Author's notes: I can't believe I finally wrote a new chapter for this story! It's so exciting! I think I mentioned before that I've been having a bit of writer's block when it comes to this story, which is why it's been on a hiatus. It's probably because it's getting very close to the end and I'm not sure how to end it (much like CLAMP and the real X story). I'm also working on another story (a Naruto one) simultaneously. I will try not to let quite so much time go by without updating again, but it might be awhile. This chapter is meant to set up the final battle… But who will fight whom?

The Season of the Witch
By Angel Maxwell

Chapter 9: Moonlight

Midori trembled visibly as the revelation sank in. "You… you're not really my dad?" she stuttered, glassy eyes fixed on the moonlit sillouette of the man who had raised her since infancy. He was speechless and frozen in place, as were Yuzuriha and Aoki, though in lesser degrees of shock. "And you," the girl addressed her father's friends. "You guys knew this all along, didn't you?"

Sei'ichirou looked down at his hands. "Yes," he said softly and Yuzuriha nodded agreement. "We knew."

"Midori," Subaru finally worked his nerves up to saying. He got up to his feet very slowly and cautiously approached the girl he had always considered his daughter. "Please, let me explain…"

Pensively, she slid her tongue across parched lips as if she were about to say something, but as her mouth parted, no sound came out and instead she turned on heel and disappeared back inside and up the stairs. Subaru moved forward as if to follow after her, but Aoki gently and firmly seized him by the arm and held him back.

"Not yet," he said, shaking his head reprovingly. "Give her a little time alone, first. Let it sink in."

Midori's slippered feet felt as awkward and useless as tree limbs as she staggered into her temporary bedroom. She was still too shocked to produce any tears, although she definitely felt like crying. Seishirou is my father. The statement kept repeating over and over in her head, but it didn't feel real. It was like the sort of dream you had when you were sick and running a high fever, grotesque and surreal.

Despite the fact that Subaru had spoken of him many times, always with an odd mix of fear and longing in his voice, Sakurazuka Seishirou had forever been shrouded in mystery. All Midori really knew was that Seishirou had been someone vitally important to Subaru. She imagined him as a dark sorcerer and a guardian angel, a monster and a savior, a deeply kept secret and an inescapable part of her so-called father's life.

But she never, in all her life, imagined that he could be her father. And how? How could Seishirou be her father? Had he and her Shinto priestess mother been lovers? Somehow this just didn't seem plausible to the teenage girl. There was, of course, one person who could answer all of her questions. But he was the one person Midori just couldn't bring herself to speak to right now. The mere thought of his gently lying eyes and mysteriously kind smile made her blood feel hot.

As if he had sensed that Midori was thinking about him, Subaru chose that moment to knock on her door. "Midori, may I please come in?" he asked.

"Go away! You're a liar and I don't want to talk to you!" she spat out, though her own words cut her like a knife. The tears were finally starting to flow and she clutched her pillow tensely to her chest. "So just leave me alone!"

"I can't just leave you alone," Subaru pleaded through the door. "You're my daughter and I love you."

"But I'm not your daughter!" she cried. "And you've always known it!"

"I was going to tell you, Midori. That's the reason why I was taking you to Kyoto. But then all this stuff happened… Trust me, Midori, this is not how I wanted you to find out about your real paternity. But now that you know I think we should talk about it. Then maybe you'll understand why I didn't tell you sooner. So please, just open the door and let me in."

"No," she replied, despite the pain and desperation that had been laced in Subaru's voice. "I… I don't think I can look at you right now."

"Alright," he responded, sounding remarkably patient. "But I'm going to be waiting here outside your door until you say it's okay to come in." And with those words, the troubled onmyouji sank to the floor and waited in silence for his daughter to let him in.

She had no immediate intention to do so, however. And now she was trapped. If Midori wanted to leave her bedroom, she would have to face Subaru. The strangest thing was that Midori wasn't even sure what she was so scared of. Today she had survived a swordfight with a madman and escaped from a collapsing underground laboratory. So why couldn't she handle this conversation with Subaru?

It was because she loved him. She loved feeling like she belonged to him, a bond of flesh and blood. To her, that blood-bond meant unconditional love, that even if she failed, her father would always love her. But now, that unspoken promise was revealed to be an illusion. Suddenly it seemed frighteningly possible that Subaru could chose to stop loving her at any moment, and if she had to talk to him, she was certain she would cry. She didn't want him to see her tears. So she lay on the bed staring at the ceiling fan as it lazily spun around and around, unable to sleep and unable to leave, but unsure of what to do.

