Warnings: Introduction of OCs that we can't guarantee anyone will give a damn about, and one of the long-awaited lemons. Yay!
Chapter Nineteen
Seishirou had finally let up on his leash a little, and Seimei was again allowed out by himself, as long as it was during the day and he didn’t go into any unpopulated areas and brought Jack with him. Seimei felt much more reassured with a large King Shepherd by his side, knowing that the dog would rip Muraki’s throat out if requested. That was the joy of having raised a dog from a puppy, even if Seishirou wasn’t particularly fond of it.
Of course, his reason for going out for a walk was usually so Jack could get exercise, therefore the dog was required to come along anyway. Seishirou lived quite close to Ueno Park, and Jack was very fond of the park, so that’s where Seimei was when he first realized that someone was following him.
It wasn’t the first time. It had happened a few days previous, at which point he had vanished into an illusion and lost whoever it was. He had assumed that it was Muraki, and thus hadn’t mentioned it to Seishirou, in fear of losing his walking privileges. Unfortunately, when he disappeared into his illusion this time, whoever it was just kept following him.
He stopped at a payphone and dialed Seishirou’s number. “Dad, someone is following me,” he said without preamble, checking over his shoulder. He still saw no one. “And I can’t get rid of them.”
“Who is it?” Seishirou asked suspiciously. Part of him was looking forward to the chance to rip out Muraki’s heart again, but still . . .
“I have no clue,” Seimei replied. “I tried to disappear into an illusion but they just followed me right into it. I don’t want to go home, because he’d follow me all the way there and find out where I live.” Categorically never a good thing. He was figuring if all else failed, he would climb the Tree and pray.
Seishirou was thinking along similar lines. “Go to the Tree and stay there. It’ll protect you if need be. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“Okay.” Seimei hung up the phone and headed into the park as if everything was perfectly normal. He was slightly upset, feeling as if he had failed again. How the hell had he managed to follow him into the illusion, anyway?
He had just barely reached the Tree when another man walked over to him. He was quite obviously the person who had been following him; Seimei could feel the magic radiating off of him. Other than that, he looked extremely normal and good-natured, with dark hair and the same brown eyes that Seishirou had. “Konnichi wa,” he said pleasantly.
Seimei forced a smile, trying to look normal and still strolling casually towards the Tree. “Konnichi wa,” he returned, looking askance at the Tree.
::He doesn’t mean you any harm,:: the Tree informed him.
::No harm? He was following me!::
::Trust me, Seimei. He only wanted to find you. He doesn’t want to hurt you.:: The Tree’s voice was slightly smug. Seimei was sure that it knew something he didn’t.
“You’re Seishirou’s son, aren’t you?” the man asked.
“Um, well, that’s a pretty common first name, you know,” Seimei said nonchalantly, though he wasn’t sure that was technically true.
The man’s face split into a large, infectious grin, making him look about ten years younger than he really was. “I knew you were. Going into the illusion like that was a dead giveaway, kid. I wasn’t sure until then. It’s Seimei, right? My name’s Sakurazuka Senichi. I’m your great-uncle.”
Seimei tried to swallow his nervousness, remembering all the times Seishirou had talked about the unpleasantness of the rest of the family. He still forced the smile. “Nice to meet you.” He shook Senichi’s outstretched hand, reflecting that the man really looked too young to be anyone’s great anything. Then again, Seishirou had been fairly young when Seimei had been born.
“I’m not gonna eat you, kid,” Senichi said. “We just didn’t know what your dad was doing about an heir, so we thought we’d drop in an check on you.” He laughed slightly. “Imagine our surprise when Tsuki-chan dug up the fact that he already had a fifteen-year-old kid. None of us know anything about that.”
“Um, sorry?” Seimei asked, relaxing slightly. Even still, he was really wishing Seishirou would show up; he would feel a lot less nervous. Or even the Tree, though it seemed quite laid back about the whole situation. Seimei began to have a feeling he knew what it had been referring to when it had said something big was going to happen. “Who’s Tsuki?”
