Disclaimer: I sure as heck don't own X, but after writing this fic, I do own a bottle not unlike that which was thrust into Kamui's arms containing a magical, sexy genie who claims he is Kamui, too.
Author's Notes: Chapter two. Eh he he.
Kamui in a Bottle
Chapter Two
By wiredGIRL, August 10, 2003
Kamui blinked in utter shock. Some sort of person had just floated out of the oil lamp! He sunk slowly to his knees, taking in the surprise of the situation, his eyes never leaving the powerful physique suspended in the air in front of him.
This 'genie' had a serious face with a few wisps of his ebony hair falling in front of his eyes, a slightly smug glint in his eyes and a smirk still pulling at the corners of his mouth. A gold band was set tightly around the base of his neck. His shoulders were broad and his arms strong-looking and two more gold bands were closed around his wrists. No articles of clothing were present, but his body became a stream of mist starting at his hips.
As Kamui gaped up at the majestic presence, the genie bent closer to the boy, reached out his arm, and cupped his cheek with his hand.
Noting that his new master had been quite silent since his appearance, the genie spoke again.
"You have three wishes," again, he spoke with a deep, dark voice.
"Wishes…?" Kamui blinked again (it seemed to be his favorite thing to do). "Who are you?"
"I shall repeat myself," the genie said. "I am a genie, here to grant three wishes for you, my new master. If you must call me by my name, it is Kamui."
The fully human Kamui fell from kneeling into a sitting position.
"But…my name is Kamui."
At this, the genie Kamui's smirk widened and his thumb twitched over the other's cheek.
"I think I should call you something else."
The genie's smirk faded instantly.
"Very well," he sighed. "I have also been known as,"—he made a slight face—"Fuuma." Kamui could easily sense the great disdain and resentment over this name.
Slightly irritated by Kamui's incessant gaze, Fuuma repeated himself once more.
"What is your first wish?"
"Um…" Kamui said.
Fuuma narrowed his eyes, waiting. He stared at the boy and did not move his hand away, which only added more pressure on his indecisiveness. All of a sudden, his smirk came back with a vengeance.
"If you cannot decide on a wish," he began. "Perhaps I may suggest a wish?"
"Okay."
"For your first wish, might you wish for the lower half of my body back?" he said, a hint of devilishness in his grin.
Kamui's surprise was quite evident, and he shyly wormed away from Fuuma's hand, although not realizing the genie's intent.
"Well," he stammered. "Maybe I should help my friend first. I don't know if I'll use all my wishes, so maybe I could help you afterwards."
Fuuma smiled, but disappointment showed through his eyes. "Very well then, Master."
"Um…." Kamui brushed some hair out of his eyes and gazed nervously down at the ground. "You can call me Kamui."
"Very well then, Kamui."
After a bit of awkward silence, Kamui spoke again.
"I'm ready to make my first wish."
"Segawa!"
"Yes, sir!" Keiichi bowed politely to Seishirou.
"Any news of the Shirou boy? Has anyone found him yet?"
"No, sir," Keiichi glanced up at his master from the floor briefly.
"Dammit," Seishirou scowled. "Where could he be?! You have searched the entire city, correct?"
"Most of it, sir."
The sultan's glower deepened considerably, and Keiichi stood as straight as possible, nervous that perhaps out of his anger, Seishirou would hurt him.
"If I may, sir," he thought up something to please his master quickly. "Perhaps Subaru would have an idea of where this Shirou could be. I gather from the neighboring citizens that the two were friends as children." He shot a quick, apologetic look at Subaru.
Seishirou grinned. "Excellent idea, Segawa. Thank you for reminding me of their acquaintanceship." He stood up from his throne, and gave a slight tug on Subaru's demeaning chain. "Come, little Subby, you will help me locate your friend."
As he trailed unwillingly behind his master, Subaru looked over his shoulder at the messenger, whose expression was even more sympathetic and sorry.
Keiichi walked swiftly towards another door as the other two exited, but was called back.
"Segawa. You will come too," Seishirou commanded.
"Might I ask why, sir?"
"Because if we can't find the Shirou boy, you will fill in for him."
"Well?" Fuuma inquired. Kamui had still not made his wish.
"Um, well, I have to think of how I can do this."
Fuuma sighed and rolled his eyes.
"Can I ask a favor, Fuuma?" Kamui asked, his voice suddenly bright.
The genie raised his eyebrows. "I am a genie."
"No, I mean, I don't want it to be my wish," he began. "I need to get back into the city."
