But it's summer, and I'm back! I'm nearly finished with my Escaflowne fic-project as well (one more chapter left), so soon I'll be able to devote all my creative writing energies towards this story.
And, to make up for my long break, this chapter is extra long (at least for me). I'd wanted to include two more introspective scenes in this chapter, but decided it was too long already. And there's room for them in chapter five (which is kind of a light fluffy one).
Reviewer responses will be at the end of this chapter, for both Media-miner reviewers and FF.net reviewers. Enjoy!
Brief summary of the past three chapters...for those who need one ;
Rainbow Bridge. You all know the scene too well. Dark, depressing, full of foreboding energy. Although, this time, two things are different: one, it is early morning instead of midday, and two, Subaru had already gained knowledge from Kakyou (while visiting Hinoto) about Seishirou's Wish and about Hokuto's last spell.
Ergo, everything goes the way us fans wish it had. Seishirou asks Subaru if his wish is to kill him. Subaru replies 'no', but then goes on to remark about Seishirou's wish. The assassin is thickheaded and stubborn (as we all know), and so winds up trapping Subaru and preparing to "kill" him. Through pleading and telling Seishirou what he -really- feels, and that he knows of Hokuto's wish, he manages to convince Seishirou to let go. Seishirou admits he feels something strong for Subaru, but is clueless as to what it is.
Then the two go for ice cream, Seishirou looking for the moment like a lost lamb.
Chapter two happens and it is good. Seishirou is confused over ice cream, and Subaru delights in frustrating him with infuriating logic. He does convince Seishirou to come with him to the Seals' home on CLAMP Campus, arguing that he would be more safe there now that he's unofficially deserted the Dragons of Earth.
Sorata, Kamui, Arashi, and Yuzuriha nearly have a fit when Subaru walks into the house with the Sakurazukamori in tow. Through careful explanations and a friendly, trustworthy inugami, the Seals finally accept Seishirou into the house (Kamui helps this decision greatly ).
Chapter three opens with the first appearance of Kakyou and non-evil Hinoto. Good Hinoto had been overcome by evil Hinoto with the dead of Daisuke, and her spirit had been locked away. Or so was the plan until Kakyou rescued her. Her spirit now resides in his Dreamscape, and the two together had plotted for the right time to steal Subaru away in Hinoto's Dreamscape to tell him about Seishirou and Hokuto. They view possible futures in floating glass balls, and see one they particularly like. They decide to try to push that future into existence.
We return to Seishirou and Subaru exactly where we'd left off: with Yuzuriha chatting blithely away at the startled assassin over tea, while the others watch, amused. Subaru teases Seishirou, and there is much friendly banter, until Seishirou decides he should bring his favourite personal items over from his (rather bare) apartment to his new room in the Seals' house. Subaru and Yuzuriha accompany him for protection, while the other Seals go over to the kekkai Hinoto had previously predicted would fall midday (the one all the Seals were watching when Rainbow Bridge fell in the canon manga 16).
It's a very good thing Subaru and Yuzuriha went with Seishirou, because as the older man went back into his room for a photo of Subaru, he turned around to find Fuuma by the bedroom door exit, effectively trapping Seishirou. Fuuma smoothly threatens to kill Seishirou if he ever tries to assist the Seals, and leaves out the window when the other two break down the door.
They return home, and Kamui nearly has a fit when he hears the news (the other Seals come back later). Due to the lack of an attack on the kekkai they were watching, Kamui decides to visit Hinoto the next day to see what went wrong.
Feeling exhausted, Seishirou decides to take a small nap. He's almost fallen asleep when he gets a visit from Kamui in his room. Kamui cheerfully threatens to kill Seishirou if he should ever hurt Subaru again, pats him on the shoulder, and leaves. ; (Kamui's awesome, ne?)
Seishirou falls asleep, feeling rather troubled. End chapter three. On to chapter four!
Disclaimer:
Feye: If I owned X or any of the rights to it, that manga would be finished.
Kamui: And SO much fluffier, right?
Feye: ...well...
Subaru and Seishirou: Oh COME ON! point stiffly at the fanfic below
Feye: Hey, I never said you two wouldn't suffer in copious amounts.
Kamui: BUT...
Feye: sweatdrop But you'll get a happy ending!
Kamui: Which the manga will likely not have.
Subaru: Hell no; Seishirou-san is dead.
Feye: ...yeah. See? Me no own gorgeous manga. Okay? Happy? Goodie.
RULES OF THE GAME: Disturbing Visions: by Feye Morgan
- - - - - - - - - - -
Seishirou wished the purple giraffe would stop hitting him on the head.
BangBangBang
The onmyouji growled. "Stop the toaster oven you stupid paper-eater," he mumbled.
The banging paused, only to be replaced by a series of light bubbling.