After an hour, Midori had played out every imaginable scenario between Seishirou and her mother that could have led to her conception, but she didn't believe any of them. Then a sudden and irrational thought struck the young girl like lightning. Maybe he knew something about her origins. If the original Seishirou had been her biological father, then it was possible that the new, artificial version of him might know where she came from. After all, Subaru said that the new Seishirou was programmed to have all of the real man's memories.

I have to talk to Seishirou, she thought to herself. And I have to do it tonight. But how will I ever get out of here with da… Subaru waiting right outside my door.

As she pondered how to escape her self-imposed prison, an eerie screeching sound interrupted Midori's thought process. She flinched slightly, then spun to the source of the noise, which she discovered was just the branches of the tree right outside brushing up against her bedroom window. Her sigh of relief was followed immediately by a gasp of pleasure. This was the answer to her problem.

Using the utmost care to suppress her natural clumsiness and not make any noise that might draw the attention of the man outside her door, Midori changed out of her pajamas and into the only other outfit that had been in the closet, a Clamp Academy girl's uniform. Her shoes were unfortunately still resting inside the front door downstairs so she would have to go without them. Without really thinking about it, she grabbed everything she had in the room and shoved it into the backpack she had brought on the rescue mission. It suddenly occurred to her that she must subconsciously suspect that she wouldn't be returning.

With all the deftness she could muster, Midori slid open the window glass followed by the screen and climbed out, groping for a branch. The tree's coarse bark scratched and tore the skin of her thighs as she slowly descended. She tried not to let it bother her but her eyes watered at the sting. As soon as her bare feet touched the ground, she was off, running as far away from the dormitory building as fast as she possibly could. She pumped her legs furiously, not even caring where exactly they were taking her, and didn't stop until she was so pink-cheeked and winded that she had to just to catch her breath. It was during this break that she suddenly realized her dilemma.

"I don't even know how to find Seishirou," she acknowledged aloud. "Argh! Why didn't I think this through first? Think, think, Midori! I can't think here… Need to go someplace where I can…"

Midori knew that there was only one place she could go to where her mind would be clear enough to figure out her next move. Incidentally, that place was in the opposite direction from the one she was running in. Immediately, she changed her course and headed towards the tree where she had first encountered Professor Munou. It was a beautiful place in the moon's blue glow, and when she got there, Midori breathed a heavy sigh and sank against the thick trunk.

"How am I going to get in contact with this guy?" she puzzled. "Is there somewhere he goes to sleep? Does he even sleep?" She didn't realize that her puzzling was out loud and that she wasn't alone until a soft voice spoke up, causing her to jolt.

"Hello, there," the voice said. "Are you lost?"

For a brief moment, Midori thought that the gentle male voice was coming out of thin air, which made her more than a little scared. Then a young man stepped out from the shadow of another tree. He was the most beautiful person she had ever seen, even more so than Professor Munou. But this boy was much younger, probably around fifteen or sixteen, with tousled black hair and piercing blue eyes. Midori couldn't help but blush a bit just from looking at him. And there was something so familiar about him.

"I… I'm not lost," she answered somewhat shyly. "It's late, I know. I just came out here to think and I… Um, my name is Midori, by the way, Midori Sumeragi."

"Sumeragi, eh?" the beautiful boy asked curiously. "You must be related to Subaru then."

Midori let out a tiny gasp at the mention of that name. "Yes, he's my fath… well he… I'm his… It's complicated."

The boy just nodded. "I understand. My family was always a bit complicated too. Name's Kamui Shirou. It's nice to meet you, Midori Sumeragi."

Her heart was beating so fast as she stared at her reflection in his icy eyes. She had suddenly realized why this boy seemed so familiar. It was his eyes. She had seen these eyes before, only they were on a much younger boy who was framed in a photograph standing next to a young Professor Munou.

It's him, she thought excitedly. It's the boy from the photo! But wait… It can't be. If the Professor was just a kid then, that boy must be much older than this guy. But it is him. I can just feel it. I… I should ask him…

"Excuse me," she asked. "Mr. Shirou, pardon my asking, but do you know a man named Fuuma Munou?"

Kamui smiled gently. "I do. He's my best friend. We grew up together."

"How can that be?" the young girl questioned. "He's twice your age."

"You ask a lot of questions, Miss Sumeragi," he responded with a somewhat coy expression. "Do you mind if I ask one of you?"

"I guess not," she answered, taken off guard by his request.

"Who is he?" asked Kamui. "Who is this person you're trying to contact?"

