Chapter eleven: Confession and pride.

T: Just to scare everyone again I'm adding a character death warning from here on in…is anyone still reading this?

Its still Clamps…am sad!

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"So the earthquakes…"

"Were indirectly because of me."

Keiichi seemed to be considering this and Kamui knew that he had to prepare for the possibility, that Keiichi would hate home or his involvement in this matter…would hate him for his parent's deaths.

"Yet you are trying to stop them from happening, aren't you, Kamui?"

"Yes but there is a very little that I can actually do until I can form a Keiki." Kamui remarked.

Keiichi smiled then and bringing Kamui into a gentle embrace and said,

"I am sure that you wish to help others will allow you to form a Keiki soon, Kamui…"

"Keiichi-kun…thank you."

"No, thank you, Kamui. You have been fighting so hard for the sake of this world; have been hurting yourself so that others might not hurt.

"I want to help you, Kamui, want to shoulder some of your burdens."

"Why would you willingly place yourself into so much risk when you have lost so much already?"

"Why would it be a risk, Kamui?"

"Because you are an ordinary individual, Keiichi, because you have no magic nor any skill that you could use to protect yourself."

"Or perhaps I had not found the right person for whom I can use my gift." Keiichi remarks as he opens out the palm of his right hand.

A small bird appears there a moment later and though it seems solid enough Kamui knows that it is nothing more than an illusion.

"How…"

"When I was very little I found that I could make the things from my imagination a reality.

"I thought it such a nice game until father told me off. He said that grandfather had been skilled as I was but that he had used his power improperly and died.

"He made me promise that I would never again use my gift until I found the one person I wished beyond everything to protect."

"Me?"

"Kamui, you are a pure soul and though I see now that I do not understand you as well as I thought, I know that I care for you…that I love you.

Kamui feels himself blush again and yet this time it is not because he is confused, but rather because everything has at last gained complete clarity.

"I love you too, Keiichi." He remarks before he draws the other into a kiss."

……………………………………………………………………………….

Seishrio was bored.

Subaru was off performing his new role of Sakurazukamori with a dramatic precision that Seishrio could not fault.

A fact that was rather infuriating, if the truth be known.

Seishrio had secretly hoped that Subaru would fall into difficulty and that they would have to work together until Subaru found his feet.

Of course things had not panned out in that manner and so Seishrio was left to kick his heals while Subaru got all the 'fun'.

Deciding that he was achieving nothing by simply moping about the apartment Seishrio decided to get out in the fresh air and treat himself to something sweet.

Of course fate being what it was he then proceeded to come face to face with 'Kamui' a little after he has left the ice cream parlour.

"Seishrio." He had always been 'Sakurazukamori' to 'Kamui' before this day and he knows that the boy is aware of the power transfer, aware that Seishrio is now all but ordinary.

"Kamui." He replies as he attempts to simply walk by the younger man.

'Kamui' seems to have other ideas for he stepped again into Seishrio's path.

"Is there something I can help you with?"

"You wish now to prove your worth to the Sumeragi. Wish to prove that you are strong still without the support of the tree and so I shall allow you that chance."

The boy remarked as he jumped up and took purchase on the roof of a nearby building.

Seishrio considered fleeing while he had the chance, but he could not resist the challenge that Fuuma had set him.

Could not resist the change to prove that he was still a formidable foe.

Thus he too launched up onto a rooftop.

It was only once he had the comfort of a warding spell between himself and 'Kamui' that he notices the blood upon the other's hands.

"Did I interrupt something important, Kamui-kun?" He enquired.

"You mean this?" The boy enquired, "Today is the very last day before the Final Battle and I decided to tie up my loose ends."

"Who did you murder now?"

"Ah but it wasn't murder, Seishrio-san, Kakyo wished to die and so I was simply granting his wish."

"A technicality, Kamui-kun."

"Perhaps…we've stalled enough wouldn't you say?"

"Indeed."

Seishrio flings an Ofuda in 'Kamui's' direction and then moves while the other is distracted.

He manages to get in close to 'Kamui's; back without the others notice and ignoring how immoral it is he proceeds to strike for the boy's heart.

'Kamui' moves a moment before Seishrio's hand makes contact and with a casual smile he breaks the others wrist in several places.

Using his good hand he grasped at an Ofuda and repelled 'Kamui' from him.

"My, my, you are so terribly predictable, Seishrio-san, obviously relying on the tree has obviously impeded your creativity.

"Or maybe your strength too was an illusion of the tree." He looked like Subaru for a moment as he said that and yet as Seishrio knew it was a trick it rather lost any of its impact.

