Chapter Three: Shifting Futures
It seemed as though it had been an eternity since she had seen any light; the darkness around her seemed that impenetrable. To add to the unnerving state she now found herself in, there was a deafening silence in this void that even her shouts could not disturb.
"Where the heck am I? This doesn't look or feel like a dream…..and it definitely doesn't feel like death……Am I in limbo?" the young woman wondered, then tried calling out to someone she knew, in an attempt to figure out just what was going on.
"Kakyo? Kakyo, can you hear me?" the woman asked, but got no response.
"Yep. Must be limbo." The woman mused, as she 'sat' in midair, crossed her arms, and glared down at where the ground should have been. Yet, it was then that she realized that she could suddenly see what she was wearing; the white robes of an onmyoji!
"Wait a darned minute! The last time I wore this was the night I put that spell on Sei-chan! Which means……." The woman muttered, as she looked down at the front of the garment. To her shock, there was no hole in her chest (nor her back, for that matter), even though there were bloodstains where the fatal wounds had been.
"Could this mean what I think it means….? Could I somehow be alive again?" the woman wondered, flinching when sudden, brilliant light broke into the darkness; shattering it in much the same way that the dawn destroys bad dreams.
"Look out, world! Sumeragi Hokuto is coming back!" the woman shouted, jubilantly, as she dashed towards the light.
…………………………….
Seishiro sighed as he quietly sought out a spot on campus where he could be alone. So many things were running through his mind at that moment to even think of the future beyond the next day; why was he still alive? How was it possible that Hokuto's spell was now supplying him with power? And what else did this strange twist of fate have in store?
"Too many questions….and no one to answer them. This has never happened in the long history of the Sakurazukamori before, so I have no idea where to turn next." Seishiro mused, as he walked into a small glade, towards the tallest tree, climbed up into it, and sat down on one of the sturdier branches.
"You seem a bit depressed, sir. What's troubling you?" a ghostly voice asked, startling Seishiro, somewhat. Composing himself, Seishiro looked to his left and saw that the ghost of a sixteen-year-old girl was sitting on the branch across from him.
"I remember you. You're the one that was with Kamui-kun that time when I attacked…..Monou Kotori, was that your name?" Seishiro asked, getting a nod from the ghostly girl in response.
"Hai! I'm surprised you remember me!" Kotori replied, with a smile; seeming to have forgiven Seishiro about the attack on Kamui and her all that time ago.
"I rarely forget a pretty face, Monou-san. Even if they belong to boys too pretty for their own good." Seishiro said, jokingly; knowing that, somewhere else on campus, Subaru had just sneezed. Kotori giggled and even blushed a little bit, before getting back to the subject at hand.
"I could sense that you were confused about something, so I came here to see what was wrong. Is there something troubling you?" Kotori asked, as she gazed at Seishiro with concern in her blue eyes. Seishiro sighed and nodded.
"Just trying to figure out why I am not dead now, that's all. You see, a month ago, I fought against a Dragon of Heaven known as Sumeragi Subaru on Rainbow Bridge. In the midst of the battle, I was run through with a backfired spell….the end result of a curse placed on me by Subaru-kun's elder sister almost ten years ago….. Somehow, I survived it, and now the spell seems to be giving me strength and power in place of what had been doing that before." Seishiro explained, as the ghostly Kotori listened intently.
"Hmm….I wish I could help you, sir, I really do. If I were still alive, I could maybe ask Kakyo-san for some answers……" Kotori murmured, as at a loss about Seishiro's dilemma as he was.
"Somehow, Monou-san, I doubt that would be of much he's a Dragon of Earth and that the Twin Star has direct access to his dreaming state. A fine suggestion, though, in any case." Seishiro murmured, managing to look surprised when Kotori reached over and placed an insubstantial hand on his hands and smiling comfortingly.
