http://clampfix.fanworks.net/x-fix/betrayal2-au.txt </head><body><pre>All characters are property of CLAMP. Standard disclaimers apply. --- Betrayal (Part 2 - AU) An 'X' fanfic Presented by Alison Koh A gentle breeze blew across the park, sending the shadows dancing on the grass as the sun pierced through gaps between the swaying trees. Subaru was sitting alone on a bench under one of those trees, watching the smoke from the cigarette in his right hand drift into the branches above. His thoughts kept going back to his meeting with Kamui that morning. He had not planned to see the boy; he only wanted to pass a message to any one of the other Seals. Kamui's sudden appearance had unsettled him. More than anything else, Kamui's unexpected reaction had disturbed him. He had expected Kamui to vent his rage at his betrayal. To shout, scream and hate him. He was even prepared for Kamui to kill him. Subaru would have accepted all that without protest. But Kamui had allowed him to leave without laying a single word of blame. He remembered Kamui's eyes glistening with repressed tears as he bade his farewell, and behind those eyes, a reflection of sadness and resignation. Not pity, but painful understanding. It was as if Kamui had long expected the inevitability of Subaru's actions. Subaru sensed the demons of guilt threatening to tear through his body and focused his mind for control. He had just abused and hurt a young and trusting soul, just like Seishirou once did, many years ago. He flicked the cigarette stub almost absentmindedly into a nearby trash bin and asked, "How long have you been watching me?" A figure glided down from the tree. It was Karen. "Only for a while," she replied. Subaru looked at her impassively, saying, "I'm not going back." "I'm not here to drag you back, although some of the others would certainly wish to do so. I'd prefer that you go back on your own free will." She walked towards Subaru and stood directly in front of him with her arms folded. Softly she pleaded, "Kamui needs you. He respects you deeply. Why are you hurting him like this?" Subaru did not reply. Karen asked, "Is a wish worth betraying yourself and those who love you? Is it worth selling yourself to a devil like the Sakurazukamori?" Subaru replied, "I hardly think that you're qualified to lecture me about my morals." Smack! The slap came down hard and fast. Subaru remained motionless though his left cheek was burning red. Karen glared at the onmyouji, anger burning in her eyes. "I would never have expected to hear that coming from you. I guess I was wrong about you after all," said Karen as she finally collected herself. No response. "Actually I had planned to give you some advice," Karen said, "One should never get too hung up over the past, and thus lose sight of the future. It probably means nothing to you now. Not that I care anymore. In fact you can rot in hell together with that Sakurazukamori of yours. But the next time you hurt Kamui again, I shall personally make sure you got more than just a slap on the face." She then turned and left, refusing to look back. Subaru stood up, lifting his hands to where his cheek still hurt and sighed deeply. It had been a trying encounter with Karen. He had not meant to say those words, but he had to turn her away and discourage the others who wanted him back. He had made a pact with Seishirou. Besides, there was still the wish. A familiar chuckle came from Seishirou who was walking towards Subaru. Tracing a finger along Subaru's slightly bruised cheek, he mimicked a look of concern and asked, "Does it hurt?" Subaru brushed the finger aside and stared into Seishirou's eye as if he was trying to look for something. Finally he turned away with a sigh and said, "It's not like you really cared. You can break a glass and your reaction would still be the same." "You're wrong," Seishirou replied, imitating a wounded expression. He cupped a hand over Subaru's cheek and continued, "You're mine, or at least about to be. I won't let anyone hurt you. I may not love you but I am very protective of my property." "Is that what I am? A favourite toy or object? To be discarded once you've lost interest?" Subaru demanded to know. Seishirou chuckled again and asked, "And what am I to you, Subaru-kun?" He waited for some time but Subaru did not answer. Lighting up a cigarette, Seishirou continued, "For years you have tried to kill me, and then all of a sudden, you chose to turn your back to your fellow Seals to be with me. Yet you continue to resist my advances. Years ago, I promised that I will never force you to do anything you didn't want to. I always keep my word, although in your case, I am quite tempted to make an exception." Lowering his face closer to Subaru's, he said, "Don't you find me attractive?" For a moment, panic seized Subaru