Part Eleven
Sorata approached nervously, not relishing this duty in the slightest. He took a long look at the figure before him, slumped into a chair in the hospital waiting room. Subaru had gone very cold and very quiet after the hysterics had passed, and he had been sitting the same chair ever since, not moving. Even his facial expression had remained the same: perfectly blank.
Sorata cleared his throat gently to alert the Sumeragi to his presence, but Subaru didn’t so much as twitch. “Subaru-san?” Sorata tried.
After a long pause, Subaru turned empty green eyes towards him. “How’s Kamui doing?”
Sorata looked nervous. “He’s . . . okay. He swallowed a little water and he’s gonna be one hurting puppy from hitting like that . . . but the doctor said he’d be fine in three or four days.”
Subaru gave a little half-nod, then said faintly, “I need a cigarette.”
Sorata extended his hand and helped the trembling onmyouji out of his chair and out a side door. Subaru lit up and smoked his cigarette with hands that shook.
After a long silence, he turned to Sorata. “What . . . did the doctor say?”
Sorata shifted uneasily.
“Please,” Subaru whispered, “just tell me.”
Sorata nodded slightly. “Seishirou is . . . alive. But he’s on life support. And when they tried to take him off . . .” He made a small gesture with his hands. “Nothing.”
More silence.
“He was underwater for so long before we got to him . . .” Sorata said softly.
A tiny shudder ran through Subaru’s body at the memory of Seishirou, cold and soaked and still.
“I just couldn’t stop screaming . . .” Subaru murmured.
“What?” Sorata leaned closer.
“Nothing.” Subaru rubbed his eyes. “I’m sorry for being hysterical earlier.”
“It’s okay,” Sorata said. “We all understood.”
Subaru dropped the cigarette and ground it under his foot. “Can I see him?”
“The doctor said normally he wouldn’t allow it, but since he knew you . . . that it would be okay.” Sorata opened the door and held it for Subaru, who nodded his thanks and followed Sorata to the room Seishirou was in.
“I’ll just . . . wait here,” Sorata said.
Subaru nodded again, then said, “You may as well go. I’ll probably be in there for a while. Go check on Kamui.”
Sorata hesitated, then nodded. “Okay. I’ll come back later.”
Subaru pushed the door open and went in. To his surprise, the doctor was still there. “Touma-san.”
The doctor looked up. “Konnichi wa, Subaru-san.” He looked tired. “You two can’t stay out of trouble, can you.”
Subaru walked forward, looking at the various monitors and wires in trepidation. “I suppose not.” His eyes traced over Seishirou’s face, then back to Touma. “What is . . . all this?”
“Most of it’s fairly standard,” Touma said. He tapped the mask over Seishirou’s face. “This is his respirator. Right now it’s breathing for him, and it’ll start beeping if he initiates a breath on his own. One IV is running in antibiotics to fight any bacteria that may have been in the water, the other IV is for nourishment. These are to monitor his heart rate. These up here are for his brain waves.”
Subaru’s eyes tracked to that screen. “Are those normal?”
“For someone in a deep coma, yes,” Touma replied.
Subaru’s knees gave out and he thudded, hard, into the chair next to Seishirou’s bed. “Is he going to wake up?” he whispered.
Touma hesitated.
“Please,” Subaru said, “please be honest.”
“He may,” Touma said. “I don’t know. But . . . it would take a miracle. He was underwater so long, and the water was so cold . . .”
His voice trailed off.
“Thank you,” Subaru said, “for telling me. And for trying to save him.”
Touma just watched him.
“If I could . . . just be alone with him,” Subaru whispered.
Touma nodded. “I’m sorry, Subaru-san.” And he backed out of the room.
Subaru leaned forward, resting his head on Seishirou’s chest, listening to the steady but slow heartbeat, letting his head go up and down as the respirator forced air into Seishirou’s lungs.
****
Seishirou was very, very cold.
He was aware mostly of that, and of pain, and of the fact that he was curled up into a little ball on a hard but strangely giving floor.
He was aware of light, underneath him and above him.