Seishirou groaned again.
Wait...since when were giraffes purple?
Oh.
Sakurazuka Seishirou opened his eyes to a bright, early morning. He'd been half-asleep. That explained the odd dream...if such dreams could be explained at all.
Oh dear...did he say that sentence out loud...about the toaster oven?
Seishirou sat up in bed, and rubbed the sleep out of his good eye. His senses returned to him swiftly, and on instinct he took stock of his surroundings. Wait...oh, that's right. I'm at the Seal's.
The events of the previous day came to the forefront of his thoughts.
Subaru-kun...I still can't believe you actually care that much for me. I don't understand it. Not one bit.
Perhaps he would ask Subaru for more clarification later on.
There was another noise in the room. Seishirou turned his head to stare at the door, from which the 'bubbling' (which he now recognized as laughter), had been coming from.
"Hai?"
"You're awake now, Seishirou-san?" came a voice. It wasn't Subaru's.
"Yes, I'm awake. Just a minute." The assassin rose from the bed and walked to the door. He noticed with mild annoyance that he was still wearing his suit from yesterday. Apparently Subaru-kun had forgotten to wake him from his 'nap' the evening before, and he'd slept completely through the rest of the day and night.
He was not pleased with himself.
Seishirou opened the door to a pair of violet eyes, bright with humor this time. "Good morning, Kamui-kun," he offered.
The boy smiled. "Good morning, Seishirou-san! I thought you might want to be woken up; it's seven-thirty."
Seishirou nodded. That was about the time he normally liked to be up. All right; so he hadn't overslept after all...ignoring technicalities.
"Thank you, Kamui-kun. Is Subaru-kun up yet?"
The boy shook his head. "Subaru-san and Yuzuriha-chan are still asleep. Oh, if you want to shower, there's one down the hall." Kamui pointed in the direction. "Sorata-san is up making breakfast right now, if you want some as well."
Seishirou nodded again. "I think I will, after I take that shower."
"See you in a few minutes then." The violet-eyed Seal walked off in the direction of the kitchen. The boy showed no signs of the hostility that had emerged briefly last evening. He knew better, however, than to test his patience.
As if he'd had any plans to anyways; he did care for Subaru. Enough to die for his happiness, whatever that meant.
One brisk shower and clean black suit later, the Sakurazukamori emerged into the dining area in time to see Sorata and Arashi setting the table for breakfast. Miso soup, tea, and onigiri was the simple meal, but judging by the smell enriching the air, it was made very well.
"Good morning," he greeted everyone.
Kamui smiled at him, and Arashi and Sorata nodded with a 'good morning' of their own. They, too, were obviously still wary of him. Seishirou didn't blame them.
"Please, sit down, Sakurazuka-san," Sorata set a cushion down for him at the table. Seishirou accepted the offer. "You certainly slept well last night."
Seishirou looked at him.
"No, Sumeragi-san didn't forget to check on you. He felt, however, that you needed your sleep, as you hadn't even noticed when he opened the door."
Seishirou cursed inwardly. It could kill him to be so lax in his defenses. What on earth had caused him to be so tired? Sure, he hadn't been sleeping well lately, and the events on Rainbow Bridge had been startling, and the encounter with Fuuma had been no walk in Ueno---
All right. Maybe he did have cause to be tired after all.
"I've had a bad last couple of days," was his only remark. He changed the subject swiftly. "When does Subaru-kun normally get up?"
The three Seals exchanged glances. "So many questions about Subaru-san!" Kamui remarked, eyes glowing with something terribly unholy. Seishirou blinked at him. Sorata was trying not to snicker. Arashi maintained a composure the assassin found himself envying.
I'm lucky Nekoi-chan isn't at the table... The Hokuto-possessed Seal would have leapt on that sentence like a rabid fangirl.
"I'm just curious," he said, managing to look unruffled.
"Mmhmm. He usually gets up at about eight-thirty or nine. He's not much of an early morning person. He sometimes has a job to do as well."
Seishirou immediately checked his watch. It was eight o'clock. He looked in the direction of the hall. Suppressing a sigh, he took an onigiri and sipped on his tea. "Eight-thirty you said?"
"Or nine."
"Mm..."
They ate in silence for a few minutes. Eventually, Kamui spoke up.
"We're going to visit Hinoto-hime today, aren't we, Sorata-san?"
Sorata nodded. "That was the plan."
Kamui sighed, lost in thought. "I hope she's all right. First she finds her Vision blocked, and now her latest prophecy proved incorrect."
Seishirou frowned. This was not good news for the Dragons of Heaven.
"Seishirou-san?"
"Hmm?" The assassin looked up in answer to Kamui's query.
"Do you know if your--I mean, the Angels's Dreamseer has been interfering with Hinoto's visions?"
