X:2099
A fanfic by Epeeblade aka C. Pontoriero
Part 6
Subaru and Kamui waited on the roof of the BEAST building. Subaru stood at a terminal,
his earpiece synched with the systems of the entire complex. Kamui stood at the edge of
the roof, staring off into the horizon. “He’s coming,” he said softly.
“I’ve got it covered,” Subaru answered, his fingers flying over the keypad. “Force shields
are up. Laser rifles loaded. As soon as he reaches 100 meters, they’ll be locked on his
position.”
Kamui turned away from the edge and walked towards Subaru. “That won’t kill him, you
know.”
“It’s just enough to slow him down, maybe wear him down before you finally fight him.”
Subaru decided, configuring some more defense sequences.
“Subaru,” Kamui said hesitantly, “I wanted to tell you something.”
“Hmm?” Subaru looked up, his first instinct was to tell Kamui to leave him alone, he was
busy with the defense systems that just might save /his/ life. But he quenched that
response. “What is it, Kamui?”
“You’re a good person,” the boy whispered softly. He lifted a hand, gently grazed it
along Subaru’s left cheek. It would be unfair to give Subaru any promises of love or
affection now, not when he might be dead within the hour. “Please, promise me you’ll
fight her, don’t let her consume the world.”
Subaru sighed, “I’ll do what I can.”
Kamui nodded, that was all Subaru could promise. He turned back to the horizon, lifting
the sacred sword in one hand, and lifting both arms out at his side, the one with the sword
looking unnaturally large. He lifted his head back and accepted the power of /kamui/.
Subaru gasped, as a set of brilliant angelic wings emerged from Kamui’s back. Somehow
cutting cleanly through his uniform jacket while leaving the jacket intact. “Kamui…” he
murmured. He had never seen anything so beautiful before in his life.
Kamui grinned at him, then flapped his wings with an experimental flutter. He knelt at
the ledge, waiting for the arrival of the other /Kamui/.
***
The silence seemed to last forever, and when Yuzuriha opened her eyes she could not
believe she was still alive. She looked ahead and gasped. Kusanagi stood in front of her,
Fuuma’s golden blade impaling him straight through the chest. He fell back as Fuuma
removed the sword and she ran forward to gather him in her arms.
Fuuma turned towards the east and snarled, “Kamui.” He raised the sword above his
head, calling forth the power of /kamui/ -- the one who hunts the majesty of God. From
his back emerged two black, bat-like wings, which he began to flap immediately and took
off to points unknown.
“Kusa-san!” Yuzuriha cried, pulling her guardian’s head into her lap. “Why did you do
it?”
He grinned up at her, “I promised,” he choked out finally, “besides…never had the
chance to tell you…”
“Tell me?” she choked out.
“…loved you,” he whispered, then blood poured from his mouth and he spoke no more.
Yuzuriha swallowed hard before reaching out to close those eyes, still staring up at her,
still full of love. Then she stood, wiping her eyes with the back of one hand, leaving a
bloody streak across her cheek. “Is…is anyone still alive?” she asked softly, then cleared
her throat and asked again.
“Princess!”
Arashi. Yuzuriha ran to her friend’s side, where she was slowly untangling herself from
Sorata. “Arashi!” she cried, hugging her tightly.
“Easy, princess, we have to get help for him,” she gestured to Sorata, who moaned a little
as he was shifted. A nasty looking gash marked his right shoulder.
“I…why? He tried to kill you.” Yuzuriha asked.
Arashi cupped the young girl’s face in her hands. “Oh, princess, has your heart hardened
so? Besides, he saved me from Fuu… from /Kamui’s/ blow. I don’t think he /wanted/ to
fight against us.”
Yuzuriha nodded. “I think there are some bandages inside the Mission. Is, is anyone else
alive?”
