All about him swirled spirits, mostly human, in all manner of emotional states. Anger, joy, sorrow, all permeated this space, but confusion was the most powerful of all. Where was everyone? Weren't they late for work? Would their date tonight like the way they'd dressed?

His shiki shook itself, its feathers fluffed slightly in distress. Subaru shivered himself; the din of mankind's emotions was overwhelming and they had to somehow find a singular friendly spirit that would be willing-and conscious enough-to give them directions. He wondered how many of this mass had been able to move on. Likely not many.

His heart ached at their confused movements. It had always been hard for him to witness the suffering of the dead, but to see so many at once was crushing in an indescribable way. He was glad Kamui couldn't see how extensive their suffering really was.

His shiki hovered by his shoulder, reluctant to move forward. He couldn't blame it.

It was important to remember that, despite how many spirits there were, this was not the realm of the dead. Crossing over to that place was well beyond Subaru's abilities and, indeed, any onmyoji's. Rather, this was the halfway point, a kind of purgatory.

It looked precisely as his world did; he was still in the forest and he could still see Kamui and, in fact, his body seated across from him. The only real difference was that he couldn't feel the elements. The natural flora and fauna were strangely still and there was no scent or texture to anything. Even if there hadn't been any ghosts that alone would have been a good indication of where he was.

He shook his head. It was time to do his job and find a spirit that could help them locate some humans. Somehow. He glanced at Kamui who was holding his hand in their world. He seemed worried, unsurprisingly. He could feel a bare trace of Kamui's energy, a tingle of power, emanating from him, and he knew that if Kamui ever learned to truly tap into it he would be an unstoppable force. He leaned beside him for a moment and considered how his power had hidden itself from Kamui and everyone else.

His shiki's head quirked at his visage and seemed almost fond. Shikis generally reflected their master's impression of things and his was no different.

"That's enough of that," Subaru stated, rising once more. "Kamui is ready as a tether and we need to find someone helpful." He gave his shiki a pointed look. It ducked its head in assent and flew off. In this place, Subaru could sense Seishirou-san's power more potently. He glanced down at himself; his figure was slightly blurred and he had two shadows. Two powers lurked within him, two entirely different ways of utilizing onmyodo. He could sense Seishirou-san's shiki just out of reach; he could call for it if he wanted to. He found he didn't.

It was just a spirit, a spirit that likely harbored no ill-will or affection for its former master, and it was hardly evil on its own, but Subaru wanted to do this with his own power if only so that when he returned to Kamui he would still feel as much like himself as he could of late.

He took a few tentative steps forward. His shiki would look around, but he needed to proceed himself, too. He moved closer to the stream he'd used to purify himself with. The water seemed undisturbed in this realm as well; a true relief. The purity of water reflected so much of how everything else was faring; the fact the stream was doing well meant that mankind's suffering had not yet permeated everything here.

But it would eventually.

He took in the spiralling human spirits and even tried to wave a few over with little success. He managed to upset one and it went howling away, tears streaking down its face. It was in that moment he was forced to grapple with the fact that a human spirit was unlikely to be of any use, which meant he needed to broaden the pool, so to speak, and that meant finding a spirit of nature.

They were certainly around. Many were hiding under rocks or beneath the roots of trees, trembling slightly in fear. They were not keen on their new neighbors. Subaru heaved a deep sigh. He'd known it wouldn't be easy, but he really had no idea of where to even start!

The decision was soon made for him.

"Help… me…" A gasping, gurgling voice cried out. Subaru clenched his fists tightly. This had hardly been the first voice to call for him, but it hurt to hear, particularly since-

"Help… me… onmyoji-"

It wasn't human. Not anymore. He should ignore it, continue on his way, but…

"It… hurts…" it continued with a low moan. Subaru squeezed his eyes shut. This was why his clan was so highly sought after. This was what would happen when a spirit was left too long to relive its own agonies over and over. It looked much like living sludge if Subaru were generous with two gaping holes for eyes. It dragged itself over the ground towards him making wet, gasping sounds as it did so.

He wanted to help. He wanted to so badly but if he did he would garner the attention of every other spirit and the sheer cacophony would prevent him from ever leaving; he would be trapped here and Kamui would be all alone.