Seishirou frowned in thought. Already he was becoming involved, or at least, the Kamui was trying to involve him. Although it wasn't as if he hadn't left the Angels. And it did seem like an innocent enough question. Not that he could provide a good answer anyways.
"No, I don't know," he said honestly. "I'm not around the government basement much at all. I don't really like the company of the other Angels, so I tend to remain 'out of the loop', so to speak."
Kamui studied him for a moment, as if searching for a lie in his eyes. Seishirou abruptly wished he'd remembered to get his sunglasses back from Subaru the evening before. Then the violet-eyed Seal sighed and turned back to his breakfast. "Oh well. It was worth a try asking."
Seishirou breathed a mental sigh of relief. Ticking off the Seal's Kamui was not a good idea, and he had a nagging sensation that the boy's question had been a test of some sort.
A few more minutes of silence passes before Sorata piped up. "Sakurazuka-san, we were wondering if you'd object to accompanying us on our visit to Hinoto-hime."
Seishirou blinked, startled, though he didn't show it. Much. "Accompany you?" he asked with a questioning quirk of his lips. "Whatever for?"
Sorata shrugged. "Oh, well...we thought it would be a good idea if all of the Seals went. After all, the problem concerns all of us greatly, and you'd be safer if you came along instead of staying here alone."
The monk's words were spoken slowly and deliberately, with thought placed into each syllable. It became apparent that this was, again, another test. If Seishirou went along, then perhaps they were hoping their Dreaming Princess would be able to divine whether his intentions were honest or not.
Plus, this way you'd be able to meet everyone!" he finished, switching back into his more natural, careless, cheerful tone.
Well...it doesn't look as if I have much of a choice then. Besides, if Subaru-kun is going...
Of course Seishirou would go anywhere his Subaru went.
"All right," he replied evenly. "I don't object."
Sorata smiled at him. "Good."
Another stretch of silence came over the table, long enough for Seishirou to finish his onigiri. He checked his watch again: eight-thirty. He looked up at the hall.
No Subaru.
Seishirou glanced at Kamui. "Eight-thirty or nine you said?"
Kamui choked on his tea. Arashi hid a smirk. Sorata burst out laughing.
Seishirou raised an eyebrow. "What?"
Kamui pressed his hand against his throat in an effort to force the tea down the right passage. He finally swallowed the liquid and grinned at Seishirou. Despite the coughing fit, it was obvious Kamui was -very- amused. "I agree with Subaru-san; you're being terribly cute."
Seishirou stared. "I am NOT," came the undignified response.
"Are too."
Seishirou opened his mouth...and then snapped it back shut. I refuse to be involved in a childish argument. I am mature and will act in a properly dignified manner
At that moment Subaru walked into the room. "Good morning everyone! Morning Seishirou-san!" the onmyouji smiled.
"Subaru-kun!" Seishirou lit up. His face reminded many in the room of a small child who'd just been given a large bag of their favourite sweets. "Good morning!"
Mature indeed.
Subaru stared at him for a brief moment before resuming his smile and walking over to the breakfast table. Seishirou found himself admiring the Sumeragi; he'd dressed simply, black pants with a vivid green turtleneck that matched his eyes perfectly.
Subaru bent and kissed the top of Seishirou's head before taking a seat on the cushion next to him. "Seishirou-san? You were staring."
Seishirou immediately averted his eyes back to the cup of tea in his hands. Kamui snickered, earning a brief glare from the ruffled dark onmyouji.
Subaru was looking back and forth at the other Seals. He raised an eyebrow. "Did I...miss something...?"
Violet eyes gleamed wickedly. "Oh not really..."
Sorata took the cue. "Sakurazuka-san was just asking for you..."
"As soon as he woke up..."
"When he sat down for breakfast..."
"And three point five minutes ago..."
Seishirou stared determinedly into his teacup.
"Aw, I'm sorry Seishirou-san. I'll make sure to wake up earlier next time." The teasing note in the younger man's voice was not missed by the man in question. He continued to stare at his tea.
"So Kamui-kun," Subaru struck up a conversation, "are we going to visit Hinoto's today?"
Seishirou sighed inwardly with relief as the topic of the conversation turned away from him at last. He could almost swear that they were taking immense enjoyment out of deliberately teasing him. Seishirou did not understand it one bit. Surely he wasn't as fun to tease as Subaru had been nine years ago. After all, -he- was not innocent and adorable.
With a mental sigh, he tuned his ears back to the voices around the table.
"Are Seiichirou-san and Karen-san coming with us?" Kamui asked.
"Aa. I called them this morning before I made breakfast," Sorata answered. "Aoki-san is taking a break out of work to come. Karen-san has the day off."
"That worked out nicely," Arashi commented quietly.