as he tried to stammer for an answer. His cheeks felt red-hot, but not from Karen's slap which had long subsided. Seishirou laughed hard at the flustered look on Subaru's face and said, "We've had enough fun for one afternoon, don't you think so? Let's go home." He continued to laugh as he walked away, followed silently behind by the disconcerted Subaru. * The Seals gathered silently around the dinner table. Sorata frowned as he watched Kamui stabbing absentmindedly at his food, which had been mostly left untouched. "Aren't you eating?" he asked. "Oh, I'm sorry," Kamui said, returning his focus to his dinner. A part of him registered the concerned faces staring at him and he tried bravely to eat a few mouthfuls. However he finally gave up the charade and stood up to excuse himself from the table, apologising that he really did not have much appetite to eat anything. With that, he left the table and headed for his room. Sorata almost followed him but was stopped by Karen. "Give him some time alone," she said, "In the meanwhile there are some things the rest of us ought to discuss." "You're thinking about the Dragons of Earth," Seiichirou said. Karen nodded, "Sumeragi-san is with the Sakurazukamori now. I have no idea about the extent of his involvement with the rest of the Seven Angels, but it still leaves us one person short. In addition, Kamui has been badly affected by the whole episode, not forgetting that he has yet to recover fully from his injuries. That leaves just the five of us to face all seven of them, including the other /Kamui/." The dark faces around the table indicated that everyone had thought about the problem too but had found no solution. "We are certainly at a disadvantage," commented Arashi, "This means that we would need to work closely together to anticipate their next move. I'll continue to work with Takamura-san to calculate all possible targets. The only mildly positive news is that there are now fewer kekkais remaining, so it should be much easier to track." Karen agreed, "Sorata-san will help you. Meanwhile Aoki-san and I shall try other sources of information." "What about me?" Yuzuriha asked. Karen smiled, "I need you to help watch over Kamui for the moment. He treats you like a little sister. You may be able to cheer him up." "That's settled then," Sorata said, "I get to spend more quality time with Ne-chan again." Ignoring Sorata's comments, Arashi got up to clear her dishes. Karen watched the duo and smiled. * Subaru sat up on the bed, wondering about Seishirou's words that afternoon: /What am I to you, Subaru-kun/. /You are special/, Subaru thought, although those words seemed to ring hollow. It was true that he had been ignoring Seishirou most of the time ever since moving in with him. Strangely the assassin had been very patient and almost jovial about it, almost like the Seishirou he knew from long ago. There were many times when he thought that the Sakurazukamori would cancel the pact but did not. In a way, Subaru was thankful that Seishirou had left him mostly alone since returning from the park. His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door, followed by Seishirou walking into the room, carrying a tray with some cakes and tea for two. "You skipped lunch and didn't eat much for dinner. So I thought you might like to have some chocolate cake. I made it myself," Seishirou beamed as he set down the items on the nightstand and pulled a chair by the bed. "You didn't have to," Subaru said, mildly astonished by Seishirou's change of tact. He graciously accepted the proffered cake, which he found to be delicious. Images from long ago floated through his mind. His sister, Hokuto, was badgering Seishirou to marry her brother as the two of them baked a cake together, and laughing in shared amusement as his face turned red with embarrassment. The memory of his sister brought on a fresh bout of melancholy. Noticing Subaru's change of mood, Seishirou asked, "Did I inadvertently bring back some bad memories?" "No, it's not your fault," assured Subaru. They continued to have their cakes and tea in silence. After Subaru had finished, Seishirou stood up, preparing to leave with the tray. Something jolted inside Subaru and he called out, "You don't have to leave." Seishirou turned round and looked at Subaru. "You may stay if you wish," Subaru offered as he averted his eye from Seishirou. His voice soft and trembling, he continued, "I...I'm ready, Seishirou-san." Seishirou set down the tray again, but sat on the bed this time. Lifting Subaru's chin, he said, "Look at me." The younger man complied. Seishirou was struck once again by the Sumeragi's beauty despite the loss of one eye. He observed the emerald eye dilating, noting the tension in Subaru's body and felt his own responding. He asked, "Do you understand what