Midori stared. She had gotten so caught up in the stranger's arrival that she'd temporarily forgotten what she was looking for. "He's someone I need to talk to. He's a man… well, he's sort of a man, who might know something about my past. You see… he… he's kind of… He's my father."

Kamui scratched his lovely chin thoughtfully. "Your father, eh? Well, then why hasn't this man been in your life up until now?"

"Like I said, it's complicated," Midori answered. "This guy doesn't know that he's my father. I just found out about it myself today. And he's not exactly my father… more like a… a copy."

"Well, I'm not quite sure what you mean," he replied. "But I understand how you must have felt growing up without a father."

"Oh no, it's not like that!" the young girl exclaimed. "I had a father, the best father! But today… today I found out…" She sniffed back the tears that threatened to leak out from her eyes. "He's not really my father. He's just been lying to me my whole life. And my real father is this man… this terrifying mysterious man from his past. I… I just want to know how I came to exist, and… and I don't know why I'm telling all this to a complete stranger. This day… this whole week, really… It's just been too much."

By now the tears were dripping freely down Midori's face and she made no attempt to hide them from Mr. Shirou. He did not seem at all offended or uncomfortable. Quite the opposite reaction, he sat down next to her on the ground and placed a compassionate hand on her shoulder.

"I see, so Subaru raised you as his own, but now you've found out that you're not his own."

Midori nodded and her new confidant continued.

"But has anything really changed? He knew all along that you were not his flesh and blood daughter, and how did he treat you?"

"With love… just like any other father," she answered. "But more. He always made me feel safe, like he would protect me with his life if he had to and love me no matter what I ever did."

"That's probably still how he feels about you," Kamui told her. "Miss Sumeragi, I want to tell you something. Family… it's not about blood. It's about love. I don't know who my father is, but I think yours is Subaru Sumeragi. I understand if you still want to find your biological father and talk to him. But don't let what he tells you make you forget that you have a father who loves you, okay?"

Her tears had dried, and now Midori was feeling strangely optimistic. This young man, Kamui Shirou, had appeared out of nowhere and comforted her. He had only heard her story just now, and yet he had come up with the exact words she needed to hear. But there was something else, something that transcended mere words. Because anyone could have said the same words as he had and it wouldn't have meant the same. It was Kamui himself. There was some sort of calming aura surrounding him. There was also an air of mystery too him, his impossibly young appearance, his connection to both Professor Munou and Subaru, his appearance at this spot at the exact same time in the middle of the night as her. Was he even real?

"Thank you," Midori said softly deciding not to question him about any of these things. "Thank you Mr. Shirou, for everything you've done for me tonight. I'm still not sure what I'm going to do… But you've given me hope."

The beautiful Kamui smiled warmly at her, but was soon distracted by voice calling his name from the shadows.

"Kamui!" The voice was lilting and feminine, soft and lovely. "Kamui, we're going to be late!"

"I'm afraid I have to be going, Miss Sumeragi," he said as he stood up and dusted himself off. "But I have greatly enjoyed your company, and I hope you find what you're looking for out there. Good night, fair lady."

"Will I ever see you again?" she asked calmly.

"Perhaps," he answered. Then he bowed low, took one of her hands in his and pressed a chivalrous kiss to it. As he disappeared back wherever he came from, Midori swore she could see a delicate white hand reach out to him and a swish of golden curls that vanished back into the darkness. Her whole face felt warm, and she was sure it was bright red. Suddenly her teacher wasn't the only man the adolescent fancied. But she had to face the decision in front of her. Should she continue her search for Seishirou? Or go back to the dormitory building, where Subaru was still waiting outside her bedroom door? She was tired, barefoot, and cold, and one of her options seemed much more appealing at the moment. She had made up her mind to go back to the dorms, but as soon as she stood up, she was confronted by a black sillouette that was most definitely not Kamui or Subaru just a few meters away.

"Seishirou," she breathed as the moonlight glinted in his one silver eye.

Seishirou didn't seem afraid of her this time, but he wouldn't come any closer. "I can tell you everything you want to know," he said, his voice as cold and smooth as steel. "Meet me at the Rainbow Bridge in one hour."

"Wait!" Midori gasped, eager for more information. But as she lunged forward to stop the dark assassin he jumped back out of reach then vanished into the night. Midori's plan changed instantly. She had come out to search for him, and now he had offered her exactly what she longed for so desperately in her soul. How could she refuse? Moving fast and silent as the wind over an open field, Midori Sumeragi ran off towards Rainbow Bridge, to uncover her past, and face her destiny.

To be continued…