Sorata's eyes opened in mock astonishment. He turned to the girl and stared at her, an idiotic grin spreading across his face. "She speaks! For the first time today, the beautiful lily of the pond of my soul had opened her perfect mouth and uttered--OOF!"
He choked off with an undignified gasp as Arashi's elbow dug a path into Sorata's stomach. Her expression never changed.
Sorata rubbed his wounded abdomen with a tragic expression. "Oh Arashi sweet...your cold demeanor stabs me to the bone! How shall I ever--"
"I can hit harder and lower," she commented as she reached for a bowl of miso soup.
Sorata clammed up mid-sentence.
Seishirou blinked. That was...interesting... Replaying the scene in his mind, he decided that he was confident he could find some way to tease Sorata over this, should the need to retaliate ever arise. He allowed a slight smirk to appear on his lips.
Sorata gave him a look. "I would hardly think that you're immune, Sakurazuka-san," he warned.
Seishirou put away his smirk and looked over at Subaru. The younger man was smiling slightly.
"Subaru-kun? When might I get my sunglasses back?" he asked in an attempt to change the conversation.
"You're not getting them back."
Seishirou blinked and frowned.
"And if you buy new ones, I'll just confiscate them."
"But--"
"No 'buts'. Give me one good reason you wear them, aside from hiding yourself from other people."
"They slow the deterioration of my one good eye."
Subaru paused.
Seishirou smirked.
Subaru eyed him steadily. Seishirou met his gaze. And when the younger man's eyes narrowed and his lips turned up in a smile, he knew he was in for it.
"They can do simply amazing things with laser surgery nowadays," Subaru retaliated. The look became even more mischievous. "And besides, those glasses hide your pretty face!"
Seishirou stared. Kamui choked for the second time on his tea.
Subaru beamed at the shocked assassin and reached up to pat his cheek as he would a child.
Seishirou thought he was doing a very good job at controlling himself, given the circumstances. "Subaru-kun? Is this still your revenge?"
The man in question stretched like a contented cat. "Mmmhmm."
Seishirou closed his eyes and sighed. "Wonderful. So, when are we going to see the Dreaming Princess?"
"Avoidance will get you nowhere, Seishirou-san," Subaru smirked. "But..." and then he blinked and looked over at Sorata. "When -are- we going to see Hinoto-hime?"
"As soon as Aoki-san and Karen-san show up. They should be here anytime now." Sorata checked his watch.
Seishirou drank the last little bit of his tea, and looked over at Subaru's plate, wondering what the onmyouji had chosen for breakfast. He frowned.
"Subaru-kun?"
"Yes?" Subaru looked up at him.
"You're only having tea for breakfast?"
Subaru blinked. "I'm not hungry."
Seishirou's eyes narrowed dangerously. Very deliberately, he placed his hands on either side of Subaru's waist and felt upward.
"Subaru-kun, I can feel your ribs quite prominently. That is not a good sign." He let go of the younger man and placed onigiri and a bowl of miso soup in front of him.
"But--"
Seishirou's firm glare silenced Subaru. He pointed at the food. "Eat. Now."
Somewhat chastised, Subaru lowered his eyes and picked up the rice ball. He nibbled.
"I want to see more than nibbling. You eat that up."
Subaru glared at Seishirou, who, in return, glared right back.
Kamui cleared his throat and spoke up hesitantly, hoping to prevent the Final Battle from happening right then in their living room. "Subaru-san...I think I agree with Seishirou-san. You -are- too thin."
"As if you aren't?" Subaru retorted. Kamui turned pink.
Sorata had been nervously glancing between the verbal combatants, rice clamped, forgotten, between motionless chopsticks halfway to his mouth. Suddenly he seemed to make up his mind as he squared his shoulders authoritatively. "All right!" he announced. "We're not leaving for Hinoto-hime's until Kamui and Subaru-san have eaten a good healthy breakfast!"
"I agree," Seishirou stated. He fixed Subaru with a cool gaze. "Eat."
Subaru and Kamui exchanged glances. With resigned sighs, they helped themselves to onigiri and soup. Seishirou and Sorata watched, looking each quite satisfied with himself.
The doorbell rang just as Subaru and Kamui had finished eating to both Seishirou's and Sorata's satisfaction. Yuzuriha happened to bounce downstairs at the exact same moment. "I'll get it!" she chirruped happily. The girl skipped over to the door, Inuki following her faithfully.
"Oh! Good morning Aoki-san, Karen-san!"
"Good morning, Yuzuriha," Aoki Seiichirou, a tallish man who happened to look remarkably like Seishirou had during the year of his bet with Subaru, responded as Yuzuriha stepped aside to let the Seals inside. Everyone except for Seishirou cheerfully echoed Nekoi's greeting.
"Would you like some onigiri and soup?" Sorata asked them. "Yuzuriha, you need to eat breakfast as well."