"I'm sure you'll find the answer. Just have faith." Kotori said, before she vanished without a trace, leaving Seishiro alone in the tree again. With a sigh, Seishiro had to agree with Kotori; all he could do at this point was have faith that the answers would come, given time.
"Only time will tell where this path leads….Yet, all things considered, being alive is certainly better than being dead." Seishiro mused, looking down when he heard footsteps coming his way, and breathed a silent sigh of relief when he saw that it was only Subaru.
"Looking for me, Subaru-kun?" Seishiro asked, snickering when the younger onmyoji jumped slightly and looked up at him in surprise. To his own surprise, however, Subaru was quick to calm down and give him a somewhat questioning look.
"What are you doing up there?" Subaru asked, in turn.
"Thinking….Trying to figure out what to do next." Seishiro answered, as he carefully got down from the tree.
"I know the feeling. Too much is happening at once to take it all in." Subaru mused, agreeing with Seishiro on that point.
"I'll bet your Dream-seer, Hinoto, doesn't like this turn of events." Seishiro muttered, as he gazed up into the lush branches of the tree that had been dubbed 'Kotori's Tree' almost four months back.
"That is what is bothering me, Seishiro-san…..Since you are no longer a Dragon of Earth, I feel I can tell you this….Hinoto has been acting strange lately….almost as though she has been possessed by something." Subaru admitted, as he leaned against another tree and sighed.
"What makes you think so, Subaru-kun?" Seishiro asked, sensing somehow that this was linked to the collapse of the Rainbow Bridge a month before.
"From what Sorata, Kamui, Arashi, and Yuzuriha have been able to tell me, Hinoto had told them that Yasukuni Shrine was the Shield that was going to go down that night, when I was sent to Rainbow Bridge to face you. As you well know, nothing happened at the shrine, and Rainbow Bridge fell." Subaru explained, as realization came to Seishiro's mismatched eyes.
"And this could only happen if your Dream-seer gave your fellow Dragons false information! That would certainly explain why it has been so easy for the Dragons of Earth to destroy the other Spirit Shields….Does anyone else know of your Dream-seer's duplicity?" Seishiro asked.
"I think Kamui has the same suspicion, but he hasn't said too much about it yet. He's taking his time gathering the facts, this time around….and also I don't think he wants to suspect Hinoto of any wrong-doing, since she had been so trustworthy until this point in time." Subaru murmured.
"So, what is to be done now?" Seishiro questioned, as Subaru shrugged slightly and shook his head.
"No idea. The only thing we can do is try to figure out which Spirit Shields will be targeted next…..without the aid of a Dream-seer." Subaru stated, as a grim expression appeared on his friend's face.
"And that will be like trying to forecast the weather without the use of radar or any other pieces of modern equipment…..Next to impossible." Seishiro mumbled, as he ran a hand through his dark hair; the surest sign of frustration that Subaru had ever seen in the usually calm onmyoji.
"And yet….why is he so concerned? I know he isn't a Dragon of Earth anymore, but that doesn't explain why he is suddenly so worried about the welfare of the Spirit Shields….Has he found something he wants to protect? Could that be it?" Subaru wondered, as the conversation lingered on into silence; the only thing moving between them being the dying breath of a breeze.
………………………..
Meanwhile, at Ino-Gashira Park, Arashi and Yuzuriha wandered around, vigilant for anything that would hint at the collapse of the Spirit Shield.
"I don't sense anything much." Yuzuriha said, after about an hour of watching and waiting.
"Nor do I." Arashi added, quietly. Things had been quiet as long as they had been within the park itself, and they were beginning to wonder whether or not their guess had been wrong.
"Arashi-chan…" Yuzuriha said, after a few moments.
"Hai?" Arashi replied, sensing that something was on the other girl's mind.
"Um….may I ask you a question?" Yuzuriha asked.
"Hai." Arashi said, giving the usually spunky girl the go-ahead.
"Do you like Sorata-kun?" Yuzuriha again asked. This got a deep red blush from Arashi as a response.
