Chapter One: Fateful (yet clumsy) Meetings
Nine years. It's a long time to lose track of someone. And yet, here he stood, in Ikebukuro Station; waiting with newspaper in hand for the morning train.
"I wonder how Subaru-kun is doing? It has been quite a while since I saw him last…..I wonder if he would even remember me?" Seishiro mused, with a slight smile. The last time he'd seen Subaru had been just after he'd regained consciousness. The boy had been outside, playing in the sunshine with a child that looked almost identical to him.
"Must've been the 'Hokuto-chan' he had been so worried about." Seishiro thought, still smiling at the memories that crossed his mind's eye. He jumped when he heard what sounded like three crows, and looked in the direction of the sound. With a jolt, Seishiro noticed right away that a familiar-looking teenage boy was following what appeared to be a three-headed crow shikigami.
"It's Subaru-kun!" Seishiro thought, amazed by how much the boy had grown; and not just in stature, either.
"His powers have grown as well. But it won't be enough on his own to stave off the Sakurazukamori……He'll need all the help he can get." Seishiro mused, grimly, just seconds before Subaru took a spectacular fall…..and landed flat on his face.
"Oh yes…….He's going to need a whole lot of help." Seishiro thought, with a deadpan look on his face as he made his way to the footbridge that spanned both sides of the station's tracks, and walkedover to the downed teen.
"Daijobu ka?" Seishiro asked, as he approached.
"H-hai……Ow……that hurt." Subaru muttered, as he got to his hands and knees, and then accepted a hand up from Seishiro without even looking up.
"Well, that's what you get for not watching where you're going." Seishiro stated matter-of-factly, smirking when he sensed some chagrin on Subaru's part, as the teen dusted himself off.
"No need to rub it in, sir." Subaru mumbled, finally looking up and scowling a little at him. Almost instantly, Seishiro could see recognition in Subaru's emerald eyes, and the next word he said was spoken with some uncertainty.
"Seishiro-san?" Subaru asked, hesitantly. This brought a genuinely pleased grin to Seishiro's face.
"Good to see you again, Subaru-kun. I trust you've been well?" Seishiro asked, conversationally. Subaru also grinned and nodded; equally as pleased by this turn of events.
"Hai! And you? How have you been, Seishiro-san?" Subaru asked, in turn.
"About as well as can be expected. I'm surprised that you remembered me, though." Seishiro said, impressed by that fact.
"It would have been wrong to forget my first friend, Seishiro-san." Subaru replied, smiling warmly when his shikigami alighted on Seishiro's shoulder.
"Indeed. I was just thinking about you when your shikigami attracted my attention." Seishiro said, then added, "You've grown up on me." Subaru blushed a little in response to the man's praise.
"Well, it has been nine years, Seishiro-san. What have you been doing with yourself in all that time?" Subaru asked, as they began to walk out of the terminal together.
"As you can see, Subaru-kun, I'm certainly not destitute. I have since graduated from both high school and college, and now have a degree in veterinary medicine." Seishiro said, as a look of honest wonder and delight emerged on Subaru's still somewhat childish features.
"You're a vet? Sugoi! That's what I've always wanted to be!" Subaru shouted, excitedly, then blushed again and quieted down when he saw that he was attracting unwanted attention. Seishiro laughed softly at this, then placed a hand on Subaru's shoulder.
"Never be afraid to speak up for yourself, Subaru-kun. At least, that way, you can be certain that you still have a free will of your own." Seishiro murmured. Subaru in turn gave him a bewildered look, then nodded. He flinched when a loud, female voice screamed his name from the other end of the block.
"SUBARU!" the voice shouted, with an air of impatience in it.
"Hokuto-chan……" Subaru muttered, embarrassed to no end about this.
"Powerful lungs on that one, make no mistake." Seishiro stated, sweat-dropping when an audaciously-clothed teenage girl raced up to them; her emerald eyes blazing.
"What the heck do ya think you're doing, Subaru? You're supposed to be doing your job! Mou!" Hokuto said, frustrated by her younger brother's seeming lack of responsibility.
"Gomenasai, Hokuto-chan! But I ran into Seishiro-san in the train station and got distracted." Subaru replied, trying his level best to defend himself and his integrity. Hokuto then looked confusedly up at Seishiro, blinked, then glanced back at Subaru.
"'Seishiro-san'? So this is the guy you'd said had helped you 'wake up' nine years ago?" Hokuto asked, incredulously.
"Hai." Subaru replied, as Hokuto circled Seishiro; sizing him up for reasons of her own.
"Hmm…..I see. Mind if I ask you what your full name is?" Hokuto asked, as she turned her full attention onto Seishiro.
"Sakurazuka Seishiro is my full name. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Sumeragi-san." Seishiro replied, civilly. Hokuto's eyes widened, and her eyebrows disappeared behind her dark bangs.
"Sakurazuka! Then that means you must be the Sakurazukamori! Cool!" Hokuto whispered, thrilled by that thought, and oblivious when Seishiro flinched slightly.
"'Would have been' is more like it, Sumeragi-san….." Seishiro mused, his expression changing from minutely pained, to bewildered as Hokuto eyed both him and Subaru; giving them both a conspiratory look while she was at it.
"You know,.….you two do make a cute couple…." Hokuto admitted, before Subaru froze and gave her an unreadable look, and Seishiro face-faulted. As Hokuto laughed uproariously at the pair's reactions, Seishiro could have sworn thathe also heard Botan giggling as well, and knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that this was only the beginning of the teasing……and his guardianship of the Sumeragi Twins.
Author's Note!
Yes, I know this was a very short chapter, and not much happened in it. Also, before anybody haggles me about what Subaru had said about being a vet, I had read about that somewhere on the net or in the manga (can't remember which, though). I hope this was an okay chapter otherwise, and I will try to have the next one out as soon as I can.
Gemini14