He was aware of soft footsteps, and a soft voice that was only unfamiliar because he’d never heard it so soft before saying, “Oh, Sei-chan . . .”
He was aware of being gathered up in someone’s arms and held, and of tears falling onto his cold skin.
His eyes opened.
“Hokuto-chan . . .”
Hokuto hurriedly wiped the tears off her cheeks and pretended that Seishirou hadn’t seen them. “How are you feeling, hm?”
“My head aches,” Seishirou replied, lifting one hand to it and rubbing his temples. “Am I dead?”
Hokuto made a face with indicated that she was about to launch into a long explanation.
“The short version, please,” Seishirou amended.
“No, you’re not dead.” Hokuto said nothing more.
“All right, maybe a little longer version than that,” Seishirou said.
“You’re not dead, but you’re dying,” Hokuto said. “I managed to intercept your soul and keep you from going over to the other side. Your body is a shell right now.”
Seishirou stared at her. “Why?”
“Why did I stop you? Baka.” Hokuto gave Seishirou a smack upside the head. “You are simply not allowed to leave my brother alone like this.”
Seishirou drooped, letting Hokuto hold him. “What’s the use? It’s clear that it’s not allowed for us to be together. I’m tired of fighting this.”
Hokuto stared at him. “Now that doesn’t sound like the Sakurazuka Seishirou that I remember!” she said indignantly. She let go of him and got to her feet.
“The Seishirou you remember has been through a lot,” Seishirou said wearily, getting to his feet. “I’m tired, Hokuto, do you, with your boundless energy, understand the word tired?” He looked away. “I’d rather die now than watch Subaru and I get torn apart a bit at a time.”
“Oh, you . . . you!” Hokuto walked over and slapped Seishirou across the face. “How can you do this to him?” she yelled. “How can you just leave him like this?! Don’t you care about him at all?!”
Seishirou lifted one hand to his cheek and did something no one, including Subaru, had ever seen him do before.
He began to cry.
It wasn’t anything big, not sobs, just tears that slowly slid down his cheeks and gathered at his chin before falling to the floor.
Then he sank to his knees.
“Oh, Sei-chan, I’m sorry . . .” Hokuto knelt beside him and held him.
Seishirou leaned against her heavily. “I can’t do this anymore,” he said. “I just can’t. I love him so much that it kills me every time he gets hurt.”
“Shhh,” Hokuto said, running her fingers through Seishirou’s hair.
Seishirou pulled away and rubbed his eyes. “Thank you.”
She regarded him sympathetically. “But don’t you see, Sei-chan? You hurt him even more if you leave.”
“I know.” Seishirou’s eyes - Hokuto noticed detachedly that both were brown - were confused. “But I don’t know what else to do.”
“You can make it through this,” Hokuto said. “I know you can.”
Seishirou just closed his eyes.
“Besides,” Hokuto continued, “technically, Fuuma killed you, right?”
“I suppose,” Seishirou said.
“Well, just picture what a lousy Sakurazukamori he would make.”
Seishirou couldn’t help but laugh.
“It’s not much longer now,” Hokuto said gently. “Please, Sei-chan . . . you can rest for a day or so first . . .”
Seishirou looked back at her with some of his old self in his eyes. “How do I get back?”
“See, I’m kinda not allowed to tell you that,” Hokuto said, cringing. “I got in big trouble for keeping you from going over. I’m not even supposed to be here at all, and if I told you I’d get in even more trouble. But it’s not that hard.” She shrugged. “You just have to find your life, that’s all.”
“Oh, is that all?” Seishirou muttered.
“I’ve said too much already!” Hokuto said melodramatically, but there was a gleam in her eye. She danced over and planted a firm kiss on Seishirou’s forehead. “Good luck, Sei-chan! I’ll be in touch!”
With that, she faded from view. Seishirou lay down on the floor, eyes unfocused, and rested.
****
“I want to go see him. Now.” Kamui’s tone was firm. Sorata looked nervous and ruffled his hair.
“Kamui, you aren’t supposed to get out of bed yet and Subaru refuses to leave Seishirou’s side . . .”
