ARGH is the only thing I have to say about it. Sequel to Club Regina: Do you remember love?
Rated: PG-13
Pairings and warnings: Seishirou/Subaru, hints of Kamui/Subaru
Disclaimer: Some characters (C) Clamp, "Roxanne" (C) The Police,
"I bet he was cool" (C) Savage Garden, "Come what may"
(C) Baz Luhrmann
Warning: Character death, melodrama, AU-ish, minor spoilers for
the Chi no Ryu attack target in X 11
Club Regina: Come what may
Part 5
by Beth
A soft series of sounds, dissonant, without rhythm.
At first it combined and warred with the melodies from his dream, bringing a jarring disharmony. Finally, through the haze of sleep, Seishirou associated it with a bird's song.
Did that mean it had all been a dream, including Subaru - pardon, "Sakura's" - enchantingly pliant body in his arms as they had danced? Were both Kamuis and that strange redhead last evening a mere figment of his imagination?
He opened his eyes to bright morning sunlight, so different from the half-remembered darkness of Club Regina. He was more and more convinced that the previous night had been a particularly strange reverie, but then his eyes fell on a familiar object - a white satin opera glove lying on his pillow. A strand of rhinestones glittered on it, forming a cross over what would have been the back of a hand.
It was the same glove he'd kissed during the tango, brushing his lips over the pentagram that had been hidden beneath it.
Seishirou found his lips curling into a rueful smile. So it had been real. Also very possibly one of the most fun evenings of his life, and to top it, he now had enough ammunition to taunt Subaru until death did them part.
He wasn't very surprised to find himself whistling "Roxanne" under his breath as he showered and dressed. His smile became even wider when he realized that he couldn't recall anything about getting home - which meant that someone had put him to bed, and judging by the glove he could hazard a guess. He was momentarily troubled by this gap in memory, but decided not to dwell on it; a quick check of his personal wards assured him that no harm was done.
He was still smiling when he entered his living room and saw the light flashing on the answering machine. He pressed the "play" button.
"I'm going to Nakano this morning," Fuuma's voice purred. "The dreamgazer foresaw certain Dragons of Heaven appearing there to interfere with my work. Their Kamui is a given, and I can handle him - he cares too much for his 'old friend'. But I'll have to work on defeating the Sumeragi. I've devised a technique that you might find... interesting... to watch. His wish is fascinating." His tone left no doubt as to what his 'technique' entailed for Subaru.
Seishirou's living eye blazed with a sudden anger. Subaru was his to play with, and after last night he was in no hurry to end the game before exploring this new side of his prey. Fuuma had no right to interfere in his hunt. Then he realized he could already feel the vibrations in the Tokyo web of kekkai, signifying and attack on the Nakano cornerstone - Sunshine 60.
He whirled around and stalked out of the house, but almost stumbled over the threshold as the desperate cry of his sakura tree reached him.
Come... unexpected... blood... planfoil... petpersoncaretaker... destinychange... blood... come NOW!
He dared not disregard this summons. He couldn't recall a time when the ancient power had sounded so frantic, its mental imagery so wavering and laced with surprise.
He vanished in a swirl of sakura petals.
Kamui panted as he burst on the roof of the Sunshine 60 building. The tremors were getting stronger, and as he'd ran up the stairs, he passed a stream of people intent on fleeing the skyscraper. He realized this at least meant a lower death toll if he didn't manage to stop whichever Dragon of Earth was causing this destruction. On the other hand, if the rubble fell on the crowd gathered in the street below-
"Everyone will die," Fuuma interjected smoothly. "Everyone."
"Fuuma," Kamui whispered.
"I am Kamui."
The Angels' "Kamui" seemed about to say something more when a quiet sound was heard. They both froze, listening intently.
"And tonight I'd like to talk to you about Jesus Christ," someone sang softly in the stairway.
"Cause I wonder how we'd deal if he just passed you by..."
A clink, as if someone had bounced a glass bottle off a wall to help them turn a corner.
"I bet he'd be a star, I bet my Star Wars figures he would be a movie star." The voice seemed familiar.
"A Quentin Tarantino next-big-thing primadonna, then he'd appear on Oprah..." Casey emerged from the door. She was waving a whisky bottle to the rhythm in one hand, and her other one was wrapped around Nataku's shoulders. The bioroid was clearly supporting most of her weight.
"You know what? I don't think so..."
She stopped as she took in the boys' stunned faces.
"Hi, guys," she said simply. She didn't slur her words, even though her eyes were hazy with drink. "Kazuki was kind enough to show me up here. Need to talk to Kamui an' take him somewhere - sorry, Fuuma, you'll get to play with him later."