“Go find the bandages, and I’ll check.” Arashi told her. She left Sorata’s side
momentarily, passing Kusanagi’s corpse and stopped where Aoki and two of the enemy
lay. “Aoki-san?” she whispered, falling to her knees beside the older man. Inuki guarded
his side and regarded Arashi intently. She saw that his chest still moved, barely. “His
leg.” She murmured under her breath, moving to rip a long strip of cloth from her dress to
form a makeshift tourniquet.
“I don’t think he’s going to make it,” a deep male voice startled her from behind.
Arashi whirled around to see Yuuto standing shakily behind her, leaning upon a piece of
rubble for support. “Yuuto-san?”
“It’s me,” he grimaced, limping to her side. “How much healing do you have?”
“A bit,” she added, looking away.
“Not enough to help Aoki-san, eh?” he asked, touching her arm gently.
“No, I don’t think so. Not with such a severe injury,” she gasped, struggling to hold on to
her cool exterior. Although Aoki lay at her feet, his left leg was a few feet away, at the
side of the white-haired young man who had attacked Aoki.
“But I think you do have enough to help that young man back there, at least to knit his
broken shoulder together.” Yuuto looked down. “Let me help Aoki-san…it’s the least I
can do,” he reached inside his robes and pulled out a single orange ofuda. ”Last one,” he
murmured to himself.
Arashi stepped back, watching with awe as Yuuto placed the slim slip of paper upon
Aoki’s leg and began to chant. A light appeared about the wound and slowly the torn and
ragged skin began to knit.
Yuuto finished chanting and faltered, nearly falling. Arashi caught him and helped him to
sit down on the shattered earth.
At that point Yuzuriha emerged from the Mission, bandages in tow. “Yuuto-san!” she
cried, running to meet them.
Yuuto grasped Arashi’s hand. “Help him, before it’s too late.”
Arashi nodded and ran to Sorata’s side.
***
The force shield could only hold for so long, and the laser rifles did not even seem to be
making it past the /kamui’s/ personal shields. Subaru kept the barrage going as long as he
could, until with a force blast of his own, the /kamui/ took out the main power couplings.
Subaru pulled the earpiece from his head, wincing.
“It’s ok, Subaru, this was destined.” Kamui murmured, pushing himself off the roof and
into flight.
“He’s right, you know,”
Subaru turned at the sound of that deep voice, “Seishirou-san! What happened? I take it
the frontal assault did not go well?”
He shrugged, reaching within his long black coat to retrieve a cigarette. Nonchalantly, he
pulled one out for Subaru took and handed it to the young man. He lit his own, then
Subaru’s with one flick of his hand. “I didn’t expect it to go well. We took out enough of
the opposition, enough to satisfy prophesy anyway. Either way, it will end tonight, for
good or for ill.”
“I see.” Subaru said softly.
“And now, my dear Subaru-kun, there is something you must do for me.” He waved his
hand around Subaru’s face and his eyes immediately became glassy. “Good, boy,”
Seishirou purred. “Let’s go take down BEAST.”
***
Sorata opened his eyes warily, surprised to see the three faces above him. “Um, I guess
I’m a prisoner of war?” he suggested, then leaned towards Arashi, “And you will be my
prison guard and eventually fall in love with me, won’t you miss?”
Arashi grimaced, “Remind me again /why/ I saved you?”
Yuuto chuckled softly and even Yuzuriha managed to smile. She moved away from the
bed and snuggled Inuki, hiding her tears within his soft muzzle.
“Where am I?” Sorata asked anxiously.
“Inside the Mission.” Yuuto sighed. “Arashi has just used her powers to heal your broken
shoulder, although it’s still a messy wound.” He began the pace around the small room.
They had managed to drag Sorata and Aoki inside. Aoki was still unconscious, but Yuuto
hoped he would awake soon. “There, there is much I must tell you.”
“What are you talking about, Yuuto-san?” Arashi asked softly, double-checking the
bandages around Sorata’s neck.
“About Satsuki and the truth about myself.” He murmured.
“What?” Yuzuriha exclaimed, looking up from where she sat on the floor.