“I don’t care.” Kamui sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed.
“Be careful, for crying out loud.” Sorata saw that he was losing the argument and helped Kamui up. “Fine, you can go see them, but don’t hurt yourself.”
The two of them slowly made their way down the hall to Seishirou’s room. Subaru was still sitting inside. Sorata wasn’t sure he had moved at all in the twenty-four hours since they had left him there.
“Subaru . . .” Kamui carefully made his way over and sat down in the other chair in the room.
Subaru glanced up, said nothing.
Sorata chose this moment to tactfully leave the room.
“Subaru, I’m so sorry . . .” Tears started to slide down Kamui’s cheeks. “I tried to save him . . .”
Subaru’s eyes softened and he pulled the unresisting boy into his arms. “I know you did,” he said softly. “It’s okay, Kamui. I don’t blame you. We’d both be dead if you hadn’t been there.”
“If I’d been stronger . . .” Kamui began.
Subaru shook his head, smoothing Kamui’s hair. “Kamui, Seishirou and I put together probably weigh at least three times as much as than you. There was nothing you could do.”
“But he’s . . .” Kamui stopped himself abruptly.
“Dying,” Subaru supplied softly.
Kamui looked away.
“Well,” Subaru said, running his fingers through Seishirou’s hair absently, “we had eight years. We knew this might happen. It was a risk we both accepted.”
“But Subaru . . . are you okay?”
Subaru considered this for a long minute. “No,” he finally replied.
“But can’t you . . . can’t you go Within him and try to wake him up?” Kamui knew he was grasping at straws.
Subaru tilted his head to one side and thought about it. “I suppose I could. It’s a good idea.” He placed one hand on either side of Seishirou’s face.
Kamui waited a long few minutes, then Subaru’s eyes opened again.
“Um . . . is it normally that fast?” Kamui asked hesitantly.
“No,” Subaru said. “But . . . there’s nothing there. No defenses, no walls . . . no anything. Seishirou-san . . . is gone.”
Kamui’s eyes widened slightly. “But that means - ”
“That he already crossed over,” Subaru finished for him. “And he won’t wake up. Yes. I know what it means.”
Kamui held his breath.
“Better to know, and not get my hopes up, I suppose,” Subaru said. He took a deep, shaky breath. “I guess I may as well . . .” He leaned over, resting his hand on the respirator, searching for a way to turn it off.
“No, Subaru, don’t,” Kamui pleaded. “He may yet . . . just give it another day . . .”
Subaru turned to him, his green eyes completely devoid of emotion. “He is gone, Kamui.”
“But - ”
“If I can accept that . . . you can too.”
“But Subaru - ”
“And he wouldn’t want to be like this.” Subaru waved a hand at the machines. “Kamui . . . I promised you that I would help you, and I will. I’ll make sure you get through this. Afterwards . . . I hope you won’t mind . . . if I go to join Seishirou.”
Kamui’s heart ached. “No,” he whispered. “No, I won’t mind. Just . . . do one thing for me?”
Subaru looked at him questioningly.
“Give it another day.” Kamui closed his hand over Subaru’s and pulled it away from the respirator. “I don’t know why . . . it’s just a feeling. Please . . .”
Subaru shrugged. “It doesn’t make any difference to me. He’s already dead.”
Kamui leaned his head on Subaru’s shoulder. The Sumeragi was scaring him; no one should be that calm in the face of a loved one’s death. Kamui wondered if it really hadn’t sunk in, or if Subaru was simply holding it all inside.
“It was a trap, you know,” Subaru said calmly, almost conversationally. “Fuuma set us up. He made it look like a test of loyalty, but all he wanted was to get us to waste our power on each other and then take both of us out. I suppose it almost worked, too.”
“I’m sorry,” Kamui whispered. “I don’t know why he didn’t climb up onto the island, too . . .”
“Probably because he was too tired,” Subaru said matter-of-factly. “And then he probably passed out and slid underwater.”
“He should have gone up first, then pulled me up after him,” Kamui said.