“She’s your cousin,” Senichi said. Then he paused. “Second cousin? Something like that. She’s a computer whiz. We’ve had her working to track down you and your dad. Most of us haven’t seen him since his mother took off with him, and damn was he ever well hidden.”
“Dad said that we weren’t on good terms with rest of the family,” Seimei said. He was loosening up more, going from nervous to quite confused.
“He did?” Senichi asked. Somehow, he didn’t seem surprised. “Yeah, well . . . Setsuka was a few burritos short of a combo meal. I can’t even begin to imagine what she told him about us.”
“Oh.” Seimei considered this. “Wait, when was the last time you’ve seen Dad?” He had figured, his father technically being the Clan Head and all, that he must have met them all at some point.
“Me personally? When he was three weeks old, just before Setsuka left with him,” Senichi said. “Mind you, I was only five at the time, so I don’t remember it very well. I think Kaiji-nii saw him a few days ago, but I don’t think he saw Kaiji-nii.”
“So he’s never met you?” Seimei asked, totally lost. “I thought he was the Clan Head.”
“Eh, he is, technically,” Senichi replied. “Since he’s the Sakurazukamori. But he made it pretty clear that he wanted absolutely nothing to do with any of us. Meiri-sama, his grandmother, has been running the Clan in his absence, with my help.”
“So why come look for us now?” Seimei asked, and then paused. ::Does Dad know how to give a straight answer?:: he asked, frustrated.
::Your father was repeating things he thought to be true,:: the Tree replied. ::For once, you really can’t blame him for this.::
::So his mother was a nutcase?:: Seimei presumed. ::Why’d they let her run off with Dad, then?::
::‘Let’ isn’t quite the word I’d choose,:: the Tree said dryly. ::She ran off with him and hid herself, quite effectively. And before you ask why I never told him, it’s because he wouldn’t have listened.::
::Oh.::
Senichi was waiting politely for Seimei to stop talking to the Tree, though Seimei was unaware that he could hear the conversation. When Seimei was finished, he continued. “As I said, we were worried about him having a successor. He’s in his mid-thirties now, you know. I’m only thirty-nine, and I have three children and another on the way. We were concerned. Then Tsuki-chan found out you existed, and we decided we had to meet you, see if he was training you. Which he obviously has been.”
“We?” Seimei asked. “How many people are there?”
“In the Clan? Really too many to count,” Senichi told him. “Your grandmother had three siblings, of which I was one, and your grandfather had two and then remarried after Setsuka left . . . it’s quite complicated, really.”
“I want to sit down,” Seimei announced.
“I’m sorry,” Senichi said. “This must be very sudden for you. Would you like to go out for coffee or something and I’ll explain the rest?”
::You’re sure it’s safe?:: Seimei asked the Tree. ::I can call Dad and tell him it’s okay? He’s probably left by now . . .::
::Positive,:: the Tree said confidently. ::And he knows already; I told him. I had to lie a bit, tell him I’d been testing you, but that’s okay. I’ll give him a cookie later.::
Seimei started giggling, he really couldn’t help it. Senichi, not wanting to seem like he was eavesdropping, raised a polite eyebrow at him. “Tree-san just said he’d give Dad a cookie,” he said, picturing the Tree bopping into their apartment and handing Seishirou a Subaru-shaped cookie.
Senichi smiled. “Ah, yes, the Tree,” he said. “Father used to tell us stories about it; it’s one of the few things of my early childhood that’s very clear.” He turned to the Tree and bowed slightly. “Very pleased to meet you.”
::You’re safe, Seimei, I promise you. Go ahead. And it’s very nice to meet you, too.::
Seimei smiled. “In that case, tea would be nice.”
There were a few diners and restaurants on the outskirts of Ueno Park; the two of them settled into one quickly. Seimei was insistent upon finding one with outside booths, so Jack could sit with him. Fortunately, the dog was obedient and settled at Seimei’s feet contently. Seimei got a mug of tea; Senichi got a double espresso and insisted on buying Seimei a piece of pie to go with his tea. “So,” he said. “What do you want to know? You must have hundreds of questions.”
“So many I can’t even begin,” Seimei said, getting a forkful of pie. “Just tell me about them.”
