---Tokyo Babylon † A Day in the Life, pt. 8---
Everything's happening... so quickly.
I... I don't think I can do this, Mr. Horse. And I know, you can't understand me anyway, but... really, that's all right. I've always liked talking to animals.
Always liked -
No, NO stop. Stop that; don't think about that. Have to think about what I need to do... right... now.
...oh my gods - there he is
Demon
Huge, leathery skin, his... gods, his penis is almost hanging to the ground - I thought it was his tail -
he was waiting for me
"Sumeragi," he says, and my eyes go dark for a moment because it hurts SO MUCH
I just want to cry
I am crying
STOP IT
"I've been waiting for you," he says, and he starts to walk toward me, and his tail and... and things are swinging slowly because he's taking his time although he has something in his hand oh -
that's what he destroyed my shikigami with
...it looks sharp
"You came," he says, and he sounds... so amazed, like he never thought I would come.
"I did," I croak, and I sound just as pathetic as I feel; I never was any good at acting.
He's still coming; and waves of... everything that he sends in front of him are hitting me so hard. I never want to think again, to move again - to have anything to DO with magic again and yet I MUST
keep thinking
about the bodies
about the pain
about the children who are going to die if I don't - if I don't -
I don't care I don't care I don't care BUT I MUST
"I gave you a chance, you know," he says, stopping right in front of me, but I can't look up; I'm curled on the ground, around my heart which I think is trying to burn a hole in me. "I let you have what you wanted - but you still came. It's only your fault what happens now."
My fault? But you... you did everything -
"What... do you mean, a ch... chance?" almost vomiting
oh gods, I'm gagging, don't start that now, if I throw up I'm be COMPLETELY vulnerable
...like it even mattersW
He smiles. "I gave you a valid excuse to stop being the Sumeragi clan head. If you'd let Seishirou keep you, then you wouldn't be here - would you?"
He has a point; a stupid, valid point, as if I could have known Seishirou-san wanted to "keep" me with all his talk of killing and stalking - and damn me because so much of my heart wishes it could have been true.
And that's just. Too. Bad. I can't afford to think about this right now....
"I... have to destroy you," I inform him, and he laughs, like I knew he would, like everybody does, like everyone ALWAYS does I'm so pathetic they always -
stop
focus
"Destroy me? Destroy ME?" he laughroars, as if I said the funniest, stupidest thing on earth, and maybe I did - but it's still what I have to do
still what I have to do
"You cannot destroy me, boy," he says, spitting it, and his spittle burns. "Your ancestor could not, and he was seven years your senior. No, I'm sorry, my little prideful Sumeragi, but you are going to die here - not I. And with you dies your line. Neither you nor your sister will live to continue it."
no
...no - you don't
"I can't let you do that," I say, wheezing, it hurts so much to talk, and even though it burns and nauseates and stings all at once... I push myself up enough to look him in the eye
- because that's what you should do when you're about to kill someone
"And why not, little boy?" he asks, amused, standing right above my body as if daring me to touch him
or to beg
And I feel sick when I tell him... because this is something I don't want to be involved in, either. "Because I'm a seal of heaven. I have to be alive in 1999 - and if in order to do that, I have to kill you... then so be it."
"No."
He's shocked, taking a moment to process, and he steps back, but it's too late. I've begun my spell, releasing my power all the way like I never do, like I dare not do for anything other than the ultimate punishment of death
"NO!"
He can't move; the spell I've used, pressing an ofuda to the ground, shoots a pillar of light right up through the center of his body and into the sky like a spotlight - and he begins screaming because he can't move and gods it sounds HORRIBLE
...and I immediately begin to feel better.
"NO!" He didn't know this was coming, he had no way of knowing, and I KNOW that he didn't - and I would feel badly for him, except that I can't feel badly for anyone right now but myself
...I can't help but notice how easy that would make it to live
"NOOOO!" And he's gurgling sounds, thrashing in the air and trying to escape, but it's too late; I've opened my kekkai - the real kekkai, the one only I and five other people in the world can do because of the end of the world - inside his body, willing it to spread... and he's a demon. Not a human. Not one meant to be protected by the kekkai.
He begins to tear.
