Aftermath
By Karasu Yurei and Kouri Arashi
Part Eight
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Akira brought lunch in about a half hour later. Just before they sat down to eat, Yuuto arrived with Nataku in tow. “We’ve come to visit Fuuma,” he explained to their curious looks.
“He hasn’t gotten up yet,” Kamui said. “I suppose someone should go get him . . .”
“I will,” Sorata said. Fuuma still needed help walking around. Sorata disappeared up the stairs, only to return a few minutes later with an arm around Fuuma’s shoulders.
Nataku’s face lit up like it was Christmas. “Hello, Fuuma!”
Fuuma smiled back. “Hi, Nataku.”
Nataku was wearing jeans and a T-shirt, but his scarf was wrapped around his waist. Yuuto had tried to get him to leave it behind, with absolutely no success. So he did the best he could to make it look natural. “Are you feeling better?” Nataku asked.
“Yes, much,” Fuuma answered. “I’ve been told lunch is waiting . . .”
“I hope there’s enough for everybody,” Akira said, looking around at the mob of people. “I wasn’t really expecting so many . . .”
“Don’t worry about it,” Sorata said. “Except for the invalids, we’re all perfectly capable of going out to find lunch if need be.” He draped his arms over Arashi’s shoulders. “You’d let me take you out to lunch, ne, Arashi-chan?”
“I suppose,” Arashi said with a long suffering sigh.
“I’m doing better!” Sorata cheered.
The others clapped.
“Well, let’s see if there’s enough for all of us first,” Subaru said. “We’d hate to lose the pleasure of your company.”
Sorata blinked at him. “You’re getting more sarcastic. I think he - ” Sorata pointed to Seishirou - “is a bad influence on you.”
“Undoubtedly,” Subaru said, still leaning into Seishirou’s embrace.
“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you,” Kamui said.
“Very much.”
“I suppose you have every right to,” Kamui replied. “Oh, Fuuma, you still haven’t met them, have you . . .” Introductions were hastily made among the members of the group that hadn’t met, or at least didn’t remember meeting. They all sat down for lunch.
Kamui grinned. “Wow, this is better than the hospital food.”
“I told you,” Akira said, glowing under the praise.
The rest of lunch passed mostly in peace, except for the occasional sarcastic comment by various people. Except for Nataku. After the meal was over, Seishirou left for a while to visit Kakyou, with Akira as a guide. Sorata and Kamui immediately took this opportunity to tease Subaru until his face was the color of a ripe tomato. Fuuma and Yuuto looked on in amusement; Nataku just didn’t get it and didn’t bother trying. Arashi rolled her eyes.
In the meantime, Seishirou persuaded Kakyou to open his eyes for more than few seconds. “How are you doing?” Seishirou asked.
“They’re insisting I come back,” Kakyou said.
“That doesn’t seem that bad.”
“I can barely move. I can’t even sit up.”
Seishirou looked down at him. “Well, if you die, you certainly won’t be sitting up then. Therefore my suggestion is to stick around and give it a try.”
Kakyou gave Seishirou a Look. “I’m not really being allowed to die, so it’s not exactly an issue.”
“Well, then, you might as well take the lesser of two evils.”
“You’re hardly one to council me on what is and what is not evil.”
“Now, let’s be fair,” Seishirou said. “I’ve learned quite a bit in my past few days of having a conscience.” He looked down at Kakyou pointedly. “You’ll be surprised what happens when you rejoin the rest of the world.”
Kakyou sighed. “You’re all just going to pester me until I agree to this, aren’t you.”
“Quite likely, yes,” Seishirou said. “Now, if you’d like, I’ll prop you up with some pillows and see if I can find Nokoru, so he can get you a physical therapist. That will help quite a bit with the whole sitting up thing.”
Kakyou sighed. “Oh, I suppose . . .”
“Oh, good.”
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
“Okay.” Subaru shut the last book with a decisive nod. He was sitting on the floor of Seishirou’s apartment, surrounded by scattered papers and mounds of books. “I think I’m starting to get a handle on this.”
“Good,” Seishirou said, handing him a mug of tea.
Subaru took it with a smile of thanks and took a drink. “Or, of course, we could just never go to Ueno Park again.”