The girl blinked and looked at the table. Her eyes widened. "Oh I'm sorry! We're supposed to go to Hinoto-hime's today, aren't we? I'm sorry for holding everyone up!"
Karen and Seiichirou smiled and hung their coats on the wall. "It's all right, Nekoi-chan," the editor said. "I for one will take that offer of breakfast. I haven't had any yet."
"Me too," Karen agreed.
Seishirou sent a pointed glance at Subaru. The younger man gave him an exasperated look. "-What-? I ate!"
"I'm making sure you eat three square meals every day for a while, Subaru-kun."
Seiichirou and Karen blinked, confused by the sound of a new voice. As they walked closer to the table to sit down, they received a better view of the stranger's face.
"Ah, you must be Seishirou-san," Karen realized. She smiled at him. "Sorata-kun and Kamui-kun told us about you."
Seishirou inclined his head in a polite greeting. "Nice to meet you."
The conversation from that point on was rather uneventful, a fact for which Seishirou was very grateful. He was through with being teased...and the day had barely even started yet. At least a break would be nice.
Karen, Seiichirou, and Yuzuriha did not take very long to eat, all being rather eager to get to the Diet Building and perhaps find an answer to the mystery of the incorrect prophecies.
"Are you coming as well, Seishirou-san?" Karen asked.
Seishirou nodded. "Sorata-kun believes it would be a good idea. And Subaru is going."
Karen and Seiichirou exchanged glances.
"You seem fond of Subaru-san," Karen commented, a little too innocently.
Seishirou swept Sorata, Kamui, and Subaru with a warning gaze.
"Quite," Seishirou nodded. "I've grown rather attached to him."
Subaru bit his lip and his cheeks tinged pink. This elicited a smirk from the elder man. "Cute, Subaru-kun."
Karen placed a delicate hand over her mouth, her eyes squeezing shut in an attempt to keep her chuckles quiet.
Subaru raised an eyebrow. "-I'm- cute? And what was this I heard about you asking when I usually get up, every..."
"Ten minutes," Kamui offered.
Sorata looked up at the ceiling contemplatively. "Oh, I thought it was every seven or so."
Subaru looked smugly at Seishirou. Karen giggled louder.
"That's not fair, Subaru-kun," Seishirou protested. "You aren't supposed to needle me -back- when I tease you."
Now Subaru was laughing. "Whatever will I do with you?"
Kamui sipped his tea. "He's your Sakurazukamori, Subaru."
Seishirou had had enough. These people were having a wee bit -too- much fun. "Well, seeing as everyone is done, shouldn't we be heading off soon?"
Aoki took the opportunity to agree. He checked his watch. "I have to be heading back to work in a little over an hour," he said.
"All right," Sorata rose from his seat.
"Sorata-san and I will clear this up," Arashi commented quietly. Yuzuriha volunteered enthusiastically to help, and did.
I wonder if Hinoto-hime was the Dreamseer to tell Subaru about my Wish and about Hokuto. Subaru had enlightened him over the source of his knowledge the day before. It must have been; she is the Seals' yumemi. I wonder how she knew. Seishirou decided he would have to thank her once he saw her.
- - - - - - - - - - -
A smile graced Princess Hinoto's lips. Her eyes were half-lidded and she was lost in her own thoughts.
::Soon...soon they come. And the Sakurazukamori with them::
She would strike first at him, of course. If she broke the assassin, Sumeragi would shatter as well. Two Dragons with one blast. How efficient.
And the other Seals wouldn't blame her for the dark onmyouji's death. Surely they wouldn't have accepted him yet, and they would see that she was only defending herself. Lashing out would only be an instantaneous reaction of self-preservation.
And she would be terribly sorry afterwards, so very, very sorry for her tragic mistake. She would offer consoling words to the Sumeragi, and smile inwardly as he crumbled.
Sakurazuka was strong, however, so if her initial plan failed, and he wasn't killed straight off...she could always move to the second stage... Subtlety was an art she had mastered.
Perfect.
Soon.
- - - - - - - - - - -
It was like going down into the Government Building Basement, Seishirou reflected, as he stood in the elevator that carried him and the Seven Seals down. Only, the Seals' Diet Building was much more elegantly decorated. It didn't -look- like a basement at all. Most of the Angels never bothered with the elevator in the Government Building, especially Fuuma. The Dark Kamui was blunt like that; he just walked through the walls. Yuuto was the only Angel aside from himself who bothered with the mechanical contraption.
He followed behind Subaru as they filed out of the elevator. He began to feel a presence of power up ahead, which he assumed to be Hinoto.
She was a remarkable being, ancient and wise beyond reckon. Her Dreamseeing capabilities were unparalleled by all save the Angels' yumemi, Kuzuki Kakyou. She was highly regarded and respected as trusted, benevolent advisor throughout Japan's inner circles.