“Well, to begin with,” Senichi said, “your father was an only child, except for a half-brother that I doubt he knows he has. His mother, however, was one of four children. So in addition to me, you have another great-uncle, a great-aunt, and a number of cousins that I think would be once removed.” He frowned slightly, as if trying to picture the family tree in his head.
“Are any of them my age?” Seimei asked hopefully, wondering if Senichi was just going to get a pencil and start drawing the family on napkins.
“Well, let’s see,” Senichi said, “Kaiji-nii has two kids. Kai-kun is twenty-two, that’s a bit old for you, but Tsuki-chan is only nineteen. And Teiji, my son, is only seventeen. Hideki-kun is eighteen; he’s on your grandfather’s side of the family. My other two kids would be too young for you; they’re only twelve and nine.”
“Seventeen and eighteen,” Seimei repeated, all smiles now, thrilled at the propsect of someone he could be real friends with. He would be having his sixteenth birthday soon, anyway. He paused. “Where do you all live, anyway?”
“We have a compound on the outskirts of Tokyo,” Senichi told him. “I can take you to see it, but we should probably clear that with Seishirou-san first. I’ll have to have Chimori-san call him, I suppose.”
“Who’s that?” Seimei asked curiously.
Senichi blinked, and it was clear from his moment of hesitation that he had expected Seimei to know that already. “Seishirou-san’s father.”
“But he’s dead.” Seimei thought back to Hisoka, and clarified. “Dead and not here.”
“Dead?” Senichi was obviously surprised by this news. “Chimori-san? Not unless something has changed in the past three hours that I’m not aware of. Who told you that?”
“Dad. Dad thinks he’s dead.”
Senichi closed his eyes, looking momentarily pained. “Apparently Setsuka was more off her rocker than any of us thought. I suppose she wouldn’t have wanted Seishirou-san to go off with his father if he showed up. Well, she may have told him that, but it isn’t true.”
Seimei smiled again, eating some of his pie. “Well, I think he’ll be happy to hear that. You know, when he’s done having his heart attack.”
“He seems to be a tough cookie,” Senichi said, sipping his coffee. “I just wish we’d known that . . . we might have intervened sooner.”
“Tough cookie isn’t quite the word I’d choose for Dad,” Seimei said dryly, thinking of the way his father reacted to stress. “If I were you, I’d break the news very gently.”
“That might be difficult, given that he doesn’t seem to want to have anything to do with us,” Senichi said with a sigh. “God only knows the horror stories that Setsuka told him about us. If anyone could talk sense into him, it would be Chimori-san, but . . .”
“Let me and Tree-san try first,” Seimei advised.
“If you’re volunteering, by all means, go right ahead,” Senichi said with a smile.
“Dad’s a bit . . . off,” Seimei confessed, “when it comes to emotional stuff. I think we’d have a better chance.”
“I’m not surprised he’s off, given the way he was raised,” Senichi replied. “In any case, you’d be welcome any time, despite what he wants.”
“Thanks,” Seimei said with another smile. “I’d love to come and visit.”
Senichi nodded. “By the way, in case you’re wondering, the reason I’m the one here is because I’m the most skilled onmyouji in the family. Excepting Seishirou-san, of course. Kaiji-nii tried to come a few days ago, but he got lost in your illusions. You’re quite good at them.”
Seimei nodded, glad that mystery had been cleared up, then beamed under the priase. “Thanks. They’re one of my favorite things to do.”
“Your father seems to have done a pretty good job with you,” Senichi said.
“Er, well,” Seimei said, “it was mostly Mom.”
“Oh,” Senichi said, then asked, “Your parents aren’t married?”
Seimei shook his head, wilting a bit as he waited for Senichi’s reaction.
Senichi just laughed. “Well, the family tree is so complicated that I doubt anyone will notice.”
“Really?” Seimei asked, quite surprised. He was so used to getting shit for it that it was a refreshing change that Senichi didn’t seem to mind.
“We’re a pretty liberal family, on the whole,” Senichi said. “Sanemi-san -- that’s your grandfather’s sister -- has a kid and no one’s quite sure who the father is, except most likely her. We don’t really care.”