“And how long do you think it would take it to get vindictive enough to come looking for me? No, Subaru-kun, I think we’d better do this.”
Subaru grumbled something incoherent. “Well, I have the spell all set. We’ll need to go pick out another tree. And you need to figure out what you’re doing.” He fixed Seishirou with a pointed glare. “Because we’re not going near that park until you have a plan.”
“I told you,” Seishirou said patiently. “My plan is to hold it in one place while you do your work.”
“And how do you plan to hold it there?”
“With my stunning charm.”
“Seishirou-san!”
“What? Are you saying that won’t work?”
Subaru buried his head in his hands. “We’re going to die.”
Seishirou sighed. “No, we won’t. I’ll fight it to the best of my ability, making it angry so it’s focused on me and not paying any attention to you.”
“Fine, let me correct myself. You’re going to die.”
“You have absolutely no faith in me.”
“Oh, I have faith in you. I just happen to know from personal experience just how nasty that thing can be. And since you’ve never really been on the receiving end of it, I’d like to point out that I’m perfectly within my rights to question whether you know what the hell you’re doing.”
“Question all you want. I know what I’m doing and that’s the end of it.”
Subaru sighed. “Well, then, by all means, let’s get going.”
Seishirou smirked. “We can take a picnic to the park.”
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Subaru hadn’t taken Seishirou seriously, so he was somewhat bemused when Seishirou insisted on packing a picnic lunch, complete with blanket and two thermoses filled with lemonade. They made a quick stop at Subaru’s apartment so he could change into his robes and some other ceremonial objects he needed.
“I feel like an idiot,” Subaru mumbled, sitting down on the blanket. “Somehow these robes are not meant for public.”
“After those ridiculous outfits that Hokuto dressed you in, you’re embarrassed by this?” Seishirou asked with a raised eyebrow.
Subaru laughed a little, but his laugh trailed off quickly.
“What?” Seishirou asked.
“Nothing,” Subaru said quickly. “Just . . . you . . . Hokuto . . . this place . . .” He shivered.
“Gomen,” Seishirou said. “I shouldn’t have said that.”
Subaru shrugged. “We can’t pretend it didn’t happen. We can’t avoid it forever.”
Seishirou searched for words. As usual, all he could come up with was, “I’m sorry . . . I . . .”
Subaru scooted a little closer and put a hand on Seishirou’s shoulder.
“I’m not asking for forgiveness,” Seishirou said, looking down. “I’m not sure I deserve that. But can we perhaps . . . put it behind us?”
“I can try,” Subaru said.
“That’s all I ask.”
There was a gust of wind.
“Here we go,” Subaru said with a sigh. “There goes the picnic.” He fished in his bag for the ceremonial dagger. “Are you ready?” he asked Seishirou, setting up a perimeter around the tree with his ofada.
“Not much we can do if I’m not,” Seishirou said calmly.
“That’s not what I asked, Seishirou-san.”
“All right, I’m ready.” Seishirou stood and calmly folded the picnic blanket.
Subaru picked up one of the thermoses of lemonade and dumped it on the ofada. “Sorry to waste the lemonade,” he said. “I forgot to bring water.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Seishirou replied. “How exactly are you doing this, anyway?”
“I’m going to move the wards further in until it has nowhere to go but inside the tree, then I’m going to put a spell on the tree so the spirit can’t get out.”
“A good idea,” Seishirou said approvingly.
“Let’s hope,” Subaru said, pulling his robes tighter around him as the wind began to blow sakura petals past them. Seishirou drew a handful of his own ofada out of his pockets.
“Good luck, Subaru-kun,” Seishirou said with an almost cheerful smile.
Subaru stared at him for a second, then nodded. “To you too, Seishirou-san.” Then he couldn’t see Seishirou anymore, as the petals swirled up between them. He forced back the panic that was rising in his throat and concentrated on doing his job.
Seishirou raised a hand to protect his face, catching one last glimpse of Subaru through the flowers, then casting out a single ofada in front of him. He couldn’t afford to use them too quickly; he had to stall, to buy Subaru time.
We have come for you . . .
“Sorry,” Seishirou said calmly. “You can’t have me.”
We’re not giving you a choice!
“I’ll make my own choice. Besides, Subaru might have something to say about that.”
