X:2099
A fanfic by Epeeblade aka C. Pontoriero
Part 4
“The Sakura really don’t show their best this time of year.” Seishirou commented, as he
and Subaru walked through the remnants of Ueno Park. They had just finished submitting
their research and report to the main computer system, and Subaru had been shaken by
the findings. Seishirou commented that a walk might help, and made it clear that Kamui
was NOT invited.
It was the little teenager that had disturbed Subaru in the first place, after all.
“I guess.” Subaru said softly, walking along the footpath through the grove of trees.
“Do you like Sakura?” Seishirou asked softly, wondering how the boy would react.
Would he remember?
“No-Not particularly, Seishirou-san.” He answered softly, shuddering slightly. “All I
remember, from that day Satsuki first claimed me, was the fluttering of Sakura petals,
and my sister…” he stopped overcome.
Seishirou hid his smile. “You have a sister?”
“HAD, a sister. She was executed with the rest of the Sumeragi’s.” Subaru said softly.
“Poor child,” Seishirou said softly, reaching out to gently stroke the boy’s soft hair.
Subaru froze under the touch.
“S-Seishirou-san, please, don’t,” he pulled away quickly, clasping his arms about
himself.
“Why not?” he asked crisply, slightly irritated.
Subaru shrugged. “Doesn’t it bother you? The end of the world? And Kamui at the
center…”
“That boy is trouble.” Seishirou commented, “Don’t let him seduce you.”
Subaru met his eye and grinned, “Why not? Wouldn’t it be nice for once, to have
someone special…”
“It is, Subaru-kun,” Seishirou leaned forward, grasping Subaru’s shoulders and placing a
soft kiss upon his lips.
“Wha…” he began to say, but was silenced by Seishirou, as the man began further
attacking his lips, devouring the sweet taste like a man deprived of water.
“What about Karen?” Subaru asked softly.
Seishirou shrugged, “That’s sex, she understands that better than I do.”
“And what is this?” Subaru began angrily.
The older man smiled and spun the boy around, to see, among the grove of naked, silent
Sakura, one tree in full bloom. Seishirou began to spin his spell. “There is something
special about you Subaru, about the two of us together and nothing Satsuki does can erase
the existence of true magic, nor dispel the power of the Sakurazukamori. So now, you are
going to do something for me, and not even know this conversation has occurred…”
***
“Arashi! Where were you? Yuuto left ages and ages ago!” Yuzuriha exclaimed, as the
older girl walked into the Mission.
“Two hours ago, in fact,” Aoki put in. The two sat on the floor of the main room,
surrounded by several children, and were engaged in a competitive game of tidally-
winks, although these children called it ping, or pong, or something odd. Aoki was up
two chips though, and was quite pleased.
“Yuuto never showed up,” Arashi frowned, “I’ve been … diverting one of the enemy.
One of the men we fought earlier, princess.”
“Oh, Arashi, are you all right?” The girl leapt up to check her friend for wounds.
“I’m fine. He only wanted to … talk. I’m more worried about Yuuto.”
“I will summon Fuuma and Kusanagi.” Aoki stood, upsetting his cup of chips. He
frowned, but then scampered up the steps.
The door along the back of the main room opened and Sister Kotori entered, her long
blond hair free from its usual veiling. “Children! You should be in bed,” she scolded
gently.
“Wow, you look really different without your uniform.” Yuzuriha commented, helping to
clean up the spilled chips.
“It’s called a habit.” She sat on one the small, child sized chairs along the wall. “What’s
wrong, are we in danger?”
“I don’t know. Yuuto has gone missing,” Arashi said softly. She looked up at the loud
footsteps and met the three men as they came down the stairs, Fuuma and Kusanagi
tucking their weapons into their belts.
“We’ll look for him princess.” Kusanagi declared, taking a moment to bow before
Yuzuriha.
“He’s probably up to no good,” Fuuma declared, clenching his fists angrily.
“Or he could be in trouble!” Aoki declared. “Arashi already has met one of the enemy,
why not Yuuto?”
“Aoki-san is right.” Arashi told them. “We should go look for him.”
“You can’t, it’s after 11, and that’s curfew. If anyone sees you, you’ll be arrested
immediately.” Kotori told her.
Arashi frowned, obviously there were stories exchanged while she was on her “date” with
Sorata. Consequently, she was left with less information than her companions. “You’re
going to have to explain a few things to me,” she sighed softly.
Before the others could move, the door banged open. “Arashi! There you are! Are you all
right?” Yuuto had come home on his own.
“Yuuto! We were going to go out looking for you!” Yuzuriha declared. “What
happened?”
He closed the door with a quick motion. “I went out to relieve Arashi, to find she wasn’t
at her post. Expecting the worst, I began searching for her.”
“Why didn’t you come and inform us?” Kusanagi declared angrily. “You could have
been walking into a trap, and no one would have known what had happened to you.”
“Sorry,” And for once, Yuuto did actually look contrite. “I’m accustomed to working
alone. But, Arashi, what happened to you?”
Arashi explained once again.
