Love's Occasions

Arrhythmic: Thanks to all those who reviewed! I know that SK commands a smaller audience from the X1999 fandom... so thank you! Oh, and in a side note to all readers of Onmyoujitsu: it is unlikely that you will get an update until I actually finish with Love's Occasions... Because LO is on a once-every-two-days update schedule.

And in a note to Haru: I do know that in Japan the girls give the guys their presents on Feb 14th, vice versa on White Day on March 14th. The thing is... SK is yaoi/shounen-ai/whatever you call it. So... since Kamui is uke here... yeah, I figured he'd give Subaru the present on Feb 14th, yes?

Chapter Three: Birthday
Inuki smiled eagerly at Yuzuriha, who was practically cackling in glee as she smiled at him, setting seven plates out on the table. 'Isn't it great, Inuki?' she asked. 'Subaru-kun's cooking! Sit under the table later, okay? I'll give you bits!'

Inuki agreed very wholeheartedly. It seemed to be the birth-day of the one that Mistress called Kamui-chan, and he was very much looking forward to the nice smells wafting from the kitchen. He had gone in a couple of times and sniffed around a bit more, but the tall one with the green eye- Mistress called him Subaru-kun- had attempted to hit his nose with a ladle and chased him out, saying something about being too big for begging for scraps.

One is never too old to beg for scraps, he personally felt.

'Feeding your dog under the table is impolite, Yuzu-chan,' Yuuto said, coming out of the kitchen. Inuki eyed him tolerantly. This one was not a very nice male. Mistress had not liked him during the fighting, but since she seemed to have changed her opinion, he wouldn't try and bite him. All the same... he darted forward and nipped at the cow-skin shoes.

'No, Inuki! Down, boy!' His Mistress commanded, and he slunk back to her, whimpering and looking sadly up at her. She smiled and bent down, hugging him. At the same time, she whispered, 'Scraps,' into his ear and he broke into tail-wagging.

The bell rang, and the Subaru-kun's home grew even more crowded. The apartment wasn't used to noise, Inuki could tell. It smelt a lot of the Subaru-kun and the Kamui-chan, and those two smelt quiet. They didn't smell boisterous, not like his Mistress. This time it was the redhead woman, called Karen-san. The Karen-san smiled at the Yuuto and at Yuzuriha. 'Hello, Yuzuriha. When is Kusanagi coming?'

Inuki's ears pricked up at the mention of Kusanagi, who would probably feed him scraps too. Mistress loved Kusanagi very much and kept talking about him, sometimes. 'I'm right here,' the deep voice sounded. Inuki ran to him, tail waggling enthusiastically, receiving a scratch behind the ears for it. 'So where's the birthday boy?'

'He's still at school,' Yuzuriha answered, staring up at her love and smiling enthusiastically. 'He'll be back soon, though, if we're not wrong!'

'Alright, then,' Kusanagi said, heading to the kitchen and poking his head in. 'Sumeragi-san! That smells great!'

Subaru smiled. Aproned with slippers on his feet, he was handling a pot of boiling spaghetti noodles while attempting to cook the sauce in another pot, deftly slicing meat. Kamui's birthday celebration had been an idea that expanded- not without the very enthusiastic help of Yuzuriha and Karen- into a full-scale Dragon reunion.

Arashi entered next, holding the cake in both hands and raised to chest height, like a proud trophy of some sort. Entering the kitchen, she greeted Subaru with a quick nod and slid the box into the fridge. The cake, however, was quickly forgotten in the tentative, 'Hello, everyone? I'm home.' Kamui.

Arashi watched as Yuzuriha ran up and embraced the boy, violently yelling, 'Happy Birthday, Kamui!' in his ear, Inuki giving him enthusiastic licks on a quickly dampening pant leg. Karen was a lot more motherly, and the rest gave him quick though sincere birthday wishes. Subaru touched Arashi on the arm, indicating the pots. She nodded to reassure him as he pulled the apron off, chucking it on a spare chair.

It was almost as if Kamui could sense Subaru, the way the younger boy turned to face him and waited, head expectantly tilted. A wry corner of his mouth lifted and the next minute Kamui's face was buried in Subaru's shirt cloth, arms wrapped tightly around each other. It was a long moment before they broke away, not caring to mind the slyly discreet and knowing glances of the people around them.

