Thank you for all your reviews. They were encouraging, so well, thanks! Sorry for the long time it took to update, but my computer was dead for two weeks, and then i had other fics to update... sry. I hope you like the nxt chapter!


Falling


"Good morning, Arashi!" the cheerful voice burst into the kitchen, accompanied by a young girl barely high-school aged. Sorata smiled at the young woman who spared him a glance almost unnoticeably softened before turning back to the knife and food in front of her.

"Be quiet, or you'll wake Subaru and Kamui."

"Oh, yes, yes, sorry about that," Sora's cheerful face turned sheepish, and he gave a glance to the staircase with a concerned expression. The young monk then sighed and turned to the young short-haired girl already seated at the table, "Will you tell the teachers about... well, Kamui not being able to attend school and all?"

"Of course," Yuzuhira replied, spooning her breakfast into her mouth.

"Sora..." Arashi began, and the tall man was immediately all ears, "Would you check on the two of them..." she didn't have to say anything else, Sora knew already.

"Yes, I know, I'm worried about them too. Subaru's been acting depressed lately, I mean, more depressed than he usually is, and Kamui..." here, the young monk ran a hand through his short hair, his ever-present concern for the young Seal deepening his eyes,"He's having his problems as well... Do you want me to wake them for breakfast though?"

The female sword-master bit her lip, eyes on the knife as she skillfully cut the onions into thin slices. She had just said that she didn't want the two other Seals to wake, but it would be good for them to eat something...

"If you see it fit," she finally answered.

"Okey-dokey, be back in a sec."

Sora climbed the stairs quickly, and in a moment was at Kamui's door, though the Sumeragiheirhad been keeping the younger Seal company and sleeping in the other bed lately. Sora didn't object, he felt there was a lot of healing to be done with the two of them, and a lot of it could only be accomplished by the other. They'd been through such alike situations... He shook his head and turned the cold doorknob slowly, peeking his head in to give a quick glance into the room.

Subaru and Kamui were sleeping together, the onmyouji's arms wrapped protectively around the pale violet-eyed boy, soundly asleep. Sora thought it was an adorable sight, and could only wish that he could once have that same opportunity to share such a tender moment with Arashi.

He couldn't wake them up, he realized, it just didn't feel right. He knew they both had been having rather rough nights, what with Kamui feverish because of his crushed ribs, and Subaru just being permanently depressed over that Dragon of Earth, he knew any kind of peaceful sleep they could get was almost sacred.

"They're asleep, and I decided it was best that way," the monk announced upon coming back into the kitchen, Arashi eating quietly, and Yuzuhira gathering her schoolbag and preparing to leave. The serious-faced young woman just nodded knowingly and Yuzuhira's eyes darted upstairs.

"Are they alright?"

"Well, I think Kamui was looking a bit flushed, but that's just the fever. They both looked downright exhausted," Sora answered the younger Seal, patting Inuki, who had just appeared besides her.

"I think Subaru had a nightmare. There was crying last night. I think it was Subaru's..." Arashi announced quietly, and both of the other Seals looked at her.

"Oh, I thought it was just my imagination..." Yuzuhira muttered barely audibly, and then took up her school bag and left, with Sorata calling out a parting and her responding.

"Things really are getting heavy. And its only getting worse. But I can't help but feel worse for Kamui and Yuzuhira. They're just so young..." Sora murmured solemnly, looking unfocusedly outside. Arashi remained quiet, reflecting on his words.

"Kotori... and Fuuma."

Sora's long face snatched upwards, "Yeah, them too."

Thedark-haired priestess looked at him sorrowfully, and then her eyes averted to some invisible object, "Sometimes..." she paused, swallowing, then continuing in her ever soft-spoken, commanding voice, "Sometimes, I have the strangest feeling..."

"About?"Sora's usually carefree faceurged gently.

"I get the strangest feeling... that we're all going to die..." she whispered.

Sora's breath caught in his throat, and he hastily looked away. He knew what had been predicted of him. That he would protect Kamui until the day he died. And that he would die by the hands of a woman he loved. In other words, he'd be killed by Arashi. He knew this, so clearly it sometimes pained him to think of the future and act as cheerful as was characteristic of him. And worst of all, it couldn't dissuade him from his love for Arashi. It never would, he was fated to die that way.

