Author's Note: I have no idea how long it would be until Subaru would be released from the hospital, so I'm kinda going off not knowing and am pretty sure that I'm wrong here. Plus, I've add my own little twist to the Ten no Ryu's job. Ohohohoho!
Warnings: Arashi undergoes a slight transformation. Mostly, she just borrows some clothes from Satsuki's room. Well, Satsuki isn't using them; I've kinda killed her. Though, I haven't killed Yuuto yet. You'll see.
Disclaimer: -points at Liz- Back off, she's mine. –points at X cast- Back off, they're CLAMP's.

Part Ten: Utagai

It had been a little over a week since Subaru had allowed Arashi to move in with him. She was accompanying him back to the apartment when they ran into Subaru's neighbors, who had finally had just about enough with the earthquakes and were moving back to America. The American girl, Liz, recognized Subaru from the time she had met him at the tea house where she had worked and smiled at him, waving cheerfully. Her roommates, Koichi and Ame, were busy getting lockers and suitcases out of their apartment and downstairs, so the most they could manage was a polite smile and a "Kon'nichi wa."

Arashi pulled out the key she had gotten a copy of and unlocked the door to the apartment. As she did, there was a thump behind them and they heard one of the girls shout "Oh, holy fucking goddess of the bloody fucking desert!" Subaru, having learned English as a child for possible English-speaking clients, understood and turned to the girls to see what had happened. Arashi also turned and saw that the girl with the short dark blue hair had dropped one end of a locker on her foot.

Arashi opened the door and led Subaru inside. Almost immediately after she turned the light on, Sei came running up to her owner and nuzzled Subaru's legs affectionately. Subaru gave a soft smile and picked the small cat up. Sei purred happily in her owner's good arm and rested her head against his chest for a moment before crawling under his shirt. Arashi let out a soft giggle.

"So, she does that to you as well?" she asked.

"She's been doing this to me since I got her," the onmyouji replied. "Apparently, she does this when she likes someone."

Sei's head popped out of Subaru's neckline and she mewed, licking the man's chin. Arashi smiled and giggled again. Subaru pulled the cat out of his shirt and looked her straight in the eye.

"That tickled," he told the cat.

Sei just mewed happily in return.

"I've successfully hacked into the hospital records again," Nokoru said. "It seems that Sumeragi-san has been released into the care of his roommate."

"Roommate?" Yuzuriha asked.

"It could only be another Dragon of Earth," Sorata said. "Yuzuriha, you did say that he had told you that he switched sides?"

"Uh, huh," the Mitsumine girl said. "At the tea house where me and Ku—Inuki found him."

((Author's Note: I'm a little forgetful. I can't find my notes for this story and I don't have a copy of that chapter on Ryuuji. So, I don't remember the exact conversation between Subaru and Yuzu. Forgive me.))

"With our luck, he's rooming with Fuuma," Kamui frowned, still extremely unhappy with Subaru from their visit to him.

"I wouldn't think so," Seiichirou said. "I just don't see Sumeragi-san living with the Other Kamui."

"Well, who of the Dragons of Earth have we met?" Sorata asked. He began counting them off. "There's the Other Kamui, of course. The blonde guy. That white-haired kid, Nataku. The Sakurazukamori. The girl with the glasses..." (Yuzuriha hugged Inuki close at this point) "…the yumemi…that six. We haven't met the seventh."

"Out of those six," Yuzuriha said. "Three have died." She raised three fingers and put them down as she counted off. "The Sakurazukamori, Nataku, and the girl."

"That would leave the blonde, the yumemi, and…whoever the last Angel is," Sorata said.

"Can we discuss something more important than Subaru's living arrangements?" Kamui asked, irritably.

"He's right," Seiichirou said. "We should be concentrating on the remaining kekkai."

"Yes," Nokoru said. He pointed to a point on the screen. "The Tokyo Tower is going to be the last to fall. That's where the Final Battle is going to take place."

Kamui made a mental note to skip the class trip to the tower next week.

"The Final Battle will probably be next month, at the end of December," the Imonoyama heir continued. "So, we shouldn't have to worry too much about the Dragons of Earth attacking it. But we'll keep an eye on it, just in case."

"Nokoru," Suoh interrupted, from another computer, where he had been doing a separate task. "I've found her."

"Where is she?"

"Who?" Yuzuriha asked.

"Kishuu-san," Suoh and Nokoru replied in unison.