"But the building-" Kamui protested.
She clapped a hand on his shoulder. "It'll fall down anyway. How about you and me get out of here before you get any grievous bodily harm?" There was a strange melancholy in her eyes. "There's something you have to see."
"What-"
"No telling. Let's just say I might have done a big no-no, and there's nothing I can do about this now." The once-vibrant singer was subdued; even the highlights in her burgundy-red hair seemed dimmed somehow. "Let's get out of here."
"But-"
"It's Sakura."
A nod.
The small hill in Ueno was as peaceful as ever under the cover of its maboroshi. The tree was silent in his thoughts as the Sakurazukamori approached it. The air smelled sweetly of cherry blossoms-
-and blood.
He placed a wary hand on the trunk, wondering what might have agitated the spirit so much, and what was the source of the familiar scent, when he heard a wavering whisper.
"S-seishirou... san...?"
A single step brought him to the other side of the tree, and he froze.
The picture was perfectly composed: green grass, white satin, black hair, pink petals and crimson blood. The still-bleeding hands barely held the slender body in a half-sitting position, and the voluminous skirts blended in with the blossoms that covered them.
He went down to his knees and touched Subaru's - or was it Sakura's? - arm.
"This isn't how it was supposed to end," he whispered, gathering the slight figure to himself.
A smile appeared on the painted lips. Despite the clothes and make-up, Subaru retained none of his singer-persona's artificial grace. His skin was already cold, and as Seishirou hugged him closer, the knife fell out of his hand.
"It was supposed... to end nine years ago," Subaru whispered. "Or at least that's what you kept telling me..."
"Why?" Seishirou hissed softly, suddenly brushing the wig off the younger man's head, revealing hair just as black, but close-cropped. "Why this?"
"I'm selfish, Seishirou-san." The green eyes brightened, fixing the Sakurazukamori with an unmoving gaze. "I know what you wanted me to do. I didn't want to be left alone... I didn't want you to die."
"How-" The question died on his lips, unasked.
"People are seldom what they seem. If someone seems harmless, defenses are let down... Dreams are not the only places where truth resides."
Like this. Round gaijin eyes unblinking as the hands took hold of his head, sending him into a velvet-soft darkness that smelled of perfume and whisky. He'd let down his defenses, yes...
"You didn't have to do this," he insisted. He took hold of one of the hands, pressing the edges of the deep gash together. "It's still not too late."
"It's... my choice..." Subaru whispered, his strength fading. "If there was another way... she'd see it. She didn't."
His eyes hurt, for some inexplicable reason. Above them, the tree shook its branches in an invisible wind, shedding petals as if they were tears.
"Subaru-kun, I-"
A finger on his lips stopped him. A ghost of a smile appeared on Subaru's pale face.
"Suddenly..." he whispered, "the world... seems... such a perfect place..."
And it ended.
Seishirou didn't see what happened afterwards. The light in his eyes died at the same moment that Subaru's closed for the final time. He didn't see two persons entering the maboroshi, nor one of them falling to his knees beside him, slender hands reaching futilely to straighten the white satin skirts. He didn't see amethyst eyes hidden beneath shaking arms as Earth's last hope wept for its only friend.
Finally, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up into Casey's tear-streaked face. She raised her bottle to the sky.
"The greatest thing you'll ever learn," she said softly, "is how to love and be loved in return."
A moment of silence, and he felt wet streaks on his own face, as if he'd been stading in the rain.
"He gave his life for yours. Don't waste it."
~FINIS~
Please don't kill me. This wrote itself, and I didn't want to!
I had trouble referring to Tree-san here - after all, I already introduced a character named Sakura... I hope there's not too much confusion. Anyway, I gathered Tree-san would have to know and approve of Seishirou's choice of successor - that's why it panicked.
In X11, the attack happens in the evening (or at least after dinner), but I changed it for story purposes. Licentia poetica. Same for Nataku not bothering with damaging her grandfather, and... hell, just the whole scene ^_^
The lines Casey sings in Sunshine 60 are the next part of the same song she sang after her conversation with Fuuma in Club Regina: Do You Remember Love? part 4.
"The greatest thing you'll ever learn..." stolen shamelessly from Moulin Rouge.
Btw, I told you Casey wasn't like Karasu's Johnny - it's not her empathy she's blotting with alcohol, it's her seer skills - visions that grab her once she touches people. She wasn't supposed to be here at all, but she had other ideas, especially seeing that somebody had to bail Kamui's cute ass now that Subaru was undisposed.