Seimei sighed in relief. “What does she do?”
“Sanemi-san? She’s a doctor. There are a few of those in the family.”
“Oh? What does everyone do?” Seimei was trying to soak up information like a sponge, and was quite pleased to find it working.
Senichi laughed. “Everyone? That’s a long list. I’m an assassin, so was Junko-san before she was killed. Mitsuru-san is another assassin; he, Seishirou-san, and I do almost all of that portion of the family business. Atsuko is a nurse, so she fits the doctor category. Kaiji-nii works with the government; infiltration and stuff like that. Eishi is the family accountant; Karisa is public relations on the off-chance that we need it. Ichido-kun -- that’s Seishirou-san’s half brother -- does some assassinations but works a lot with Kaiji-nii. Tsuki-chan is in computers. Kai-kun, Teiji, and Hideki are all in training to be assassins; they’ll take over when the rest of us are too old. The list goes on. Chimori-san is a journalist, of all things.”
“Wow,” Seimei said, absorbing all this. “I didn’t know it was such a needed field.”
“Well, it isn’t, really,” Senichi said. “Mitsuru-san, Seishirou-san, and I are responsible for almost the entire coutry’s needs. That’s only three of us.”
“You have a family accountant?” Seimei asked, backtracking.
“Aa,” Senichi said. “Though Eishi works more with those of us that take private contracts. Which is mostly, well, me. Though Tsuki-chan and Kaiji-nii both do as well, and I’m sure Kai-kun and Teiji will. And I believe your father does.”
“I’m having the most interesting month,” Seimei said, understating the case remarkably and feeling quite overwhelmed.
“I really didn’t expect this to all be such a shock to you,” Senichi said. “I figured Seishirou-san would have at least told you about us, even though he’d never told us about you.”
Seimei shook his head. “He thinks you don’t like him.” He analyzed that statement and his father, then added, “And that you don’t want him.”
“Well, we’ll have to clear that up,” Senichi said, finishing off his espresso. “Really, we thought he didn’t like us or want us. It’s all one big misunderstanding. Thank you, Setsuka.” He rolled his eyes slightly.
“Oh, can I have your phone number?” Seimei asked suddenly, not wanting to forget. “Or somebody’s?”
“Sure.” Senichi got out a napkin and drew a pen out of his pocket. He scribbled down two numbers and handed it over to Seimei. “The first is mine; the second is Meiri-sama’s. The current Clan Head, sort of.”
Seimei nodded. “I’ll convince Dad and we’ll come visit.”
“We’ll all be glad to have you,” Senichi assured him. “Teiji’s been whining anyway about how I let Tsuki-chan and Kai-kun pick on him. I’m sure he’ll be thrilled that there’ll be another teenager younger than him.”
“So he can pick on me?” Seimei asked, amused.
“Better than him picking on his two younger siblings,” Senichi said, making a face. “He’s the only one in high school right now, but of course he has trouble making friends. You know, being an assassin and all.”
“I know the feeling,” Seimei said fervently.
“That’s why we’re such a close-knit family, really,” Senichi said. “Everyone was really upset when Setsuka took off with Seishirou-san. That’s another thing I remember clearly about my childhood. All the commotion, and my mother crying all the time, and not understanding what was wrong.” He shook himself slightly.
Seimei searched for words of comfort. “Well, I’m sure he’ll be glad to have you, once he gets over the shock and confusion.”
“I hope so.”
~~~~
Seimei was not relishing this duty. He let himself in quietly, Jack at his heels. He never bothered to have Jack on a leash; it really wasn’t necessary. The dog padded off to Seimei’s room while Seimei went into the kitchen to talk to Seishirou. He was sitting at the table with a book. He looked up with a slight smile. “Hi. The Tree didn’t torture you too badly, did it?”
“He . . . well . . . didn’t torture me at all,” Seimei admitted. Seishirou raised an eyebrow, inviting further explanation. “He just . . . um . . . hedidn’twantyoutocomeandhesaidhewouldgiveyouacookie,” Seimei spat out, and smiled. “Want some tea?” He asked, wondering if he could slip liquor into it without Seishirou noticing.
