http://clampfix.fanworks.net/x-fix/betrayal2.txt </head><body><pre>All characters are property of CLAMP. Standard disclaimers apply. --- Betrayal (Part 2) 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. Finally giving up, he placed a hand over Subaru's face, sending the Sumeragi into a deep sleep with his magic. He then picked up his tie and the tray of leftover plates, and left the room. * The night lights of Tokyo bustled in the streets below him. He lit another cigarette, trying to focus his thoughts. Somehow the strange emotion he had felt just before he left Subaru's room had not quite left him yet and this confused him. However his meditation was interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps. "You seem to be in a pensive mood tonight my friend," Fuuma laughed. Seishirou frowned, "From the sound of your voice it looks like you had a hand in it." "I had a little help from Kakyou," Fuuma revealed, "I apologise for interrupting your honeymoon in such a fashion, but I thought it would be interesting to find out where his loyalties really lie." "I do not like being watched," Seishirou said, the air around him turned menacing all of a sudden. "Ah. Would you prefer that he wakes up the next morning and regret everything?" Seishirou did not answer, although it was obvious from his expression that the possibility disturbed him. Fuuma chuckled, "You're getting soft. Are you beginning to grow a 'heart' so late in life?" "Not likely," Seishirou replied, tension still obvious in his voice. "Really?" Fuuma feigned surprise, "Sometimes I wonder how the Sumeragi ever managed to live so long, given his self-destructive tendencies. You are certainly more than a match for him." This time it was Seishirou's turn to chortle, "I have been curious about how the Kamui of the Dragons of Heaven managed to survive all this while too. You never seem to be able to finish the job. Very sloppy." A look of displeasure washed over Fuuma. Announcing in a stern voice, "Tomorrow afternoon, I'll be taking down the kekkai west of here. I expect some of the Seven Seals to turn up. Bring your precious Sumeragi along and we'll see who has the last laugh." With those words he disappeared into a swirl of smoke. Meanwhile Seishirou returned to his thoughts. * Subaru slowly opened his eye, trying to figure out for a moment where he was. He then remembered Seishirou bring in cakes and tea, and asking the latter to stay behind. Everything else after that was a haze. He looked about him, noticing that the bedcovers were barely ruffled and, most importantly, that he still had his clothes on. Had he fallen asleep, he wondered. He called out Seishirou's name but there was no answer. The Sakurazukamori was not in the house. He got up from the bed, trying to piece together the fragmented images in his mind. He had almost given himself to Seishirou, prompted perhaps by his own delusion that the old Seishirou had returned, but he was also surprised that the Sakurazukamori had not chosen to take advantage of the situation. He was extremely grateful for that, knowing that given some time to think, he might have regretted the entire episode had it occurred. There was also something else that troubled him - something that had triggered him to stop before it was too late. Closing his eye, the vision came swift and clear - Kamui. He felt a familiar ache echo in his heart. An ache that returned every time he thought of the young Seal. Somehow he knew that Kamui was probably hiding himself in his room in the great Imonoyama mansion, crying his heart out at this very moment. He never wanted to hurt the boy but he doubted if Kamui could ever forgive him. Trying to distract his thoughts, he reached out for his cigarette pack but realised that it was empty. /Perhaps Seishirou-san has an extra packet in his room/, he told himself. He walked into Seishirou's room, feeling a little guilty about trespassing. He had never tried to enter the room before now, and was not surprised to find it neat and tastefully decorated despite its simplicity, just like the rest of the house. He saw the packet lying on the nightstand and walked over to retrieve it. Before he could reach it however, his attention was caught by an old card sitting on the study table with a faded picture of red camellias on snow. He was struck by its incongruence to the room's occupant. Seishirou certainly did not seem like the type to keep old memories. Trying to satisfy his curiosity, he flipped over the card and saw the following message penned in a delicate female hand: /My dear son, Today was your birthday. I'm sorry I couldn't visit you in Kanazawa again. However I saw this lovely card with my favourite red camellias and thought I should send it to you. Aren't they pretty? Happy 10th birthday. Your mother, Setsuka 12 Nov 1975/ Old memories flooded Subaru's mind again as he remembered the time when Seishirou had insisted that both of them let a computer fortune telling programme to compute their compatibility. Subaru had accidentally let slip his real birth date although he tried to cover his birthplace, but anyone who knew about the Sumeragis would be aware that he came from Kyoto. On the other hand, Seishirou had insisted that his birth date and place was 1 April 1965, Tokyo. Subaru finally realised the significance of the date - April's Fool - and he had been the fool to believe it for so long. He stared at the date on the card again - 12 Nov 1965, Kanazawa, Seishirou's true birth date. Hokuto was right after all. Seishirou was a Scorpio. Onmyoujis do not believe in western astrology, but they understood the significance of birth dates and places as integral to understanding a person's strengths and weaknesses, especially if the person in question was a fellow practitioner. Suddenly many things became clearer to Subaru. He carefully replaced the card on the table as he had found it and left the room. The packet of cigarettes was still lying on the nightstand. --- Dreams of Sakura Home -- http://www.starhub.net.sg/~alison X Shrine -- http://www.geocities.com/asuka_sg</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>