So why was it that Seishirou felt his instincts prickling in warning as he walked closer?
Perhaps it was because he was an Angel, and she was the yumemi for the Seals?
He frowned slightly and turned to Subaru. "Subaru-kun? Does Hinoto-hime know about me?"
Subaru gave him an odd look as he pressed a hand to the screen and began to slide it open. "I don't know. I would assume so..."
Before Seishirou could continue his questioning, and before Subaru had the chance to elaborate, both were pushed into the room by the six people behind them.
Seishirou looked ahead towards the dias in the center and far back of the room.
DANGER! DANGER!
His instincts flashed brutally with the warning of something terribly, terribly wrong, and then it was too late.
Instantly, his entire vision was swallowed by crimson orbs. A ringing filled his ears, and his mouth parted slightly in surprise. He stared straight ahead, wondering vaguely where the room had gone, and why all he could see was red...
From somewhere far away, he could hear someone speaking. But even that fell away as the crimson flashed brilliantly. Talons struck his mind, inflicting wave after wave of agonizing psychic energy. His mind was peeling away, his eyes were liquifying within his skull, and somewhere in another plane of existence he heard himself screaming...
- - - - - - - - - - - -
Subaru was panicking.
He'd walked into the room, smiled in greeting at Hinoto, and then noticed that her attention was fixed elsewhere. He'd also noticed that Seishirou wasn't moving. The assassin had stiffened, his eyes had widened, his head had tilted back, and he'd screamed. A terrible, wrenching scream full of agony. Subaru's heart wrenched in terror.
"SEISHIROU-SAN!"
Subaru dashed forward just in time to catch the older man as he collapsed. He laid him on the ground, fingers trembling, only barely registering the explanations and excitement of the Seals around him, and the sincere apologies of Princess Hinoto. His fingers felt for Seishirou's pulse, and found one.
Oh god, Seishirou-san please don't die please stay with me oh god...
Subaru was frantic enough to seriously consider going Within Seishirou, when the older man groaned and opened his eyes a fraction. Subaru held his breath.
"Subaru...kun...?"
Subaru nearly collapsed into tears with relief. His fingers stroked the man's cheek shakily. "Yes, it's me," he smiled, dimly aware of Kamui and Sorata kneeling down beside him and checking Seishirou for any other wounds. "What hurts, Seishirou-san? What happened?"
Seishirou closed his eyes again briefly. Subaru's emerald ones never left his face. "My head..." the dark onmyouji replied at last. "It felt like...my brain was melting inside my skull..."
Subaru looked briefly up at Hinoto, his expression guarded. The Dreaming Princess looked horrified with herself. As soon as he met her gaze, she bowed towards him.
"Please forgive me, Sumeragi-san. I acted upon instinct. Sakurazuka-san should be fine; I halted my attack as soon as I realized. I'm so terribly sorry!"
Subaru nodded briefly at her and looked back down at his other half.
Seishirou had placed two fingers to his temples and was rubbing in slow, deliberate circles. Sorata checked his forehead for any signs of a fever, and nodded at Subaru. "He feels fine, Sumeragi-san."
Subaru looked at Seishirou. The assassin managed a wan smile. "I think I'll be all right, Subaru-kun. I just have a splitting headache now, but it will go away."
Subaru was not convinced, and he allowed his face to show it.
Seishirou chuckled, a sound which made the younger onmyouji feel suddenly much better. "I'll be fine, Subaru-kun." He paused, eye brightening suddenly. "You look so cute when you're worried."
Subaru went limp from relief. He could have kissed Seishirou right then, but he had a feeling the other man might not appreciate the gesture just yet. Instead he settled for pulling him into a warm hug.
Seishirou stiffened out of reflex at first, but then relaxed. Subaru took this as a good sign. Even better when he felt Seishirou's arms wrap gently around his shoulders in return. He wished he could see his expression.
"Do you think you could stand, Seishirou-san?" he asked, pulling away slightly.
"I think so. Help me up?"
"Of course, silly."
Subaru eased Seishirou to his feet, with assistance from Sorata, and a very anxious-looking Yuzuriha.
"I'm all right now," Seishirou assure the worried faces around him. "Really."
He wavered dangerously on his feet.
Sorata and Subaru simultaneously grabbed him by either arm. "I don't think so," Sorata frowned.
"He looks too pale," Aoki remarked, crossing his arms. Arashi nodded her agreement.
"Really, just give me a couple of minutes and I'll be perfectly fine..." Seishirou protested.
Kamui gave the man a look. "Subaru-san? Did his brain get short-circuited or has he always been this way?"
"He develops feelings for me, ruins my life in the process, and suddenly decides that he can make amends by committing suicide, never mind that I might actually love him back. I'd say he's always been bull-headed."