He frowned. The only word he had really detected in that jumble was ‘cookie’, and he quite frankly had no idea what that had to do with anything. “What?” he finally asked.
“I just met my great-uncle Senichi-san,” Seimei said, trying to act very casual and putting some water on for tea.
“Senichi . . . he was one of Kaasan’s brothers, I think,” Seishirou said, now frowning even more. “You met him?” he asked, not sounding very pleased with this fact.
“Yeah,” Seimei said. “He was nice. He said they all miss you.”
Seishirou ignored the second part of the statement entirely. “How did you meet him?”
“He was the man that was following me,” Seimei told him. “Tree-san recognized him and told me that it was safe to talk to him.” He paused, now worried. “You’re not mad at me, are you?”
“You should have called me,” Seishirou said.
“Well, I did, when I thought I was in danger,” Seimei said, trying to sound reasonable rather than defensive. “And then things just sort of happened too fast. I came home as soon as we were done talking.” He looked at the floor.
“I suppose I can’t get mad at you, when the Tree was the one lying,” Seishirou said, in a tone of voice that didn’t seem too bode well for the Tree’s diet in the near future.
“I don’t think Tree-san meant to make you angry,” Seimei said, just too damn nice to let the Tree defend itself.
Seishirou sighed; he wasn’t about to speak for the Tree. “I’ll just lecture it later. Why was he following you?”
“He said they were afraid you didn’t have an heir, and when they went to look they found out about me. He was following me to make sure I was really your son.” He paused, then tried again. “He said they all miss you.”
“They can’t miss me,” Seishirou said distractedly. “They’ve never even met me.”
“Well, they want to meet you,” Seimei said, still staring at the floor. “And me. He said I could come over any time I wanted, but that he thought I ought to talk to you first.”
“Why would they want to meet me?” Seishirou asked, obviously not thrilled with the idea. “They hate me. And they hated Kaasan.”
Seimei shook his head, anxious to make his father understand. “They never approached you because you didn’t seem to want to have anything to do with them,” he explained. “They don’t hate you. He said they were all really upset when your mother left with you.”
“That’s not true,” Seishirou said quietly. “She didn’t leave. They threw her out.”
“He said they looked for the two of you, but she’d hidden you too well,” Seimei added.
“That’s wrong,” Seishirou said, his voice raising slightly. “They threw her out while she was pregnant with me. Why would my mother have lied to me?”
Seimei shrugged, having no idea. “Senichi-san said he saw you when you were three weeks old,” he continued. He really didn’t want to tell Seishirou that his mother was a lunatic.
“But . . .” Seishirou ran out of steam, and stopped.
Seimei glanced up a little, then the tea kettle started to whistle. He poured the water out onto the leaves. “You okay?” he asked.
“I’m confused,” Seishirou stated.
“Yeah, me too.”
“Why did they want to see you again?” Seishirou asked, wanting to be clear on this point.
“I guess they were just worried,” Seimei said. “He said they were a really close-knit family and I had great-grandparents waiting to spoil me. They want to see you too. It’s not just me.”
“Grandparents?” Seishirou asked, still confused.
“Great-grandparents,” Seimei corrected. Then he decided to drop the bombshell. “But he, uh, said your father is still alive.” He poured a mug of tea and put it on the table in front of Seishirou.
Seishirou stared at it, as if he didn’t know what it was for. “No. My father’s dead.”
“That’s what I said,” Seimei told him. “But I was quite firmly told that I was wrong.”
“Kaasan wouldn’t have lied to me about something like that,” Seishirou said stubbornly.
“I don’t know,” Seimei said helplessly. “Senichi-san gave me his phone number and the phone number of your grandmother.” He offered the crumpled napkin to Seishirou.
Seishirou looked at it, then batted it away. “No thanks. I don’t need to listen to their lies in person.”
“But . . . what if they aren’t lying?” Seimei asked. “Isn’t it worth it to find out?”
“Kaasan wouldn’t have lied to me about Tousan being dead,” Seishirou said, louder.
“Okay, okay,” Seimei said, downcast. “But . . . they still want to see us. Maybe they still want to be our family.”
