Author's note: Chapter 4! In which Seishirou says "mine" and Kamui says *hiss*. But not in those words.
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It had been tricky coming up with an explanation for Kamui's complete lack of any legal documentation but eventually things worked out and Subaru became his temporary guardian and Kamui found himself enrolled once again in CLAMP School. The morning he was to start classes, Kamui woke up over an hour too early and tried to roll over and go back to sleep. After much tossing and turning, his stomach as knotted as the sheets, he gave up and decided he may as well get ready for school. He wandered into the kitchen, struggling with his uniform tie when a voice from behind him made him jump.
"Need some help with that?"
He spun around to see Seishirou pouring himself a cup of coffee, his usual friendly "you can totally trust me" smile in place. Kamui briefly imagined Seishirou using the tie to strangle him and flatly declined.
Seishirou glanced up at him while taking a sip of coffee and Kamui noticed that with the smile hidden behind the cup it was easier to tell his eyes were more wary and predatory than he let the rest of his persona show. Kamui tensed and started to say something about it when Subaru walked into the kitchen, yawning.
Seishirou took advantage of his distraction to pull Subaru into a one-armed embrace and kiss his cheek, glancing back at Kamui with a smirk. Subaru blinked at the unexpected affection and groggily wished him a good morning. Kamui shot him another glare and returned to his attempts at getting his tie together. Subaru noticed his frustration and smiled, pulling away from Seishirou to reach forward to tie it for him. Kamui glanced over his shoulder and tried not to smirk back at Seishirou, who did not look terribly amused as it was.
He did however, allow himself a satisfied smile as he walked to school.
"Hey it's the boy who found Inuki! You're looking a whole lot happier than you did a couple of weeks ago!" Yuzuriha skipped up to his side, still wearing her yellow rain boots even though the ground had been clear for days. "Hey! You're wearing our school uniform! Are you a student there after all?"
"Um, yeah I am starting today…"
"Neat!"
"So you know campus is haunted." Sorata suddenly appeared on Kamui's other side.
Kamui's eyes widened. "It is?"
"Yeah. There used to be a crocodile hunter who came from Australia to take down an experiment in crocodile/leopard crossbreeding gone wrong. But the creature ate him and took to living in the men's bathroom at the end of the second floor in the high school division. It died there and now both of their ghosts haunt the building, coming out every night when the sun goes down to battle it out again." Sorata's face got closer and closer to Kamui's as he recounted epic tales of these fights and Kamui listened, enraptured. "So you had better be careful which bathroom you use and when or else-"
Yuzuriha's hand shot out in front of Kamui, colliding with Sorata's face and cutting him off. "Ignore him." She told Kamui. "The bathrooms are all totally safe, he just likes making up stories."
Kamui fidgeted, embarrassed that he hadn't realized it was a lie.
"Ah, we're here. Hey do you know where your classroom is?"
Kamui nodded, guessing that from what he'd already seen of the campus, the school was set up the same as before. He waved goodbye to Yuzuriha and Sorata and steeled himself for what he was sure was going to be a rough day. School hadn't been easy before, he was sure being gone for weeks, or maybe even months wasn't going to make it any easier. He walked into the room and handed a note to the teacher, explaining that he was the new student and heard a gasp from the other side of the room. He glanced in that direction then did a double take when he realized who the gasp had come from. His heart leapt and he suddenly felt slightly light-headed at the sight of those familiar golden waves and sincere, innocent eyes, widened in surprise.
She remembers! He thought in shock but was distracted by the teacher directing him to his seat. He sat down and tried to focus on the class, but how can one possibly care about factorials when the girl whose death they caused is alive and well and staring right at them from across the room still? What do you say to her? How do you explain that you never meant for things to happen that way? How do you explain that all you ever wanted was to protect her? How to you even begin to broach the fact that it was her own brother who-
When the bell rang for lunch, he pulled together his things, still lost in thought and wondering if he even could say anything to her at all when suddenly Kotori was standing in front of his desk, a warm smile directed his way.
"Hi there! I'm Kotori! What's your name?"
Kamui's heart stopped.
Realizing that she had begun to look at him questioningly when her question was met with silence, he stammered, "I-I'm Kamui."
"That's a nice name!"
Not really. He thought, gloomily. She must have noticed his sullen expression because she quickly changed the subject.
"Would you like to come sit with us for lunch?" she offered.
Kamui nodded and followed her outside to where a few of her friends were seated at a picnic table. "Hey… this might be a weird question, but do you know someone named Fuuma?" he asked hesitantly.
"Fuuma?" she gave him a perplexed look. "No, I don't think I've ever heard of someone with that name. Sorry. Is he a friend of yours?"
Kamui stared at the ground and wondered how to answer.
That afternoon Yuzuriha and Sorata joined him on his walk home from school partway.
"What's wrong, kiddo?" Sorata asked at last, noticing that Kamui's expression had remained dejected ever since they saw him at the gates.
Kamui hesitated and frowned. "Do you know someone named Fuuma?" He finally asked.
Sorata shook his head. "Nope. Never heard of him. You, Yuzu-chan?"
"Negatory!"
"Why do you ask?"
Kamui's expression fell even further.
Yuzuriha and Sorata exchanged glances.
"Hey I know we just met and all and we probably seem pretty weird to you but you know, it's cool if you wanna talk to us about anything." Sorata offered, resting a hand on Kamui's shoulder.
"Yeah. It's no fun dealing with stuff on your own so please, count on us!" Yuzuriha added. "Because we're friends… right?"