“Princess,” Yuuto knelt by her side, “Can you ever forgive me?”
“It depends on whatever you are talking about, Yuuto!” Yuzuriha frowned at him.
“Where to start,” he rubbed tiredly at his temples. “I am originally from this world. I was
exiled to your world by Satsuki herself, years ago.”
“How? I don’t understand.” Yuzuriha stammered.
“You see, our worlds are close together, dimensionally speaking, yours is a world where
magic is supreme, not science. These two worlds co-exist, but Hinoto-hime, the seeress
of the government foresaw a time where two forces would collide, magic and science,
fighting over the fate of both worlds.”
Yuuto stood and began pacing. “However, we didn’t understand what exactly we were
fighting for. At least I didn’t. Satsuki sent me away because I had broken her rules. I was
once one of the inner circle and I fought for the existence of magic.” He snorted, “She
told me I would find plenty of magic in another dimension and she exiled me using
BEAST, and an inter-dimensional transporter.” He shuddered, “I won’t tell you how hard
it was, trying to live in a world where I didn’t fit in, at first. I was found by an onmyouji,
a dark man, who taught me everything he knew before he died. Then I became a
mercenary, selling my skills to survive. I never expected to come back to this world.”
“What did you do, Yuuto-san?” Arashi interrupted softly.
“I told Satsuki where we were,” Yuuto sighed, “I thought I’d get in her good graces
again, maybe make up for my mistakes. I had forgotten she was a heartless bitch.”
“You loved her.” Sorata blurted.
Yuuto whirled, “Perhaps I once did. But listen to me, even if you can’t forgive my
betrayal, princess, I can get you home. The inter-dimensional portal still exists and….”
Yuzuriha held up her hand for him to stop. “Hush. I must…please, I must consult
Kakyou.” She ran her fingers through her short hair. “I have a feeling, he can make sense
of this.” She pulled the token from the pouch where she had hidden it and left the room.
***
Satsuki frowned at the reports BEAST was filtering through to her. She was bound in her
synchronization chamber, her body connected to her beloved computer by various wires
and circuits. Her mind processed the information almost as quickly as BEAST itself.
There was damage to repair, the /kamui/ had destroyed the power coupling that supported
the force shields and other defense structures along the main building. Power had to be
rerouted to support the rest of the complex. One part of her brain she dedicated to media
feeds, informing the public that there was nothing to be afraid of, this was just another
demonstration of power, before the end of the millenium celebration which was only
hours away.
BEAST prompted her. The Kamui’s were taking their battle to Tokyo Tower, did she still
wish the celebration to continue? “I don’t care if anyone dies, just make sure that our
Kamui is supported. I won’t have my work brought down by Destiny.” She commanded.
“Oh Satsuki, you are Destiny’s fool,” A deep male voice said from behind her.
She whirled around in her chamber, opening the main shield, but remaining connected to
BEAST. Seishirou and his current boy-toy Subaru stood in her main control room,
Seishirou looking cool and confident, while Subaru looked merely blank, standing a few
feet behind the man.
“What in Bill Gates’ name are you blathering on about?” she snapped. “I have work to
do.”
“Your first mistake was in thinking you could control me.” Seishirou continued as if she
hadn’t spoken. “Your second was in trying to break the power of the Sakurazukamori as
you did the Sumeragi’s. I bided my time, and I waited, because I knew you could not
outwit Fate, little girl. Your own power plays have returned to haunt you.”
Satsuki slid the chamber door shut, commanding BEAST to reach out its wire tentacles
and ensnare Seishirou. Once again it seemed she would have to inject him with the drugs
that had kept him hers for so many years.
“Not this time, Satsuki,” Seishirou only laughed as the wires grasped his arms and legs,
holding them in spread-eagled position. “Subaru-kun, initiate project Sakura.”
Subaru tapped his re-fitted earpiece. “Initiate,” he commanded.
And the world went blinding…
…Pink.
To be continued.
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