Seishirou looked at Seimei and felt his stomach twist. He really didn’t want to have to tell him no, but . . . “Maybe . . . maybe she didn’t know,” he said, knowing that he was grasping at straws, but not wanting to outright say that she had been lying.
Seimei grabbed onto this slim ray of hope. “Maybe she didn’t,” he agreed. “People make mistakes all the time.”
“Seems like an awfully big thing to make a mistake about,” Seishirou said, apparently not convinced yet.
“But I thought you didn’t care about me,” Seimei reminded him. “People make big mistakes sometimes.”
Seishirou didn’t bother to point that he had, in fact, been willfully deceiving Seimei on that count. He just looked at his son and sighed. “You really want me to call, don’t you.”
Seimei nodded. “There are people there, kids my age. People I don’t have to hide from. But I don’t want to go without you.”
“Why not?” Seishirou asked curiously.
“Because you’re my family, more than they are at the moment,” Seimei told him. “I don’t want it to be separate. And if they really want to see you, you have that right just as much as I do.”
Seishirou didn’t really want to see them, but he also didn’t want to say so. “I suppose I could go once,” he finally said.
“Just once,” Seimei agreed, eagerly snatching up the offer. “I’ll call if you don’t want to.”
Seishirou just nodded. “I suppose we can go this weekend.”
“Okay.” Seimei could no longer resist. He walked over and gave his father a hug. “Thank you.”
Seishirou looked down, then sighed and hugged back. “You’re welcome,” he said, and wondered when he had turned into such a pushover.
~~~~
“Well, what do you think?” Fuuma asked, plopping onto a rock and watching as Kakyou peered around with a dazed expression. “Big enough for you?”
“It’s beautiful,” Kakyou said, staring out at the ocean.
Fuuma didn’t want to disturb him, so they sat in silence for a while as Kakyou tried to absorb every aspect of it into his memory. He wondered if Kakyou’s Dreamscapes would be more accurate from now on.
“We should build a sandcastle or something,” Fuuma said absently. He hadn’t been to the beach in a long time; he’d never been particularly fond of it himself. Still, it was different now, somehow. The last time he remembered being there was when he’d still been very young, and Kamui and Kotori had both been with him.
“Not right now,” Kakyou said. “I’m still absorbing.”
Fuuma laughed quietly.
Kakyou walked down to where the ocean met the sand and waded in, letting the waves tickle his feet and soak the bottom few inches of his pants. He stood there for what seemed like ages, just watching the waves. He didn’t hear footsteps behind him, and hadn’t realized Fuuma had walked up until he wrapped his arms around Kakyou’s waist from behind.
“I didn’t realize it would be so big,” Kakyou said quietly.
“Looks like it goes on forever, doesn’t it,” Fuuma replied thoughtfully.
Kakyou nodded slightly. “It’s very loud.”
“Now you know why the absolute silence of your Dreamscape creeped me out,” Fuuma said with another quiet laugh.
“It’s strange,” Kakyou said. “That’s all I had for nine years and it was all wrong. Even my fantasies couldn’t measure up.”
“It’s just because you’d never seen it,” Fuuma said. “It’s like . . . you know, someone blind from birth can’t imagine color. They don’t have the capacity for it. It’s kinda like that.”
“I suppose,” Kakyou said. “For a while, I didn’t think I had the capacity for life.”
“We all make mistakes,” Fuuma said softly.
They stood in silence for a long minute while Fuuma held him, both of them watching the ocean.
“Do you miss her?” Fuuma asked curiously.
“No,” Kakyou said. “I regret what she could have given me, but I didn’t know her long enough to miss her.”
“You know,” Fuuma said thoughtfully, “when I was talking to Nataku, I told him that part of the reason we got along so well was because we had so much in common, like losing our first -- ” he coughed slightly -- “that is, our only loves. So do you think it makes me a bastard that I’m glad she died? Because if she hadn’t . . . you might never have even liked me.”
“No, I don’t think you’re a bastard,” Kakyou said, and there was a slight smile on his face.
“Do you think you would’ve liked me if you’d been happy?”