"Yeah... I do too. But I think, you just might live," his abnormally serious voice just cut out flat through the room, and Arashi could only stare, suddenly frightened of the hidden meanings in his sentence.

"Are you saying... that you won't live?" her unusually gentle voice quavered, much as she tried to control it. The monk gave her no response, choosing to stare at the floor.

"I don't know," he lied.

OoooO

Subaru's eyebrows drew together, his body beginning to slip back into consciousness with the likeness of a meandering moth. Erratically. But he was sure of the small body in his arms, gentle, if strong heat radiating from it, swaying slowly with every breath, as his own body was doing.

"Kamui," he whispered, his forest-green eyes gliding open to the young, tenderly peaceful face of the much younger Seal. He brushed a strand of hair from Kamui's face, as softly as only lovers could.

Kamui remained asleep, and Subaru let him. He didn't want Kamui's young violet eyes to open onto this dreadfully dangerous world, where every shadow was a painful reminder, and death was only around the next corner. He willed Kamui to sleep, where he could protect him from all danger, like he'd been unable to do so to his sister... because he'd never though to protect Hokuto from Seishirouu. But now he knew better. At least he hoped.

Theexorcistclosed his eyes momentarily before withdrawing himself from Kamui's arms, wrapped around Subaru for comfort in the most likely unpleasant sleep he was having, and slowly sat up. He turned to look out the window, aware that it was late, that Yuzuhira was already in her first class, and Kamui had missed another day of school, but, who could worry about school when the whole world was hanging by the mere thread Kamui was faithfully and painfully trying to preserve? He knew that Sora and Arashi were waiting for them to wake up, for Subaru to go downstairs, eat breakfast, and, if Kamui wanted to have some, to bring some up to him. It's not that they had charged him with the duty of taking care of their young leader, but more like Subaru had charged himself with that duty. He would try, the hardest he could, to protect Kamui.

From what? He knew, and yet he didn't. Subaru knew that it was Fuuma from whom he had to guard his amethyst-eyed boy from, but that was just as if Kamui suddenly wanted to keep Subaru from Seishirou, and keep them apart. And much as their meetings would be painful, the deepest part of his heart was crying out in a wrenching wail for the next moment he could gaze into the demonic man's beautiful eyes. Painful. He knew.

Just like he wanted to see Seishirou, he knew that Kamui wanted to see Fuuma. And make him pay for killing Kotori, while wanting to save him for it not being his fault that he was now Kamui's "twin star".

Subaru just sat, staring out the window in the dark room, watching the cherry blossoms fall like rain, soft, powdery rain, making the whole outside world a bittersweet cheerful place. Cherry blossoms... cherry trees... demonic cherry trees... leading to demonic cherry clans, which simply laid straight to Seishirou.

A single crystal tear slipped down onto the mattress, and Subaru started at realizing that he'd been crying. Looking quickly at Kamui to make sure he was still sleeping, he buried his face in his hands, digging them deep into his silken raven hair.

OoooO

"Subaru! Good to see you!" Sora raised his hand in greeting, the other one otherwise occupied with the remaining parts of a bread-like pancake, the fifth one. Subaru merely inclined his head, still feeling tired despite the extra hours of sleep, and sat down.

"How is Kamui?" Arashi beat Sora to asking the much-dreaded question, and Subaru turned his head away.

"He's still asleep. He has a fever," Subaru stuck bread in his mouth as an excuse to not talk anymore.

The young woman's brow furrowed, giving her normally serious face an ever more pensive appearance.

"Poor kid," the Kansai-speakingmonk lamented, "It's gotta be tough for him..."

Subaru nodded without realizing he had. Thankfully, before he'd be forced to make any more conversation, his breakfast was finished, and he raised himself from the table with a weary air and trod back up the stairs.

"Subaru, you know you could be a little less antisocial! You're as bad as Kamui was when I first met him!" the cheerful monk called out behind him, spoon waving in the air, and for his effort, Subaru gave him a small smile, and the cheer fled Sorata's face like it had never been there in the first place.

Subaru knew why. Him smiling was like a sacrilege. It was chilling, a frozen, broken smile, because it was a reflection of pure, soul-rotting sorrow. A smile without happiness and full of pain could only cause pain and be chilling in return. It was a lot like Kamui's smiles, except his hadn't yet reached the extent that Subaru's had, and occasionally broke through to be real smiles.

