Part Fifteen

Subaru was a little concerned; curled in Seishirou’s arms as he was, it was easy to hear the wheezing, rasping note that was still in Seishirou’s breathing. He hugged the older man a little closer, worried, and was gratified to feel Seishirou’s arms unconsciously tighten around him in return.

He was a little startled to hear the doorbell. He rolled over and glanced at the clock, then realized that it was only half past ten. Late for visitors, but not unreasonably so. He crawled out of Seishirou’s arms and fumbled on the floor for clothing. The first thing he picked up were the pants he’d been wearing earlier that day, but he rejected those. They were too tight and took too long to get into.

“Just a minute!” he called, sticking his head out into the hallway so he wouldn’t wake Seishirou. Clothing, clothing . . . he pulled open a drawer and came out with an old pair of sweatpants. Jumping into them, he went for the front door and pulled it open.

“Oh, hi,” he said to Kamui’s blushing face. “If I’d known it was you, I would’ve grabbed a shirt, too. Come on in.”

“I . . . I didn’t interrupt anything, did I?” Kamui stammered, his face the color of a ripe tomato.

“No,” Subaru said with a smirk. “It’s okay; we had our fun already. Seishirou’s sound asleep. You want some tea?”

“Please,” Kamui said.

Subaru went into the kitchen. There was already some tea sitting in a pot on the counter; he poured two mugs and stuck them in the microwave to warm up. “I’ll be back in a second,” he told Kamui, then went to the bedroom and shook Seishirou gently.

“Wha . . .?” Seishirou yawned hugely.

“Kamui’s dropped by to visit,” Subaru said. “So I’ll be up for a while. I just didn’t want you worried if you woke up and I wasn’t here.”

Seishirou nodded sleepily. “You want me . . . to get up?”

“No, we’ll be all right,” Subaru said. “I’ll get you if I need anything.”

Seishirou nodded again and rolled over, already drifting off again. Subaru grabbed the button down shirt the older man had been wearing and pulled it on, buttoning it as he walked out into the kitchen. He got there just in time to take the tea out of the microwave and plop it onto the table. Kamui was sitting with his knees pulled up to his chest. “Here,” Subaru said gently, to call his attention to the tea.

Kamui blinked at it, then nodded slightly. “Thanks,” he said absently, picking it up and sipping at it.

Subaru rolled the sleeves of Seishirou’s shirt up, so they weren’t draped all over the table. There was a long silence, then he asked, “Did you need something, Kamui?”

“I . . . no, that is . . . I mean . . .” Kamui stared into his mug of tea and blurted out, “I’m scared.” He paused, then added, “I’m sorry, Subaru . . .”

“For what?” Subaru asked. “Being afraid? It’s nothing to be ashamed of, Kamui.” He smiled weakly. “I’m terrified.”

“B-But you have Seishirou,” Kamui said. “He can . . . he can help . . .”

“He’s going to stay in bed if I have anything to say about it,” Subaru stated firmly. “He sounds awful, all wheezing and everything. And if he argues, I’ll make him sleep on the sofa.”

Kamui half-smiled. “But don’t you want him with you?”

“Of course I do, but not at a risk to him,” Subaru said.

“What are we going to do tomorrow?” Kamui asked quietly.

“Well,” Subaru said. “You need to stay at Tokyo Tower; that’s the central kekkai and I’m sure that’s where Fuuma is going to go. The rest of us will probably go where it’s needed; there are at least two other Angels that we need to deal with. I’ll try to stick with you if it’s at all possible.”

Kamui sipped his tea and looked shyly at the Sumeragi. “Thank you . . .”

Pause. Silence.

“What about Fuuma?” Kamui finally asked. “What am I supposed to do?”

“Whatever feels right,” Subaru said softly.

“Do you think I’ll be able to get him back?” Kamui whispered.

“I don’t know, Kamui.” Subaru took a drink of his tea. “I hope so.”

More silence, then something occurred to Subaru.

“Does Sorata know where you are?”

Kamui nodded slightly, blushing. “He made me come. I kept moping, until he finally said I should come talk to you, because you always made me feel better. I tried to tell him it was too late at night, but he insisted.”