"W-why do you ask?" Arashi questioned, as she tried to compose herself (and failed miserably).
"'Cause the look on your face…..it was just…SO kawaii…when you were watching him go earlier!" Yuzuriha meowed, bringing into mind when Sorata and Kamui had gone off to Ginza to protect the Shield there.
"K-kawaii, was it…?" Arashi mumbled, still beet red from Yuzuriha's teasing. Yuzuriha nodded, then sobered.
"And maybe….it struck me because there's someone I look at with those feelings too. You see…I know what it feels like. I'm in love, too….And, I know this isn't the time for it, but I just can't stop myself…..This is the world in which he lives, so I want to protect it with all my heart!" Yuzuriha said, with a strength and conviction that Arashi had never heard in her voice or seen on her face before.
"Yuzuriha…." Arashi trailed off, speechless at the other girl's determination. Deep down, she too had thought of those same things as being the reason her own Spirit Shield existed, but had never given voice to them as her seemingly innocent friend just had. Yet, before she could say anything, the earth beneath them shook violently; signaling that it was time to fight, once again.
"There has to be a Dragon of Earth close at hand!" Arashi shouted, before she raised her Spirit Shield and they both leaped into action…..
…………………………….
In Ginza, both Kamui and Sorata jerked to attention when they sensed the Spirit Shield go up, and their eyes widened in alarm.
"It's a Spirit Shield! But whose?" Kamui asked, as Sorata focused on the aura of the Shield, and some fear appeared on his face.
"I know who it is! If Arashi-koi had to put up a Spirit Shield, then they must've come across the Dragons of Earth!" Sorata yelped.
"Then we must go to their aid…!" Kamui shouted, as he prepared to leave his post, but was stopped by none other than Hinoto herself!
"Don't go! Please, not just yet." Hinoto said, as a ghostly image appeared in front of the two young men.
"Hinoto!" Sorata cried, surprised, to say the least.
"An earthquake will occur in Ginza very shortly." Hinoto warned.
"Dragons of Earth? Here!" Sorata asked. Hinoto's image nodded.
"Yes. We will need you here. You must stay to protect Ginza." Hinoto stated, before her image disappeared from before them.
"Dammit!" Sorata shouted, furiously, not noticing that the image had left something behind….and that Kamui had noticed it.
"I've seen this before! It's the same talisman as last time…But why does she have this?" Kamui asked, as he picked up what appeared to be an anti-scroll from the ground in front of him.
"What's the matter, Kamui?" Sorata asked, when he'd calmed down enough to notice that a rather disturbed expression now adorned Kamui's face.
"For me…..could you put up a Spirit Shield?" Kamui asked, not really answering his friend's question.
"You want us to have a preemptive Dragon of Heaven Spirit Shield?" Sorata asked, as he prepared to summon his Shield to put it around Ginza. Kamui shook his head and stopped him from doing so.
"No, not that way. You're a Koya Priest, aren't you?" Kamui asked, in turn.
"Hai….so?" Sorata questioned, not really seeing Kamui's point.
"Make a shield with Esoteric Buddhism….." Kamui said, then looked directly into his friend's eyes before continuing, "I need to talk with you….and no one else can hear. No one else with power. Understand?" Sorata only nodded, and got started. He didn't know what it was that had Kamui so on edge, but he knew there had to be a reason. A good reason……But would they find out in time to save Yuzuriha and Arashi?
…………………….
As the hours slowly ticked by, with no sign of the four teens returning before dusk, Subaru and Seishiro found themselves wandering around the campus. With every step, Seishiro found himself getting a little bit stronger; furthering his belief that, somehow, Hokuto was alive and well somewhere.
"Hopefully out of the city. The way things look now, she would be in more danger if she appeared anywhere within Tokyo's city limits. The Twin Star would see to that." Seishiro mused, growling at the thought of the sadistic Kamui for the Seven Harbingers getting his hands on Subaru's sprightly twin.
