to be given while still revealing nothing. The waters of the pond stilled, and the sakura stopped swaying to the light breeze.
The silence deepened.
"Wow. He's cute."
*smack* -.-;;;;;;;;;;;;;
"Sorry, Soka-chan."
*****