Subaru half-smiled. “It’s nice to know he has so much faith in me.”

“Well, he’s right,” Kamui said. “I just . . . I know I won’t be able to sleep. And if I do, I know I’ll have nightmares. It’s awful.” He rubbed his face wearily. “I didn’t sleep at all last night, because you . . . you weren’t there . . .”

Subaru hesitated. He could hardly let Kamui coming to him at night become a regular habit; but this was the worst night possible to deny him comfort. Any feelings of abandonment or resentment tomorrow could bring an end to the entire world.

Afterwards, he thought. We can deal with it afterwards. He put down his tea and pulled his chair closer to the younger boy, pulling him into a hug. “If you want to stay tonight,” he said softly, “it’s all right with me.”

Kamui tried to pull away, but Subaru held him firmly and he gave up after a minute, resting his head on Subaru’s shoulder. “But . . . but Seishirou . . .”

“He’ll be okay with it,” Subaru said, thinking, Though I had better tell him to put some pants on.

“It’s weird,” Kamui said, laughing nervously.

“You could sleep on the sofa,” Subaru said, “if you’d rather.”

“N-No,” Kamui said. “I think after tomorrow, I’ll be okay . . . if you wouldn’t mind, just for tonight . . .”

“Just let me tell Seishirou,” Subaru said. And change the sheets. “I’ll be back in a minute.” He went into their bedroom. Seishirou was only half-asleep, and opened his eyes as he came in.

“Something wrong?” he asked.

Subaru paused. “Yeah, get up for a second and find some pants.”

Seishirou complied. “What is it?”

“Remember how I told you that Kamui started coming to me during the night, and falling asleep in my bed, for comfort’s sake?”

Seishirou nodded, taking out a pair of flannel pajama pants and pulling them on. Then he paused. “Oh.”

“I’m sorry,” Subaru said hastily, starting to pull the sheets off the bed. “But if we . . . if we turn him away now, tonight of all nights . . .”

“Subaru-kun.” Seishirou helped him take off the sheets, then gave him a firm kiss. “It’s fine. Quit babbling.”

Subaru blushed and got some new sheets from the linen closet. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah,” Seishirou said. “Kamui’s a cute kid, after all . . .”

Subaru sputtered. “Seishirou-san!!”

“Kidding,” Seishirou assured him quickly. “I’ll finish putting these on. You go back out to him.”

“Pedophile,” Subaru said, poking him in the ribs and retreating before Seishirou could come up with a suitable retort.

Kamui was still sitting at the table, staring gloomily into his now empty mug. He glanced up as Subaru came back in, then just as quickly glanced back down. “You’d better call Sorata and let him know,” Subaru said.

Kamui hesitated, then nodded. Subaru showed him where the phone was and listened in amusement to the one-sided conversation. “Hi, Sorata . . . no, I’m fine. You worry too much . . . yeah, yeah . . . well, I’m gonna stay at Subaru’s tonight, okay? . . . Not like that, you ecchi!! . . . No . . . we’ll meet you back at the apartment tomorrow morning . . . I’m fine, honestly, I just don’t want to end up staring at the ceiling all night . . . Sorata, if you make one more comment, I’m going to kill you . . . Yes, I’m well-aware that it’s all in fun . . . don’t make me tell Arashi about any number of your unpleasant qualities . . . you do too have them! . . . Oh, fine. I’ll see you tomorrow . . . yeah. Oyasumi.” He hung up the phone.

Subaru burst into snickers and tried vainly to bite them back.

Kamui glared for a second, then he started laughing too. “Sorata can be such a jerk.”

Subaru nodded agreement. “Come on, bed. I’m tired.”

Kamui hesitated again.

“Come on.” Subaru took his arm and pulled him down the hallway. Seishirou was already curled up on his side of the bed.

“I am not a pedophile,” he said firmly as Subaru and Kamui walked in.

Kamui paused.

“Oh, sure, like a twenty-five year old falling for a sixteen year old isn’t pedophilia.” Subaru crawled into bed next to him.

