13. Repetition.

T: Heh, not even my beta (The wonderful Silver Salamander) liked me for that last chapter…nope I'm not going to comfort you, you'll have to read on! Not mine and warnings remain the same.

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The reporter stands in her suit, speaking solemnly to the camera.

'Today marks the 7th anniversary of the great fire that swept through the Nihjo Corporation and the birth of the Usagi foundation that was formed shortly after the tragedy of that day.

Kishu-san, could you remind us why this tragedy inspired you enough to form this foundation?'

"Turn that dribble off, Tenshi-kun."

"Any one would think that you're shy that you're going main stream, Sorata-san." Tenshi remarks as he leans forward to switch the set off.

"You're a barrel load of laughs, you know that!" Sorata replied, the rebuttal all but half hearted.

Tenshi smiled a little to himself and glancing to Sorata out of the corner of his eye thanks again the good luck that had brought him to find the older boy.

He had spent three nights waiting and hoping that Subaru would return to him, then once he had tired of waiting he had gone to do some research.

It had been the photo of Subaru with the violet eyed teen that had provided him with his greatest lead and after talking to the eldest son of an Imonoyama Noruko he had been pointed in the direction of Arashi Kishu.

He had known simply for her reaction to his face that she too had met his previous self and realising that the back story was unnecessary he had jumped straight in at the deep end.

Arashi had told him a great deal of how the other 'seals' had viewed Subaru and of their opinion on his 'relationship' with his previous self.

She had, however, been unable to tell him much of Subaru himself, finding as Tenshi had that the man was very guarded about his emotions and vulnerabilities.

He had, if the truth be known, been a little disappointed at coming again to a dead end and yet once he had been introduced to Arashi's overly energetic son any regret he might have had about making contact had been lost.

Sorata was…intense…so much so that simply by being at Tenshi's side he inspired him to let it go and continue his search.

They had become firm friends and it was only once Sorata brought up the topic of the fire and the change it had made in his life that Tenshi had felt just a little itchy.

As with the rest of Tokyo Sorata had watched the Nihjo Corporation falling…had watched as the flames caught onto other buildings and the fire crews had battled to save what lives they could.

He had listened as the names of the four fatalities of the disaster had been read out and had wondered about who these people were…what legacy they had left to this world.

He had learned that Usagi Chihiro had been researching into a permanent solution to child fatalities…learned that she had plunged a sum of her savings into a company that was designing a revolutionary drug to find and cure genetic defaults in young children.

So inspired had he been by the work of this company that he had phoned their leader and after a long conversation had set up the Usagi trust.

Tenshi had not had the heart to inform Sorata that Chihiro was only giving money to the company because they had been blackmailing her in some fashion or another and that her 'research' had been done to cover over her continued payments to the company as a charitable thing.

Instead he had allowed his friend to maintain his illusion of Chihiro and told his first and only outright lie to the older boy.

"We need chocolate again, Tenshi-kun." Sorata remarks, the random comment successfully squashing the black mood that Tenshi had just begun to descend into.

"I have told you before and I shall tell you again cocoa is not a necessary study aid."

"Mou, you are sounding like my mother again!" The older boy remarks as he pushes himself out of the little book nest he had created in the kitchen and comes to kneel at Tenshi's side. "Please, Tenshi-kun, one bar can not hurt me and I can not simply conjure A grades out of thin air like you can!"

Aware that he is going to lose this argument one way or another he admits defeat while Sorata still has his dignity and standing enquires,

"Am I buying you brand name or are you living on a shoe string again?"

The older boy flicks through his wallet and drawing out a handful of notes remarks,

"I can afford brand name this week it seems." As he hands his money to Tenshi.

Once he has purchased the all important chocolate he takes the longer route back to the house, enjoying the residual of the magical Christmas feeling in the air.

He is humming some random tune and has stopped before a window that is displaying already the traditional pinks and red of Valentines Day, when he spots him,

For a moment he believes it a trick of his eye, for the individual that has so caught his attention can be no more than 16 years of age, then the child turns a little so that he can see his eyes…

…Though they are both now a vibrant emerald there is no mistaking the pure soul shining through from within them.

His hear ceasing in his chest he sucks in a breath and yells out,

"Subaru-kun!"

The child starts and then a wide smile catches onto his lips,

"Tenshi-san." He responds, his voice a sweet open harmonic that sparks a tender fondness somewhere deep within him.

"Why are you so young and why have you not tried to find me?"

"Both are connected and neither are things we should discuss here."

"Then let us go to Ueno."

It makes sense, of course, every moment of significance having revolved around the park and the tree.

They are alone, something that he knows can only be the trees work and he decides not to question why it is aiding him when before it had treated him as nothing but dirt.

"I died." Subaru remarks after a moment, a smile still on his lips despite the grimness of the subject, "The tree and I came to an understanding and it killed me."

"Why?"

"Because either it killed me or you would and I could not bare the thought of you being trapped again within its spell."

"If you died then how are you 16 already, indeed why do you still have your memories when I can barely recall anything?"

"It was part of my bargain with the tree. Usually once the Sakurazukamori dies the tree takes the part of them that was tied to it so that if they are born again they recall only a little of their time as that individual.

"This assures that the sakura remains secure and that it passes through a new individual each time.

"You should not have been my successor, for such a thing is against the rules and yet I threw the tree rather out of sync."

"Because you loved Seishiro?"

"Yes."

"What did you offer the tree?"

"Freedom."

"Do you care to elaborate?"

"Even if I tried you wouldn't understand, as your link to the tree was severed long ago."

"Then will you tell me how you are 16 when only seven years have passed?"

"The tree exists in its own reality…its own time…simply put I asked it to keep me there until I was older and then return me to your world.

"That is why I have not come looking for you Tenshi…that and I was a little afraid that you would not care for me."

Tenshi breaks into a gentle laughter and once he has kissed Subaru thoroughly he informs the boy,

"I have never stopped, Subaru."

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T: To be completely honest I'm not sure I know what Subaru did…considering how, conniving, tree-san can be I'm not really sure I want to know. Everything else here is simply me brain storming through Subaru thus it's a little confusing…forgive me? R+R I really want to know your opinion…really!