http://clampfix.fanworks.net/tb-fix/dreams2.txt </head><body><pre>(I have modified the notations a bit for ASCII-text. --fuu) Ok, this is the second part to the fanfic. See below for my personal comments, since I don't want to create any conceptions of what should be. I'll let your own mind make itself up. - -Rena (jmondazzi@mail.arc.nasa.gov) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Alone in my heart, I can't sleep at all. My world fell apart, my back to the wall. Storm clouds are near, feeding on fear, Midnight. Downtown is washed in tranquil moonlight, But out on the road, it lurks in the night. What cursed us before, has come back again. Can't you feel it under your skin? When we're together, there are no worries. You and I were meant to be side by side. My love for you is an endless story. I know what you need to be satisfied. Don't close your heart. You don't have to face the night alone. Don't close your heart... Don't close your heart... Dreams of a Blue Sky by: Jennifer L. Mondazzi 09/24/96 Part 2: Midnight _____________ "Subaru, say we'll always be together." "We will, I promise." "You mean it?" "You're silly, Aoi-chan!" "I am not!" "Are too!" "Am not!" "Miichan-ha chan!" "Subaru no baka!" Aoi woke to the sounds of children's laughter echoing in her head, trailing up after her into wakefulness. The shadows, cast across the ceiling by the full moon's light shimmering through the half-closed blinds, created an oppressiveness in the small room. _I must have fallen asleep as soon as we got here._ Aoi groaned as she stretched, forcing the sore muscles to uncramp, trying to beat the exhaustion which threatened to overcome her again. _It must have been the hike. Maybe I'm still recovering from last night. I wonder what time it is._ Sitting up, Aoi looked around for her watch, found it on the chair next to the bed. She stretched over, and grabbed it, bringing it up close to her puffy, sleep-filled eyes. The light coming into the room was enough for her to see that the hands on the time piece had stopped. She shook it, banged it against the head of her bed. Nothing. It was dead. _Damn! Subaru's magic must have done something to it. This watch was a present from mother, too! Now I'll have to get a new one._ She sighed, as she sat up, and realized she had slept in her pants and shirt. Every muscle protested her forced movements, and she groaned each time she moved too quickly. The hike up to this place had really been a challenge, despite being in pretty good physical shape. Despite his own heavy breathing, Subaru had not complained once. Aoi was determined not to whine in front of him, and had toughed it out as they had spoken to the resort's kanri-nin. Subaru had managed to negotiate two rooms and food for them, for a week, in exchange for using his special "talents" to exorcise a pestering obakegaki, which had haunted the place for the past few years. The whole time, Aoi stood by silently, despite the protests of her sore and tired body. Once she got into the room, however, she had felt the weight of the last couple of days overwhelm her, and barely remembered to take off her watch and remove her shoes and socks before falling into bed, succumbing to sleep's call. The horrors of what she had seen, coupled with the exhilarating pace of their hunt, was washed away when her eyelids shut, and calm, healing rest claimed her. Looking in the small mirror now, which adorned a small make-up table in the corner of the room, Aoi stared back at a face she almost didn't recognized. The hair was disheveled, the eyes tired, the face pale. She sighed, and made up her mind. The kanri-nin had mentioned some natural hot springs nearby, and so she collected a towel from the small bathroom's rack, put her hair into a bun and pinned it secure, put on the resort's complimentary slippers and went down to the front desk to ask directions. It turned out that the springs were just down a small path to the right of the resort, maybe seventy feet from the front lobby. Being a natural part of the mountainside, the owners decided not to change the landscape surrounding the small pool too drastically. Only a simple bamboo wall separated the front and the two sides of the pool, and a small sign hung from a post, indicating which direction the lady's and men's sides were on. Aoi stripped down out of her clothes, placed her towel on the side of the pool and lay back into the water, enjoying the warmth seeping into her bones. Staring up into the starlit sky, the night seemed perfect. Aoi began to quietly sing a song, one her mother had used to sing to her when she needed reassurance before bedtime. It was believed to have been an ancient chant which was used by mountain villagers to keep the evil spirits away when darkness came. Sleep child, sleep spirits, Silence your words For another day. Silence your thoughts For another night. Sleep child, sleep spirits, Listen no more For another day. Close your eyes For another night. Sleep child, sleep. Aoi lost herself in memories of her own mother's elegant voice, soothing and sweet to the ears of a frightened ten year old. "You have a beautiful voice," said the man, from the other side of the bamboo wall. Aoi was startled into silence. Who was that? The man's voice seemed vaguely familiar, and yet...she could not place it. The wind picked up in the few seconds of quiet, and in that time, the faint scent of tainted cherry blossoms came to her. Aoi's blood suddenly ran like ice through her. "Come now, Aoi-chan. Don't stop on my account," Seishirou Sakurazuka whispered in her ear, his breath warm upon her bare neck. A warm hand touched her shoulder, a naked body pressed close against her back. Sudden fear enveloped her soul, freezing her like a doe in headlights. Her mind swam, her heart pounded loudly in her ears, her breath quickened. _Kami-sama, help me!