“I think the nature of the root ‘philia’ means that you do it all the time,” Seishirou said, then added with a wicked grin, “and I only ever loved you.”

Subaru whapped him in the face with a pillow. “You’re scaring Kamui. Shut up.”

Seishirou mumbled something about underappreciated and rolled over so he wasn’t facing either of them.

“Ignore him,” Subaru advised Kamui. “Sleep.”

Kamui hesitantly sat on the edge of the bed. “A-Are you sure . . . that it’s okay?”

“He’s even more polite than you were as a kid,” Seishirou spoke up, voice muffled through the blankets.

“It’s fine, Kamui,” Subaru said, ignoring Seishirou. “It’s important . . . that you feel safe tonight.”

Kamui nodded and lay down next to Subaru. “Because tomorrow, all bets are off?” he asked dryly.

Subaru sighed. “I wasn’t going to put it that way.”

“It’s okay.” Kamui closed his eyes wearily. “I think . . . if you’re there . . . I can at least hope that it’ll go all right.”

“Good.” Subaru hugged Kamui reassuringly. “Now get some rest.”

Kamui nodded and tried to relax. Subaru listened while his breathing slowed and deepened. Then he nearly jumped out of his skin as Seishirou put a hand on his shoulder.

“You scared me,” he whispered.

“Sorry,” Seishirou replied. “Just wanted to ask if you remembered to call Sorata.”

Subaru nodded. “Yeah.”

“Okay. Go to sleep, Subaru-kun.”

“You too.”

****

It was that damned ringing, Subaru reflected blearily, that always kept him from getting a good night’s sleep. Who the hell had invented alarm clocks anyway? He cracked one eye open and jumped as he found himself face to face with a large pair of lavender eyes. Memory returned in a rush and he relaxed. “Ohayo, Kamui,” he said sleepily.

“Ohayo,” Kamui said, sitting up. “Why was the alarm set?”

“I set it,” Seishirou said from his side of the bed. “I knew we’d sleep all day if we were allowed to.”

Subaru mumbled something uncomplimentary and climbed out of bed. “What time is it?”

“Nine,” Seishirou answered. “I didn’t know what time we should be up, but I figured better early than late.”

Subaru had to admit that this made sense, even though he was loathe to admit it. Then, he noticed with alarm, Seishirou sat up, rubbing his eyes. “Lie down,” he said, pushing Seishirou gently.

“Why?” Seishirou asked, yawning.

Subaru waited until the yawn was over. “Seishirou. I can hear you wheezing from over here.”

Seishirou paused. “So?”

“So you’re still sick, and you’re staying in bed, and I don’t want to hear you arguing.”

Seishirou fairly obviously planned on arguing. “But - ”

“I don’t want to hear it, Seishirou.”

“Subaru-kun, you may need my help and you know it.”

“And how much help will you be if you can’t breathe?” Subaru asked skeptically. He sat down on the edge of the bed. “Please, Seishirou. I don’t want to risk losing you again. Last time . . .” He recalled the sight of Seishirou’s face, pale and dripping, and shuddered involuntarily. “I don’t want to have to go through that again.”

“Subaru-kun . . .” Seishirou sighed. “All right. But you be careful.” He smiled crookedly. “Truth told, I do feel pretty awful.”

“See?” Subaru stood and started fishing around for clothes. “We’ll be fine. You stay here and rest.”

“Okay,” Seishirou said reluctantly.

“Thank you.” Subaru went into the bathroom and changed. “Besides, you’ll be with me in spirit, right?” he asked, only half-joking.

Seishirou took his hand and traced the inverted pentagram, which flared at his touch. “Yes,” he said softly. “I will.”

****

“Well, Tokyo Tower’s still here,” Sorata joked nervously as they took the elevator up to the top. “That’s a good sign, right?”

Kamui wasn’t in the mood for jokes. He was carrying the Shinken with him, though he’d argued long and hard that he didn’t want to have to use it. “It’s twice my size!” he had protested.

“So is Fuuma,” Subaru had said calmly, ending the argument effectively.

Nokoru had seen them off with unusual seriousness, assuring the Seals that if they needed anything, he would be in the office all day.

