9. Confrontation.

T: New chapter and yep its finally time for Sunshine 60 so I'm upping the violence and gore warnings…okay, if there is actually anyone left reading this guess what? It is not mine! Oh and in case you are confuzzled this first bit is Kibou perspective.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Ayaka-sensei is the most hyperactive woman that I have ever known…something that is quite scary considering what mama can be like on occasions.

She's told me off for not phoning yesterday to tell her that I was at my uncles and then she's gone to tell me how she'd been up almost all the night worrying about my welfare and wondering what she was going to tell mama.

I'd hastened to remind her that it had been mama who had taken me away from the school in the first place and after telling me how rude a little boy I was she had hung up.

Shirou-san is the first to emerge, blinking sleepily at me before he seems to recall why I am here and smiles,

"Good morning, Kibou-kun."

"Good morning, Shirou-san."

"What do you want for breakfast? It will have to be fairly simple, I can not really cook and it will be a while before Subaru-kun is up."

"Does Uncle Subaru like to sleep in then?"

"Not during the rest of the week, but his Obaasan usually lets him rest on Sundays and so he take the opportunity to spoil himself."

"He works hard at his job then?"

"Yes, even when he's tired out from protecting the Keiki."

"You know mama might have been keeping the war a secret from me."

For a moment he looks as though he believes me and then he smiles and says,

"Oh no you do not! I recall you saying something about the war last night."

"Sorry, Shirou-san, I couldn't resist teasing you a little."

"Have you decided what you are having yet?" He enquires after a moment.

"Will pancakes be simple enough for you, Shirou-san?"

"They should be."

By the time uncle Subaru stumbles out of bed Kamui-kun and I have gotten to know one another well enough that he has insisted I call him by his first name.

"Good morning, Kibou-chan, did you sleep well?"

"Yes, thank you."

"I must apologise if Seishiro disturbed you at all when he left."

I had stirred momentarily at around midnight, but before I could even open my eyes a hand had been set on my forehead and I'd fallen strait back to sleep.

"I must have slept through."

I do not know why I lie about such a simple thing…perhaps it is because I am suspicious in regards to the strength of the sleeping spell that had been used on me by Sakurazuka-san or perhaps it is because I do not wish to worry uncle overly much.

"Why did he leave?" Kamui-kun enquires after a moment of silence.

"He needed to collect a few things."

"Could it not wait until morning?"

"He had also some pressing business that he recalled had to be completed by today." Uncle Subaru remarks as he prepares himself breakfast from the pancake mix that Kamui had left for him.

Eventually uncle Subaru decides to take me to the Sunshine 60 aquarium and on the way there Kamui-kun informs me that uncle Subaru has a soft spot for penguins.

Something that I impart to Sakurazuka-san when he greats us at the entranceway.

"It seems you are cuter than I gave you credit for, Subaru."

Uncle Subaru blushes and mumbling under his breath he makes a beeline for the door.

We stop for lunch at about mid afternoon and taking Mama's advice uncle Subaru purchases me an ice cream.

A figure standing by the penguin enclosure catches my attention…

He looks like papa.

Curious as to how this man is linked into my life I gain my feet and informing my uncle that I am going over to the penguin enclosure I head in the direction of the stranger.

He has moved so that he is just out of sight from where we are sitting and thus it is only when I am closer to the enclosure that I see him again.

"Excuse me, sir, but would you be at all related to Kakyo Kizuki?" I enquire.

He regards me with a patient curiosity and then says,

"It seems your Wish is to see your father again." He smiles and stretches a hand for my forehead.

I hear him state,

"I shall grant you that Wish." Before the world blanks away from me.

…………………………………………………………………………………………

I feel the wave of power and recognising it as the Dark Kamui's essence I gain my feet almost instantly.

I pause to ask Kamui to remain with Seishiro, wishing him to protect the man and also wishing to keep him from his Twin Star.

The Dark Kamui is stood atop the glass of the penguin enclosure, Kibou grasped tight within his arms.

"Good afternoon, Sumeragi-san." He states, a dark smile gracing his lips.

"Let Kibou go, he has nothing to do with this war!"

"It seems you wish to protect this child…Wish to prevent me from fulfilling his wish." He jumps back down to the floor and gesturing binds Kibou into a magical ward.

"I shall grant you your Wish and also insure that the boys will be granted also."

He gives me time to raise a Kekkai and then he strikes out at me.

The fight it not an even match, for the other holds the incomparable power of the Kamui and yet I manage to keep my own, manage to remain relatively unscathed.

