http://clampfix.fanworks.net/x-fix/betrayal7-au.txt </head><body><pre>I'm releasing Parts 7 & 8 together before the next Asuka update (which should hopefully be out by end of this week). There'll be an epilogue coming soon after this. As you're probably aware, this fic does not really focus on any of the side characters, so I'm going to keep it simple, though some might consider parts of chapter 8 a little lacking in details. As I said, this is a fic on the Major Quartet. Also, Part 8 is decidedly very angsty. You've been warned. All characters are property of CLAMP. Standard disclaimers apply. --- Betrayal (Part 7 - AU) An 'X' fanfic Presented by Alison Koh The screen flashed: <TARGET SIGHTED.> "Good job, Beast!" Satsuki praised, "Let us welcome him then, before Yuuto-san returns." Beast roared into action. * The ground rumbled beneath. A Dragon of Earth, his instinct told him. Concentrating his will, he placed his palms together and brought forth his kekkai. The kekkai expanded rapidly and soon blanketed the entire the surrounding area in an alternate dimension. The sounds of traffic and human activities disappeared. Subaru called out, "There is no keystone in this area. Why the attack?" The ground shook more violently and a crawling mass of wires and cables broke out from their underground prison to freedom above. From the public announcement system of a nearby building, a female voice spoke, "I have strict orders from the /Kamui/ of the Dragons of Earth." A wriggling array of wires hurtled towards the Sumeragi. Subaru stood his ground as he whipped out a fan of ofudas and transformed them into a flock of shikigamis. The shikigamis shrieked towards the oncoming attack and exploded upon contact. * Deep inside the cavernous hideout of the Dragons of Earth, Satsuki winced slightly as she felt Beast's pain. "We'll get him," she tried to assure her 'friend'. Beast clicked in agreement and focused its resources to a renewed attack. Neither of them noticed the Sakura petals floating their way. * The Angel was not a particularly powerful opponent, but the fact that she fought from afar, and was able to divert her attacks from different directions, meant that Subaru had to concentrate hard. One little misstep and he could be buried under a mountain of metal cables. He flung his ofudas at five different points to form the tips of his Sumeragi Star. A quick chant and a circle of light brought the pentagram into focus. The area sizzled with raw psychic energy. Another huge explosion took out a large mass of cables. However, just behind him, the ground cracked open to reveal another monstrous mountain of creeping wires blazing towards him at high speed. Subaru did not have time to jump and was about to fear the worst, when the wires hit against a powerful shield and disintegrated instantly. Subaru turned around and was surprised, and also extremely glad, to see Kamui posing in stern concentration. Sorata and Arashi were standing beside him. Perhaps it was a result of Kamui's presence, but the coils of wires and cables instantly withdrew themselves back into the earth. The four Seals dared not move though. They waited for some long moments to assure themselves that Satsuki had gone for good. Then they allowed themselves to lower their guard a little. "You have returned," Kamui said. "Yes," Subaru replied, "And this time, I am staying." "Welcome back then, Subaru-san!" The voice belonged to the Kansai monk. Subaru gazed once more at his comrades and nodded. He retracted his kekkai and they returned to Clamp Campus together. * The darkness was getting oppressive. "Where is this place?" she demanded to know. The shadows hung heavy and the air was filled with an ominous resonance. She was no longer in control and it frightened her. "This is a place of my illusions. This is the place where Beast cannot reach you." "Sakurazukamori! What do you want?" "Leave the Sumeragi alone." "I have orders from /Kamui/." Seishirou's voice chuckled in the lightless void of his maboroshi. "And your point being?" he asked with faint amusement. Satsuki hesitated. She was afraid of going against Fuuma. But she found her present state of helplessness unbearable. Unable to take it any longer, she told him, "I agree." The darkness withdrew instantly and she found herself surrounded by the familiar warm glow of Beast's console. Satsuki released the hatch and jumped out of Beast. The moment she touched the ground, she wrapped her arms about herself and curled into a ball to stop the shivering. A message flashed on the panel: <IS SATSUKI ALL RIGHT?> She looked up and smiled, unconvincingly. * Subaru stared out of the window of the library when the door opened and Lady Sumeragi wheeled herself in. He immediately walked over to help ease her into the room, leaving the door slightly ajar. "I'm glad to know that you are all right," she said, "I plan to return to Kyoto tomorrow morning." "So soon?" "My presence is no longer required here. I can sense that you have made some discovery during the time you were away. It is as my divinations have told me. Whatever happens next will depend upon your choice. I hope you will choose wisely." Subaru returned to his position by the window and said, "I came back for the sake of the Promised Day. It is my final chance to settle my score with him." "But what about those people around you? The ones who care for you? Are you going to continue hurting them?" Subaru kept silent. His grandmother continued, "During the time when you were away, Kamui tried to put on a brave front everyday, but I could see that he was hurting badly inside. He likes you very much, perhaps more than you ever deserved. And I suspect that you like him just as much, if you would only admit it. Whatever it is, please do not hurt him anymore. Even if you would not accept his love, the Seals need him." Subaru sighed as he settled onto a chair. "It doesn't matter what I feel for Kamui. As long as my matter with Seishirou-san is not properly resolved, I cannot accept anyone