He could practically hear the Tree smirk.
He poses no threat. We’ve taken care of him once, we can do it again.
Seishirou winced at the reminder, throwing out another ofada. Some of the sakura got through and slashed his cheek. Hurry up, Subaru-kun . . .
Subaru waited until the cloud of sakura was entirely within the perimeter he had set. Then he closed his hands in the traditional movement of prayer and began to chant. As the perimeter began to close, the cloud of sakura got thicker and more intense.
You are ours, there is no escape . . .
Seishirou was beginning to wonder. The smell alone was suffocating him, not to even mention that he couldn’t seem to draw air through the flowers. However, he was damned if he was going to let the Tree know that, probably literally. He could feel himself bleeding in at least a dozen places; his face, his hands, his neck. He was suddenly glad he’d worn a long sleeved-shirt, though he was somewhat disappointed by the fact that it was being shredded.
Subaru looked over in alarm. The perimeter was only big enough at this point to hold the Tree, the cloud of sakura, and Seishirou. If Seishirou didn’t make it out of the perimeter soon - and it didn’t look like he was going to - Subaru’s offhanded remark about shoving Seishirou into the Tree by accident was no longer going to be a joke.
He stopped closing the perimeter and waited. Seishirou didn’t come out. Subaru shifted from foot to foot nervously. Can he even breathe in there? The air around the tree was solid pink, but living, moving.
Subaru took a step forward and slashed through the perimeter with the dagger. Sakura began to float out, towards him. Subaru reached both hands in, wincing as the sakura sliced dozens of tiny cuts in them. His hand brushed against a piece of fabric; he closed his fingers on it and yanked. Seishirou stumbled out of the perimeter. His eyes were only half-open and his face and hands were covered in blood. Subaru cursed and, not having time to put him down, let him stumble to his knees. He threw out a handful of his ofada, driving the cloud back into the perimeter, and sealed it again.
Subaru took a quick glance at Seishirou to make sure the older man was still breathing, then began to chant again, pressing the spirits into the new tree.
He heard hundreds of souls shriek in agony and panic.
Subaru closed his eyes. I’m sorry . . . he thought distantly. It has to be this way. I can’t let you hurt him.
The perimeter closed.
Subaru felt dizziness wash over him, and chose to carefully lower himself to the ground before he could fall. He examined his bloody hands with a wincing expression, then made his way over to Seishirou. The man was unconscious, but his pulse was steady when Subaru checked it. He wiped Seishirou’s blood off his face with the sleeve of his robe. Then he shook the older man gently. “Seishirou-san. Wake up.”
“Uhh . . .?” Seishirou’s eyes cracked open.
“Come on. You may be able to carry me back to your apartment after things like this, but I certainly can’t carry you. Wake up.”
Seishirou half sat up, wiping a bloody hand across his face. “Did it work?” he asked, sounding considerably dazed.
“You’re still alive, aren’t you?”
Seishirou looked down at himself as if to check. “Yes.”
“Then it worked.”
“Oh, good.” Seishirou managed a smile. “I told you that you could do it.”
“Spare me the flattery until we’re in more of a position for me to appreciate it.” Subaru made it to his feet. “Time to get up.”
Seishirou got to his knees. Subaru extended a hand to him. “I think I’m happy here,” Seishirou said, putting his arms around Subaru’s knees and resting his face against Subaru’s stomach.
Subaru blushed. “Seishirou-san, we’re in a park. There are small children wandering around. And we’re a mess.”
Seishirou sighed and hauled himself to his feet. “You don’t let me have any fun, Subaru-kun,” he complained.
Subaru sighed and began to gather up the remnants of the picnic. Seishirou silently looked at the new Tree. The white sakura petals were slowly starting to tinge pink. “So this is it,” he said, almost wonderingly.
“Hai,” Subaru said, closing the picnic basket and standing up. “That’s it. I guess I managed it after all.”
“Subaru-kun?”
“Nani?”
“You amaze me.”
Subaru turned pink. “Arigatou, Seishirou-san.”
Seishirou smiled and put an arm around his waist. “Come on, let’s go home.”
“Oh, so now your apartment is ‘home’?” Subaru asked with raised eyebrows.