"I'm sorry," Subaru forced out. "I cannot help you right now. If I did-"

It let out a high-pitched keening sound. It couldn't understand him. "I'm sorry," Subaru murmured once more and forced himself to move away. He needed to focus on his goal; it was imperative to get through this with his sanity intact.

He all but ran away to escape the thing, not that it could have easily caught up; it moved terribly slowly. Subaru's heart was racing all the same. He was letting the discord of this place get to him. And where was his shiki?

Calm down, he reminded himself as he found his hands trembling. You've been in this realm before. You know what you're supposed to do. But he'd never been in it when it was like this.

There was a sudden snap, similar to a branch creaking underneath someone's heel except that was impossible. This realm wasn't like the physical world; you couldn't interact with it that way.

"Perhaps you have changed, Subaru-kun," a low, familiar voice said with overt amusement. "Abandoning a spirit? I didn't think you had it in you."

Subaru whipped around, his heart thudding with a twisted mix of horror and hope.

"Seishirou-san," he whispered in disbelief. "You're here? But…"

He clutched at the eye he'd been gifted. Seishirou-san couldn't be here; Subaru had looked for him on several occasions after he'd first died. His spirit had moved on immediately; he'd had no regrets. Subaru wrapped his arms about himself as if that would hold hysteria at bay. No regrets! How was it that he could move on so swiftly while Subaru was left here like this ?

"But I am here," he continued, unbothered by Subaru's obvious disbelief. "I wanted to see you."

"How convenient," Subaru replied softly. "I've wanted to see you as well. Please tell me-no, you have to tell me. Did you mean it? Was it real?" He looked up desperately. "Or did you lie to me again? Just like all the other times?"

Seishirou-san cocked his head to the side and his figure wavered slightly. "Of course I meant it."

Subaru stared at him and for one, painful moment, allowed himself to believe. Then he slumped over and gripped his face so tightly his fingernails likely would have broken skin if he'd been in the physical world. "You're not him," he said hollowly. "You're just a spirit impersonating him." The words tasted of ash.

"I am he," the entity who wasn't Seishirou-san said impatiently. "Now, why don't you help that spirit? It's your job, Subaru-kun."

"You're not-"

"And how would you know?" he said acerbically. "What do you really know about this man?"

Subaru stared in shock. Surely he'd known something of Seishirou-san or… he'd thought he had. He'd recognize him, wouldn't he? Subaru glanced about in a panicked rush. He'd moved too far away in his rush to escape that last spirit. He had no idea where Kamui was.

"Help the spirit," Seishirou-san commanded, and there were other voices now, low and monotonous, joining him in the background. He was gaining the attention of everyone in the vicinity.

"I can't," Subaru replied in agony. It was so hard to hear that in his voice, knowing he was right just like always was, and Subaru was failing all over again. "I can't, I can't, I-"

Seishirou-san stepped forward angrily and gripped him tightly about his shoulders. "You must! You're an onmyoji!"

"Let go of me," Subaru whispered.

"You must save that spirit," he hissed. "Do your-"

Subaru flung an ofuda at him that erupted into flames. The spirit howled and finally dissolved into its actual form, a sad, mangled thing. A poltergeist.

They were well-known for wreaking mischief and for being quite capable of impersonating others, though it was usually only their voice. This was an advanced form as it had assumed Seishirou-san's entire identity.

None of that did anything to stem the rush of panic that flooded him. He'd flung an ofuda at Seishirou-san, he'd killed him all over again-

And now there were spirits crowding all about him, begging, demanding help, reminding him of his duty, and the poltergeist's eyes shone with malicious delight.

"I can't help any of you!" Subaru cried, but none of them listened and he was drowning in their rage and confusion and it was all he could do to not lose track of himself completely.

And then he felt it, a tentative nudge, a familiar essence, and that was enough to remind him of his actual duty. "Get away from me," he commanded clearly, and shoved them away with a concentrated burst of energy. They fell away, crying out in surprise.

Subaru breathed heavily, ofuda in hand. He glared at the poltergeist that suddenly looked far less amused. "You are a form of demon," he informed coldly. "A blight on the land."

The poltergeist hissed. "It's your kind that's a blight on the land. Look at this place! Can't move an inch without bumping into another human."

"I'm sure you were a problem long before they were."