_ she silently prayed, her mind beyond the ability to quell the terror which had suddenly gripped her. "What...what do you want?" she managed to say, her voice barely audible above the wind which had picked up. Sakurazukamori chuckled, wrapped his right arm around her waist, bringing her closer to him, delicately, yet insistently; almost like a lover in his gentle embrace, yet unlike in that his touch repelled her. "I want your soul, little blue hawk," he said, his fingers lightly tracing up and down her spinal column, giving her chills in the cool night air. "I want your fear." Aoi's body shook, as a dark dread filled her. _Subaru, please....help me!_ she begged telepathically, hoping against all hope that he would somehow hear her. Seishirou seemed to have read her thoughts. "He won't come for you, just as he didn't for his sister." His words pierced through her; she gasped in surprise. Aoi had felt Hokuto die through her connection with Subaru. She had known of his terrible anguish and guilt at his twin's death. Everything that Subaru had become was because of this murderer, who had robbed her beloved of his innocence, of his dreams. It was all Sakurazukamori's fault. Sudden purpose began to clear the fog of fear away from her. This was her chance to end it, and give Subaru back his life. She took a few seconds to try to calm herself, to put focus back on the situation, and not let panic rule her. The only way to get out of this alive was to think, and stay calm. Sakurazukamori's lips bent to her ear again, but this time he did not speak. Instead, he lightly began nibbling on her, drawing her closer to him once more, until their bodies were pressed together intimately. She rebelled, pushed against him, but his grip was strong. His hand came up, feeling her body as she struggled. She heard him chuckle again, this time at the seeming futility of her efforts. "When I'm done with you, Subaru will fall easily at my feet," he sneered, laughing cruelly, pinning her arms behind her back. There was pain flashing in her head, but after the initial shock, Aoi used it as a focus. She felt something just beyond her reach, and tried for it again and again, using the bursting pain behind her eyes to keep her energies centered. Suddenly, something within Aoi snapped. "What?" Sakurazukamori cried out in surprise. Aoi unleashed a torrent of energy at him, fueled by her pent up anger and hostility. It took on the form of a blue hawk, and attacked him mercilessly. Sakurazukamori jumped out of the way, and leapt into the shadows of the nearby trees. The hawk dissipated as it reached the line of foliage. Seishirou was no where to be seen, but she could feel him. He was still here. "Very interesting, Aoi-chan. It seems you've discovered your latent powers," he said, his voice echoing from all places at once. "You're still not strong enough to defeat me, however." "I won't let you hurt Subaru anymore, _Sei-chan_," she said, mocking his former nickname. There was silence for a moment, and then, Sakurazukamori spoke again. "Next time, Aoi, we will finish this." The darkness which seemed to overwhelm the forest around her suddenly lifted, and she knew Seishirou was gone. A sudden weakness caused her knees to give out, and she slipped until only her head and neck remained above the spring's water. Heat returned to her chilled flesh, her breathing evened, and her heart slowed until it returned to a normal pace. "Aoi-chan! Where are you?" It was Subaru! He had heard her, and come to help. "I'm here, Subaru!" she called to him. The sound of swift moving footsteps approached, and then Subaru, dressed in his crisp, white robes, rounded the corner. He had been running, and stopped to catch his breath, leaning over the spring's water. "Are you..." he asked, concern crossing his face. It was the first time he had shown any emotion to her since that day in the alley. She smiled, relieved to see him. "I'm fine, really. Sakurazukamori was here, but he's gone now." She turned to face the line of trees behind her. "I...I drove him away." "Drove him away?" Subaru seemed clearly shocked. She turned to face him, and their gazes locked. He seemed to consider her for a moment in silence, then nodded once. "There's some things we need to talk about later, I see," was all he said. Aoi nodded. "Yea, I think you're right," she said, suddenly feeling much better. Subaru was offering to help her! She could learn about her powers, how to control them. It would bring them closer. Strength suddenly filled her heart. "Hey, I bet Seishirou will think twice about coming after us again, now that he's got two onmyoujis to deal with!" He nodded once, and smirked. A slow blush suddenly crept up his face, as he seemed to notice, for the first time, her state of undress. Try though he might to compose himself, before turning around, Aoi caught the truth of what he was thinking in his eyes. She grinned. "Ne, Subaru," she said, as she stepped out of the water, dried off and dressed again. "Yes?" he said, without turning around. She approached him from behind, resisting an urge to touch his shoulder. Instead, she walked next to him as they headed back for the resort. The frozen, controlled composure was back in place on his face. "My name represents my spirit bird, did you know that?" Subaru stopped walking, looked intently at her. His eyes were back to being unfathomable. "I figured something like that," he said with his usual shrug, and kept walking. It was Aoi's turn to be surprised. She ran to catch up with Subaru's quickly moving form. "Hey, when did you know?" she asked, excited at learning more. He didn't stop walking, nor turned