“All that’s important is that we’re all here.” Yuzuriha decided. “I’m going to attempt to
contact Kakyou. You guys, fill in Arashi on what we discussed while she was on post.
Then get some rest.”
“I will take final watch,” Kusanagi told them, posting himself at the window, since the
curfew prevented him from going outside.
“Good night,” Yuzuriha told them before climbing the steps.
***
After their meeting, Satsuki and the inner circle traveled to the Diet building to visit the
seeress, Hinoto. Sorata wondered if he was the only one disturbed at Subaru’s report
earlier that day.
“I’ve collected this information from various sources, but you can read the bibliography
in the report.” Subaru took a deep breath before he began to impart his disastrous news.
“The world is predicted to end two days from now, on the eve of the millenium. Kamui,
and I mean the title, not the name, /the/ Kamui will fight the final battle for the fate of the
earth.”
They had argued, Sorata remembered, now walking through the polished hallways of the
Diet building, over Subaru’s interpretation of the facts, and if they were truly the 7
chosen warriors. Kamui seemed most upset, Sorata guessed it was hard to tell a 15 year
old that he would be responsible for the fate of the earth.
“Wait until Hinoto speaks.” Satsuki had told them, “As a prescient, she has a better idea
of the future to come than any hidden texts or legends. I wanted Subaru to do this
research to show the belief system we are dealing with. We need crowd control, I don’t
want the city going insane, thinking the end of the world is nigh.”
“The New Year’s celebration will go on as planned then?” Seishirou had commented.
“Of course.” Sorata repeated Satsuki’s words under his breath, as they were shown into
the great room.
Hinoto sat upon a divan, surrounded by various pillows and her long, flowing white robes
that made her look smaller, instead of larger. She peered at all of them with sightless red
eyes, examining them in her mind’s eye.
//It is good Satsuki, you have brought them. Though I only need to speak to Kamui.// her
voice echoed through their minds.
Kamui slowly came forward, and knelt at her side. “My mother told me I should seek you
out,” he said softly.
//You have the sacred sword?// she asked.
“Yes,”
//There is something important you must know. You still must choose which side to fight
for.//
“What do you mean?” Kamui asked, puzzled.
//The battle is humanity against the earth. You must choose which is more important to
you. Either way, you must fight, but only you can decide what to fight /for/.//
“Oh great.” Kamui replied.
//Tomorrow is the day of choosing, in preparation for the Final Day. Whatever you
choose within your heart, it will be so.//
“So, like he doesn’t even really have to do anything!” Sorata interrupted.
//Destiny will be appeased.// Hinoto agreed.
“The future is /not/ written in stone.” Satsuki argued. “You’ve proved that yourself,
Hinoto. When given fair warning, it can be changed.”
The little seeress began to laugh, //See then if you can change his fate Satsuki, your own
fate! I will be much pleased to agree with you then.//
“What do you know of my fate?” Satsuki scoffed. “You are an anachronism, old woman.
Soon, BEAST will be able to calculate the probability of history faster and more
accurately than your little visions, and then you will be of no more use to me.”
//Pride cometh before a fall, Satsuki Yatohji!// Hinoto’s voice followed them out into the
corridor.
Satsuki turned to Kamui, “I hope you know your heart, boy. I want to know whether to
fight with you, or kill you myself.”
Kamui frowned, “My decision will be made independent of /you/. As for killing me, I’d
like to see you try.”
She laughed, “Don’t tempt me, child, don’t tempt me.”
***
Yuzuriha found herself once again on the island of the Dreamgazer. This time, however,
they were in a more private setting, the lamps low, and Kakyou reclining amid the
cushions where he slept.
“So you visit me again princess. It is good, since this is the night before the day of
choosing.”
“What do you mean?” she asked, puzzled.
He sighed, pulling his long blond strands out of his face. “Tomorrow the Kamui will
choose his fate.” He laughed at that. “But I know what his choice will be. Do you still
wish to save the earth, Yuzuriha? Fight for the wilds of our world?”
“Of course!” The young princess snapped, impatiently.
“Then listen. There is something wrong in my gazing, and I cannot see where. You were
born on the day of the 7 immortals. I thought you would be chosen as Kamui’s
twin…now I am not so sure. No matter what happens, child-princess, you must aid the
twin Kamui. If you do not, the earth shall fall.”
“How will I know the twin Kamui?” she asked softly.
“He will hold the sacred sword.”
“Thank you…” Yuzuriha said, and then realized she lay upon her pallet in the dark room
above the mission. Arashi was sound asleep behind her. “Why does that /always/
happen?” she muttered to Inuki, who only stared at her, puzzled as well.
The door began to creak open slowly, and she looked up startled. Then she relaxed and
smiled as she realized who her visitor was. “Follow me,” He said softly.
She got up, moving carefully so not to wake Arashi, “Inuki, stay!” she commanded her
spirit dog before moving out into the hallway. “Where are we going?”
“There is an empty room here,” he pulled her inside, the room no bigger than a closet and
crushed her close to his body, covering her cheeks with gentle kisses. “We can finally be
alone.”
She giggled and snuggled next to him. “At last…”
“Fumma,” she murmured, cuddling close to his warm body.
To be continued.
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