you're asking for?" Subaru nodded and closed his eye in anticipation. Seishirou held his hand gently behind Subaru's neck as he pulled the latter closer. Wrapping his strong arms around Subaru's frail frame, he planted first a tender kiss on the onmyouji's lips, which gradually became fiercer as he met with little resistance. Subaru adjusted his body as Seishirou removed his own tie while slowly easing him down to the bed. He felt the strong hands activating previously unknown pleasure senses running through his body. Seishirou's tongue was already exploring his mouth in earnest. He let himself drown in the whirl of sensations, his mind drifting into a vortex of images, most of them involving memories of him and Seishirou from the past, until it focused onto the vision at the very centre of that vortex - Kamui curled up in a foetal position, blood oozing from the wounds on his body and crying, not from the pain of those physical wounds, but the deeper one in his heart. Subaru felt very sick all of a sudden. * Seishirou was initially surprised by Subaru's ardour. He had half-expected Subaru to reject him but the Sumeragi had responded passionately in kind. It was the first time he had seen such spontaneity coming from the younger man. /Those years of repression must have demanded some way of expressing itself/, Seishirou smiled to himself. He removed his attention from the Sumeragi's mouth for a moment to explore his throat, snuggling up the neck to nibble at a perfectly shaped earlobe. Suddenly he felt Subaru froze. A trickling of moistness on his cheek made him look up. Subaru was staring straight towards the ceiling, emerald eye glistening in the soft light of the room. He was crying. Seishirou sat up on the bed, feeling the fires ebbing gradually, although some of the tension remained. He waved a hand before Subaru's face, but the latter was no longer acknowledging his or anybody's existence, being caught up in some internal nightmare. A strange unaccustomed emotion swept over Seishirou as he tried to figure out this unexpected development. He contemplated leaving the room then and there, but he did not wish to leave Subaru in this state. With the gentlest of touch, he wiped the tears away from the Sumeragi's face. The faint sobbing stopped but Subaru closed his eye as if asleep. Sighing faintly to ease the need within himself, Seishirou picked up the tie from the floor and stood up from the bed, when he felt a hand grabbing his wrist. "Seishirou-san...I'm sorry," Subaru said. He pushed himself to sit up on the bed. Seishirou sat down beside him and caressed his face, feeling the moist stains left behind by the tears. Subaru raised his own hand to wrap it around Seishirou's. "It's all right," the older man replied, "I have promised you that I shall never force you to do anything you didn't want to do. We don't have to rush it. The last thing I want is to have you kicking and screaming at me the next morning." He smiled at his last sentence, but without his trademark smirk. Then he tried to ease his hand from Subaru's grip but the Sumeragi held onto it firmly. "Would you promise me something?" he asked. Seishirou waited. Subaru continued, "Please do not hurt Kamui." The older man frowned and said, "You like him, don't you?" Lowering his gaze, Subaru nodded and replied, "But I love you." Seishirou paused for a while, somehow disturbed and yet oddly delighted by Subaru's confession. He then stroke his thumb across Subaru's delicate features and said, "I promise." The Sumeragi was visibly relaxed by those words, and to Seishirou's surprise, raised his head to plant a gentle kiss on the assassin's lips. Before Subaru could pull back, Seishirou wrapped his arms possessively about the Sumeragi's slight frame, kissing him passionately as he felt the urgency rekindling within him. He allowed his tie to drop to the floor once more. * The night seemed peaceful and calm, but still the Kansai monk felt an uneasy feeling creeping up to him. He got of bed, pulled on a robe over his pyjamas and decided to walk down to the kitchen and raid the refrigerator for something to calm his mind. As he passed by Kamui's room down the doorway, however, that uneasy feeling became stronger. There was a slight shuffling noise behind him and he was surprised to see that it was Arashi. "You had trouble sleeping too?" he asked her. She nodded without answering. "I was going to get a glass of milk, but I've got this bad feeling coming from Kamui's room." "So do I," she said, "I think we'd better check on him." Sorata agreed. Placing his hand on the doorknob, he gently gave it a twist, trying to be as quiet as possible. In the dark stillness of the room, they both heard a weak sobbing. Arashi immediately switched on the lights to reveal Kamui curling up on the bed, his arms