Subaru shook his head. “He knew . . . that he was running out of strength. And you had to survive. You are Kamui. If you die . . .” His voice trailed off.
“But - ” Kamui began.
“It was the sacrifice of the one,” Subaru said softly, “for the good of the many.”
“But - ” Kamui tried again.
“Seishirou,” Subaru continued, his voice trembling, “was the sacrifice. Seishirou . . .” He reached out and traced his fingers over the older man’s features, voice breaking. “Seishirou . . .”
A few tears leaked out, but he quickly gained control of himself, ruthlessly squelching the emotions. “I have work to do,” he said, standing.
“Work?” Kamui gaped at him.
Subaru paused for a long moment, then said, as gently as possible, “Fuuma will not leave Johnny alive now that he is of no use. I have to find him.”
“Oh,” Kamui said.
“You should get back to bed,” Subaru said. “I’ll stop by when I get back later.”
****
Finding his ‘life’ was somewhat more difficult than Seishirou had expected.
He never knew how long he stayed there, simply staring at nothing, before he gathered himself together and began to walk. The odd scenery around him dissolved quickly into Tokyo. His and Subaru’s apartment. Their bedroom.
Good a place as any to start, Seishirou reflected. He stayed there for a while, enjoying the quiet. He found, somewhat irritably, that his hands passed through anything he tried to touch. Being dead, he decided, was a distinct nuisance.
Finding his life, he decided, would probably involve, somewhere along the line, locating his body. So he walked to the hospital. It was a good hour’s walk, and he could hardly flag down a taxi, but the cold didn’t affect him, so he rather enjoyed it. He walked past Ueno Park, but it was different in the winter. Colder, and not in just the temperature sense.
Much to his surprise, Kamui was sitting with him, not Subaru. The younger man was simply staring at him contemplatively, worry in his large lavender eyes. Seishirou glanced down at himself, then looked away uncomfortably. He was glad, however, that Kamui had survived. At least his death hadn’t been meaningless.
“Hey, come on.” Sorata stuck his head into the room. “You need to get some more rest.”
Kamui nodded slightly, then stood. “I just don’t like leaving him alone.”
Sorata frowned, looking around. “Where on earth did Subaru go?”
“He went to get Johnny.” Kamui’s voice trembled. “He said that Fuuma wouldn’t leave him alive now that he served no purpose.”
Smart, Subaru-kun, Seishirou reflected. I’m glad you didn’t decide to waste time by crying over me.
“How’s Subaru doing?” Sorata asked as he helped Kamui out of the room, and Seishirou followed, as he was quite interested in hearing the answer.
Kamui shook his head. “Not . . . too well. He said he’d stay ‘till this was over, and that after that . . . I can’t really blame him. Seishirou was what he lived for.”
Seishirou leaned against the wall, watching the two of them make their way down the corridor.
-- Seishirou was what he lived for -
Pretty simple, really. Seishirou lived for Subaru. All he had to do to find his ‘life’ was to find Subaru.
****
Author’s Notes: In case you’ve never seen CLAMP Campus Detectives, it’s kind of important for this next set of events that you know that Nokoru is a world-class computer genius. Well, and a bunch of other kinds of genius, too. But computers especially. I’m not making this up.
“Rijichou . . .”
Nokoru looked up absently as the secretary poked her head into the room. He’d been feeling distracted and melancholy all afternoon; an unusual state for him. “Yes?” He forced his usual cheerful smile.
“Sumeragi-san is here to see you. He says it’s very important.”
“Show him in,” Nokoru said hurriedly, standing up.
The secretary nodded and disappeared. A few seconds later, Subaru appeared in her place. “Ohayo, Nokoru-san,” he said.
“Ohayo, Subaru,” Nokoru said, searching for words. “I heard . . . about Seishirou . . . I’m very sorry.”
Subaru nodded calmly, accepting the condolences but not reacting to them. “I need your help, Nokoru-san. Remember what you were telling me about the computer?”
Nokoru thought back and nodded.
“That’s what’s guarding the room that Johnny is being held captive in,” Subaru said. “I need you to find a way to distract it so I can get in and rescue him.”
