Omnia sol temperat purus et subtilis,
novo mundo reserat faciem Aprilis,
ad amorem properat animus herilis,
et iocundis imperat deus puerilis.

 -- Carmina Burana, Movement 4



Omina Sol Temperat - Prologue

Subaru looked up from the ancient text and rubbed his eyes blearily. He'd heard the doorbell, and he wondered what time it was. He'd sat down with the musty scrolls shortly after the evening meal, so it would either be extremely late, or sometime in the early morning.

Passing a window, he shielded his eyes; it must be more like mid-morning. He groaned.

He opened the door to a very startled young man. Had Subaru been any less groggy, he would have been more than equally startled to see the visitor, who by all records, should have been dead.

"K-konnichi wa… Sumeragi-san?"

He blinked several times, knowing how frayed he must look. When the cogs in his mind caught and began turning, he finally responded. "Aah… Monou-kun." He chose the name carefully.

The youth was dressed in simple faded jeans and a loose white t-shirt, so any reference to the name he used eighteen months ago would probably disturb him unnecessarily. His family name was safe enough. If anything of the sadistic side remained, he would respond immediately, and Subaru would then be sure of who he was dealing with. "Would you… come in?"

He bowed, slightly, asking pardon for the unexpected intrusion. Subaru waved it away. "Would you like if I made some tea?"

"That would be nice," he replied. As always, the issue he had come to discuss was best left for after small talk.

Subaru busied himself. "Make yourself at home. My apartment isn't large, but hopefully it's comfortable." Fuuma toed off his shoes at the door and sat somewhat nervously on the overstuffed beige canvas sofa.

Subaru called from the nearby kitchen, "How have you been, Monou-kun?" but immediately realized it was a stupid question. It couldn't be answered it truthfully in the context of light conversation.

"Fine, I guess…"

Subaru didn't press him. "Do you want honey…?"

"Aah. Thank you."

Subaru brought two oversized mugs and a plate of cream-filled cookies on a tray, placed it in the middle of the sofa, and sat on the other end. The teen readily accepted the warm drink, obviously grateful for the distraction.

He sipped from the mug and looked up at his host. "Is this a bad time..?"

"You mean my face?" Subaru laughed, dryly. "It's just that I get absorbed into my research."

"Ah… What kind?" he asked, curiously.

Subaru took a deep breath. "There were some documents at the Sumeragi estate that Grandmother sent me… apparently they've been sealed until after the millennium, and they just opened. She sent them to me because I'm the clan leader. It's my job to decipher them."

"But it's 2001 now…"

"Yes, the millennium begins in January of the first year. Most people don't realize that." He smiled and took a sip of his tea, changing the subject "So, Monou-kun, what have you been up to?"

"Iro iro, ne… Re-enrolling in school, basketball championships this spring, and taking on the responsibilities of the shrine…"

"Sounds like a lot of work, being the head preist."

"Actually, you'd be surprised. Tougakushi doesn't have much of a role to perform without its hidden sword…" and Subaru knew this was as close as the boy would come to talking about the events of last year, this early in the visit. Fuuma sighed slightly. "I just make sure the place stays clean, now."

They chatted idly, though more than slightly guarded, for another half hour before Subaru couldn't refrain from asking him a few serious questions.

"Monou-kun…" he wondered if there was an appropriate way to ask a question like this. "What do you remember of the past two years?"

Fuuma bit his lip. "Do you want the entire story?"

"Please."

Fuuma laughed. "That's actually the reason I came over, today. There's no one else I can talk to, and I don't know how much is real…" He looked up, questioningly. "There's a lot I'd like to know, myself."