'You're home, Kamui.'

'Subaru,' Kamui greeted.

Both of them knew home was not a place. It was a person.

'Cut the cake, Kamui! Blow the candles! And don't forget to make a wish!' Yuzuriha chirped, then clapped a hand to her mouth. 'I- I'm sorry, I didn't realize...'

Wishes were, after all, a sensitive topic. Wishes had been at the bottom of everything that had led up to the Promised Day: wishes to protect, wishes for love, wishes for revenge, knowing wishes and hopes and dreams. Kamui smiled quickly at Yuzuriha, pressing the blunted knife into the edge of the cake, a plain square decorated with blobs of white cream and his own name. 'It's okay, Yuzu-chan,' he used the diminutive of her name on purpose, hoping to reassure the tense, worried look on her face. 'It is traditional to wish, isn't it?'

Shutting his eyes for a moment, Kamui wished, then blew out the candles in one fell swoop.

He wished to be happy.

The tension was diffused and the cake sliced deftly.

The apartment grew silent again, only the ghosts of noise echoing through the house as Kamui fell onto the sofa and against Subaru, cuddling into his lap. 'That was fun, wasn't it, Subaru?'

The older man smiled down at him, the warmth in that smile a caress in itself even as Kamui stroked gentle hands across his face, sitting upright and snuggling closer. 'Yes, it was. Sometimes I think we're too quiet, Kamui.'

'No,' Kamui said decisively. 'I like it this way.'

Personally, Subaru liked it this way too. Noise in the apartment reminded him too much of Hokuto and past days. Days when Hokuto had been relentless in teasing Subaru about his little- or not-so little- love for Seishirou. Days when he had been innocent in supposing the Sakurazukamori loved him.

Not that Seishirou didn't, he supposed. Seishirou had loved him too, but in a way that he could not accept. The born killer, raised in a household where his most indelible lesson had been, 'There is no greater happiness than to be killed by the one you love'.

For Kamui, it was a reminder of his childhood happiness, which had been all too transient. Childhood happiness with Kotori and Fuuma, where Fuuma had been big brother and protector to both, and Kotori had inspired them both to care for her. Kotori had been the third party, though, interjecting herself into the friendship after Kamui and Fuuma had made that first bond in the rain, over a stray puppy. Not that anyone could blame Kotori, but in many ways Fuuma and Kamui had been close in a way that she could never have achieved.

Lost in their own thoughts for a while, it was moment before either of them responded to each other again. Kamui was first to smile up sadly at Subaru. The main thing he loved about the Sumeragi- that simple ability of Subaru's to understand. Their experiences had been just so fundamentally similar it was almost uncanny.

Is this what it means to be soulmates? Kamui wondered. Out loud: 'Subaru? Do you think someone up there made us for each other?'

Subaru pondered the question. In the mouths of any other person it would be a mundanely sappy question, but with the extent to which Destiny played with their lives... it could be possible, possible that the two of them had been fated to suffer and then pick up the shattered pieces; get on with life as best as they could. Together.

It was an oddly comforting idea. It had been a while since the Valentine's Day when they had bonded together, laughing over Kamui's disastrous attempt at cake-making, and somehow they had grown into each other. Love was something beyond the two of them still, wounded and battered from Seishirou and Fuuma. Theirs was reliance, comfort. Not so much of love.

Yet. Subaru resolutely tacked that last little word on in his mind.

'Maybe, Kamui. Maybe.'

Kamui smiled. 'Let's go to bed, Subaru.'

'Oh, Kamui?'

'Yes, Subaru?'

'Happy Birthday. Here's... my present to you.'

It was a small box. Before he opened it, Kamui already knew what was inside- a ring, two bands of silver twisted together, with an accompanying chain of delicate silver. The twined symbolism was beautifully obvious, and Kamui smiled at Subaru. 'Help me put it on, please.'

It was the day that Kamui realized Fuuma wasn't the only one who could grant wishes. He still couldn't figure out what had made him happier- the ring, or the following kiss.
Arrhythmic: This is kinda late in my time zone, nine thirty at night. But- but- but! I tried! I met the deadline! Alright, alright, I'll stop the blathering- if you review! Please!