Kamui looked back and forth between the two of them, taking in Yuzuriha's warm expression and Sorata's encouraging nod and found himself smiling just a little, feeling like a puzzle piece had just slid into place.
"Yeah."
Once he was back at Subaru and Seishirou's apartment though, he immediately went to the computer and began searching.
.
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Daisuke sighed as he swept the walkway in front of the temple. He had only taken this job so that she would notice him but it still didn't seem to be working. She still walked past him every day, violet eyes turned inward, reflecting and meditating probably. He hadn't even managed to strike up a conversation with her yet. Months of working here and seeing her at school every day and he couldn't even manage a simple "hi how are you". He mentally berated himself for being such a coward.
"You've swept that spot already." An even voice pointed out.
He jumped. "Ah! Arashi-san! Sorry, I didn't notice you there.
Her face was discerning as she stared at him. "You've been sweeping the same spot for the past ten minutes."
"Oh I have?" he put a hand to the back of his neck and forced a smile. "Sorry, I'm a little out of it. I'll pay more attention though I promise!" He held up his fist determined.
Judging by her look though, his eagerness to please was not sufficient. She turned began walking back into the temple.
"Ah- um, Arashi-san?" he called out after her before he could stop himself. She turned back around without a word, waiting. "Um, do you know- I mean… does Hinoto-san like flowers… by any chance?"
Arashi tilted her head slightly, her impossibly straight hair falling smoothly with it. "She likes lilies." She said simply and continued back into the temple.
.
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When Subaru got home Kamui was curled up in the computer chair again. He looked up at Subaru's arrival, looking for all the world like a lost puppy. Subaru wondered if this was what he looked like to people, recalling all the times people had said he and Kamui resembled one another. "What's wrong?"
"I can't find him. There's no trace of Fuuma online anywhere and Kotori had never heard of him and neither had Sorata or Yuzuriha or you…" Kamui trailed off.
"That doesn't mean he's not around. Or maybe he just woke up here like you did." Subaru pointed out, hanging up his coat.
Kamui blinked. "Oh. I didn't think of that." He paused, contemplating. "Is there any way to figure out if he's here somewhere then?"
Subaru leaned against the edge of the desk, resting his hands on either side of it. "We could always check the birth registries for him."
The hope that lit up in Kamui's eyes was almost heartbreaking.
"Do you want to go do that on Sunday- you won't have school and I'll have the day off, we can just go see what we find?"
Kamui nodded.
"So how did your first day back at school go other than that?"
Kamui groaned.
"Good as ever, eh?"
"And what's worse is Sorata still wants to tutor me." Kamui let his forehead drop onto the desk.
Subaru chuckled. It was strange, being able to laugh again.
"Hey, so- you're a vet now? Does that mean in this world you finished high school?" the boy lifted his head again.
"Mmhm. And college."
"But why veterinarian?"
Subaru smiled nostalgically at both memories. "It's what I always wanted to be."
Kamui pondered this. "Hey Subaru…" he fiddled with the end of his tie.
"Yes?"
"You still love Seishirou-san don't you?"
Another wave of nostalgia washed over him. "Very much." He answered, feeling that his own calm delivery of those words did not begin to do them justice.
"And even though he didn't remember meeting you- you two still wound up… dating I guess?"
"Yes."
"Do you think that… that Kotori and I could still… or I guess this time… actually be happy together?"
Subaru studied the nervous teenage boy in front of him and suddenly felt like he was looking at a mirror, reflecting himself eight years ago. "I think you could, yes."
Kamui looked up at him gratefully.
"I'm hooome!" Seishirou entered the room and glanced at the two of them. "Ah, am I interrupting some important conversation?"
Subaru shook his head. "We were just talking about how school went."
"Oh? And how was it?" Seishirou ruffled Kamui's hair, leaving it mussed, black locks sticking out in every direction. Combined with Kamui's clearly displeased expression, the effect was similar to that of a small bird that has puffed up its feathers in anger. Subaru covered his mouth with his hand, holding back a laugh.
"It was fine." Kamui replied stiffly. "I should probably get started on my homework." He unfolded himself out of the chair and grabbed his backpack, disappearing into the spare bedroom that had become his.
"Remind me again why he doesn't like me?" Seishirou asked, wrapping his arms around Subaru's waist to hug him from behind.
Subaru scrambled for a good reason. "Um… he doesn't like people who always dress so formally. It-um, reminds him of his dad. Who he doesn't get along with. Which was why he ran away." Subaru blurted out, wishing he hadn't as soon as he'd finished.
Seishirou tilted his head to look at Subaru over his shoulder.
Subaru gave him the most serious look he could muster.
Seishirou laughed. "You're a horrible liar Subaru."
Subaru sighed. "I know. " he replied a little painfully.
Seishirou chuckled again and kissed the spot below his ear. "It's because you don't practice enough." He trailed another kiss to his cheek. "You're too honest for your own good." He left another kiss at the corner of his mouth. "But since you don't normally lie, I'll assume you have good reason to and let it go this time, shall I?" He reached one hand up to gently turn Subaru's head to face him and left a lingering kiss on his lips. "But you'll have to make it up to me later." He informed him with a wink.
Subaru smiled and agreed.
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Author's Note:
Meanwhile Fuuma was actually at the North Pole, constructing a magical workshop in which he intended to hire midgets to help him build toys which he would distribute once a year.
I'm kidding of course, but seriously. If I had the power to see and grant people's wishes? That is exactly what I would do. Become the real live Santa Claus. Then at your high school reunion you could have the following conversation:
"I became an accountant."
"I'm a school nurse."
"I'm SANTA CLAUS. Suck on that candy cane bitches!"
I envy Fuuma.