A/N: I actually wanted to post this up on Valentine's Day, but my mom took my keyboard and had me on a restraining leash for a couple of days… Grrr… So here's my Valentine's Day gift to all of you (okay, belated then)! Don't expect anything mushy or good. I wrote this in a hurry and I really wanted to post this up as soon as I can.
Dedicated to the boy who broke my heart
Perfect Gift
The first and last person to ever give Subaru anything on Valentine's Day a gift was Seishirou.
(Technically, Hokoto was the first person to ever give Subaru his first Valentine's Day gift. And it was in the form of a fantastically, hideous outfit that made a tomato go to shame with its redness. But for the sake of the story, let us assume the Sakura Star was the Sumeragi's Head first Valentine.)
The very first thing he received from the then vet was a card.
There was a heart on the cover that was outlined with pretty laces.
When he opened it, it read:
'I love you forever and forever will my heart be yours'
That card had made his heart swell in joy and wet his eyes. He remembered how his tears spilled from his eyes and smudge the 'yours' at the end. It made him so happy.
It touched him deeply; he hid the card away from the prying eyes of the world.
Even with all the taken precautions and securities, Hokoto had found it eventually then made a round with it. First showing it off to Seishirou and recounting to him how Subaru cried; if he didn't loved his sister very much and wasn't busy blushing, he could've killed Hokoto instead.
But that was a good score of years ago.
He'd deny ever receiving such a horrid thing. It was poison to his soul and the thought of ever reminiscing over such a childish thing was pathetic. He was young then, of course.
Nevertheless, the card was somewhere in his drawers, untouched and spent most of the decade collecting dust.
Between the present and his first card, he'd received many things from one person every year.
Going back to the present, he looks at his calendar and wasn't very surprised at what information slapped him across the face.
It was February fourteenth.
Ever since learning of his sealed kismet by the hands of his very first Valentine card giver, he decided to hate this day.
But even after those years, there was always a card, some sweets, or a number of random things that would sit in front of his doorstep if he ever plans on opening the door for the first time on that certain day.
Every year it was something different.
Every year it was the same person.
Subaru always wondered how Seishirou was to drop in all those presents. He made sure his apartment was guarded with the most of what his spell books can give him.
Sometimes to the extent of putting a talisman here or there on the walls of the building his staying, yet he finds himself endlessly molested by the Sakurazukamouri.
That thought earned him his very first throbbing vein of the day.
He went and gave his fax machine a quick visit. 1
Doing an exorcism on the day of hearts was no surprise to Subaru. When there's a holiday, a spirit was bound to run crazy finding lost love in the most unexpected places. But after a glance, there was no paper to be ripped off so he didn't mind. He shrugged his shoulders and walked away.
No fax means no exorcism, which also means no tiring hunt for stupid girl ghost off to give her final adieu to random boy who can not forget the love of his life.
And another not surprising thing happened when he opened his door for the first time of the day. There was a card, but there was no identification as to show him the giver's identification.
Well, not that he needs any.
It was a box, a black box, wrapped up in a black wrapper with no design and to tie it all up was a black ribbon.
Subaru lifted the box and felt its weigh in his hand. This was different from the rest, a bit heavy from the usual flowers or cards that he usually receives on this occasion.
The card had nothing written, just the picture of a red heart.
Subaru took one look and snorted at the image.
Something was amidst but there was no mysterious aura lingering on the box signifying its weirdness. Nevertheless, there was somewhat wrong with the box that he holds in his hands.
Not that it was wrapped in black; he was used to seeing such color, knowing someone like Seishirou, who wouldn't?
But it was what was inside that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand. He has no idea what will jump out of the box and grab him by the ears, pulling him inside a black portal that was inside the said package.
It made him think of a scene in Cat in the Hat.
You just take away all the fun stuff and put a couple of sakura petals here, there then a tree with darkness in the backdrop. You should never forget a very ugly tree and flashbacks from his painful past. You have at least a good view of the nightmare.
Mind you, that's just the background.
You should also put in a man pulling out a person's heart out. The person should look much like Subaru except that there are a couple of lumps on the chest area. Usually, said person would fall slowly to give a very striking turn to the already melodramatic scene of a killer and his prey.
Even with all those not so terrifying-but-weird thoughts placed in his head, Subaru took the box inside his apartment anyway.