“It was a handy term. Are you going to insist on starting an argument?”
“Who, me? Argumentative?”
“When are you moving the rest of your things into my apartment?”
Subaru glared at him. “Why am I supposed to move in with you? You could move in with me.”
“I know you; you barely have any furniture.”
“I have some,” Subaru said defensively. “Besides, who said we’re supposed to move in together?”
Seishirou looked at him for a long second, then pinned him up against the Tree and kissed him.
They broke apart a long minute later.
“Now,” Seishirou said, “if you have no more objections, when are you moving the rest of your things into my apartment?”
Subaru was a little breathless. “As soon as possible.”
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Kakyou did his best to remain in the real world, but he found himself drifting into one of his Dreamscapes when he got tired. Staying in the real world took a decided amount of effort. He opened his eyes to a Dreamscape to see someone standing before him.
He had to admit he was surprised. People didn’t usually end up in his Dreamscapes without invitation. Also, the young woman before him was distinctly . . . odd.
She was dressed like a fish.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
“Oh, Seishirou-san,” Kamui said when he and Subaru walked in. “Kakyou was asking for you this morning. Hi, Subaru.”
Subaru smiled. “How are you feeling, Kamui?”
“Better, today.” Kamui eyed the bandages on Subaru’s hands and Seishirou’s face. “What happened to the two of you?”
“Malevolent tree,” Seishirou answered.
“It’s okay,” Subaru said quickly, seeing the distressed look on Kamui’s face. “We took care of it. Everything’s all set now.”
“Good,” Kamui said with a distinct look of relief. “Actually, Kakyou was asking to see both of you, which is distinctly odd, since he doesn’t even know you, Subaru.”
“Why don’t we go see what he wants?” Seishirou suggested.
“Okay,” Subaru agreed. He turned to Kamui. “We’ll come visit afterwards.” The two of them left the room.
Kakyou was half-sitting up in bed.
“You’re doing better already,” Seishirou said, walking in. “You wanted to see us?”
Kakyou turned to them and nodded. He blinked at Subaru a few times.
Seishirou mistook his confusion for lack of recognition. “This is Sumeragi Subaru. Subaru-kun, this is Kakyou.”
“Nice to meet you,” Subaru, always polite, said.
“I’m perfectly aware of who he is,” Kakyou said calmly. “In case you have forgotten, I was watching everything the entire time.” He looked at Subaru. “Nice job with the Tree, by the way.”
Subaru gave him an odd look.
“Anyway,” Kakyou said. “I asked to see you because I got a rather odd visitor in my Dreamscape the other day, with a rather odd request.”
“Odd?” Seishirou asked.
“Very,” Kakyou said. “She was dressed . . . like a fish.”
Subaru’s eyes widened.
“And she said she’d like very much to speak with both of you, but the only place she thought you’d be able to meet was within one of my Dreamscapes. So,” Kakyou waved his hand a little and the world faded into a Dreamscape. He was in something far more stylish than his hospital robes, and he was sitting on a floating globe. “I don’t know how I’ll ever duplicate this wardrobe in the real world,” he complained. Then he sighed. “Anyway. Hokuto-san? Are you there?”
Subaru let out a tiny whimper.
“SUBARUUUUU!!!!” Hokuto emerged and flung herself into her brother’s arms.
Bewildered, Subaru put his arms around his sister’s shoulders and hugged her tightly, squashing the angel wings attached to her back. “Hokuto-chan . . .” he whispered.
Hokuto let go and stood back, waving her arms wildly. “Like my outfit?!” She was dressed as an angel, complete with wings and a halo. The skirt was a little bit too short, and the shirt a little too tight. “I thought it was appropriate, naa, Subaru-chan?”
Subaru continued to stare at her.
“Subaru! Say something! Honestly.” Hokuto shook her head. “I wait nine years to see you and you can’t even manage to say anything to me! You’re just gaping like a fish!”
“Hokuto,” Subaru managed.
“Good, you remember my name.” Hokuto turned. “And you!”
Seishirou looked guiltily down at his shoes.
“How have you allowed his wardrobe to do this?! I mean, T-shirts and jeans, it’s so . . . ordinary!” She whirled back on her brother. “I raised you better than this!”