"Kamui-kun, it seems that you too have fallen onto old tricks."

"True enough. Let's step this up shall we?" Kamui enquired, gesturing lazily with one hand as he did as such.

The wave of power that rolled out from that movement caught Seishrio like a rip tide and he knew that he was fighting a loosing battle.

He felt one of the bones in his leg snap and as he collapsed into his knees he knew that this was it, that 'Kamui' would not allow him to again retreat to gather his power.

"A valiant effort, Seishrio-san and yet in the end it seems I shall be the one who gets a wish granted this day."

'Kamui' comes to stand before Seishrio and as his hand raises up Seishrio allows his mind to see what 'Kamui' had wished…what he had wished.

For it was Subaru stood now before him, his hand descending towards Seishrio's heart with the intent of destroying it…with the intent of killing Seishrio.

He feels the marks on the backs of his hands flair and then there is someone…no, something, stood in the small distance between 'Kamui' and himself.

This thing has a patient grip upon 'Kamui's' hand, the sort of grip that suggests that if the wrong course of action is taken it can become much, much, stronger.

Despite this 'Kamui' manages to break free and jumps back so that there is distance between himself and this other.

"Impressive, Seishrio-san, especially as I was convinced that you had given in to the inevitable."

"It's not mine, Kamui-kun."

"Then who…"

"That would be me."

This comes from a perfectly innocent looking teenaged boy, perched on the building next to that which Seishrio and 'Kamui' had been fighting on.

"And you are…"

"My boyfriend."

This is Kamui, who has come from the street level to stand at the afore mentioned boyfriends side,

"I'm wounded that you have moved on so quickly, Kamui."

"You'll live." The other retorts.

There is silence a moment and then 'Kamui' says,

"It seems you wish me to spare this man and yet I wonder why, when he is little without the power of his precious tree."

"Because, Seishrio has hidden worth."

This was Subaru, his presence at Seishrio's back giving explanation as to why the marks on his hands had reacted so strongly.

"It is sad that you believe that I care about such things, Sakurazukamori."

"Perhaps." Subaru replied.

'Kamui' regarded him a moment and then with a bright smile remarked,

"I will see you tomorrow, Kamui." Before he was gone.

"How could you be so stupid as to try and take on a Kamui, Seishrio?" Subaru enquired as he began making a tentative examination of Seishrio's injuries.

Without the regenerative magic of the tree behind him, Seishrio found that he was not coping in the least with his injuries and that the world was wavering alarmingly.

However, he knew that Subaru required and answer and willing his mind to work he replied,

"I needed to prove that I was still strong, that loosing the Sakura's strength had not impeded me in any manner."

"How? By getting yourself killed?"

"I am sorry, Subaru."

"Don't be sorry for being who you are, Seishrio, just try and make sure that your pride doesn't attempt anything suicidal next time."

Despite the instance of his body that movement was the wrong idea, he pulled Subaru down for a kiss before he enquired,

"So who is the new guy?"

The boy in question had come across with Kamui to join Subaru at Seishrio's side.

"Keiichi Segawa at your service, Sakurazuka-san."

"Please, call me Seishrio, you saved my life after all." He said as he gestured to the magical construct. "It is a very impressive piece of magic, by the way."

Keiichi blushed and then gesturing to Kamui he said.

"I had a good source of inspiration."

Now that he said it, Seishrio could see the resemblance between the construct and Kamui, though the construct seemed to be an older version of the boy.

Talking of Kamui Seishrio could not help but note he was wearing one of Subaru's old outfits, the cute yellow leather thing that Seishrio had so adored, and that a few of the buttons seemed to have been done up in haste.

Resisting the urge to needle the boy he instead enquired,

"How did you know I was in trouble?"

"I felt an ebb in out connection."

"Then why the cavalry?"

"I wasn't stupid enough to believe that I could take on Fuuma by myself, that and Kamui was closer to you than I."

"Ah." Seishrio replied before he gives in at last to the urge to pass out and the world goes black.

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T: As you can tell my math was off and the next chapter shall be the last, rather than this one -;. A few notes for this chapter; I've always thought it was rather unfair that Fuuma could replace his dead team members while Kamui had to slog along with the few seals he had left, therefore I allowed him a replacement in Keiichi. As far as Keiichi's powers go, I wanted to give himself something cute and yet deadly if used correctly and I wanted to give him a reason to have hidden the powers and thus the promise between Keiichi and his father. Final Day and final chapter tomorrow but until then R+R to make your blues go away!