twisting about his chest and crying in anguish. He did not seem to sense the presence of the two Seal, or even that the lights were on. "Go get the nurses quick!" Sorata told the girl as he ran towards Kamui's side and held the boy tightly in his arms. "It's okay, Kamui," he tried to comfort the boy, "Everything is going to be fine." But Kamui continued to ignore Sorata's presence, while his whole body was shivering tensely as he whispered, "Subaru..." Arashi soon returned with the nurse who gave Kamui a sedative and sent him to a dreamless sleep. With Kamui seemingly calmed down, the nurse left. Karen walked in soon after with a grim expression on her face. "This is worse than we thought," she noted. Sorata sighed, "I don't know how much longer Kamui can hold on. He's going to suffer a serious breakdown if he goes on like this." "We have to get Subaru-san back," Arashi decided. The other two Seals glanced at the sleeping form of Kamui glumly. They had no other choice. "Let me do it," Karen said, "He may have insulted me previously, but I'm an adult. It'll be better for me to approach him. Especially, if that person is with him as well." * Something shifted by his side and he sensed a dark shadow looming above him. Opening his eye, he almost had a mild shock when he saw Seishirou looking down at him with an inscrutable smile on his face. The assassin was pushing his arms onto the bed on either side of Subaru in order to hover over the Sumeragi. "Good morning, my dear," greeted Seishirou. For a moment, Subaru did not answer. His body felt slightly sore and his head took a bit of time to clear itself from the haziness of sleep. Blinking his eye, the events of the previous night slowly dawned on him and he blushed as he returned his lover's greeting meekly. Seishirou bent down for another ardent kiss and felt the younger man responding in kind. However, he steeled himself from further temptation and pulled away. With a mischievous smirk, he said, "Let's go out for breakfast. We'll have plenty of time later." He got up from the bed and prepared to take a quick shower. However, he could not resist a smile when he saw the priceless beet-red expression on Subaru's face. The Sumeragi still had problems adjusting to his naked body, now seen in bright daylight, despite what had transpired between them in the night. Nonetheless, he wisely kept his comments to himself and proceeded to the bathroom. Meanwhile, Subaru sat up on the bed and sighed as if relieved. Seishirou was a strongly passionate lover, and yet he was gentle and considerate at the same time. Subaru had feared that the assassin might choose to abandon him or mock him after they had made love, but Seishirou had stayed on, wrapping his arms about the Sumeragi tenderly as if to assure the fragile young man. And Subaru was fragile, his heart almost as delicate as a piece of fine glass, and easily shattered by a single callous act by his partner. He heard Seishirou exit the bathroom and enter his own room, presumably to change into something suitable. Subaru flipped aside the covers and proceeded to do the same. * Breakfast seemed a grand affair for the Sakurazukamori. The restaurant was a rather expensive place frequented only by rich businessmen, powerful politicians and famous media artistes. Seishirou ordered a hearty western breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausages and scones to go with his coffee, citing a surprisingly healthy appetite this morning. Subaru settled for some toast with jam. He hardly ate breakfast regularly anyway, a habit Seishirou swore to change. He would not have anyone say that he was mistreating Subaru. Halfway through the relaxing meal, Seishirou looked up and chuckled, "Looks like one of your comrades is here to see you." Subaru turned around and saw Karen enter the restaurant. A moment later, she was standing next to their table. "Have a seat," Seishirou said. Karen accepted the offer without protest. She had no intention of raising a scene in this place and had, in fact, made sure that she did not come in her work clothes. She glanced at the two men. Seishirou was smiling with amusement while Subaru was all seriousness. She spoke to the Sumeragi, "I need to talk to you in private." She was a little surprised when Seishirou excused himself, preparing to stand up and leave the table. However, Subaru stopped him and told Karen, "There's nothing you can tell me that cannot be shared with Seishirou-san." >From Subaru's tone and the way the two onmyoujis made eye contact, Karen had a pretty good inkling how far their relationship had progressed. She brushed aside that disturbing thought and concentrated on her purpose for being here. "You need to come back with me." "You know I cannot," Subaru replied.</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>