"You sure look scary right now, Ojii-san. Did someone say something to make you mad?" a childish voice asked, causing Seishiro to pause and look down. There, standing before him, was a ten-year-old girl. His heart softened when he saw the inquisitive emerald eyes gazing up at him, and smiled at her to assure her that he wasn't angry.
"I apologize if I scared you with that mean look I had on my face. I was just thinking of someone." Seishiro said, getting a vibrant smile, and then a somewhat serious/confused look, from the child in response.
"Did that person say something mean to you?" the girl asked again, as she started walking alongside of him as he continued his patrol of the campus grounds.
"Not really…..And yet he isn't a really nice fellow, either. He's what us old folks call a 'juvenile delinquent'." Seishiro said, not knowing that, elsewhere in the city, the Twin Star had just sneezed. The little girl giggled at the description, then smiled up at him again.
"My name is Kinomoto Sakura. What's yours?" the girl questioned.
"Sakurazuka Seishiro. Pleased to meet you, Sakura-chan." Seishiro said, pleasantly.
"Pleased to meet you too, Sakurazuka-san!" Sakura chirped, happy to have made a new friend.
"So, what brings you to this campus, Sakura-chan?" Seishiro asked.
"My Tou-san, Nii-chan, and everyone else in the Tomoeda district had to evacuate when the earthquakes started getting serious. I'm going to school here, for the time being." Sakura replied, noticing when Seishiro nodded in understanding.
"I see…..then that makes you and yours very lucky indeed. I take it the area was destroyed shortly afterwards?" Seishiro questioned.
"Hai. It happened about a month ago, so my family and several others are still settling down. What about you? Do you have any family here?" Sakura in turn asked.
"No. My mother died a long time ago, and I never knew my father….and it seems a pretty slim chance that I have any other relations, since Tokyo is coming apart at the seams." Seishiro stated, then silently added, "Quite literally."
"Gomenasai….I didn't know you were an orphan…..How sad…" Sakura said, as tears of pity filled her bright green eyes. With a slight sigh, Seishiro turned around, kneeled in front of the weeping child, and gently tilted her chin up; reminded of a younger Subaru as he did so.
"Don't cry, Sakura-chan. In many ways, I am not worth your tears….Yet, I will say this; even though I'm an orphan, I am never truly alone so long as I have the loved ones I hold dear close by. Always remember, even though sorrow and pain are part of being alive, so too are the feelings of hope and joy….Keep every moment you have with your family close to your heart, that way you won't have any regrets later on. Now, dry your tears; it looks like someone is looking for you." Seishiro said, as he looked back in the direction they had been walking in, and spotted what appeared to be a pair of frantic-looking teenage boys jogging around, calling Sakura's name.
"Hoe! I'm in big trouble now! See you later, Sakurazuka-san!" Sakura yelped, as she raced over to meet the two teens, shouting their names as she went.
"Those were some profound thoughts you imparted to that little girl, Seishiro-san." Subaru said, as he joined his friend on the path, and watched as Sakura was reunited with her elder brother and his friend.
"From lessons hard-learned, Subaru-kun….How long had you been standing there?" Seishiro asked, a little bit disturbed at not having sensed the other onmyoji before.
"Not long. I only caught the latter part of the conversation." Subaru replied, with a tenseness in his voice that could not be missed.
"What's wrong?" Seishiro questioned, sensing that something was wrong.
"A few moments ago I sensed a Spirit Shield being put into place……I think it was Kishu-san's." Subaru murmured.
"What do you want to do? Do you want to go help them?" Seishiro again asked, knowing that Subaru wanted to do all he could to help his fellow Dragons. The younger onmyoji nodded.
"Then let's go." Seishiro said, before taking off.
"Seishiro-san! Wait!" Subaru shouted, as he raced off after him.
………………………..
