Disclaimer: I don't own X or its characters, I can only marvel at CLAMP's brilliance.
Warnings: Obvious hints of shounen-ai. Some OOC.
Notes: It's been a while since the last update, but I think you'll like this chapter. I'd like to thank all my readers for taking the time to read this fic. I also appreciate the comments and thoughts reviewers have shared with me. Additional thanks goes to Yele, my beta reader, for going over this fic with me despite being buried waist-deep in work. ^_^
Chapter 4 – Ice Cream at Last
"Cock-a-doodle-doo!"
Yuzuriha, Arashi, and Sorata groaned in their respective rooms.
"Some one shut that damn rooster up!" Sorata yelled. Across the hall, two ladies opened the door and rubbed their eyes. Sorata stormed out his room.
"Um, Sorata-san, when did we get a rooster?"
Two Dragons of Heaven turned toward Yuzuriha.
"Crap."
*************
In the living room, Kamui was trying to make a crying Subaru laugh.
"Look Subaru, now I'm a rooster!" He flapped his arms as he jumped from sofa to sofa. Subaru kept crying into his handkerchief, mumbling something that sounded suspiciously like a certain sakura assassin's name.
"Hey, it's okay. Erm…look, now I'm a penguin," Kamui straightened up and began to waddle.
"How could he?! Putting on a show for Kamui like that. He never did anything like that for me during the year of the bet."
"Huh? Did I do something wrong?"
"No, not you Kamui, it's /Kamui/," Subaru gave the boy a watery smile and patted him on the head. Kamui didn't understand, but he beamed anyway. All of a sudden Subaru beamed too. The drug was still wreaking havoc on his emotional state. "Why don't we go out for the day?"
*************
Three figures dashed into the living room. The door was ajar. Sorata murmured his third expletive for the day.
*************
Seishirou pushed back a sigh. He was currently near Sunshine 60, eating cherry-flavored ice cream with a youth across from him who was not named Subaru-kun. /Kamui/ licked his own cone and smirked at a little girl who waved at him. The leader of the Dragons of Earth had ordered a double chocolate cone for her claiming it had been her wish. Since /Kamui/ was so keen on granting wishes, Seishirou wondered why he had ignored his – basically to have /Kamui/ back off from invading his personal space.
"Hmm…the ice cream here is delicious, but I was wondering about the pastry shop down the block."
Seishirou tilted his head in reply. Although /Kamui/ gave him the creeps, he was the only other Dragon of Earth that could appreciate the sweeter things in life. It wasn't too uncommon for them to go on food tours together, like Subaru and he used to attempt to do back in the past. Seishirou could never get Subaru-kun to eat much during the year of the bet, no matter how much he cajoled. Unfortunately, the few dates Seishirou managed to wheedle out of Subaru were constantly broken by Subaru's work.
"I-I'm so sorry, Seishirou-san!"
Seishirou almost smiled at the memory. The boy always used to look crushed whenever he had to cancel one of their "dates," which really didn't consist of anything more than hanging around Tokyo and exploring new cuisine. Still, it had been pleasant to watch the expression on Subaru's face, being so concerned over disappointing him.
"Kamui! You should try green tea!"
Seishirou jerked. Two familiar figures were at the ice cream stand, debating over flavors.
"Well, if it isn't your Subaru and my Kamui-kun," /Kamui/ looked very interested.
"Maybe. Subaru, have you ever tried peach?"
"No…I know! Lets just get a few scoops of everything."
"Okay!"
The teenager behind the counter blinked at the request.
"Um, sirs, are you sure you want a scoop of every flavor?"
"Of course." Subaru suddenly looked serious. The teenager shrugged and began to pile scoops onto a sugar cone. Kamui stuck his tongue out as he rummaged through his pocket for his wallet. "No Kamui, I've got it." Subaru whipped out a gold credit card. It flashed brilliantly in the sun, reading "Onmyouji Cash, a branch of the Sumeragi Bank, endorsed by Japan's government since 1970."
"Wow, you guys have your own bank?"
"Of course, you didn't think every Sumeragi would end up doing onmyoujitsu did you?" Subaru rolled his eyes. "The Bank was founded by one of my distant uncles. He was always the black sheep in our family – he claimed the pinkness in Sakura blossoms were a natural pigmentation. Yeah right." Subaru snorted.
"Sirs, your orders are done."
"That's not everything," Kamui squinted.
The teenager sweat-dropped, "I know, but if I pile it up any higher, the ice cream is going to f - "
"When we ask for every flavor, we mean it. Now, you better build me a Tower of Babel or else I'll sick my shinigami on you!" Subaru bristled at finding the dejected look on Kamui's face. The teenager had forgotten to include chunky chocolate – Kamui's favorite flavor.
"Yeah! To the sky, man!" Kamui jumped up and down in excitement. The worker behind the counter sighed but complied. While Subaru paid, Kamui shuffled to the left and to the right, trying to balance the wobbling towers of ice cream on the cones he held in each hand. Kamui turned in his balancing act and caught the amused gaze of his Gemini. The boy froze. He began to softly tremble.
"Subaru."
"Yes?" Subaru turned to face the wide-eyed Kamui.
"Do you see what I see?"
"If you mean that two timing bastard Seishirou having ice cream with /Kamui/ then, yes," Subaru gritted his teeth.
Kamui seemed to be hyperventilating at the confirmation. Subaru stomped over to the sitting pair. Seishirou gulped at the fiery stare. Subaru was totally unlike the shy boy he had known years ago.
"I-I can explain Subaru-kun."