Nokoru nodded again, his mind already racing. A good challenge was just what he needed right now, to help him stop thinking about what his friend must be going through. “Let me think . . . a normal computer virus wouldn’t work because there wouldn’t be any way to deliver it. However . . .” He plopped back down at his desk and spun his chair around. “The computer has been searching for an opening to CLAMP Campus for weeks. If I was to allow it to get in, I could plant a virus in the system . . .”
“Isn’t that dangerous?” Subaru asked. “It would have access to your files.”
“Oh, only for a few seconds,” Nokoru said. “And I’m sure it has virus detection, but if I was to specifically design one - we know quite a bit about this computer by now, believe me - then it might be able to slip through.”
Subaru hesitated. “If you’re sure . . .”
“Of course I am.” Nokoru waved Subaru’s concerns away, then gave the Sumeragi a worried look. “It’ll take me at least an hour; why don’t you lie down and get some rest? You look exhausted.”
Subaru nodded slowly. “Thank you.” He thudded onto one of the couches in the room and, rather than lying down, simply sat there with his head in his hands.
****
An hour and a half later, Subaru was on his way to the Government Building. Nokoru had synchronized their watches with the great glee that only he could display without being obnoxious. “I’m going to let down the security at noon exactly,” he told Subaru. “But you’ll only have about ten minutes before it can fight off the virus, so be careful.”
Subaru nodded and, knowing this, sent his Shikigami ahead of him to find Johnny’s exact whereabouts in the building. By the time he arrived, he had the route memorized. He checked his watch. Five minutes before noon.
He pulled out a cigarette.
All his thoughts were focused on the task in front of him. The only emotion he was aware of at the moment was a deep, burning anger.
His watched beeped, signifying that it was noon, the Beast would be distracted, and it was time to go. The route down to the room Johnny was in was complicated, but not overly long. Subaru glanced at his watch as he entered the room. Eight minutes to go. The room was almost completely silent. Johnny was in his usual corner, sound asleep. He was still tied up, but not gagged.
Subaru walked over and shook Johnny gently. “Wake up.”
Johnny’s eyes snapped open. “Hi. Not who I expected.”
Subaru pulled out a knife and cut the ropes around Johnny’s wrists and ankles. “Are you all right to walk?”
“Yeah. Bit stiff, but yeah.”
Subaru helped Johnny to his feet and checked his watch. Six minutes.
“I can’t feel my feet,” Johnny mentioned, leaning on Subaru as they went for the door.
“As long as you can still walk on them, you’ll have to make do,” Subaru replied.
“Okay,” Johnny replied.
They made it outside with four minutes to spare. Unfortunately, Fuuma was waiting on the front steps.
“Oh, for Christ’s sake,” Johnny muttered.
Subaru instinctively put up a kekkai.
“Konnichi wa, Subaru-kun,” Fuuma said cheerfully. “So you’re still alive. Surprise, surprise.”
“Charming little fuckface, isn’t he,” Johnny said.
Fuuma didn’t even glance at him.
Subaru was just standing there. His eyes had gone very cold.
“Sorry to hear about Seishirou,” Fuuma said pleasantly. “Thought he’d be a bit tougher than that.”
Johnny tilted his head to one side. “Eh?”
Subaru looked up at Fuuma. He searched a long time for something to say, before deciding that no words were the best words. He simply lifted one hand and traced a pentacle in the air, then tossed an ofada through the center of it.
Fuuma was not expecting the large explosion that resulted. He attempted to dodge, but couldn’t move quite fast enough and found himself flying to the bottom of the steps. He landed flat on his back, hitting his head against the ground. He was somewhat taken aback by all this, but he certainly wasn’t about to let that weakling triumph over him, so he got to his feet.
Or at least that was what he meant to do, but as soon as he made it to his knees, he was thrown backwards again. This time he turned in midair and landed on his stomach. He again tried to get to his feet, but he was somewhat disconcerted to find that Subaru’s foot on the small of his back was keeping him from doing so.
Johnny had retreated to behind a nearby car, where he would be out of the way but could still see what was going on.