Kamui watched and listened as Sorata finished placing the shield around them, hoping that this would provide some margin of privacy from prying eyes and ears.
"All right, it's done! Now, no one can see what's going on within the Spirit Shield, and not a soul can hear us." Sorata stated, as Kamui showed him the anti-scroll he'd found after Hinoto's image had disappeared.
"She left this behind. Why would Hinoto have such a thing?" Kamui asked, as he handed the scroll to Sorata.
"I've seen the same talisman…." Sorata muttered, before Kamui started his explanation.
"It was on my first day going to Kotori and Fuma's school….just after I got back to Tokyo. Men in black shades and dark suits came at me…. Turns out they were Cursed Zombies. I'm telling you one thing, they were grim…..The only thing on their minds was putting me in the grave. In the end, I won out….but they left one of these behind." Kamui said, as Sorata gave him a look of disbelief.
"This 'talisman' even has the same aura as the guys in the black suits." Kamui added, seriously.
"Then that would mean Hinoto tried to kill you when you first returned to Tokyo." Sorata murmured, getting a nod from Kamui as a result.
"Yes. But it's odd….the aura I feel from this talisman is different…..It isn't like the Hinoto I've come to know. I don't really know how to explain it except like this; before, she had an air of calm, like a lake…as pure and fragile as ice. What I feel from this talisman is more like lava; intense, thick, and blazing, boiling up from a fiery core…..It's hot….wild…..and it's…." Kamui said, before Sorata interrupted him.
"'Evil'….? Is that what you're trying to say?" Sorata asked, getting a tense look from Kamui as he said that.
"I'll call it if you won't." Sorata stated, then continued, "This spell is no joke. It's one and only purpose is to lay a heavy-duty curse on someone. We must find out what's going on here. And we can use this to see the whole truth! An onmyoji could do a better job, but….since Subaru's been ordered to stay on-campus and rest….." Sorata muttered, a he started shaping the talisman into an avatar. When the avatar had finished forming, Sorata gave it the silent command to return to the talisman's origin and keep watch there.
"Now my avatar will keep an eye on whoever sent this talisman. It can't be lied to, so we'll know the truth." Sorata said, grimly.
"But….will you be all right? If she finds out that you've done this….will there be any danger to you?" Kamui asked, worriedly.
"Can't say that there won't, but, it's made from her own hex….not something whipped up from scratch. That'll make it even harder for her to spot. It's aura still feels like her talisman…..Though my main concern now is Ino-Gashira Park…..Will there really be an earthquake here in Ginza? Is it the right thing to do—stay put here? Can we trust Hinoto's word on this one?" Sorata asked, as real worry for Arashi appeared on his usually carefree features…….
……………………………………..
"ARASHI!" Yuzuriha screamed, mere seconds before one of the bridges in the park landed right where the miko had been standing moments before. The battle had starting going badly when the seemingly alive wires and cables that came snaking from underground had separated the two of them. Now Yuzuriha stood where she was in horror, thinking that the worst had just come to pass right before her eyes. And yet, when the dust cleared, horror turned into a mix of relief and disbelief when an unbelievable sight showed itself. There, standing over Arashi protectively, was what appeared to be a huge white avatar! It was Inuki's barking that snapped her out of her stunned stupor long enough to dash forward and offer a hand to the equally shocked Arashi.
"Come this way! Take my hand! HURRY!" Yuzuriha cried, as she grabbed Arashi's hand and pulled her out of harm's way, just moments before the avatar disappeared again. The two Dragons of Heaven watched as the bridge came crashing down, leaving a pillar of dust in its wake.
"Are you all right? Are you hurt anywhere?" Yuzuriha asked, anxiously. Arashi shook her head.
"I-I'm fine. But…what in the world was that?" Arashi in turn asked, shakily.
"I'm not sure! It just came out of nowhere to save you!" Yuzuriha said, looking up when two male voices called out their names.
"Kishu-san! Nekoi-san!"