Subaru felt enveloped in a strange calm. One way or another, it was going to end today, and then he and Seishirou would be free to do whatever they wanted. Of course, they might be dead, but Subaru really wasn’t afraid of death. He knew what it was like, after all.

Kamui was the exact opposite of Subaru. The younger man was jumping at every little sound, and continually pushing his hair out of his face. It was clear that he was terrified. Subaru didn’t really blame him. He knew what Kamui’s nightmares were about; today he’d be coming face to face with the reality behind them.

Sorata had insisted, for the purpose of trying to keep Kamui from freaking out, on bringing a picnic. The seven of them sat on the top of Tokyo Tower with the requisite red and white checkered tablecloth and ate lunch. Subaru found this terribly amusing. One by one, however, the Seals were called away as earthquakes began. Yuzuriha left first, then Karen, then Seiichirou. Arashi was next to go, and Sorata insisted on going with her.

That left Kamui, who couldn’t sit still for more than two seconds, and Subaru, calmly sipping his tea.

“I can feel him coming,” Kamui whispered.

Subaru glanced around and stood up, picking up the tablecloth and neatly folding it. He didn’t want it getting in the way during any possible fight; it was rather windy. When he looked up, Kamui was standing very still. Subaru’s eyes traveled slowly over the platform until they landed on Fuuma.

At least, Subaru reflected absently, he came by himself.

“Fuuma,” Kamui said softly. Subaru didn’t think the other man even heard.

“It’s good to see you again, Kamui,” Fuuma said with a smile. “You’ve been taking care of yourself, right?”

“No thanks to you,” Kamui shot back. Subaru was pleased to see that Kamui wasn’t wilting into a terrified blob like usual.

(Author’s Note: Eheh… well, he *does*. No offense meant.)

Fuuma glanced at him. “Can you even lift that sword?”

Kamui did so, though his hands were shaking.

“Quite impressive,” Fuuma said, then glanced at Subaru. “So I hear Seishirou got out of the hospital a couple days ago . . .”

Subaru met Fuuma’s gaze evenly, but didn’t reply.

“And here I thought he was gone for good,” Fuuma said with a sigh. His eyes narrowed. “Somehow, I get the feeling I was deceived.”

“You came to whatever assumptions you wanted,” Subaru replied calmly. “If you assumed Seishirou wasn’t coming back, that’s not my fault or my deception.”

“Well, you were so angry that day you came to visit,” Fuuma said.

Subaru half-smiled. “How do you know I’m not like that all the time?”

“I suppose I don’t,” Fuuma said. “And believe me, I don’t plan on underestimating you again.” He smirked. “I’ll get you out of the way before dealing with Kamui.”

“Go ahead and try,” Subaru said, sounding much braver than he actually felt.

Fuuma glanced at Kamui and made an offhanded gesture. The portion of the tower above him crumbled.

“Kamui!” Subaru started forward, then realized that to do so, he would have to turn his back on Fuuma. He hesitated.

“I’m . . . okay . . .” Kamui’s voice came out of the rubble faintly. “I’m just not sure I can get out of here . . .”

Subaru opened his mouth to suggest that Kamui use his magic, but a blast inside such a small, sealed-off area would send him flying backwards. Before he could think of any further suggestions, Fuuma was aiming directly at him.

Subaru jumped, landing on a rail above them. Fuuma blasted one end of it, sending it swinging precariously. Subaru lost his balance and fell, grasping it by his fingertips and managing to hang on. Fuuma laughed, looking up at him. “Having trouble already, Subaru-kun?”

Subaru swung himself forward and let go, startling Fuuma and landing directly on top of the younger man, pinning him to the ground. “Not yet,” he said with a smirk, punching Fuuma squarely in the jaw.

There were no mind games, this time, and very few words. Subaru was fighting for his life, and he knew it. He wasn’t strong enough to take Fuuma on; the only reason he’d had such a spectacular victory the first time was because he’d taken Fuuma off guard. This time he had no such advantage, and his only hope was to hold out until Kamui could get free.