The Dark Kamui stops his assault and without provocation falls onto his knees…

"Where am I?" He enquires and I realised that this is not the Dark Kamui but Fuuma.

"You are safe." I remark as I approach him with the intent of helping him to his feet.

I look into his eyes expecting to see the familiar chestnut colour.

My eyes are greeted by the sight of vermilion orbs.

A moment too late I realise that it is a trick…

That the Dark Kamui has control still of the boy's body.

I have time enough to register his smile changing before the blow of his magic hits me and the world disappears.

………………………………………………………………………………………..

The Kekkai is crumbling…

Seishiro reacts to this in such a manner that Kamui knows that it is not a positive thing.

The older man reaches Subaru a little before him and thus he is spared a good look at the extent of the others injuries.

He does, however, register the blood.

"Good afternoon, Kamui-kun, I am afraid that I can not play with you today, but we will see one another soon enough."

As Subaru before him Kamui sees the burden that his other self carries and yet he had no time to plead that Kibou be returned before his other self has vanished into the crowd.

"We need an ambulance." That is Seishrio and there is a note in his voice that has Kamui crying for help as loud as he can.

An hour later and he is sat again in the white walled hallway of a hospital.

The last he had been here the patient had been Fuuma's father and the war had seemed as a far distant possibility.

Now…now it was all too real.

Seishiro is so pale and all Kamui can think of is the blood pooling around Subaru's body, the crimson liquid soaking through his clothes.

So much blood…

Enough that perhaps…

No..

He will not allow himself to think that way.

Not when already the tentative strength of his Wish had began to crumble and the hope that Subaru shall live…that it shall all prove less that they had feared…is all that is keeping him strong.

The entrance doors open to admit both Hokuto and a woman that Kamui has not met. There is enough of the twins in this others features, however, that he knows this is none other than Subaru's Obaachan and the previous head of their clan.

She bows to Seishiro and falling onto her knees said,

"You have saved the life of my grandson despite what you are and despite the animosity between our Clans.

"I wished to offer my thanks for that action."

He regards her with an odd look and then says,

"You need not thank me, firstly because I would have gladly taken this injury for him and secondly because he is not yet saved."

She rises back onto her feet and smiling, only barely, she says,

"You are cold, Sakurazukamori, especially when it is clear to me that you love him."

"You are going to tell me it is a lost cause, that as the head of your Clan Subaru has a duty to hate me."

"No, I am not. After all you are aware already of that fact and yet still you love him…still you speak of dying in his stead.

"Thus I ask you simply to watch him as well as you can without causing anyone else harm."

"I shall do what I can."

The woman allows her granddaughter to take her place before Seishiro and comes to sit sedately at my side.

"He tried to save Kibou, Hokuto-chan, but 'Kamui' was too strong."

"I know, 'Kamui' came to taunt me and to bring Kibou to see Kakyo."

"Then he is alive?"

"For the moment."

Her smile is forced and seeing this Seishiro stretches for her fingers…almost absently she traces the shape of a pentagram on the back of Seishiro's hand,

"It weakens." He remarks before the doctor enters the hall and the attention is diverted her way.

"He has suffered severe lacerations to the legs, upper torso and his arms. Thankfully most of the cuts required only a few stitches to seal them again.

"However, the cut he has received beneath his eyes and the impact he received to his head are of more concern.

"The blow to the head has been enough to render him unconscious and we shall need to do a C.A.T scan before we can say if there has been any lasting damage.

"As to the cut…at the moment it seems as though he shall lose vision in one, if not both, eyes. However, we are in the early stages and he may yet recover his sight."

"Then he is going to live?" Seishiro enquires.

"At this point in time it is difficult to say, he lost a significant amount of blood before he got here and he has yet to regain consciousness. However, his pulse rate has stabilised and he is showing good brainwave activity, both of which are positive signs at this time."

"Can we see him?" Kamui enquires.

"Usually we do not allow visitors within our ICU facilities, I have, however, been informed that on this occasion we are wavering this rule.

"I would request that there should only be one visitor at a time."

"I will go." This is Seishiro and for a moment there is an anticipatory silence as we wait for someone to object and then the doctor smiles and says,

"Follow me."

Once they are gone the silence comes again and Kamui knows there is nothing to do now but wait…

…and hope.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

T: I have no idea why the doctor went into an injury spiel without first telling them that Subaru may or may not die…perhaps she was attempting to skirt the issue. I'm also assuming here that Kamui was, until this point, ignorant as to the whole 'if you kill/seriously injure the person who raised the Kekkai it will crumble' thing. R+R ta!