else. It would not be fair to Kamui otherwise." "What if it never gets resolved?" Her grandson faced the window again, his sad frown mirrored on the glass pane backed by the dark night on the other side. He did not speak a single word for some time as he pondered hard about the question. Deep within his heart, he knew that his grandmother spoke the truth. He did harbour strong affections for Kamui. Perhaps if he had not chosen to follow Seishirou that time, he might be happy with Kamui now. However, another part of him knew that he could never truly be happy with not knowing if Seishirou could have felt anything for him when given a second chance. Either way, it seemed that happiness was not something that he would ever be entitled to. Finally, he sighed and said, "In that case, I hope Kamui can find happiness elsewhere." >From the reflection on the glass, he saw the door to the library shift a little. He turned around slowly to see Kamui walk in. The boy stood near the doorway, observing him silently, his clear violet gaze shimmering with untold words. Lady Sumeragi shifted her view from Subaru to Kamui and back, and wheeled herself to the door. Before she left the room, she told Subaru, "It is about time that you learn to love yourself a little more." Subaru waited till she was out of sight before he spoke. "You have overheard everything." Kamui nodded. "I am sorry, Kamui." "I understand," the boy replied. He hesitated for a brief moment and then in a firm voice, told Subaru, "No matter what happens, no matter how long it takes, I am willing to wait." "You don't have to do this. I am not worth it." "You're wrong," Kamui said, "You are worth it...because you are 'Special' to me. I am not going to lose you like I lost everyone else. I will wait for you...even if you do not want me to." He did not wait for Subaru to reply though. Having spoken those words, Kamui stepped out the door immediately and ran down the hallway. Meanwhile, Subaru continued to stare out to the empty darkness beyond his window as he meditated on the implications of Kamui's words. "I am sorry, Kamui," he whispered again, this time to himself. * >From a corner hidden away from the dining customers, the waitresses huddled together, chirping excitedly about the tall man seated alone by the window. He might have lost one eye, but he exuded an air of confidence that women generally found attractive. Besides, he was also courteous and charming, which only served to make him utterly irresistible. Thus the ladies were speculating about his mysterious dinner companion who had yet to arrive, when quite a few eyebrows were raised as a dashing teenager walked into the restaurant and seated next to the man. One of the waitresses was overheard lamenting about the lack of attractive straight men. After their orders were taken, Seishirou looked at his companion with an air of nonchalance. Fuuma, on the other hand, did not seem quite pleased. He told the assassin, "I thought you said that you weren't interested in him anymore." "The Promised Day is just around the corner. I like to leave something for desserts." "I do not like disobedience. I am, after all, the /Kamui/." "You would have ended up sacrificing one of our own for nothing. Kamui was there to help him, together with the Kansai monk and the Shrine Maiden of Ise." "Everyone has to die sooner or later anyway. That is the Earth's wish." "Shouldn't you be toying with your 'Kamui' in that case?" There was a palpable tension in the air as Fuuma stared directly at the Sakurazukamori. His demeanour was serious, as if he felt slighted by the assassin's remarks. However, the firmness in his lips soon softened into a slight grin, and he chuckled softly, saying, "I shall kill Kamui in my own time." Seishirou shook his head and replied with a smirk, "You are but a shadow of the other Kamui. You can't really kill him until the Final Day, and then only with the Shinken. Do not think that I'm not aware that your so-called desire for me is simply a reflection of Kamui's own feelings for Subaru-kun." He could feel the fury rising in the youth but he ignored it. Instead he noted the waitress approaching their table with their orders, and told Fuuma, "The food is here. Best that we control ourselves for the moment. There's a serious shortage of good eating places in Tokyo nowadays. Please do not blow this one up so soon as well." On the other hand, Seishirou had a very good idea of how destructive Fuuma could be and he had no intentions to be at the receiving end of his untested temper. So he added, "However, just because I have no feelings for you doesn't mean that we can't arrange something entertaining after dinner." Understanding his meaning, Fuuma smiled and turned his attention to his food. * Lady Sumeragi watched grimly as the profile of the Imonoyama Mansion gradually became smaller and finally disappeared from sight as the car drove further away from it. Moments earlier, it had not so much been a tearful but rather a solemn farewell. She gave her favourite grandson, as well as Kamui, a final loving hug before leaving. She had grown fond of the young Seal during her long stay at the mansion. Despite his young age, his maturity shone through in the way he accepted his fate. In many ways, he reminded her of Subaru, but his willingness to accept the responsibility of his position made her admire him more. She wished that Subaru could do the same. At her age, she ought to have completely retired from her position as the 12th Head of the Sumeragi Clan. Nonetheless, Subaru's obsession with the Sakurazukamori meant that she could not do so. Now, she felt old and tired, but she also knew that Subaru would never be able to take over the Clan's duties completely, because her divination had said so. There was going to be one future and Lady Sumeragi felt sorry that Kamui had to bear that alone. She let her tears flow. It was to be the last time that she would ever see Subaru. ----- 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>