"Well, I'm afraid I can't do that," he said irritably. Kamui's face fell. "Don't look like that. I suppose we could use a flying carpet."
"Really?"
"Yes. She owes me, anyway. Kotori!"
For a few moments, nothing happened, until the sand beneath Kamui's feet shifted slightly. A few feet in front of the two, a simple rug with wavy tassels on its corners flew up out of a dune and shook the dust from itself.
"We need you to take us back to the city, Kotori."
The carpet straightened itself to allow boarding.
"On you go, Kamui."
Uneasy, the boy scrambled onto the carpet, which hovered unnaturally beneath him.
"A-are you sure that this is safe?" he questioned.
"Of course. Just hold onto the front. All right, Kotori, let's go."
The carpet zoomed forward immediately, Fuuma flying alongside it. Kamui looked as if he were about to be sick, and tightly shut his eyes.
Once they were back inside the city, Kamui swaggered as he clambered off the carpet. Kotori zoomed off again.
"Right, now what is your wish?" Fuuma prompted.
"I want to help Subaru!" he answered immediately. "So, I need to find him."
Fuuma stared down at him with such a flame of mixed irritation and fury in his eyes that Kamui squeaked and stepped backwards.
"Well then, you won't have to look long!" a loud voice sounded from behind. Kamui turned.
"Sorata!"
"Kamui, they've got 'em looking for you still!"
"What? What are you talking about?" a note of panic was detectable in his voice.
"The sultan himself—and Subaru and that messenger, Mr. Segawa too!"
"Keiichi…? But that's not his job…." Kamui said doubtfully.
"Word is, if the sultan doesn't find you, Mr. Segawa's gonna take your place! I can't bear to see such a nice guy all chained up like that—you should see poor Subaru. Being paraded around like a pet!"
Burning rage welled up inside Kamui at the thought of his friends being enslaved like that. "I'll definitely save both of them!"
"That's the spirit, eh?" however encouraging he sounded, Sorata had several sensible doubts. "Well, I think you should hide out at my restaurant for a bit, 'cause they haven't passed that yet, I don't think."
The search for Kamui had so far rendered fruitless results, and Seishirou was growing ever more impatient. Keiichi panicked to think of something.
"Why don't we split up, sir? To cover more ground?"
"Hmm, good idea, Segawa. But Subaru's staying by my side," he grinned, and yanked the chain so that Subaru fell against his side. Subaru threw a helpless look at Keiichi.
"Right, well, I'll go this way, past that restaurant that's in the red all the time."
Keiichi watched the two hurry off around a corner and then broke into a run in the other direction. His head turned rapidly right and left, looking for the boy. He knew that if Kamui was anywhere in the city, it would be somewhere down this street.
"Mr. Segawa!" Sorata called, his head sticking out of his restaurant's door.
"Sorata! Have you seen Kamui anywhere? We've got to help him!"
"He's in here," he jerked his head towards the inside of the building. Keiichi followed him inside.
Kamui was sitting at a rickety table, taking a tentative bite of something that resembled food, while Fuuma hovered over him staring disdainfully at the plate.
"Hey, Kamui! How d'you like the special?"
The boy was chewing slowly, trying to hide the look of disgust creeping up on his face. He looked up at Sorata and said "Nn…"
"My my, kid, no wonder you're in the red!" Fuuma said loudly, a greatly amused grin on his lips.
Sorata glowered.
"A genie?" Keiichi said, wide-eyed.
"Yeah, a rude, son of a bitch genie…" Sorata muttered.
"I'm here to grant this boy three wishes, if you must know," Fuuma said, straightening up to look important.
"Okay, enough," Keiichi interrupted impatiently. "Kamui needs to hide! Seishirou is coming! All our necks are on the line…" he trailed off; a grin had spread on Kamui's face. "What?"
"Oh, I was just thinking… Keiichi, Sorata, could you do a favor for me?"
"Excuse me, Miss Yatouji, I need you to write up a decree for me to take to Seishirou."
"I've told you before, you may call me Satsuki," she mumbled without looking up, her voice filled with such monotony that one would think she did not care about formality. "What would you like written up?"
"Uh, okay, Miss Satsuki. I need you to write a decree stating Mr. Subaru's freedom."
"Yes, write away."
Keiichi gave a small, relieved smile; Satsuki was one who would not question the nature of decrees.
"Hmm? What's this? Little Subaru's going free? But Seishirou was so attached to him…"
Keiichi jumped. It was Yuuto Kigai, one of the well-treated servants in the palace. Of course, everything was his business and he knew well how much Seishirou enjoyed his plaything.