Subaru finally found his voice. “Hokuto-chan, we’re twins. You couldn’t have really raised me.”
“Oh, I did and you know it.”
Subaru gave up, remembering from past experience that it was pointless to argue with her.
“And geez, it took the two of you long enough to finally get together!” Hokuto said. “I’ve been waiting and waiting, but you two had to stubbornly persist on pretending you hated each other for nine years. Nine years! What on earth is wrong with you?!”
Subaru and Seishirou looked at each other.
They looked at Hokuto.
Subaru burst into laughter and pulled his sister into his arms. “You haven’t changed a bit,” he said. “Why didn’t you come visit me sooner if you were so concerned about the way my life was going?”
“There was too much going on! Besides, nothing I said would’ve changed your mind anyway. You had to get here on your own. But I know the two of you, you never would’ve gone any further without putting me behind you somehow. So I figured this was the easiest way to do it.” She pulled out of Subaru’s arms and fixed Seishirou with a stern gaze. “You were hardly helping the matter by repeatedly trying to kill him, you know.”
Seishirou blinked.
“Oh, yeah, sure! Now you’re speechless!”
“Hokuto . . .” Seishirou managed to say. “Gomennasai . . .”
Hokuto danced over and planted a firm kiss on Seishirou’s forehead. “I forgive you, Sei-chan. I’m much better at that than him.” She fixed her brother with a pointed glare. “Besides, it’s much easier to get cool clothes over here. You just take care of my brother!” She pointed a finger in their general direction. “Or I’ll get mad!”
“Heaven forbid,” Subaru muttered. “The last thing we need is one of your shrieking fits.”
“Be nice, Subaru-chan,” she said indignantly. “All I have to say is that you’d better name one of your kids after me!”
Seishirou and Subaru blinked. “Kids?” they both asked in unison.
“Isn’t that right, Kakyou?” Hokuto asked.
He raised his hands in surrender. “I’m staying out of this.”
Hokuto crossed her arms and glared at her brother and Seishirou. “You have to have kids, you know. You’re the head of the Sumeragi clan, and you’re the head of the Sakurazuka clan, so if you don’t have any kids both clans would die out!”
“I’m not really sure the Sakurazuka clan exists anymore,” Seishirou said.
“Sure it does,” Hokuto said quickly, not about to accept any argument. “Anyway even if it didn’t, Subaru still has to have kids, and he’s hardly going to be having any with anybody else.”
“Hokuto,” Subaru interrupted with exasperation, “had you or had you not noticed that we’re both men, and we can’t have children!”
“Oh, go talk to those genetics people that made Nataku; they’ll figure something out for you. Do I have to explain everything to you two?”
“Uhm . . .” Subaru said, guessing for a right answer. “Yes?”
“Men.” Hokuto threw her arms up into the air in a ‘what-next’ gesture. “Anyway,” she said, “you two have things to do and so do I, so I’ve gotta run . . .”
“What do you have to do?” Seishirou couldn’t help asking.
“I have a date,” she said indignantly. “You don’t think I spend all my time moping, did you? Honestly.”
“Wait,” Subaru said. “When do I get to see you again?”
“Uhhh . . . next Thursday? If that’s okay with Kakyou. You can come visit!”
Kakyou smiled. “I haven’t had this much fun in ages.”
Hokuto laughed and gave him a hug. “Good! Next Thursday!” She danced off into the distance.
The Dreamscape slowly faded back into the hospital room.
“That,” Kakyou said, “was amusing.”
Subaru was still staring. He turned to Seishirou and said, “That was my sister.”
“You noticed,” Seishirou said gravely. They visited with Kakyou for a while, then left to go back to Kamui’s room.
“She wants us to have kids,” Subaru said, still sounding somewhat dumbfounded.
“Let’s not worry about that right now. We haven’t even gotten the moving-in thing down pat.”
“I’m still a virgin, for God’s sake,” Subaru blurted out, then turned red. What did I just say? Oh God . . . too many shocks . . .
Seishirou gave him a hug. “Subaru-kun, you’re so cute. Besides . . . we could fix that . . .”
Subaru covered his face with both hands. “No more shocks.”
Seishirou laughed. “All right, Subaru-kun. Whatever you want.”
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++