"That sounded like Subaru-san and Seishiro-san! What're they doing here!" Yuzuriha yelped, as the two men appeared from amidst the rising dust and smoke; their expressions a bit concerned and fearful for their well-being.
"Over here!" Yuzuriha shouted, as she waved at them.
"Are you two all right over there?" Seishiro asked, as he and Subaru leaped carefully over to them.
"Hai! We're fine! Whattabout you?" Yuzuriha asked, when the two men had gotten over to where they were.
"A little winded, but otherwise fine. What in the world just happened here?" Subaru questioned, having seen the avatar from a distance.
"An avatar just saved my life……it had been sent for me…." Arashi murmured, as she began to come out of her shock.
"An avatar? You mean like the ones Esoteric Buddhist monks use?" Yuzuriha asked, as realization started to emerge on the faces of her companions.
"Then you think it might have been….!" Arashi trailed off, mere moments before another, more frantic-sounding voice, called out to them.
"Arashi-san, Yuzuriha-chan!" Kamui's voice shouted, getting the attention of the two girls and both men. Arashi's eyes widened in horror when the horrible sight of a badly injured Sorata appeared before her.
"SORATA!" Arashi screamed, as she rushed over to his side.
"This doesn't look good….." Seishiro mused, as he, Yuzuriha, and Subaru joined Arashi at the injured monk's side.
"What on earth? Who did this to him…and how!" Yuzuriha asked, aghast at the sight of all the blood she could see coming from the young monk, and the severe pain he seemed to be in.
"I'm not sure, but it's bad! We were heading to Ino-Gashira when he suddenly fell to his knees! And then…..he began to bleed!" Kamui explained, as best as he could.
"Was it a Dragon of Earth?" Yuzuriha again asked.
"Not that I can tell. There was no one around us at the time." Kamui replied, noticing the grim looks on the older men's faces.
"It sounds almost like a sakanagi…..or the rebound of a curse….but I'm not really all that familiar with Esoteric Buddhism, so even I am not certain." Subaru mused, as Seishiro carefully propped the severely injured teen up, so he could breathe a bit easier.
"In any case, we must get him back to the campus. He won't last long with these wounds." Seishiro stated, watching as Arashi tried to rouse Sorata by calling his name. Finally, she got a response; ever so slowly (too slowly for the anxious group gathered near him) Sorata opened his eyes, and gazed up at the frightened visage of the girl he loved.
"I…..I had to see you….to….to know you're all right…." Sorata whispered, his breathing sounding rough and uneven to Seishiro, since he had positioned himself so his blind side was to the teen.
"I'm fine! You're the one who's been hurt! Tell us! Who….?" Arashi said, trailing off when Sorata smiled at her.
"As long as you're safe…..it's….It's all okay by me…." Sorata gasped, before turning his head to one side and coughing up blood.
"SORATA!" Kamui and Yuzuriha yelped, alarmed by this, while Seishiro did all he knew to do to help the teen breathe, and as Subaru tested his cell phone to see if he could get a signal.
"I knew it…..The avatar was yours'! You sent it…to protect me!" Arashi whispered, as Seishiro lifted the dying teen into his arms.
"We need to get him outside of the Spirit Shield! Subaru-kun, were you able to get through to the campus?" Seishiro asked, taking command of the situation.
"No." Subaru replied, jumping when a hysterical Arashi got to her feet, rushed over to Seishiro, and started screaming at Sorata; trying to wake him up.
"Arashi-san! ARASHI-SAN! Sorata will be fine!" Kamui shouted, as he gently, yet firmly, took hold of her arms and looked her right in the eye.
"We'll get him out of here and take him to a doctor right away, Kishu-san. They'll take care of him, trust me." Seishiro added, trying to reassure her the best way he knew how.
"Release the Spirit Shield, Kishu-san. You can let it go, now." Subaru said, calmly.