“I think I would have, if I’d gotten to know the real you . . . and if I’d been happy, I’m not sure I ever would have had the opportunity.”
“I suppose that’s true,” Fuuma replied.
“I’m happy with what I have,” Kakyou said.
“Are you really?” Fuuma asked softly, thinking back to what Nataku had said.
“I’m content,” Kakyou rephrased.
Fuuma didn’t reply.
“And my feet are cold,” Kakyou added.
Fuuma laughed. “Well, let’s get out of the water, then. I brought a blanket, so we can sit on the beach for a while. But not too long. I want dinner.”
“Okay.”
The two of them spread out the blanket and plopped down on it. Fuuma sat Indian-style, and Kakyou showed great daring by sitting just in front of him and leaning back against his chest. Fuuma didn’t seem to have any objection to this, but again wrapped an arm around his waist.
“Fuuma?” Kakyou asked hesitantly. “Does it . . . bother you that . . . that I keep draping myself on you?”
Fuuma laughed slightly. “No . . . it doesn’t really. I mean, I never get it from anyone else, and I still like it, so I guess that makes sense.”
“I didn’t want to feel presumptuous,” Kakyou said.
“Well, I did it enough at first, carrying you around everywhere,” Fuuma said. “So I’m surprised you would be.”
“Yes, but that was necessity.”
Fuuma laughed. “Well, half the time it was just because I felt like it.”
“I was just checking.”
“That’s okay.” Silence for a few minutes. “Kakyou, you are glad that I got you to wake up, aren’t you?”
“Yes. Very. Did I give the impression otherwise?”
“Nah. I’m just insecure.”
“So am I. Don’t worry about it.”
Fuuma smiled. “Well, do you want to go get dinner? We can come sit on the beach later . . . watch the stars or something.”
“We can go eat,” Kakyou said. “Before your stomach starts making those funny little noises.”
Fuuma gave him an odd look. “All stomachs make those noises,” he said.
“Some more than others.” Kakyou poked Fuuma in the stomach, and then stood, heading back the way they’d come, leaving Fuuma staring after him with a bewildered expression.
~~~~
Seimei’s hands were practically shaking as he attempted to dial the number Senichi had given him. He didn’t think it was very fair that he had to call, because he was shy on the phone. Then again, the chances that Seishirou was going to call were slim at best. He really didn’t seem fond of this whole ‘meeting the family’ idea.
“Sakurazuka desu.”
“Uhm . . . can I speak to Senichi-san, please?”
“Yeah, sure. Hold on a sec.” There was a loud clunk as the phone was put down, then a voice yelling, “DAD!! IT’S FOR YOU!!”
Seimei waited, practically cringing, until Senichi picked up. “Moshi moshi, Senichi desu.”
“Uh, hi, it’s Seimei and you said one of us should call,” Seimei stuttered.
“Oh, hi, Seimei-kun,” Senichi said easily. “My son didn’t scare you, did he?”
“No,” Seimei lied, “not really.”
“How’d your dad take the news about you meeting me?” Senichi asked curiously.
“Not very well,” Seimei admitted, twirling the phone cord around his fingers nervously. He had a bad habit of pacing while on the phone.
“Oh.” Senichi sounded disappointed. “So are you not coming to meet the rest of us?”
“No, he said I could arrange a time.”
“Well, that’s good at any rate,” Senichi said, regaining his cheer. “Hopefully he won’t do anything stupid, that’s all. This Saturday okay with you?”
“Yes, but, you’d have to wait until I get out of school.”
“Oh, that’s okay. Just come on over afterwards. Did you tell Seishirou about his father?” Senichi now sounded slightly apprehensive.
“Uh, yeah. He . . . didn’t take it very well.”
“I hardly expected him to,” Senichi said. “Exactly how badly did he take it? I just want to prepare Chimori-san with what to expect from Seishirou-san.”
“I’m pretty sure he thinks you’re lying,” Seimei said flatly.
Senichi made a slightly disgusted noise in the back of his throat. “God, how did Setsuka raise that kid, anyway?”
Seimei hoped that the family would be understanding of Seishirou’s oddities. “I’m sure I don’t know,” he finally said.