"Hello, Ka~mui," Fuuma smirked. Kamui's eyes widened, and his hands shook so badly that the two towers of ice cream fell onto Subaru and Seishirou. The dessert sizzled and was instantly vaporized on contact with the heated aura of anger the Sumeragi was exuding. Seishirou laughed nervously as the ice cream began to melt and drizzle down his own chin.
"Fuuma," Kamui squeaked. The two boys stared in silence at each other before Kamui suddenly broke into a big grin and squealed. He promptly glomped onto the startled Dragon of Earth. "Yay! Fuuma-kun!"
"Kamui?!"
Kamui just hugged harder and began to snuggle. Fuuma panicked. This wasn't how Kamui was supposed to act. He was supposed to be teary-eyed, weak, and so alluringly battling against the longing and terror in his heart. Fuuma tried to call the shinken into his hand. Kamui's hold tightened and promptly cut off the circulation in Fuuma's arms.
"Fuuma-chan!"
"Sakura-baka! Help me out here!"
"Subaru-kun," Seishirou was oblivious to Fuuma's cry as he was currently backing away from the glowing green eyes before him.
"Seishirou-san," Subaru stepped before the man, looking ready to fling ofuda at him. Suddenly, his eyes clouded. Subaru shook his head, trying to clear his vision and the returning headache. His head pounded.
"Subaru-kun?"
Suddenly, everything cleared. Subaru smiled and ran a finger down Seishirou's cheek. Seishirou almost had a heart attack when the onmyouji then licked the bit of melting ice cream off his finger. The mood swing was unexpected.
"Seishirou-san's so sweet!" Subaru giggled. He looked at Kamui who was currently trying to tickle Fuuma. "But Kamui is cute too!"
"NANI?!" Seishirou looked absolutely livid.
"Come on Kamui, un-hand me."
"No!"
"But I really need to destroy Tokyo!"
"No!"
"I'll buy you more ice cream!"
"Huh? Okay!"
"Subaru-kun…have…I been neglecting you?" Seishirou took both of Subaru's hands in his own. He looked earnestly into green eyes. If Subaru was finding…ugh…Seishirou shuddered to think it…Kamui attractive, the situation was desperate indeed.
Subaru blinked, "No. I don't think so." He began to tick off events on his fingers, "There was the time you created an illusion of yourself in the mall three days ago. The black roses you sent me on Friday. The last time we met where you kissed my hand before trying to twist it. The time you invaded my dreams, almost kissed me, and then stabbed a knife into my shoulder. Um…oh yeah, and when I woke up there was sakura everywhere – really Seishirou-san! It took me three days to clean my whole bedroom out!"
"I'm so sorry Subaru-kun," Seishirou drew the Sumeragi closer to him, wearing a perfect mask of regret. He couldn't believe he had not tormented his prey at least three times as much in the whole last month. It was way below standards, and the perfectionist within Seishirou could not forgive that. "I really have been neglecting you, my dear favorite pet."
"I guess it's okay," Subaru sighed, "Its just that Kamui's allergic to sakura."
"What was Kamui doing in your room?!" /Kamui/ whipped around and glared at Subaru.
"We were just 'studying'," Kamui said slyly. /Kamui/ glared harder at Subaru.
"Oh, were you?"
"Of course. I mean, we do it nearly every day," the naïve Subaru blinked. Kamui started to snicker. Subaru wondered why – he often tutored Kamui, it was no big secret. /Kamui/ looked very angry; he approached Subaru with menace.
"Back off /Kamui/! I marked this one as mine," Seishirou stepped in front of Subaru protectively to defend his innocence.
"Hmm. You think you stand a chance against me?" Fuuma looked amused.
"You really get on my nerves," Seishirou wore a flawless smile. It looked congenial and careless – the exact opposite of the irritation he felt. Although he was technically an emotionless man he still felt the sensations of irritation, pleasure, and of course, possessiveness regarding the boy he had marked to kill so many years ago. /Kamui/ was very much the same. The two Dragons of Earth began to size each other up.
"Come on Kamui, let's go. It's getting boring just watching them, especially since they're ignoring us," Subaru yawned as he handed Kamui a chunky-chocolate cone. Kamui had seemed rather sad when /Kamui/ had not fulfilled their deal after he had released his Gemini, so Subaru had whipped out his handy credit card again. Kamui nodded in reply and happily followed his fellow Dragon of Heaven back to the mansion.
People screamed as the land around them shook. Blasts of light and sakura petals were flying everywhere. Kamui and Subaru passed by a family huddled beneath one of the picnic tables. The wind whipped majestically at Subaru's white coat. The family took a breath at the commanding figure before them. "Don't worry, they'll tire themselves out soon," Subaru smiled reassuringly at the wide-eyed mother who tried to shield her children from the carnage. The Sumeragi glowed in his calmness, sincerity, and kindness.
The halo burst like a soap bubble when Subaru snorted.
"They're soooo immature. Everyone knows it's better to work out problems by discussion first, right Kamui?"
Kamui tried to answer, but instead choked on a chocolate chunk.
"Exactly." Subaru looked very pleased with his colleague's agreement.
As a mass of rubble blown out of the sidewalk collided with a nearby tree, the two walked quietly away into the sunset.
"Are you okay Kamui?"
The sound of a person thumping on another's back.
And then there was blessed silence…well, except for the screams.
TBC…
Next Chapter – Subaru comes to his senses. Arashi has a bad hair day. Yuzuriha is sleep-deprived and loses an heirloom. Kamui goes fishing…in his backyard?!
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