He carefully took the ribbon and ripped the wrapper, making sure not to rip it.
He hates making a mess.
It was ham.
Subaru had to raise a brow at this.
It was ham.
Subaru could plainly see what it is and kindly asked the author to piss off for repeating the sentence.
Subaru could've laughed if the author made him, but the author thinks that Subaru wouldn't react that way so she didn't make him laugh. A bit un-Subaru-like if you think about it.
Instead, Subaru thought of a few things then commented something close to 'it's not Christmas' and a few obscenities along that sentence.
He twisted his head to the left, then to the right.
He wonders if it's poisoned.
However, Subaru thought it over. Poison wasn't really a thing Seishirou would do, a not his style. Killing his pet by poisoning his food was a bit lame, if one was to think about it, not the least bit interesting.
This was the Sakura Star's pet; he couldn't just kill him off like that. Where's the excitement in that?
Getting ran over by a train is a whole deal interesting than this.
Subaru smacked himself.
He was planning his own death.
He looked back at the ham.
Seishirou always said he was like a stick and always urged him to eat something. It was a bit funny thing hearing from the person destined to kill you, one way or another.
He sighed.
He settled said food item on the table.
Seishirou still worries about his health and he still plans to erase his existence from the earth; Subaru really couldn't understand it.
The man was like the darkness that surrounds him, and Subaru can't fathom why he wasn't dead yet.
He knows Seishirou is good at the kill, hesitation was never found in Seishirou's vocabulary. But it never ceased to amaze the onmyouji that he was still alive running and breathing.
He peeled a piece off from the ham and bit it.
It tasted sweet.
It was sweet ham.
And Subaru could've slapped the author for another of her useless sentences, but then he couldn't see her so he took another piece from the ham instead. He chewed it before swallowing it; it really tasted that good.
Deciding it wasn't poisoned, he went up and got a knife a sliced an at least bigger piece.
The phone rang and he downed a piece before answering.
"Good morning" Subaru said, he has a good guess who was on the other line.
"Moshi-moshi, Subaru-kun" it was him.
"Oh, Seishirou…"
"So, have you received my gift for my ever anorexic-?"
"Yes" Subaru answered quickly, not letting the man finish his sentence. He doesn't want to know what title he'll receive this time.
"Ah… that's good" there was that mirth again, that voice that has some hidden intention deep within the interior.
"Was it good?"
"Yes"
Subaru was down to answering with the words 'yes; and 'no'.
"Okay, that's good; my Subaru-kun does need some more flesh, after all" There was something wrong with that voice of his. And why did he emphasize 'flesh'? "I'm just taking care of my future bride, that's all"
Of course, being Subaru he didn't ask.
He was going to be impolite and slam the phone when Seishirou said something:
"Oh, Subaru-kun, have you read the news lately?"
"No"
"Well, you better should" he hears mock worry in the voice.
This time, Subaru was going to say something like 'why', his mouth was already open when…
"Oh dear, duty calls, Subaru-kun" Seishirou knew he was going to ask, Subaru could tell. "Make sure you at least eat a good portion to fill up that frame of yours, ciao"
The line was dead.
Subaru returned the phone to its place.
What was that all about?
He shrugged his shoulders and went back to the ham, slicing a good piece.
While chomping on the delicious morsel in his mouth he did what Seishirou told him. He read the newspapers, it was yesterday's news but he didn't feel like getting out anyway.
As he settled down, he began scanning titles.
A man got killed in a car accident…
Anime convention held in…
Sale on foreign DVDs in store…
Policeman suspected of gambling…
Nothing interesting caught Subaru's eyes.
He flipped on the next page.
Skimming through some of the articles, he stopped at one.
This was an interesting bit: Body found chopped.
He read about the body of a woman found near Rainbow Bridge. Her arms and legs were cut off, but they were found with the body. But what baffled police was the fact that a good portion of her leg was taken.
Subaru almost choked on the chunk he's been chewing inside his mouth.
It was sick.
He couldn't believe it.
Without any thought, he knew why Seishirou made him read the papers.
Subaru ran to his bathroom and tried puking out what he's been eating.
A good few minutes later, he threw the ham away along with the trash.
A/N: LOL.
1. This reminds me of my other story, 'One Missed Call'. LOL
Flames will be graciously accepted.