"Well, we found the Shirou boy," Keiichi stammered. "And well, Subaru was, uh,"—he thought as quickly as possible for an excuse—"all over the boy, and the sultan got really angry with him and wants to cast him out of the palace."
Yuuto raised his eyebrows. "My, my…I never would have imagined that Subaru would love anyone else!"
"I find that it is quite obvious he was not too fond of Mr. Seishirou to begin with, Yuuto." Satsuki said plainly, her eyes still not lifted from the parchment she was scribbling the decree on. "Here. The decree. Just have Mr. Seishirou sign it, Keiichi."
"Thanks, Miss Satsuki," Keiichi grabbed the decree, and stuffed it into his robes as he hurried off, leaving the two to debate Subaru's feelings for the sultan.
"Is that you, Arisugawa?" a young-sounding female voice called.
"Yeah, it's me, princess." Sorata strolled into the room where Commander of the Army Hinoto sat. "You need to call in the guards."
"Whatever for?" she said dubiously. "I'm sure that Mr. Seishirou would have come to me himself if he wanted my spells off the streets."
"Well, he's really in trouble at the moment! They're attacking him!"
"What? They shouldn't be—"
"Well, they are! I can't explain it, but you better call 'em off now! All of 'em!"
"Very well then,"—she burned a paper spell—"it has been taken care of. You are a nice, honest boy, Arisugawa, I hope your restaurant—what are you doing, Arisugawa?!"
Sorata was tying up her paralyzed body. "You can't go calling any more up!" And with that, he dashed out of the room.
"Hey, Kamui, once all this is over, I can make you some real food…" Fuuma said softly with a sly grin on his face.
"Umm…" Kamui stammered. "I,"—he gave a sigh of relief, for Sorata and Keiichi had just spared him the task of answering by bursting into the restaurant. Fuuma scowled at them, but it went unnoticed.
"It's done!" Sorata yelled.
"They bought it!" Keiichi panted.
Kamui stood up, shoving Fuuma aside. "Great! Now I'm ready to make my wish!" He turned to Fuuma, a happy smile on his face. Fuuma forced a grin.
"I wish for this decree,"—he held it up to Fuuma's face when Keiichi handed it to him—"to have Seishirou's signature on the line!"
"As you wish," Fuuma said, and Seishirou's signature wrote itself onto the parchment.
"Now, let's go free Subaru with this!"
The three of them ran out of the restaurant, Fuuma floating along.
"Excuse me, Mr. Seishirou, sir?" Keiichi strolled up to the sultan.
"Ah, Segawa! Did you find Shirou by any chance—Oh, I see you did." Kamui was walking close behind him. "Bring him here, then."
"First, sir, you must release Subaru," Keiichi held up the decree. "You signed this, see?"
Seishirou stared at the parchment, a deeply furious look spreading on his face.
"What?! I did nothing of the sort!!"
"I'm sorry sir, but apparently you have, and right now you must release Subaru."
"I refuse!"
"But you will be breaking your own law, and the guards around the city will imprison you!"
Seishirou threw a long, dirty, angry look at Keiichi before moving a little too close to Subaru to reluctantly unlock the leash.
"Subaru!" Kamui's smile was wide to see his friend free again.
"Kamui! Thank you so much!" Subaru rushed over immediately to embrace his rescuer and childhood friend. Kamui was roughly jerked out of the hug after a moment; Seishirou had a firm grip on the boy's shoulder.
"That decree of yours has nothing to say about taking up Kamui, Segawa!" he wrapped his arms around the boy, pulling him closer. "I don't know how you did it, but you didn't tie up any of the loose ends, and that works for me!"
"Kamui!" Sorata yelled in protest. "Let him go!"
"I'll have that stupid restaurant of yours torn down, boy!"
"Oh, just let him go," Fuuma piped up, surprising everyone.
"Or what? You're just a genie!" Seishirou spat. He pulled the collar with the chain up around Kamui's neck and locked it with a menacing glare to the rest of his former plaything's rescue party.
"Subaru!" he whimpered with a feeble struggle against his captor.
"It's pointless, my little Kamui," Seishirou breathed into his new plaything's ear. "You're mine now."
Sorata and Subaru stared in desperate protest.
"You two…you will be gravely punished for this," Seishirou said, shifting his gaze back and forth between the two humans standing before him. "I'll have your heads!"
Kamui was really panicking now, afraid of his fate in Seishirou's clutches. It was hopeless—he would forever more be a plaything.
[To be continued!]