"Kamui," the onmyouji repeated upon walking back into the dark room. The sun only fell in one patch through the window, everything else bathed in black and white. A mirror of his soul. Black and darkened, the only patch of life in his soul was Seishirou, and now, Kamui.

To his surprise, a small whimper-like sound came from the covers, and Subaru was at Kamui's side in an instant, immediately beginning to stroke the moonlight-soft skin of the younger Seal, lathered in a layer of perspiration.

"What is it?"

"Subaru... I can't breathe..." Kamui's shallow voice coincided with his rasping breaths, his face contorted in pain, and Subaru's heart squeezed at seeing him like this.

Subaru could only whisper, "You'll be alright, it'll pass," and gently caressed the younger boy's face, trying to comfort him. He had no idea what to do. He didn't know how to fix Kamui. He didn't know how to fix anything for that matter, and it weighed heavily on him.

"M-My chest..." Kamui whimpered, his hands spasmodically tightening on te emerald-eyed boy's arm as he fought to breathe right again.

"It's just a spasm, from your ribs trying to heal," Subaru tried to say to help comfort him, ease the fright that was growing in Kamui's beutiful, clear violet eyes, now clouded with fear. Fear of death. He wondered how horrifying it was to not be able to breathe, to feel despair and death engulfing you with every breathless second. He would have tried stroking Kamui's chest, but that would only have caused more pain.

But there were tears of agony running fast down Kamui's cheeks, and Subaru couldn't help but lift him and hold him in his arms, mindful of his chest, but unable to resist trying to comfort him. Why couldn't he ease Kamui's pain? Were they all destined to live in agony like this? Every minute of their lives was torture, all because they were Seals, and there were Harbingers about, and they knew nothing would ever be alright, and Subaru had a fleeting impression on some dreary nights that they wouldn't make it. They wouldn't...

Kamui's breathing suddenly evened out in this new position, the pain gone, and his body relaxed. But Subaru didn't let go; he wanted to stay like this forever.

"I'm fine now, Subaru-kun..." Kamui tried to say, his voice still weak, though mostlywith relief, the fear ebbing away.

"Just stay..." the olderman whispered, wanting to hold on to the last moments of peace they could ever have. Kamui obliged, leaning completely and trustingly on Subaru. He would always trust Subaru, he realized with his new-found feelings for the older Seal.

Subaru sighed, fluttering Kamui's thread-like hair, immersing himself in it, kissing Kamui's warm neck, and he never saw the tall, mysterious shape standing lithely on a branch on the cherry tree outside. The figure gave a tip of his hat to the figures on the bed, knowing full well that the Sumeragi could not see him, then disappeared in the flash of a second, promising to the wind that he'd return.

Kamui withdrew slightly to gaze in Subaru's dulled emerald eyes, but to him, they were clear and beautiful. The onmyouji smiled, just barely, but it was bitter-sweetly heartfelt, and leaned over to brush Kamui's warm lips with his cold ones, before the younger Seal responded by applying pressure, sealing their lips together in a tender kiss before separating andsimply leaning against each other.


Aw, they're so cute. And yes, we're going to have dearest Seishi-kun comeing. And In HIS own Time... Fuuma as well. Angst time!

To my reviewers!

Bitter Green-Tea: Wow, i feel honored that you complemented me like that. I'm glad you though it was so well-written. And I'm sorry, but i just can't seem to do one-shots too well... waaah! Four other of my fics started our as one shots, and now they're all either heading, or over ten chapters. Hehe...

Midori: Yeah, they're so cute! Glad you liked! Hope you liked this chapter as well.

Shinzona: Thanks! Hope you liked this chapter too. O.o that was a really really good description at the bottom of your review...

Ginger-Ninja: Not a one-shot any longer, but I don't know how much longer I'll be contnuing it. I have a lot of other fics to work on, after all. -Sigh- But anyway, I was afraid I'd made Subaru and Kamui OOC, and I always try to keep them In Character, but they can be a bit confusing sometimes... like, I think I was stretching it a bit in this chapter... I hope not...

Well, well well... Just wait for thte next update! Seishi-kun makes his grand scary appearance! Boo! ...O.o I know... But um, in any case, hope you liked, and there's the purple button below for your comments and then much-appreciated suggestions!