A quick glance over at where Kamui was trapped confirmed his suspicion that it was going to be a while. Subaru paced himself, dodging when he could and counterattacking only when necessary, using up his energy as slowly as possible.

In the end, however, it did relatively little good.

Fuuma slammed him up against one of the Tower supports, knocking the wind out of him. Before he could slide to the ground, Fuuma pinned him up there. “It’s too bad your precious assassin isn’t here,” Fuuma said softly, into Subaru’s ear. “I would’ve enjoyed seeing his face as I killed you.”

“If Seishirou was here,” Subaru replied, “you’d be dead by now.”

As if echoing his words, there was a shrill cry of a hawk.

“See?” Subaru said, and smiled.

Fuuma lifted an arm to protect himself from the Shikigami, dropping Subaru to the ground. A magical blast sent it winging away. Subaru tried to follow it, but he couldn’t quite see where it went.

He tried to get to his feet, and was somewhat concerned to find that he couldn’t. His magical energy was long gone, and he’d started eating into his reserves. At this point, there wasn’t much of that left, either.

Fuuma laughed at Subaru’s attempt to stand. “So you weren’t that difficult to beat after all. I must say I’m disappointed.”

“Fuuma!”

Fuuma turned, eyebrows raised, to see that Kamui had finally managed to free himself from his cage. “You’re just in time, Kamui,” he said conversationally. “You can watch while I kill your little friend.”

It wasn’t the right thing to say.

“You,” Kamui said, very quietly, “have taken everything from me.” Tears were running down his cheeks that he made no effort to stop. “I won’t let you take him too.”

Fuuma laughed. “You don’t even have him. I admit it was nice of him to string you along like that, make you think that he really cared about you, but you must know that he’ll never love you.”

“Of course I know that!” Kamui yelled. “And he wasn’t stringing me along! I knew from the beginning that he . . . that he would never love me the way I wanted. I’m not stupid! But he’s my friend, and I won’t let you hurt him!”

“Stop me,” Fuuma said, then dodged easily as Kamui lifted his hands and tried.

Subaru lay on his back, watching the world spin, amused by how everything seemed so very far away. He could hear Kamui and Fuuma’s battle, and he could feel the Tower shaking from the effects, but he was having difficulty lifting his head to watch. He heard a soft keening and felt something brush over his face, and glanced over to see Seishirou’s hawk perched next to him. “Seishirou,” he whispered. “Help . . . Kamui . . .”

The hawk bobbed its head once and took off. In a battle the size and scale of theirs, however, there was relatively little it could do except watch.

-- Part of the advantage Fuuma has over you, part of the reason he always wins is that physically you’re no match for him. Even if you could win a magical battle, once he gets close to you, he’s won -

Subaru could only watch, all his energy drained out like water. Fuuma, he noticed detachedly, had picked Kamui up by the throat. Somehow Kamui had lost the Shinken, which didn’t surprise Subaru too much; it was too heavy for the boy’s small frame.

He saw Fuuma lean close, whispering something that made Kamui’s whole body shudder.

For a second, everything was very still -

Then he saw a flash of silver.

“I don’t think so,” Fuuma said, grabbing Kamui’s wrist and pinning it above his head. “Nice dagger, though.” He glanced at it, frowning at the familiar piece of metal. Then he smiled as he recognized it, twisting Kamui’s wrist and forcing him to drop it. “Maybe I should use this to kill you, since you got it from someone so important to you.”

Kamui stared at him, or, more accurately, stared at his cheek. There was a tiny cut there, oozing blood.

The dagger had drawn blood.

And nothing had happened.

He choked back a sob as the realization hit home.

I will never get Fuuma back -

“Or would you prefer I use it on him?” Fuuma obviously saw no reason to rush, now that he had Kamui trapped.

Kamui felt himself growing cold, and he forced himself to accept it. If there was no getting the real Fuuma back, then the Dark Kamui had to die. It was as simple as that. For Kotori, for Daisuke, for Keichii’s mother, for Subaru, for himself.

There was a shrill cry and the Shikigami dove again. Fuuma let out a startled yell and dropped Kamui as the hawk’s talons dug into his face.

Kamui leapt for the knife -