9. Promise.
T: Bit of a chunky chapter this time and a few liberties on my part as far as characterisation goes…will make sense soon enough! Apart from this I'm fairly sure that the warnings remain the same and I know for fact that I am not a member of Clamp.
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The ache fades from his 'heart' as their lips touch and he is instead, barraged with a flush of warmth.
He finds himself wishing, desperately, to deepen this contact, to take from Subaru all that the younger man is willing to give.
Yet no matter how simple Subaru had made it seem he still could not truly name his care for the other as love.
Thus he pushes away and placing hid fingertips to the younger man's lips he says,
"I shall not steal away what little faith you have in me, Subaru-kun and so though I want only to continue this I shall not."
The younger man is breathing harder now and there is a look in his eyes that causes Seishiro's breath to hitch.
"Why?"
"Because I am not yet certain and taking this step while that is the case would be as deceiving you again."
"It seems you too have changed since 'That Day'."
"Yet unlike you I have not changed by choice and thus the change shall take me time to accustom to."
Subaru catches him into a deeper, truer, kiss and again he feels what can only be desire encroaching upon his mind.
Eventually the younger man pulls away and his eyes full again of that luminescent beauty which Seishiro recalls so very well from before the Bet's conclusion.
"I will never stop loving you, Seishiro-san and so I wish to give you the time you need to sort yourself out.
"I wish you to promise me one thing, however; wish you to promise that whatever you believe the feeling you have for me is you shall come and tell me.
"Even if the news should be bad….even should you find that you think of me only in desire…I wish to know."
"I promise, Subaru." He remarks before he at last leases his hold upon the younger man.
He allows himself a moment to take in the beauty of the man who had, for years, captivated him and then he steps back out through the open window and jumps free into the night.
………………………………………………………………………………..
He dressed in a deep emerald green suit and his smoothed his wayward hair in an attempt to make himself look as mature as he can.
The house is a large imposing thing of a western design that adds an extra air of decadence to the abode.
He is greeted, predictably, by a maid dressed in a traditional summer Yukatta who bows and enquires after his name,
Once he has replied her manner stiffens into a formality he believes he would not have received had he been of a lower born family.
He is taken to a room at the very back of the house at which point the maid leaves his side at last and steps though the door to introduce him to his host.
When she returns he expects to be shown in and yet she simply bows and leaves him to step into the room alone.
He is surprised to learn that his host is a woman of obvious western decent and once he has bowed in greeting he can not stop himself from asking,
"You are the head of the household, are you not?"
She smiles brightly and gesturing for him to sit she replies,
"I suppose I am not what you expected Sumeragi-san and yet you are not what I thought you would be either."
"Forgive any offence my assumption may have caused you…"
"There has been not offence taken…I am aware that in this country there are still a few expectations and for a 'Gajin' such as myself to be the head of an ancient family is all but unthinkable.
"Yet after my husband passed away there was no other who could undertake the rule of the family without destroying all that it stood for…without destroying the ancient traditions that make the blood of out line strong and thus I took up the mantle of leadership."
"This house and the odd way that we were introduced are because of your influence?"
"Yes, I have found that the more informal traditions of western culture tend to relax my guests and as to the house…I pined for my home country and thus my husband built this to be our family home.
"Yet you came here for purpose other than to listen to me muse on the past, I am sure."
"I wished to talk to you about your son."
Her eyes dull and absently she rubs at the flat of her stomach before she enquires,
"Is it not a little late for and Onmyoji to be coming to me for that purpose?"
"For what purpose?"
"The exorcism of my son's sprit."
"Perhaps you have me confused, I was talking of your son Kakyo."
"Yes, that is correct. He died eight years ago when his father's car was rammed into by another vehicle coming the wrong way down the road.
"It was an accident from which my husband's mentality and later his health never recovered from and that I have tried to put far from my mind."
"Forgive me I the enquiry seems off or uncaring, but did they allow you to see your son's body?"
"No, my husband told me that he believed Kakyo's injuries were too extensive for me to see him."
"What sort of a man was your husband, Kizuki-san?"
She seems curious as to the sudden change in subject and then her eyes fall closed before she remarks,
"He was a very traditional man and he was also a very suspicious man.
"It was for the word of a fortune teller that he came to America in search for a wife and it was for the word of the same fortune teller that he began to talk of training Kakyo in the art of Dreamseeing.
"Though he showed a gift for such things even when he was younger I refused to allow my son to be forced into anything he did not wish to do and this we agreed to wait until he could choose for himself what his future was to be.
"A week after that came the accident and Kakyo never got to make the choice…never got to have any sort of a life at all."
Subaru watches the tears falling down her face for a moment and then he says,
"There was no accident, Kizuki-san, I believe rather that your husband chose the words of a fortune teller over your wishes and gave your son into the care of people who would train him as a Dreamseer.
"The illness your husband experienced in the years after the accident was due to the guilt of seeing you grieve for Kakyo when he was not actually dead."
"You will understand if I ask you to leave now, Sumeragi-san."
"Please, Kizuki-san, you have to listen to me. Kakyo is being forced to remain in a comatose state and it he is not brought out soon then I fear for his long term health.
"I can see that you loved your husband and thus I understand your reluctance to believe me, and I ask only that you accompany me to the hotel where he is currently being held."
"You have a trustworthy face, Sumeragi-san and your eyes tell me that you believe what you are saying.
"Though it shall mean doubting my husband, shall mean believing that he lied to me about a most important thing, I will come with you." She remarks as she gains her feet.
Hokuto had warned him that the hotel staff would not help them in regards to that particular room and thus Subaru uses his name as an excuse to cross into the hotel proper without enquiry or a need to register.
He finds the room using Hokuto's directions and with his sister before him he finds no resistance in entering into the room.
He hears Kizuki-san's breath catch and then she is at the man's side, her hands clasping hard into his hair and tears streaming again down her face.
"Why…why would he lie to me about this? How could he look at me every day and smile when he knew that our child was here like this?"
"To him the fortune teller was informing him of things that had to be and meeting you, falling so very much in love with you, only helped prove to him that it was as such.
"He could see how much you wished Kakyo to be normal and knew you could never change your mind. However, as far as he was concerned Kakyo had to be a Dreamseer and so he did the only thing he could."
"Every year he took me to his gravestone and watched me cry for the sake of his stupid superstitions…" Her fine fingered hands raise to touch her son's face and she murmurs,
"Forgive me, Kakyo,"
There is the faintest of movements from the man's frail form and then a murmured enquiry of,
"Kasan?"
"I'm here, Kakyo and I'm never letting you go again." She replies as she kisses his forehead.
"Kasan." It is stronger than before and looking to the older man Subaru realises that he is at last awake…that he has stopped his sisters greatest fear from becoming reality.
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T: A few things before I trundle…It seemed right to me that now that Sei-chan has admitted Subaru is 'special' he will have no want of hurting him and thus the choice to leave until he has his emotions clear is a logical one.
Looking at Kakyo I can not but help think that he has mixed blood in him somewhere so why not from his mother? The idea that one of his parents believed him dead evolved from the complicated mess of my mind and as it fit in it went! It must be said that I suspect the 'fortune teller' was Hinoto; she likes to meddle, after all!
Finally Kakyo's sudden waking is through his desire to see his kasan again now that he knows she too was not a part of the conspiracy…sweet isn't it?
R+R and I may change the very nasty ending that is in store!