"Hai….." Arashi murmured, tearfully, as she let down the Shield, then they all rushed away from the park; intent on saving the injured Dragon's life at any cost.
…………………………………….
Arashi looked up when someone entered the room where Sorata now lay, and sighed when she saw that it was Subaru.
"How is he?" Subaru asked, as Arashi shook her head.
"Still unconscious." Arashi replied, as fear and uncertainty filled her usually calm young eyes.
"Kishu-san, it would be wrong for me to tell you not to worry, when you have every right to……Yet let me say this; have some faith in him. He's stronger than he looks." Subaru murmured, trying to reassure the girl in front of him. Arashi slowly nodded.
"I know, Sumeragi-san…And thank you for staying so close at hand. I really appreciate it." Arashi said, getting a slight smile from Subaru in response.
"What can I say, Kishu-san, except that you and the rest of the Dragons of Heaven did the same for me, when Seishiro-san was in the hospital." Subaru stated, looking to the side, when he heard Sorata begin to regain consciousness.
"I'm going to go ahead and see where Kamui has gotten to, since neither he nor Seishiro-san have slept since we returned here." Subaru said, as he made ready to leave.
"You haven't gotten any sleep either, Sumeragi-san. You've been too worried to, like the rest of us." Arashi pointed out, getting a rather abashed smile from Subaru for that comment.
"True enough……Hokuto-chan always accused me of making other peoples' problems my own….I guess she was right. See you later, then." Subaru murmured, as he left the room on his self-imposed chore. Not even five minutes later, Sorata opened his eyes and gazed blearily up at Arashi's worried face.
"Oh…..It's you. How nice….to wake up….to your face. Not that I can see it too well. My eyes…..seem to be playing tricks on me…" Sorata mumbled, a bit surprised when Arashi scolded him.
"You act like that's some kind of surprise! The doctors said you could have been killed!" Arashi shouted, tearfully. She was further frustrated when Sorata gave her one of his impetuous grins.
"You don't think you can get rid of me that easily, do you?" Sorata asked, before sobering a little bit and adding, "But it does feel….like my leg has a break or two. And there's a dull pain…in my chest. And my hand won't move…..I'm trying, but I can't move it. So, my fingers may be paralyzed, huh? I can get used to it." The only sounds he heard this time were of Arashi weeping.
"C'mon! Don't cry. I don't know what to do when cute girls cry." Sorata said, as he reached over with his good hand and patted Arashi on the head.
"It was you, wasn't it? You…you came to save me…" Arashi whispered.
"Yeah. My avatar was with you all along…since the day after we first met….My spell must've been pretty darn good if the Kakushi Miko of Ise never noticed! Score one for me!" Sorata murmured, his voice a little bit stronger than before.
"But….why did you do it?" Arashi asked, with disbelief in her eyes as she said that.
"I told you, even then! You are the one, Arashi-koi. The one that I chose! You are the one for whom I will give my life." Sorata stated, repeating what he'd said over and over since the day they had met.
"Don't I have a say in it? Do you care how I feel at all? Who asked you to pick me to be the girl you'd die for! What would happen to me and my feelings for you if…." Arashi sobbed, before Sorata interrupted her.
"It's okay….I know you don't really care for me." Sorata said, with a sad smile.
"H-how can you say that?" Arashi questioned, with some anger in her voice.
"Yes, you're right. It's not that you don't care….it's worse than that. All I seem to know how to do…is bug you." Sorata mused, startled by what Arashi said next.
"THAT'S NOT TRUE!…..Did you think I'd not even care if you….got hurt, or worse, died!" Arashi asked, shocked that Sorata could think such a thing.
"We're both Dragons of Heaven so, yeah, of course you'd care if a teammate was hurt." Sorata replied.
"You mean more to me than that. You must know how I feel, Sorata." Arashi said, softly, as more tears cascaded down her pretty face….and landed on Sorata's surprised features.