Sorata ran up to Suoh. "Where is she?"

"I'm working on finding the exact apartment, but this is the complex," the ninja said, gesturing to the computer screen. "I have evidence on cameras that she's been in and out of the complex a lot lately."

"Where is the complex?" Sorata asked, determined to find Arashi.

"Across town, in Odaiba."

"How can I get there?" Sorata demanded.

"Incidentally," Nokoru said, "that's near where the next kekkai is. Unfortunately, I can't tell you when it will be attacked."

((Author's Note: I don't think there's really a kekkai in Odaiba. I just pulled random place in Tokyo out of nowhere and used it.))

"And with Hinoto gone," Yuzuriha said, sadly, "she can't tell us."

"That's why," Nokoru told the group, "that I have paid for an apartment for the three of you." He pointed to Sorata, Yuzuriha, and Kamui. "You'll stay there for a while to guard the kekkai against attacks. Our top priority is the kekkai, Arisugawa-kun. However, since Kishuu-san is important to us as well, you may look for her from time to time."

"Thank you, Nokoru-sama," Sorata said, a determined look still in his eye.

"We'll set you up in the new apartment right away," Nokoru said. "Unfortunately, the apartment is quite a bit away from the school, so, as reluctant as I am to do so, I give you three a leave of absence from school for the time being."

The three Seals nodded.

"I'll alert your teachers and let them know that you won't be in class for a while," Nokoru told them. Then he turned to Seiichirou. "I would like it if you would check on them from time to time. They may need your help at times. And if the Dragons of Earth attack, they'll need you for sure."

"Yes, of course," Seiichirou said. "I'll do my best to help them."

"Take care of yourselves," Nokoru told the group.

Three days passed as the Seals watched over the kekkai. At the same time, Sorata kept an eye out for any sign of Arashi. At times, he thought he saw the shrine maiden in crowds, but it always turned out to be someone else. He was getting desperate to find her, to ask her to return to him and the other Seals. God, how he wanted her to be back with him.

One day, as Sorata was walking down the street to the local convenience store to get something to drink, he bumped into a teenaged girl. The girl stumbled backwards and lost her grip on one of the bags of groceries she carried. Sorata apologized to her and bent down to help pick up the fallen groceries. The girl, on the other hand, stood there, her heart beating like mad in her chest.

Sorata looked up and found himself staring at none other than Kishuu Arashi. Something was different about her. The shrine maiden wore tight black capri's and a matching tanktop. Her hair was tied back in a braid and her eyes were wide. Sorata nearly dropped the bag he had just picked up.

"A-Arashi…" he stammered. "I…"

Arashi quickly took the bag from Sorata's hand and headed off with a short thank you. Sorata blinked for a second, then turned to catch up with her. Arashi was swift, but Sorata was more so. He caught up with her and took a hold of her arm. Arashi struggled to get out of Sorata's grasp.

"Arashi, please!" Sorata begged.

"Let me go!" Arashi exclaimed.

"Come back, Arashi."

"I…I can't."

Sorata looked into Arashi's stormy gray eyes. The maiden of the Ise shrine looked away, biting her lower lip and willing her tears not to fall. The two of them stood there like that for a few moments, then Arashi broke away from Sorata.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, turning and walking away. "I can't see you anymore."

Sorata could only stand and watch as the girl he loved disappeared into the crowd. Arashi continued to walk back to the apartment she and Subaru shared, forcing herself to keep from crying. But when she finally arrived at the apartment and stepped inside, she leaned back onto the door and her tears fell in streams down her cheeks. Her sobs choked her as she stood there, wishing that she hadn't seen Sorata.

Footsteps sounded in the hall. Arashi heard Subaru ask what was wrong. She shook her head and continued to stand at the door. She managed to calm down and slipped her shoes off, heading into the kitchen to put the groceries away and start dinner. Subaru followed her.

"Are you okay, Arashi-san?" he asked.

"I…" Arashi replied, hesitating. "I ran into Sorata…"

"What happened between you two? You act like your heart's been torn in half."

"I ran away from him and the rest of the Seals after I lost the power of Ise," Arashi said. "I…love him, but…without the power of Ise…I'm completely worthless."

"So you came to Fuuma to offer yourself as an Angel," Subaru said.

"You did the same thing."