Subaru grabbed Fuuma by the shirt and hauled him upwards, throwing him against the wall of the building and punching him squarely across the face, effectively knocking Fuuma’s head into the stone wall. “You just don’t have a capacity for judging people,” he spat out. “You underestimated me from the very beginning. And I let you, because it amused me and I knew it would come in handy someday. And someday is today, and I’m going to send you to meet Seishirou. Once you get to the other side, I’m sure he’ll find you and take his revenge himself.”
Johnny’s eyes widened. Suddenly, everything was remarkably clear.
“But first,” Subaru said, keeping Fuuma pinned against the wall and slamming his head into it another time for good measure, “I want to know if there’s any chance of getting Fuuma back.” He let go and let Fuuma slide to the ground. Fuuma was still trying to figure out exactly how he’d gotten beaten this badly. Subaru knelt beside you and put one hand on either side of Fuuma’s face.
Johnny walked over. “What the hell are you doing? Just curb-stomp him and let’s get the hell out of here.”
“I can’t.” Subaru closed his eyes and began to chant.
“Fucking morals,” Johnny muttered, and sat down, disgusted.
Fuuma’s mind had more defensive layers than Subaru had ever encountered before, but he was angry and that gave him the strength to fight his way through.
The center of Fuuma’s mind was cold and dark. Subaru looked around, trying to figure out where Fuuma really was.
“So you made it.”
Subaru spun around to see Fuuma facing him. He looked . . . well, normal. And evil. It was not the real Fuuma that Subaru was facing.
And where his heart was supposed to be, there was only a gaping hole.
“Where is he?” Subaru asked.
“Who?”
“Fuuma.”
Fuuma shrugged. “He’s dead.”
“You’re lying.”
“No.”
They glared at each other for a moment.
“See?” Fuuma gestured to the gaping wound in his chest.
Subaru just looked at him. “Where. Is. He.”
Fuuma shrugged. “That’s for me to know and for you to keep wondering.” With that, he disappeared.
Subaru looked around. Behind where Fuuma had been standing, there was a pedestal with a still-beating heart on it.
He took a few steps toward it, repressing the urge to be sick.
Well, he thought, there’s my answer.
And he turned and walked away.
Johnny looked up as Subaru opened his eyes and stood, backing away a few steps. “Can you kill him now?”
“I’m not sure I’m allowed to,” Subaru said. “I think only Kamui can.”
“Well, why don’t you try to find out?” Johnny asked.
Subaru appeared to consider this for a second, then said the unexpected. “All right.” He drew out his knife and held it above Fuuma’s chest.
Fuuma reached up and grabbed his wrist. “Not that easy, Subaru-kun.”
Subaru didn’t flinch. “I told you that I would kill you.”
“Apparently you’re a liar,” Fuuma said. He pushed Subaru upwards and made it to his feet. “Because I know you; you haven’t slept in two days. You can’t afford any more of a fight right now, not after that spell.”
Subaru got up and glared at him.
“But I’ll be nice and leave you alone for now,” Fuuma said. “I think I’ll leave you to wallow in your misery for a few days before I come to play with you again.”
“You bastard,” Subaru breathed.
“Jaa,” Fuuma called, and turned to walk away.
“Give me that,” Johnny said, and grabbed Subaru’s knife. He aimed carefully and let the knife fly. It landed with a solid thunk in Fuuma’s shoulder.
Fuuma’s steps paused, then he reached up and pulled the knife out, dropping it casually on the ground. Then he continued to walk, vanishing around a corner.
Johnny was too disgusted for words. He retrieved the knife and handed it to Subaru.
Subaru looked down at it, detachedly, then dipped his finger in the blood and traced a symbol on the hilt. Then he cupped his hands and took the kekkai down. “We’d better get a taxi,” he said. “I’m tired.”
They managed to flag down a taxi and get inside. Subaru leaned over the seat and gave the driver Johnny’s address.
“No, no, no, wait a minute,” Johnny said. “I want some answers.”
“In that case, I’ll need the questions,” Subaru answered calmly.