It cackled. "And what are you going to do about it, onmyoji? You were groveling mere moments before. What was that man to you, hm? Must have been something special."

Subaru didn't rise to the bait. He considered his course of action. He was… angry. He hadn't felt real anger in ages, but this poltergeist had certainly drawn it forth. But he wasn't here to banish evil spirits any more than he was here to save good ones. Subaru clutched his ofuda tightly in frustration. He could feel Seishirou-san's power bubbling close to the surface now, could feel how a Sakurazukamori would resolve this little problem.

"I'm not here for you," he finally said, putting his ofuda aside. "You have a poor sense of humor and even poorer timing, but I will spare you. In turn, you will give me directions."

"I will do no such thing," it snarled, eyeing his empty hands suspiciously. Subaru arched an eyebrow at it.

"But perhaps I will show you someone who can," it finished sullenly, apparently not wanting to push things much further.

"Thank you," Subaru said coldly.

It shuffled over to a nearby tree, Subaru watching it like a hawk. "Hey," it called. "Wake up. An onmyoji has some questions!" It rapped the bark harshly. Nothing. "Oh, seriously? Come on, he's pissed. Wake up."

"If he's angry, I have no doubt it's thanks to your ill manners," a melodious voice intoned and a wisp of a girl stepped forth from the trunk. Her skin was tinted spring green and the tips of her fingers and toes were dark brown. Her hair was a tangled web of shaking leaves. She glanced at him curiously. "You're an onmyoji?"

"I am," he replied.

"Can I leave?" the poltergeist demanded. He had his arms crossed and he appeared even squatter as he hunched in on himself.

Subaru hesitated, but he had to know. "Why did you take on his form?"

The poltergeist studied him with a large, wet eye. "Because he could help you. Right?"

Subaru took a deep, steadying breath. "If you knew anything of the man whose image you imitated, you would understand perfectly why he could not help me."

The poltergeist shrugged. "Whatever. Not my business anymore. Just wanted to mess with you."

The tree spirit tutted disapprovingly. Subaru didn't stop the creature when it shuffled off for good this time.

"I am sorry you had to deal with him," she sighed. "He's been here a long time and never once learned how to behave."

Subaru lowered his eyes in acknowledgement. "I've come seeking directions," he stated.

"Yes, I saw your shiki flutter off. I wondered what you were trying to accomplish; this is a lot of effort to go through for directions."

"Someone I care about needs them," Subaru murmured.

"The man that was imitated?"

"No," Subaru said firmly. "This is a friend."

"Oh, the boy with the sword."

Subaru nodded. He needed to get back to Kamui swiftly; he'd actually had to tether him to their world after all and was no doubt worried over the instance.

She approached him with a critical eye. "I don't give out information for free."

Subaru valiantly refrained from protesting outright. Spirits always wanted to bargain; nothing new there.

"I understand. What do you want?"

"I want this forest a little less cluttered," she said with distaste as she gestured to the swirl of forms about them.

"That is beyond my abilities," Subaru replied tiredly.

"But not beyond that boy's," she nodded in the direction he supposed Kamui must be. "He could sort this out."

"He isn't trained as an onmyoji," Subaru replied with a touch of frustration. "He doesn't know how."

"That is the price of my information, onmyoji," she stated icily.

"You don't even know what I want to know."

"I know you're desperate enough to travel to our side of things when all of your kind have passed. I know you hope some yet live. You mentioned directions; you want to find them, yes?"

She'd overheard a great deal more than he'd realized. He nodded grimly.

"Then you will carry my message to that boy and you will find some way of clearing out this forest. The corruption goes deep," she continued, "but I'm sure the two of you can figure something out."

Subaru debated the merits of rejecting her offer, but all it took was a quick glance around to know this was as good an offer as he was about to get. The humans were impossible to talk to and he'd already encountered two dark spirits. Furthermore, the trees were no doubt the leaders of this forest; the rest of the nature spirits would follow suit.

"Very well," he relented. "I will inform him of the trade and we will do what we can to purify your forest."

"Good," she said sweetly. "I will locate your living humans. Give me a moment to commune." No doubt she meant with other trees; their combined roots would have "eyes" all over the country.

Time stretched on; he wouldn't have been able to tell how much exactly if it weren't for the dimming of the sky. Kamui would be quite anxious by now. Knowing that sent an unpleasant pang down his chest, but he couldn't rush this spirit. She was their only lead.