to face her. "Stop being impatient," he chided. "I said we'd talk about it later. Right now, I'm tired and want to get some sleep. It's past midnight you know." They were nearing the front lobby entrance to the resort. "Oh, come on, Subaru! I want to know now. You promised to teach me." Aoi knew she was sounding like a demanding, spoiled child, but it was fun to try to goad Subaru. She giggled. Subaru was great to tease. "You've always been a silly girl, Aoi-chan," he said, as he reached the door to open it. Aoi put her hand against the wood and kept it shut. He seemed to grow impatient, yet his eyes remained impassive. Aoi was determined to break that cold facade for good -- someday. Of course, tonight was as good a time as any to start. "Am not!" she said, and stuck her tongue out at him. That didn't get the reaction she hoped for. Subaru merely looked at her with his mysterious green eyes and did something unexpected -- he winked. "Miichan-ha chan!" He walked past a stunned Aoi, through the door and up the stairs. She followed him with her eyes for a few seconds, and then chased after him. From his chair behind the front desk, Makoto, the resort's kanri-nin, watched the pretty, young girl chase after the handsome, young priest, and shook his head in knowing, a smile on his old, wisened face. _Love may not be dumb, but it's definately blind at times_. Makoto knew the signs all too well, having worked behind the desk of a hot springs resort, made specifically for _ii-hito_, for so many years. Needless to say, he was quite stunned when, five seconds later, he heard the girl yell at the top of her lungs. "Subaru no baka!" -------------------------------------------------------------------- Author's Notes: --------------- ALL FOREIGN WORDS ARE IN JAPANESE. The term, "chan" is used as endearment, normally for girls. Closest meanings are, "beloved," or "dear". "Miichan-ha chan" means "silly girl" in an affectionate manner. "Subaru no baka" means "Subaru is foolish / stupid". "kanri-nin" is the term for a "rental manager." "obakegaki" is a "hungry ghost." "Kami-sama" is the term for "God" "Aoi Taka" translates to "blue hawk," literally. An "Onmyouji" is a "yin-yang sorcerer". To get someone's attention, you can simply say, "Ne". It serves a similar purpose as, "Hey!" in English. "Makoto" translates to "sincere", and is a name given to both girls and boys. "ii-hito" are lovers or sweethearts. The song, "_Midnight_" is from the English-dubbed anime, _Bubble Gum Crisis #5: Moonlight Rambler_, AnimEigo, 1995. The song, "Sleep Child" is the property of this writer, 1996. The characters _Subaru_ and _Seishirou Sakurazuka_ (_Sakurazukamori_) are the property of CLAMP, 1990-96. All other characters and situations are the property of this writer, 1996. _______________________________________________________ Additional notes from the author: I hope you gained a little more insight into Aoi & Subaru's pasts, both together and apart. At this point in the story, they had been traveling together for many months, following Sakurazukamori's bloody trails, and trying to catch up with him before he could strike again. The night before, they had found one of his victims several miles away from the mountain resort (it eludes to this early on in the story, when Aoi thinks back on the "horrors" she had witnessed). Perhaps this drove them towards the resort, for hopes of catching him this time. Or perhaps it was a need simply for rest. You make up your own mind. Making Aoi an onmyouji is understandable. She has a power (which bonds her to Subaru), can tap into it to use it, but isn't nearly as strong as Subaru or Sakurazukamori is, simply because she doesn't have the family karma going with her. She's sort of one of those freaks of nature that shouldn't have power, but does. I think her mother had known of her daughter's potential (I've eluded that her mother could almost see the future, but didn't necessarily have the same power as Aoi), and so aptly named her "Blue Hawk" after her guardian spirit bird. I also hope you see a new side to Seishirou that you never imagined before. I personally picture him as the type who uses people's fears to test his own limits. Is is possible to feel something for a terrified victim? So far, Sei-chan hasn't been able to, but I think he believes that if he keeps doing it, eventually he'll have to feel something. I also think it's possible that Seishirou and Sakurazukamori are seperate entities within the same body, and Sakurazukamori is in control of the soul at the moment, keeping Seishirou a prisoner within himself. Sort of like the evil twin brother theory. At least, this is how I'd like to see Sei-chan. I'm always the optimist -- hoping there's a way to save Seishirou before Sakurazukamori destroys the last bit of humanity within him. However, I think Subaru knows that the only way to save Seishirou is to kill Sakurazukamori -- which will kill Seishirou as well, since they share a body. I think Seishirou doesn't mind dying however, if it means stopping Sakurazukamori. At least, I'd like to think this way...so don't shatter my illusions. : ) With Aoi not appearing in the "X-1999" story line, that means I'll have to somehow take her out of the picture. I've already decided how this was going to happen, after much pondering on the subject. Don't ask me now, just read the other installments to find out. Part 3 should be coming soon. I hope you enjoy the stories so far. Let me know what you think. Constructive critisim and compliments always welcome! : ) - Rena </pre><p><a href="./">Back</a></p><p><a href=http://www.dreamhost.com/donate.cgi?id=216><img border=0 alt="Donate towards our web hosting bill!" src=https://secure.newdream.net/donate1.gif></a></p></body></html>