“What the hell is going on?”
Subaru blinked. “The world is ending, Johnny.”
“I’m not in the mood for your sarcasm. Where’s Seishirou?”
“In the hospital.” Subaru leaned over the seat again. “Is it okay if I smoke?”
“Sure, just open the window,” the driver replied.
Subaru cranked down the window and lit up. “Johnny, you’re giving me one of your flamingly disgusted looks. You have more questions, I take it?”
Johnny kept in mind that it couldn’t be easy for Subaru to talk about, and he ought to take it easy on the other man. “Try to explain to me precisely what happened to cause you to try to make a fine red paste out of Fuuma. It’s hardly your style.”
“You want the short version?”
“That’s fine.”
“Fuuma tricked me and Seishirou into depleting our magical sources by putting on a mock fight so nobody would think we were being disloyal, then collapsed Rainbow Bridge beneath us and Seishirou fell and drowned.”
“Oh,” Johnny said after a long silence. “Where are you going after you drop me off?”
“Back to the hospital room. Seishirou’s still on life support. They don’t expect him to wake up, though.”
“Which hospital?”
“The one on CLAMP campus.”
Johnny leaned forward and told the driver to skip the first stop and go straight to the hospital.
Subaru gave him a glance. “Don’t you want to see Liam?”
“I’ll call him.”
Subaru sighed. “Why are you insisting on going to the hospital with me?”
“Because I don’t trust you.”
“I won’t do anything stupid,” Subaru said calmly. “I already promised Kamui. I’ll even eat.”
“When was the last time you slept?”
“The night before Seishirou and I had that fight on Rainbow Bridge. That would be two days ago, I believe.”
“I rest my case.”
“I haven’t had a chance to sleep,” Subaru explained. “I had to rescue you.”
“Humor me. Let me go with you.”
Subaru raised an eyebrow at him. “And when was the last time you ate?”
“Two days ago. I’ll get food there.”
Subaru sighed. “It’s very boring to watch me sit there and stare at Seishirou, I assure you. You can spend time with me tomorrow.”
“What makes tomorrow so much more special than today?”
“If he hasn’t woken up by tomorrow, the doctor is going to take him off life support.”
“Well, you have two choices. Either let me go with you now, or make me waste the cab fare tomorrow.”
“Why are you insisting on going? I already promised I wouldn’t do anything stupid.”
“Because I think you need a hug and I’m not going to hug you in the cab.”
“You can hug me when I get to your apartment.” Subaru’s voice softened. “Besides, I called Liam and told him you’d be home this afternoon. You don’t want to make him wait, do you?”
“You astound me,” Johnny said.
Subaru blinked. “Okay, Johnny.”
“I expect you to eat and sleep in a timely manner.”
“You may expect whatever you wish.” Subaru leaned over the seat and told the driver to go back to his original instructions.
“Either promise me you’ll eat and sleep or I’ll sic somebody else on you.”
“I’ll eat when I get back to the hospital and I’ll sleep when I pass out,” Subaru said. “It won’t be much longer anyway.”
“A half-victory is better than no victory,” Johnny decided.
The cab pulled up outside his apartment. Subaru got out so Johnny could deliver the aforementioned hug. Johnny wrapped his arms around Subaru’s shoulders and held him tightly. Subaru rested his head on Johnny’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about me,” he said. “I’ll be okay. Really.”
“Liar,” Johnny muttered.
Subaru pulled away. “It’s okay,” he said. “Seishirou will wait for me.”
“Just as long as he’s willing to wait years,” Johnny said.
“He may be,” Subaru said quietly, “but I’m not.”
Johnny gave him a Look. “We’ll have this discussion tomorrow,” he said. “You’d best be around to have it.”
“I told you already that I promised Kamui I’d stay until the Promised Day.” Subaru managed a crooked smile. “And for you, Johnny, I may even be able to stay longer than that.”
“Thank you,” Johnny said.
“I’ll call you tomorrow,” Subaru said, and got back into the taxi. “Tell Liam ‘you’re welcome’ for me.”
****