“I suppose she was long dead by the time you were born,” Senichi said with a sigh.
“As I understand it, she died when Dad was fifteen.”
“Yeah, we know.” Senichi sighed. “Well, get a pen and paper and I’ll give you directions, okay?”
“Okay.” He took the directions and looked them over to make sure they made sense. They were relatively complicated, and he hoped to hell that Seishirou could decipher them and wouldn’t have to call himself.
“So this Saturday, right? You’re sure your father won’t back out?”
“I’m pretty sure,” Seimei said. Seishirou seemed awfully intent on making him happy lately, so he figured if worse came to worst, he could just blackmail Seishirou into bringing him. Not that he wanted to do this, of course, but . . .
“All right then. I’ll let Meiri-sama know and contact you if there are any problems.”
“Ah, okay.” Seimei gave Senichi his number at Misako’s. Somehow he just didn’t think it would be a good idea for them to call Seishirou. Of course, Seishirou had been spending a great deal more time with him than just weekends of late, but if Misako got the message, she would be sure it got to Seimei eventually.
“See you then,” Senichi said.
Seimei nodded at the phone. “Jaa ne.”
“Jaa.”
Seimei hung up the phone and poked his head into the living room, where Seishirou was sitting with a book that he wasn’t reading. “Uhh . . . Dad?”
“Yes?” Seishirou put the book down.
“Senichi-san said it was okay if we came over on Saturday.”
Seishirou considered this for a long minute. “Aa,” he finally said.
Seimei hesitated for a long minute. He wasn’t quite sure what to do with that statement. Was Seishirou angry? Or just noncommittal? “What do you want for dinner?” he finally asked.
“Whatever you want is fine with me,” Seishirou said, picking up his book again.
Seimei slumped into the kitchen to see what was available.
“Ano, Sei-kun?” Seishirou called after him.
“Yes?” Seimei came out of the kitchen, hopeful that Seishirou would now show some opinion on the matter before him.
Seishirou’s voice was very carefully neutral. “Did Senichi-san say anything about my father?”
“He asked if I had passed along the information, and asked how you took it,” Seimei said.
“But he didn’t say anything about the man himself?”
“Just that he wanted to, uh, prepare him to meet you,” Seimei said nervously, playing with the hem of his shirt.
“Ah,” Seishirou said. “Warn him about what a lunatic I turned out to be, you mean?”
“I don’t think that’s quite how he meant it.”
“Of course.”
Seimei examined all his courses of action, and reverted to type. “I’m sorry that you don’t want to go, you can just drop me off. I’ll go make dinner.” And he hurried into the kitchen.
“Sei-kun, get back out here,” Seishirou said, a touch of irritation in his voice.
Seimei crept back out, now positive that Seishirou was mad at him.
“This isn’t your fault,” Seishirou said. “I’ll go with you because I know you want me to go. But understand that this is a pretty big thing for me, and I’m going to be a tense, irritable bastard all week, and don’t take any of it personally. Okay?”
“Okay,” Seimei said meekly.
Seishirou gave him a look. “Are you agreeing because you agree, or just so I won’t get mad?”
“A little of both.”
“Good enough. Let’s go out to eat. I don’t feel like cooking.”
~~~~~
Seeing as the trip wasn’t planned, Fuuma had no hotel reservations. There was a very nice seaside resort, however, and he asked for a room there. They only had one free, and Fuuma absently accepted it without thinking to ask how many beds there were. Which, because the gods laugh in the face of inattention, meant there was only one.
“Well, this is dandy,” Fuuma said, blinking at the bed.
“You get the floor,” Kakyou teased, poking him in the ribs.
“It’s a double bed,” Fuuma stated, setting the suitcase down in the corner. “There’s room for two.” The very idea gave his stomach the flip-flops, though he was damned if he was going to let Kakyou realize that.
“Can you keep your hands to yourself?” Kakyou asked, eyebrows raised.
Fuuma was pretty sure he was joking, though not one hundred percent positive. “Hands, sure,” he said. “Other parts, maybe not.” He was rather uncomfortably aware of the sexual tension flooding the air. Damn Kakyou for being so hot anyway.