At long last, she opened her eyes. "There is a group that has built shelter in an abandoned car lot."

"A… car lot?" he asked, unsure he'd heard her correctly.

"Yes, those vehicles your people like to drive around. The large mechanical ones that make too much noise."

"I know what a car is," he said in disbelief.

"Then you should know what a car lot is as well," she replied testily.

"But why there?" he asked in utter bewilderment. "There can't be any good provisions there and the shelter would be poor and… Why?" The more he thought about it the less sense it made.

She rolled her eyes. "I don't know why you people do any of the things you do. It's near a polluted river. There's a gas station and other amenities. Can't be much worse than any of your other habitations."

Subaru stared at her in disbelief. "Where is it exactly?" he asked faintly.

"About… forty miles out east?" she estimated. "The gas station has a big neon sign, I guess. Of an elk."

She had to be making this up. None of that sounded even remotely plausible, but she'd made a deal with him and spirits didn't take that lightly. She'd given information for a service and as such there had to be humans. At an abandoned car lot. With a gas station with a neon sign of an elk.

"Can you tell how many there are?" he asked at last.

"Not a great many. They're frightened and unsure of what they should do. They worry about the extremities of the weather now that they have no electricity. They cling to one another as if it will restore their strength or bring back the dead. They devote hours of the day to burying bodies they inadvertently stumble upon. They throw wild parties at night and have broken many things. Does that help?"

He could feel a migraine coming on. He clutched the bridge of his nose. "It does. Thank you for your assistance," he mumbled, giving a deep bow. "I'll speak with Kamui about purifying the forest." Yet another implausible conundrum.

His shiki finally fluttered back. Subaru gave it a subdued glare. "You were not much help," he informed it. The shiki ruffled itself in a way that suggested that wasn't it's fault.

The tree spirit gave him a smile that was almost gentle. "I do appreciate what the two of you are about to do," she said. "And I hope you find what you're looking for; this new world is a strange one."

He couldn't agree more. With a final bow, he turned and made his way back to the grove where he'd left Kamui. The spirit faded quietly back into the tree she represented.

The shadows of the forest had grown long in an exaggerated fashion and they fell upon his prone figure like snaking fingers hoping to drag him back. It was terribly unnerving seeing his body just lying there where he'd left it, no longer in lotus position, and looking distinctly pale. Kamui was clutching him close to his chest, his arms wrapped about him as he shook. He was whispering something, but Subaru couldn't make out what.

He kneeled by his body and focused on what their world was like with sound and movement and scent…

He felt the tips of his fingers first; they were freezing. The rest of his senses slowly followed suit and then he could feel Kamui's warm embrace all about him and the tingling sensation of his energy flowing through him like a bolt of lightning. He gasped and heaved himself upwards, breaking contact.

"Subaru!" Kamui cried, reaching out for him.

Subaru brushed his hands aside, shaking his head. "Just a moment," he said shakily. "You were… expending far too much of your energy onto me." His skin felt raw as if he'd just taken a shower in a bunch of needles. He lowered his head to rest on his knees and spent the next several minutes simply breathing deeply.

Then, he laughed weakly. "You really do underestimate how powerful you are, Kamui."

Kamui's eyes were round as saucers. "I hurt you?" he whispered. "I… thought I was being gentle. You were twitching and groaning and you said I had to tether you, but using just a bit of energy didn't help. I…" He was white as a sheet.

"I understand," Subaru assured. "You did the right thing. I was… lost for a time in that place. You brought me back."

"But you're in pain," Kamui said lowly.

"I'd be in quite a bit more if you'd done nothing," Subaru sighed. He observed his nervous fidgeting a moment longer before he couldn't stand it anymore and he wrapped him in an embrace. Kamui eagerly returned it.

"You're sure you're all right?" he whispered harshly against his shoulder.

"I'm sure," Subaru reassured. "You need not fear."

Kamui gripped him a little more tightly before finally pulling away. He wiped at his eyes, which Subaru pretended not to notice. "Did you find out anything?"

"Yes," Subaru began hesitantly. "There's a bit of a catch…"

Kamui listened raptly as he relayed both where the humans were located and what they were expected to do in return for this information.