"Do you mind if…I let that mean what I'd like it to? Can I assume that you've noticed that I'm a man….and that maybe you'd like to be a bit more than just a friend? Is that okay with you?" Sorata asked, as he carefully sat up and brushed the long dark hair out of Arashi's tear-filled eyes. Hesitantly, Arashi nodded, and allowed herself to be pulled into the young monk's embrace.
"Shh….I can't stand to see tears in your eyes." Sorata whispered, as he held her close to him, trying to comfort her.
"B-but I…I don't let anyone see me cry! And now…that the tears have begun, I can't seem to make them stop…." Arashi whimpered, as she gripped Sorata's shirt tightly in her hands.
"A first? And just for me, huh? Her virgin tears!" Sorata said, with a laugh, as Arashi pulled back and gave him a semblance of her usual embarrassed glare.
"Why do you always have to twist things around!" Arashi asked, her face red with embarrassment. Sorata laughed softly at her discomfiture, before giving her an earnest look.
"Do you think I might have one more of your firsts?" Sorata asked, getting, at first, a surprised look, and then a shy nod from the miko, before he pulled her towards him again, and their lips met….for the very first time.
………………………….
Kamui sighed tiredly as he leaned against Kotori's Tree. It had been almost twelve hours since he, Yuzuriha, Subaru, Seishiro and a severely injured Sorata had returned to the CLAMP Academy campus, and he could feel all that time weighing on him.
"Sorata's injuries were from that avatar he'd placed to guard Arashi. It worked….but at his expense….. Arashi is the one he would protect above all else." Kamui thought, jumping slightly when something cold touched his arm.
"You looked like you were about to fall asleep up there, Kamui-kun." Seishiro said, as he handed the soda he had in hand to the teen.
"I guess I was about to……Thank you for keeping me awake." Kamui said, as he gave the elder onmyoji a weary smile.
"No problem. If I had allowed you to go to sleep up there, and if you had fallen out of the tree as a result, then Subaru-kun would have had my hide." Seishiro joked, as a soft laugh came from between Kamui's lips, and as he descended from the branches to stand in front of the former Sakurazukamori.
"I'm not touching that one…..By the way, thank you for being there last night. You and Subaru were a big help in getting Sorata back here to get his wounds treated." Kamui murmured, voicing his gratitude. Seishiro shook his head, then fondly tousled Kamui's hair.
"It's about all I can do, for now, to repay you and Kishu-san for helping me a month ago. I owe you that much and more." Seishiro replied, honestly.
"By the way, where is Subaru-san? Normally he follows you wherever you go." Kamui said, having noticed the absence of the thirteenth Sumeragi head.
"Probably searching for the both of us. But I convinced the doctor who had treated Arisugawa to give him a sedative when he finally manages to corner him. He's been wearing himself out with all the fretting he's been doing over me and Hokuto-chan….What with her still being missing, and all." Seishiro murmured; concern for the Sumeragi twins coloring his words as he said that.
"I know what you mean…..and I can relate to how he must feel. I felt the same way towards Kotori and Fuma before all this happened…..And I still feel that way towards Fuma, now." Kamui admitted, sadly.
"You probably always will, Kamui-kun. Fate has not been very kind thus far, but I hope things start looking up for you, and Subaru-kun, soon." Seishiro said.
"I hope so too…..and I hope that soon I will be able to form a Spirit Shield like the rest of the Dragons of Heaven….so I can protect those I care about. I've had enough tragedy for one lifetime, Seishiro-san…..I can only hope that I don't have to live through any more." Kamui murmured, as the conversation lingered into thoughtful silence.
"I think we all hope that tragedy doesn't visit us again, Kamui-kun, but that, in and of itself, may be wishful thinking. As long as the Twin Star lives, you will not know peace in any form." Seishiro thought, grimly, as foreboding stole over him…..
Author's Note!
I know this chapter probably didn't make much sense, but there are more surprises in store, so bear with me, okay?
Gemini14