Chapter 2: Awakening January 1, 2000
Watching Subaru sleep had always been one of his favorite pastimes. As comfortable as he was in his pastime Seishirou was still confused and a bit unnerved by his situation. He had awoken in a plainly furnished room that he didn't recognize. He was fairly sure it wasn't a hotel room. He was lying next to Subaru and they were both naked. He didn't mind be naked in bed with Subaru, he just wished he knew how he'd ended up like this. His hand slid under Subaru's pillow and he felt a hard piece of metal. So this is Subaru's room he thought. The young man was always fond of stashing his ceremonial dagger under his pillow for protection. Still something felt off. Seishirou reached out with his powers to the tree. He only touched its consciousness briefly since he didn't want to listen it complain about its hunger, but this brief touch earned him a shocked response from the tree.
With his curiosity eating a hole in him he decided that it was time for sleeping prey to wake up. He lay on his side and gently stroked the side of Subaru's face. He whimpered slightly and turned his head to the side. Then Seishirou had a wicked idea. He slid his hand under the covers, lightly gliding down Subaru's chest and stomach. Subaru twitched, his breathing quickened. Seishirou became even bolder and glided his hand lower to lightly grasp Subaru's half formed erection. The unsuspecting young man moaned in his sleep and squirmed more. Seishirou stroked several times and then leaned in towards Subaru to gently kiss his check. Subaru's eyes fluttered open. For a moment he was calm and enjoyed the sensation, but once he realized who was next to him and touching him THERE, Subaru sat up quickly and moved away in shock.
"Seishirou-san!"
Seishirou just laid there smiling like a contented cat. "My, my Subaru-kun, with that kind of reaction, I'm a bit disappointed that I even bothered to wake you up. You were so enjoying yourself in your sleep."
Subaru just gasped. He was shocked, not so much at the fact that Seishirou had been molesting him in his sleep, but at the simple fact that Seishirou was alive. Subaru so vividly remembered Seishirou's death on Rainbow Bridge; how he anguished over the loss of the only person besides his sister that he ever loved and how he realized that he was suddenly all alone in the world. But now there he was lying beside Subaru. With a gut wrenching sob he threw himself into Seishirou's arms and thoroughly kissed him pouring all of his emotions into the kiss.
Seishirou was shocked. Subaru was never this passionate before. He could get used to this. He gently pushed Subaru on to his back as the kiss continued. As they broke for air, Seishirou smiled down contentedly at Subaru. "Perhaps I was mistaken. It' seems to be a rather good thing that I woke you up."
"You're alive," Subaru exclaimed as he stroke the side of Seishirou's face.
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"I saw you die. I held you as you slipped away." Tears were in Subaru's eyes. "On Rainbow Bridge, you tried to kill me, but the spell didn't work and… and…"
"I was killed instead," Seishirou stated flatly. "Your sister was most ingenious in her revenge." He was quiet and a bit distant then. "I remember most of that day, but it seems almost like a dream; as though it wasn't really me."
"I understand the feeling," he replied. Subaru was staring at his lap, at his hands that rested there.
Seishirou noticed this and took one of Subaru's hands. The young man offered no resistance. There was a straight pale scare across his wrist. Seishirou brought it to his lips and kissed it.
"This happened after I was gone, didn't it?"
Subaru was crying quietly. He nodded. "I couldn't take it anymore. I missed you so much and I was such a disgrace. I couldn't be the Sakurazuka Mori or the head of the Sumeragi. I shamed myself even more by doing this."
Seishirou pulled Subaru into his lap and held him. "It's over now. All of this is in the past. Where ever we are now, we have a second chance. We'll do things right this time. I love you. I'm sorry it took me so long to realize this." He stroked Subaru's back and held him as the tears quieted.
In that quiet moment, they began to notice noise outside their room and a familiar voice neither had heard in quite some time.