"I don't know how to purify a whole forest," Kamui pointed out, aghast.

"I know," Subaru replied forlornly.

"Are you sure we have to, I mean, how?"

"We do have to," Subaru stated. "I'm not entirely sure how. I have come up with an idea, however. The spirits causing trouble for this forest are all human, humans who haven't been able to move on. Perhaps a mass funeral in their memory would help."

Kamui considered it. "Would my power even be necessary for that?"

"We would be helping them move on. We could use talismans and chants to help in the effort. That would require some power."

Kamui nodded, looking a touch more confident. "That doesn't sound so bad."

"I hope so." In theory, it was simple. The problem was just how many spirits they were trying to move on all at once.

"What else happened?"

The question was asked softly and so suddenly that Subaru was taken off guard. "It…" Now that he was back in the world of the living, he couldn't help but feel embarrassed by the whole thing. He'd lost utter control and been taken in by a poltergeist. It was a rookie mistake.

"Your hand became so cold," Kamui continued in a hushed voice when Subaru remained silent. "I was worried you would die in my arms and there wouldn't be a thing I could do about it."

"Kamui…" he said sadly. He put him through so much. "Look, my hand is warm now." He held it up and Kamui clasped at it like it was a lifeline.

They were always honest with one another (a few omissions on Subaru's part aside), but Kamui had rarely spoken so honestly about his fears regarding Subaru before. But then, who was he supposed to worry about now? There wasn't anyone else and if Subaru… left him he'd be all alone.

"I'm still here," Subaru reassured quietly. "I'm not going anywhere. Now, let's have a small meal and get some rest. We have a lot of work to do tomorrow."

"And I… can stay by your side? When we sleep?" He looked away, clearly embarrassed, but for Subaru's part he felt relieved. Kamui had avoided him so much after their disagreement at the house, it was wonderful to see him seeking him out once more. He'd underestimated how much it had comforted him in turn.

"Of course you can," he murmured. "Always. Now let's get things set up."

They had a simple meal and got their blankets set up beneath the starry sky; it was a good thing they'd set out with the belief they might not return. For Subaru's part, he couldn't say he'd miss that little house terribly; he'd come to associate it with negative feelings and foolish arguments.

Kamui rested on his shoulder, an arm wrapped about his waist. His warmth was a nice contrast to the sudden cool of night. Subaru allowed his fingers to play with the strands of Kamui's hair as he considered what their first step the next day would be. The forest was large and the corruption deep. They'd probably have to forage for food if it took much longer than a few days. He really hoped it wouldn't come to that; the thought of harming any animal still struck him as profoundly disturbing, but he didn't want to force the responsibility on Kamui either. He was the elder; he should probably be the one making difficult choices when push came to shove.

Wryly, he was forced to admit he had a lot more experience running away from his problems than tackling them head on, but this journey seemed to be giving him all kinds of time to reconsider that approach.

He'd been confronted with memories of Seishirou-san not once, but twice, and it made his skin crawl and warm in a distressing mix of anger and longing. It was, unfortunately, an all too familiar sensation, but it was a little unnerving to have it with Kamui in such close proximity. There was already too much on his shoulders; the last thing he needed was another reminder of Subaru's broken nature.

He considered how Kamui had stormed away when it became clear Subaru was still thinking of Seishirou-san at the house, he considered what it meant for Kamui to care so much about Subaru's wish. He wondered what Kamui's real wish had been; it must not have been related to the other Kamui as he'd thought, which meant they weren't as similar as he'd once thought.

He stopped playing with Kamui's hair and instead rested his hand on his shoulder in a more formal embrace. That revelation left him feeling oddly… lonely. Kamui might actually be able to move on eventually. Subaru wasn't sure he'd ever be able to.

But then he thought of how he'd blasted the false Seishirou-san with an ofuda of fire and his heart clenched. He was changing at the end of the world and he couldn't decide whether he liked it or not.

"Subaru?" Kamui whispered against his chest.

"Am I keeping you awake?" Subaru asked calmly, allowing his fears to disperse.

"No, I was thinking." He propped himself up slightly to look at Subaru properly. "Doesn't it strike you as odd that there's still corruption in the world? Wasn't the whole aim of the Dragons of Earth to remove all the damage humans had done?"

