http://clampfix.fanworks.net/x-fix/setsubo1.txt </head><body><pre>Hey I’m back! My second attempt at fanfiction (remember that Kamui/Keiichi fic a while back?). This one’s definitely going to have multi parts, to make up for the lack of plot ^.^ And, I think it’ll have Keiichi too because well, darn it, I like the guy! However, his sugary sweet personality will /not/ be the focus of this latest endeavor of my warped imagination. As always, I’ll admit these characters aren’t mine, but since I’ll never be sued for using them this disclaimer ends n-o-w. ---------------------------- “What is it?” Kamui looked upward, his large eyes following the arch of his mother’s neck as she pensively stared at the horizon. She tightened her hold around his shoulders, and shook her head slightly. “Nothing.” The small boy pulled a face and tugged at his mother’s sleeve. “Then why are you just /staring/ like that? I don’t see anything interesting…” His eyes darted across the sea, but all he saw were the endless ripples of waves. And he was getting a little bored just standing there, and a cool, ocean breeze stirred his dark hair, causing him to shiver slightly. He leaned back into his mother’s warmth. “Kamui,” “Yes?” But even as he made the quite sound of affirmation, the stray gulls milling about the shoreline caught his attention. He was suddenly taken over with an overwhelming desire to race there and send them flying upward in a flurry of white feathers and chaotic squawking. He began to squirm under his mother’s arms. “Did… did you know that your name has two meanings?” “Later mother, tell me later!” He wriggled out of her embrace and dashed towards the luckless birds, laughing gleefully as they scattered around him and dispersed into the pink-tinged sky. He looked back on the beach, where his mother stood, arms crossed about her chest, just staring out, beyond the sea. He thought then, that he had never seen his mother look so sad. He almost cried out to her, the moment before her body burst forth with flames. The scene shifted, and his frightened eyes watched the earth beneath his feet shattering like fragile glass, falling away from his feet into a deep, darkness. Then there was nothing but blackness all around him; his frantically searching hands sought out something to grab onto, but he felt nothing but a maddening void. “Mother?” His stomach lurched, and the smell of sakura petals invaded his senses. But he could still see nothing. He pulled his small knees to his chest and buried his face. “Nothing is left,” The smell grew stronger, and Kamui saw the sakura tree he used to play in with his old friends. “Mother is gone, Kotori-chan is gone… where are you Fuuma?” The Dark Kamui’s eyes flew open. He clutched his chest and felt his heart beating wildly under his fingers. He squeezed his eyes shut and concentrated on breathing. There was an odd soreness in his throat. Had he yelled out loud? Disconcerted, he swung his long legs over the side of the bed and held his face up with his palms. That’s when he noticed he was sweating. “What was this dream? A work of the dreamgazer Kakyou?” he wondered aloud. Soon, the tumultuous feelings of anxiety receded from his consciousness, and he was left with the familiar sensation of nothingness. But sleep was no longer a possibility. He needed… he needed to get out, out of this underground lair. Suddenly it all felt oddly stifling. The night air was a little colder then the Dark Kamui had expected, he discovered as he leaped from rooftops. And something was still bothering him, leaving him restless to stand in one place. Finally, he forced himself to stop and calm down. His eyes wandered about the bright lights illumining the Tokyo streets. A hundred tiny people scuttled like ants across the concrete. Hundreds of thousands of unfulfilled wishes made an impression on his mind. He wondered for a moment, why it was he who was chosen to fulfill the earth’s wish, why it was the boy “Fuuma” who was created to exist in another thing’s shadow. “For the sake of the earth, I must destroy all the Kekkai and kill Kamui.” But that was a purpose, an obligation. What was his wish? “Simply to be what someone /else/ is most in need of?” He crossed his arms about his chest. He had lost his sense of equilibrium, and, was he having doubts? It didn’t feel right; he didn’t feel at ease. He decided the best way to allay his qualms would be by destroying another kekkai. Suddenly, an instinct made him spin around. He saw a tall man, coat fluttering in the wind, standing behind him. “Rather late at night for stroll.” A smile creeped onto the man’s face. “What brings you about on such a chilly evening?” “I didn’t want to be under that building anymore. I needed some air.” The Dark Kamui walked to the side of his fellow Angel. The man inclined towards him, “Well, I absolutely can’t stand it myself. I’m surprised you fared as well as you did there.” He pulled out a cigarette and put it to his lips. There was a glow cast around his face as he lit a match. He watched the Dragon of Earth closely, and he felt his mood improving a little. He stepped a little closer and fingered a button on the older man's heavy coat. Looking up, he innocently inquired, “Are you hunting tonight, Sakurazukamori?” Seishirou flicked the match, and offered his pack. The younger man shook his head. “Actually I just finished up, and I was getting a little bored. I was hoping you’d have some creative ideas as to how we could pass the time?” His smile curved a little more around the cigarette between his lips. Suddenly the playful urge the Dark Kamui had been pursuing subsided, and he was left feeling a little empty. He stepped away from Seishirou and walked to the edge of the rooftop. “I’ve decided to destroy a kekkai.” “Ah, so it’s business tonight. Well then, shall we?” As they leapt through the night sky, Seishirou glanced over at his companion. “You don’t look the same to me. Something’s different about your face,” “What’s that?” He felt a little annoyed when he saw that the Sakurazukamori was still smirking. It was suddenly very unsettling to think that the man wore the same expression whether he was speaking gently, or committing a murder. “You aren’t smiling, in fact, you look a little solemn. I wonder what makes you so pensive tonight? You're beginning to remind me of my other, brooding friend...” The Dark Kamui chose not to respond. Instead he fixed his eyes resolutely ahead. That strange unease was still bothering him. Seishirou observed him silently, with a newly awakened curiosity.</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>