"Actually, it was the exact opposite. Fuuma came to me and offered this," Subaru said, gesturing to his golden right eye. "It was then that he said that I could take Seishirou-san's place as a Dragon of Earth. Seeing as there was no longer anything I desired to protect, I took up the offer."

"And this place…did he give it to you?"

"No. This…this was Seishirou-san's apartment."

Arashi nodded.

"I'll make dinner tonight, Arashi-san," Subaru said. "You can go have some time alone. I'll bet that you need it."

Again, Arashi nodded. "Thank you, Subaru-san."

With that, the girl headed into her room, closing the door behind her. Subaru went through the remaining groceries, putting things away and trying to figure out what to cook. Eventually, he settled on making some stew. He got out the slow cooker he found when he first moved into the apartment and went about making the stew. Once everything was in the slow cooker and starting to cook, Subaru went into the living room and lay on the couch with a book. Sei came over and jumped up to him. She curled up on her master's stomach and mewled softly. A faint smile appeared on Subaru's lips and he petted the cat with one hand, holding his book up in the other.

Sometimes, a cat was the best comfort.

Kamui and Yuzuriha were sitting in the living room of the apartment that Nokoru had gotten them. They had several pages of homework to do for when they returned to school. Sorata was in the kitchen, cooking dinner and moping. He hadn't said anything to the other two about Arashi, instead, keeping the encounter to himself. Arashi had looked really upset when she had seen him and Sorata wondered what it was that was keeping her from coming back.

Sorata sighed as he chopped vegetables to put in the stir-fry he was making for dinner. Perhaps it was best for them to be apart, if being with him caused Arashi so much pain. There were just some things he didn't understand. Such as, why had Arashi left in the first place? He loved her and he knew that she loved him. So…why?

The smell of spices filled the kitchen as he continued to cook. He would figure out Arashi later. For now, he had to keep his attention turned to other things. It was hard, but he would have to forget about Arashi for a time, while taking care of the remaining kekkai.

Then it hit him. If Arashi had left the Seals, she must have joined the Angels. There wasn't much of a choice for her. She couldn't just go onto the sidelines; her face was recognized by all of the Angels as a target. And if Arashi had gone to the other side, chances are that she was the one living with Subaru.

No. That can't be, Sorata thought. She wouldn't join up with the Other Kamui. She's got things she wants to protect…Doesn't she?

It was possible that the Ise maiden still had things to protect, but there was also a possibility that the desire to protect had vanished. If so, that perhaps Arashi had joined the Chi no Ryu. Sorata didn't want to think of it. He continued cooking and called Yuzuriha and Kamui in when it was ready.

Subaru had fallen asleep with the book on his chest and Sei on his stomach. His bangs had fallen over his eyes and if Seishirou had been there, he would have said that the former Sumeragi head looked enticing. But seeing that he wasn't there, it was for Fuuma to say.

The Dark Kamui stood at the entryway to the living room, watching Subaru as he slept. He had a grin on his face. Thoughts of playing with the older man were dancing around his head and he was contemplating following his libido and do as he willed with Subaru.

However, something interrupted his thoughts. A movement in the corner of his eye caught Fuuma's attention and he turned to see Arashi come out of her bedroom. The maiden of the Ise shrine had her head hung and didn't see him until she got into the living room.

"/Kamui!" she exclaimed. "What…what are you…?"

"I have an assignment for you, Kishuu-san," the Dark Kamui said, his eyes glinting dangerously. "I want you to accompany Kigai-san in attacking the kekkai here in Odaiba."

"A-attack a kekkai?" Arashi repeated.

"That's right."

"B-but I…"

"You are no longer a Seal, Kishuu-san," Fuuma told her. "You are one of the Seven Angels, one of MY Angels. You will do what I say or our little agreement is considered null and void. Do you understand that?"

"I…" Arashi hesitated. One look into the Dark Kamui's eyes told her that she absolutely had no choice. "I understand."

"Very well. Kigai-san is waiting at the Odaiba station. You will meet him there and help him to destroy the kekkai."

"And if the Seals arrive?"

Fuuma smirked. "It depends on which Seal. If Kamui comes, leave him to me. Anyone else, you are to kill them immediately."

Arashi's eyes widened, but she knew she had to do as the other teen said. Otherwise, she would never be able to keep those she loved safe. She had promised herself as a servant to the Dark Kamui. As one of the Seven Angels, she was to do the exact opposite of her former duties as one of the Seven Seals. What she once protected with her life was now to be what she would destroy.