"It was, but the dead still influence the living and the natural environment counts among it."

"But doesn't that mean their goal was a lie?" Kamui asked in frustration, sitting up properly to cross his arms. "The more I think about it, the more it seems that must be the case. If they were going to cleanse the world, shouldn't they have thought of the spirits afterwards? Wouldn't Fuuma have thought of that?"

Subaru sat up beside him and rested a hand upon his shoulder comfortingly. "There are a few possibilities. The first is simply that they were lying." The other Kamui claimed not to lie, but Subaru wondered at that.

"What's the other?" Kamui mumbled.

"That they weren't all-seeing. It's very black-and-white when you think about it: Save mankind and the world will eventually fall to ruin. Save the world and mankind must die. But nothing is ever that straightforward," Subaru sighed. "At least, not in my experience. I used to think it could be when I was younger. Of course, I thought that good outweighed all else back then, too," he mused. "Regardless, I think it's safe to say that neither side was wholly accurate in what they said would happen."

"You think Hinoto's visions were wrong?"

"Not exactly. Visions are… difficult to interpret. Princess Hinoto was a master, but the fate of the world is not the kind of thing anyone can get entirely correct. At least, that's what I'm forced to believe now." There was also the matter of her likely being a traitor; her visions were far more suspect with that in mind.

Kamui leaned against his shoulder, glumly looking up at the stars. "You're forgetting the third possibility."

"What's that?"

"That it's my fault. Again." His expression darkened. "I'm supposed to be able to change the course of the world, right? Well, I'm alive when I shouldn't be and now spirits are being tormented by our dead. I've ruined the Dragons of Earth's perfect world."

"Don't be so quick to blame yourself," Subaru chided. He wrapped an arm about him. "I have a hard time believing your life could be a mistake. I'm rather happy you're here."

Kamui ducked his head, but not before Subaru caught a look at how flushed his face had become. Ah, he remembered being like that at one point. It was unusual for Kamui to demonstrate the same behavior, though.

"Still, nothing has followed the prophecy," Kamui mumbled downwards. "And it must have something to do with me, right?"

"Perhaps. It could also have something to do with… the Dragons of Earth." He didn't want to bring up the other Kamui. It was dawning on him that he might be just as bad as Kamui about this sort of thing. "Maybe we'll learn more when we find the living."

"I hope so," Kamui sighed. "It's just all so unclear to me and there are still… those dreams. I don't want to fall asleep."

Kamui's dreams worried him to say the least. There was something they were missing. Was it Princess Hinoto that watched him as Kamui suspected or the other Kamui?

"What if I distracted you?" Subaru offered.

At that, Kamui's face turned so red Subaru feared he might faint. He'd gone very still against him. It was such an unexpected reaction he found himself checking his temperature. Did he have a fever?

"How do you mean?" His voice came out remarkably calm considering his sudden shift in demeanor; there was only the slightest tremble to it.

Subaru pointed upwards. "I thought I might tell you the stories of the constellations," he replied, utterly mystified.

"Oh." Kamui let out a shaky laugh. "Right, that… yes. I would like that."

"Are you all right?" Subaru felt required to ask.

"Definitely," Kamui said, an odd touch of amusement in his voice. "I'm… always happy with you."

He nodded as if he understood what he meant. "Well, you probably already know the story about the Big Dipper," Subaru began.

"Tell me anyway," Kamui sighed, and finally shifted, pressing closer to him still. So Subaru did. He actually got through quite a few constellations including the one he was named after at Kamui's request. It took quite some time, but eventually he felt Kamui go slack; he'd finally fallen asleep.

He arranged them so they were settled much as they had been before. As silence descended he felt a chill in his core. The things he'd experienced today… He'd have to confront them. He knew that with a rigid certainty that left him feeling hollow. He didn't want to deal with his past anymore. He didn't want to deal with anything. He just… wanted to help Kamui.

With that he finally drifted into a troubled sleep only to wake up a few short hours later, his own face burning red to mirror Kamui's earlier, as he finally sorted out what he'd thought Subaru had been implying.

Oh.


Author's Notes: This was a much longer wait than I'd anticipated! Figuring out how I wanted to depict the spirits was surprisingly difficult. I really put Subaru through it this chapter; he's managing, though. (^^)"

I'd love to hear your thoughts!