Notes: Okay, so I've been in a writing slump since finals. But I really, really want to finish this fic... I know where it's going, I just have to put it into words. This chapter's short, and yes, is again a cliffhanger. Sorry 'bout that.
Disclaimer: Sadly, I neither own Subaru nor Seishirou. They belong to CLAMP, the team who horribly abuses them. More's the pity.

Summary: It's been six and a half years since the marking of his prey, and Seishirou's mission is to research the Sumeragi's personality in order to most effectively carry out the bet; once he feels he has enough data, he will start the game. However, the responsibilities Subaru holds in Tokyo are more than he anticipated, and his dreams are disturbing. Caught up in a nightmare, Subaru deflects the pain through the pentagram conduits toward Seishirou, who is now going 'within' his prey to fix him. *whew*





What Dreams May Come - Part 7




Seishirou leaned over the nightmare-wracked form and slid his fingertips into the hollows of Subaru's temples. He began chanting in a low, steady tone. Going 'within' someone was tedious; even the smallest of slips could result in excruciating backlash for the both of them.

Except he wasn't even entirely sure that this would work.

A Sakurazukamori's general use of Onmyoujitsu only requires only a handful of techniques, so he hadn't dabbled in the finer arts of the power… Of course, he knew the technical workings of this particular jitsu, but he hadn't had a chance to ever put it into practice. Usually, the receiver would need to be unconscious for one to enter; the jitsu was designed to aid people who had gone into a sort of depression, to help them return to reality. Did that mean if someone wasn't unconscious, the jitsu would rebound? Seishirou didn't know. He was using it in an unfamiliar situation, so the outcome would be random.

Yet jitsu are simply an Onmyouji's tools. An idiot wielding the best tool would screw things up, but a master could create art with garbage. If he concentrated here, he might be able to fudge it.

If at all possible, he wanted to avoid unnecessarily ruining some of his business at the clinic… patrons always hate it when their beloved pets suddenly disappear, Seishirou smirked.

"Nobou akyasha… kyarabaya on'arikya… maribori sowaka…" He continued chanting, steadily increasing the volume of his voice in an effort to keep his concentration as the pain persisted. Seishirou cringed, feeling a particularly sharp stab.

The pentagrams flared acidly in the dark room, highlighting two light sheens of perspiration with metallic green light. Being in contact with the actual source only heightened the sensations he received.

It was getting worse, but was still only a small taste of backlash that was sure to come. "…kyarabaya on'arikya… maribori sowaka! Nobou akyasha…" He couldn't let the pounding within his head affect the jitsu. Whatever happened to Subaru's health was fine, but if he were incapacitated and unable to feed the Tree, he would be in some real trouble.

He continued, despite the growing doubt in his mind, "Nobou akyasha…! …ON!"

The jitsu slid into place, finally clearing Seishirou's mind's-eye to the beginnings of Subaru's innerscape. He was sliding downward, feet first, through a kind of light gray haze with no perceptible end in sight. "So this is what one looks like? My, my. How insufferably boring."


For a moment, he considered the possibility that he may have done something wrong, and entered the wrong part of Subaru's mind. The dreamscape and innerscape were similar, but obviously not the same level of consciousness. Maybe he wouldn't be able to access much of the innerscape after all, since Subaru's energy was focused in the dream world. Perhaps Seishirou was causing significant damage to an already fragile psyche; he should at least see something instead of this "infinite mist" junk, right?

"Subaru!" he called. "Subaru-kun, can you hear me?"

No response.

But the pentagrams continued to bite into his mind, so he knew Subaru wasn't dead. Not yet.

His toes brushed against solid ground, and Seishirou finally found support on a small patch of rock. He still couldn't see anything, in any direction… but at least he had something to stand on. "Perfect. I'm stranded in pea soup in this kid's brain… I winder if I should cancel tomorrow's first checkup; that mongrel can get vaccinations anytime. As a professional in two fields, no I don't have any other engagements… Actually, this is kind of nice. I think I'll stay here. Maybe vacation in the fall." He mentally rolled his eyes.

The fog finally began to clear; Subaru mental defenses weakened as the pentagrams flared once more. God, but that hurt. Seishirou could see, but the sudden influx of nauseating pain wouldn't allow him to keep his eyes open.

But the pain subsided again, to the point of being on the brink of tolerable. If he wanted to end this, he would have to do it quickly. Seishirou's endurance was being pressed to its maximum, and he didn't know just how long his energy reserves would last.

The thinning mist revealed ground six feet or so below his feet, so Seishirou jumped. He knew he would find Subaru's inner-self around somewhere, but he also knew that he wouldn't make himself easy to find, since in this situation, Subaru would be completely vulnerable. Not only was he under punishing mental and emotional stress, but his consciousness was intruded upon. In a panic situation like this one, Subaru would either use a high level of defense, or sudden, crushing offense. Seishirou braced for the worst, preparing for any sudden and random lash of the Sumeragi's power.

The fog was again dense enough to obscure his hand at arm's length. "Subaru-kun!" he called out into the void, walking forward.

If he could call attention to himself, he could force Subaru's mind to focus, locating the source of Subaru's energy. That was where he assumed Subaru's inner self would be, but currently Subaru's mind centered nowhere. That was dangerous.

He called again, louder.

For an instant, energy gathered slightly to Seishirou's two-o'clock, then vanished. He took five steps in that direction, then called again. "Subaru-kun!" The energy cohered more strongly this time, but more to the right than before.

He got to play the game of hot-and-cold just twice more before he found himself boxed in by invisible, nonparallel, suddenly crushing walls. Seishirou fought, but it only caused the barriers to contract and pinch at odd angles. Much more pressure and they would break bone. He relaxed, sliding his fingers gently on the wall closest to his nose, elbow pinned to his side.

The physical discomfort compounded with the throbbing mental tie he had with the Sumeragi was causing him to act differently than he usually would.

"Desperate situations call for… smooth lies."


"Subaru-kun," he gasped, "I won't hurt you." The walls ceased contracting, but didn't give.

He tried again, manipulating his voice with as much sincerity and compassion he could manufacture. "…I want to help, Subaru-kun. Will you let me?" Luckily, like Subaru, Subaru's inner defense was rather trusting; it relaxed, melting. The shrouding fog even lightened, softening into mellow greens and blues.

The horizon just ahead, however, was a sickening ink black.


It seemed he had found the Sumeragi.