Fuuma handed the girl a new sword, as she could no longer call upon the sword of Ise. Arashi took the katana from the Dark Kamui's hands and held it close. Then, resigned, she walked over to the window of the apartment and crawled out of it, jumping into the twilight and towards the kekkai that she was to destroy.

The Dark Kamui watched until Arashi could no longer be seen. He turned to Subaru, who slept on, not knowing what was going on and completely oblivious to the presence of the Kamui of the Chi no Ryu. Approaching cautiously, Fuuma looked down at Subaru's calm face. His eyes traveled downwards, landing on the wrapping on Subaru's arm.

"So, you didn't after all," he said. "I would have thought that you would have gone through with it after all that I did."

Fuuma paused for a moment. "You're more of an idiot than I thought."

With those words said, the Dark Kamui left the apartment, heading down the stairs and towards the kekkai to watch.

The ground was beginning to tremble. Sorata, Yuzuriha, and Kamui all felt it. Kamui knew it was close and led the other two Seals to the Odaiba station, where the perpetrators were attacking the kekkai. They reached the station and Sorata put up his kekkai to protect what was left of the Odaiba station kekkai. It didn't take them too long to find the ones who were trying to destroy it, but it took a while for it to register who it was.

Guarding the other Angel, with sword in hand, stood none other than Kishuu Arashi.

"A-Arashi!" Yuzuriha gasped. "W-what are you…?"

"What does it look like?" Arashi asked, coldly.

"But…you…you can't be…!" the Mitsumine girl replied.

"Something the matter, Arashi-chan?" the other Angel asked, coming over after pausing in his work.

"We have visitors, Yuuto-san."

"Oh, already?" Yuuto smiled. "I was just getting started, too."

With that, the two Angels attacked the surprised and unprepared Seals. Yuzuriha let out a short scream as Yuuto threw his bladed whip towards her. She ran out of the way, with Inuki at her side. In the corner of her eye, she saw Arashi attack Sorata.

"Arashi…! No!" Yuzuriha screamed.

But Arashi's sword had struck already. Crudely, yet not deeply, the blade cut into Sorata's side. Arashi froze and her eyes drifted down as Sorata fell. Yuzuriha let out another scream and Kamui ran over to Sorata.

"Arashi…" Sorata whispered.

Arashi's eyes were wide with fear and regret. The katana that the Dark Kamui had given to her fell from her hands and her eyes filled with tears. The tears fell down her face in rapid succession as she watched Sorata's eyes close. Around her, she could feel the kekkai dissipating.

"Oh, my god…" she said, her voice threatening to crack into sobs. "I…Sorata, please! I'm sorry…!"

The Ise maiden fell to her knees, covering her eyes. Kamui watched her for a second, wondering if he should be mad or sorry. He really felt neither. He just wanted to get Sorata out of there and to a hospital as soon as possible. Yet, he didn't want to leave.

"Kamui!" a familiar voice called.

Kamui whipped around and saw Seiichirou running up.

"Get him to the hospital, now!" the Asuka editor told him. "I'll handle things here!"

Kamui and Yuzuriha nodded and leaped away, carrying the wounded Sorata between them. Arashi watched them go, but made no move to leave. Once Kamui and Yuzuriha had gotten Sorata far enough away, Seiichirou set up his own kekkai and began battle with Yuuto.

Subaru woke up to Arashi sobbing in the kitchen an hour later. He got up and went over to the kitchen to check on her. The girl was standing, leaning over the sink, her tears falling into the soapy water that already filled the sink. Subaru approached her cautiously, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"I…I couldn't do it…" Arashi cried, softly. "/Kamui/ will be mad…"

"What happened?" Subaru asked.

"/Kamui/ told me to help destroy the kekkai…but Sorata and the others…they came and I…I think Sorata…I think I may have killed him…"

Subaru blinked. "Sorata's wounded?"

"I didn't want to hurt him," Arashi sobbed. "I…"

"Shhh," Subaru said. "It's okay. I'm sure he's fine. If you didn't want to hurt him, chances are that you didn't cause too much damage."

"God, I hope he'll be okay…" the Ise maiden sniffed.

Author's Note: I just ran out of ideas for this chapter. So…sorry? Y'all wanted an update, so here it is. Just don't yell at me for the cliffhanger. I've been having a rough week. Fucking college.