Seishirou shot Subaru a hurt look. "It seemed like a good idea at the time..."
"Idiot."
"As if you were any more communicative. You simply -radiated- love when you threw your ofuda at me."
"Oh shut up."
"Seishirou-san," Arashi interjected calmly, "I believe it would be best if you went back to the house and rested."
Yuzuriha chirruped in agreement: "Yes! You look so very pale, Sakurazuka-san! That was a nasty shock, and a good rest would do you wonders! You really shouldn't overtax yourself, and green tea and pocky seems to do wonders! I have some if you'd like! Pocky, I mean, not the tea, but--"
"Thank you, Nekoi-chan," Seishirou interrupted smoothly. "But all I really need is an aspirin for this headache."
The Seals exchanged glances.
"Umm..."
"I believe we're out of aspirin..." Kamui said slowly.
Subaru stared. "We're out of -aspirin-? How can we be out of -aspirin-?" He looked worriedly at Seishirou, afraid that the man might collapse again if he didn't receive the pills immediately.
Kamui gave Subaru a look. "I go through our medical supplies often enough; I should know. We've got tons of painkillers, bandages, burn ointment, and did I mention painkillers? But no aspirin."
Subaru stared at him.
"Fuuma tends to go for more than migraines when he corners me." This was obviously meant as a retort, but the younger boy's voice went soft, and his violet eyes darkened as he spoke. His frame hunched slightly in on itself. Subaru's heart went instantly out to him.
"I'm sorry, Kamui..." he apologized gently.
Kamui shrugged, managing a smile. He changed the subject. "There's a mall nearby with a drugstore. I'm sure you can find aspirin there."
Subaru nodded. "Are you -sure- you can walk, Seishirou-san?"
Seishirou looked mildly offended. "Of course I'm sure."
"Mmmhmm. I can't carry you if you collapse, you know."
"You won't have to. Stop fretting, Subaru-kun."
"If you scare me like that again, I'll break your legs."
"It wasn't my fault!"
This elicited another string of profuse apologies and self-depreciating exclamations from Princess Hinoto. The Seals all hurried to assure her that she was not held to blame, and that none of them were angry with her. After this was done, Kamui turned to Subaru again.
"Go on, take Seishirou out. We can handle everything here, and we'll talk to you later, okay?"
Subaru nodded, and took the assassin carefully by the arm to lead him out. Seishirou nodded politely to everyone, and then winced as the motion brought him pain.
Subaru narrowed his eyes. "Aspirin. Now." He drug the unfortunate man out.
- - - - - - - - - - -
"Subaru-kun...I thought we were here just to get aspirin."
"We were. But you're sick and I need to get you something."
"You don't -need- to get me -anything-."
"Fine. I want to get you something. Happy now?"
"..."
"Oh LOOK!" Subaru exclaimed suddenly. He jabbed his finger down an aisle. Seishirou squinted down the younger man's finger to find...
"Stuffed animals!! Aren't they cute?!"
Seishirou stared as Subaru began gently but authoritatively leading him towards the toys. Seishirou resigned himself to his fate with a sigh. It wasn't all that bad, he supposed. His headache was fading slowly, and Subaru was being terribly cute at the moment.
Yes, it was worth it.
Seishirou placed his hands in his trenchcoat pockets and tilted his head slightly, watching Subaru rummage through the stack of toys. He smiled faintly and considered buying Subaru a stuffed animal.
He was rather surprised when the smaller man whipped suddenly around and thrust something fuzzy into his chest. Seishirou grabbed it out of instinct and blinked down.
It was a squirrel. A very adorable, fluffy squirrel who appeared to be holding...
...a potted baby sakura tree?!
He looked up to see Subaru beaming brightly at him. "Isn't it cute? It's perfect for you!"
Seishirou choked. "What?"
"The squirrel. I'm getting it for you. It's so adorable." He beamed. "It's one of those..."--he checked the tag on the animal within Seishirou's hands--"'Save the Earth' animals. Okay. Now we can go home." Subaru lead Seishirou off again.
The older man blinked as they walked toward the checkout. 'Save the Earth'? Subaru-kun... And a sakura tree. I'll bet you picked it for the tree, and completely missed the Angel reference. You're too cute.
He couldn't not accept the gift now.
The cashier looked at them very oddly when Subaru dragged him up and pulled the squirrel out of Seishirou's hands and onto the counter next to the aspirin bottle. Seishirou could imagine why; a dignified-looking man in his thirties wearing a business suit and smart trenchcoat...holding a fluffy stuffed squirrel. It completely ruined any semblance of elegance he possessed.
And then there was Subaru, attractive young man in his twenties, Head of a powerful, ancient Clan...clasping his hands together and grinning like a child with sweets.
The cashier lady rang up the charge and Subaru paid the small amount, ignoring the offers Seishirou was making to pay for it himself.
"It's a gift Seishirou-san. You're not supposed to pay for it," he'd explained. He thrust the squirrel back into Seishirou's hands as soon as he'd gotten the receipt.
Seishirou stared at it as they walked out to call a cab back to the Seals' home. Come to think of it, it did seem to fit...and Subaru had given it to him...
I must be losing my mind, the confused assassin thought. The Sakurazukamori wouldn't be caught dead carrying this thing.
And yet he was. Seishirou marveled at Subaru. This young man had elicited so many changes within him, without even much effort at all. What was it about him? There wasn't anything particularly remarkable about him, other than his immense power as a Seal as compared to the previous Sumeragi Leaders.
So what made him so different? Why was he so...special... to Seishirou? Why?
Seishirou studied the squirrel in silence the entire ride home, searching for an answer.
- - - - - - - - - - - Special thanks to Mirendalin who gave me many wonderful, delicious ideas for this fic. Beware, she is evil. Oh so very evil.
For my wonderful, patient reviewers:
from FF.N:
RyuuRaigeki: Oh good! I worry about Seishirou being in character. He's a hard one to write, especially in this situation. Glad I'm doing all right so far! Please keep reading!
Kreshnya: Look! I updated! Don't hurt me! Eheh...I have no plans of dropping this fic. Feye loves it too dearly. huggles plottline Oh and do I ever have plans for this one...
WildHeartz Heh heh...I am actually going to try to "fix" Fuuma and Kamui. So, erm...this is going to be a LONG fanfic. I have no idea if I can fix those two. They've got -slightly- more issues (coughs). But I will try! Thanks for your feedback! I really appreciate knowing I'm doing well!
SavvySiberian Yeah...the manga got me down as well. Darn it. -- Don't worry, while this will have angst and lots of it, it WILL have a happy ending. At least for Subaru and Seishirou. I'll try my darndest for Fuuma and Kamui as well.
Yume-damo-shirinai Heeere's the update! I agree with you (or at least what I think you're trying to say); I never liked the "fancy" portrayal of Seishirou's apartment. While he is elegant, he could out-Spartan the Spartans. That man is pure survival instinct, and I think he'd like to live light and simple. Ah, but he -does- have emotions now. Just enough to know they're there...but he still has no clue what they mean or how to deal with them. Poor man.
Subaru's Voice Eheh...sorry about the wait there. I hope you'll still read! I'll update much more often now that summer's here.
Rei Asakura: O.O Wow. Yes, that was a backhanded compliment, but I am very flattered. Thank you! And I updated! Can I not die now!
chris pwure: Whee! Glad I got Fuuma correctly! He'll be making more appearances, and I'm kind of nervous about writing him. He's even more difficult to get right than Seishirou, especially with the "new" (relatively) manga developments. Although I can use what CLAMP has let us get a glimpse of as an advantage to fixing him and Kamui. I love writing this Subaru. He's so adorable.
Wai - Aki: College is a royal pain. As much as I love it, it SHOULDN'T keep me from my writing! cries Oh well. That's what summer's here for. Thank you for your compliments!
Fahm Sei-chan's difficult because by this tim we all know he loves Subaru. The problem is that -he- doesn't quite know it yet. CLAMP doesn't give us hardly ANY insight into his character before X16. Heck, if a fan had written X16 instead of CLAMP, I would have said it was completely OOC. Go figure. Now I have the job of cleaning him up slowly but surely. sighs I agree with you about the anime Kakyou: he was horrible compared to the manga. He'll be showing up a lot in this fic, don't worry. And yes, very encouraging! Thank you!
Uozumi: Hey there! Yuzuriha an older version of Sakura? Hmm...from what I've heard about Sakura, you're probably right! I like to think Yuzuriha's an innocent version of Hokuto as well. I hope you like this chapter as much!
kamuichan99: Hey there! Did your own story fall into the same trap as mine? I've been missing your updates. What are the dreamseers planning? Oh, you'll see my dear. You'll see. And well...Subaru-kun and Sei-chan are going to go through hard times. I can tell you that straight off. You'll be biting your fingernails before the end. However, I can promise you a happy ending with the two of them!
from Media-miner:
Ifurita:Thanks! . I'm so glad you like it! I would love it if you kept reviewing as well: it really helps me know how I'm doing with the characters and all.
Sapadu: Really? This is the first time you've seen a fix-it for Rainbow Bridge? Ohhh...you're missing out! You should read Kouri and Karasu's fanfics. They've got a whole BUNCH of AWESOME Su/Sei fanfics: They're SO well written, it's incredible. Most are in the X/1999 section, and one is in the crossovers section. And I'm flattered you like mine! . glows with happiness
delusionallady Yes, he lives! Isn't it wonderful? giggles