He's ripping, ripping - tearing, so messy, so much blood, so much liquid I can't even identify and stench and horror and filth and I can't throw up yet and he's pleading with me to stop -
- and there are tears on my cheeks now, real tears, because I'm sorry that anyone has to die this horribly, even though he deserves it -
and there is a sound like wet cloth tearing, or like sausage skin ripping -
...and he's gone.
There was an explosion - I could feel it, not hear it, in my eardrums, and stuff splatted all across me and past me and into the tree - and
and he's gone
Just like that.
He's gone.
...deafening silence
I
so dizzy
the ground rushes up to meet me, and it hurts when I land, but at least I didn't throw up
...the fallen sakura petals are soft. I'll sleep here for now.
Subaru awoke in his own bed, which filled him with both relief and joy - but oddly enough, he wasn't sure why. Sitting up gingerly, he rubbed his eyes sleepily, feeling hungry though a little nauseated, and jumped very badly when Hokuto burst into the room.
"Su-ba-RUUUU!" she shouted, and leapt at him immediately.
"Ack!" he said, and then they were both laughing and hugging each other and crying for pure, lovely joy.
"I'm so sorry I'm so sorry I'm SO sorry," Hokuto cried, clinging to him as though he were going to float away, and Subaru laughed softly as he comforted.
"Yes, of course, Hokuto-chan, but... for what?"
Blinking, she pulled back and stared at him. "For what? What do you MEAN, for what? Don't you remember?"
He blinked back at her and rubbed his head. "Um... no. Remember what?"
Hokuto stared for a moment more, then leapt off the bed and back into the other room, calling for Seishirou at the top of her lungs.
"Gah," Subaru said softly to himself, wondering exactly what he'd done wrong and just what he was supposed to remember. There was SOMEthing in the back of his mind, it was true... something about... about a demon, or... ancestors, or... hm. None of it seemed to make sense now.
Hokuto returned, dragging Seishirou by one hand; Seishirou, who looked grim and very concerned, and sitting by the bed, immediately checked Subaru's pulse.
"Um... Seishirou-san?" Subaru said, very confused. "What's going on?"
Seishirou blinked at him; it seemed to be the choice response of the day. "You don't remember, Subaru-kun?"
"No," affirmed Subaru, looking more uncomfortable and hoping that whatever it was, it didn't involve him doing something wrong. "What's going on?"
"You don't remember fighting the demon? The chaos in Tokyo? The riots?"
It was Subaru's turn to stare. "...riots?"
"Do you even remember me finding you and taking you home, Subaru-kun?" Seishirou continued, clearly concerned, fingers gently resting on Subarur's forehead as he checked for fever.
"...finding me?" Subaru repeated weakly, now having no idea what happened and not entirely sure if he wanted to.
"Oh, Subaru!" Hokuto said, and attacked him with another vicious hug. "At least you're all right," she said, and he could feel tears drip from her cheeks onto his shoulder. Concerned, he held her tightly and looked helplessly at Seishirou.
Seishirou sighed deeply and sat back, pensive. "I think Hokuto-chan is right, Subaru-kun," he diagnosed, leaning forward and watching them both closely. "We can fill you in on how our brave Subaru-kun saved us all later; right now the important thing IS that you are all right." Seishirou looked at him, somber and sincere; and then he smiled. "And, I might add, looking positively adorable in polka-dot pajamas!"
Subaru cringed. "SEIshirou-san!" he protested, but Hokuto was already laughing, and it was contagious; within a few seconds, all three of them were laughing, projecting all mutual stress relief into the the sound. It was togetherness and safety and peace; and very shortly, Subaru knew it was all going to be okay.
And there it is. The demon is completely destroyed. Subaru-kun's grandmother will be all right, although I'm sure that back injury will come back to haunt her later. And Tanaka the lawyer most unfortunately killed Suzuki the lawyer; but as there was no end of mysterious deaths and damages done during this period for which no one can explain themselves, it was accepted as simply part of the great unknown and tucked away as soon as possible - most fortunately including Tsunami's firey death.
Of course, Subaru-kun has not and will not recall what happened to him in the park and just before, but that's only to be expected. I did find him first, after all; and some of those nasty memories simply wouldn't do for my poor Subaru-kun to process.
Only four months remain in the Bet now, Subaru-kun; still, you have failed to make me feel anything of note, other than a temporary distraction during dull periods. This, also, is only to be expected.
Only four more months, Subaru-kun; and then I will take your life. Four more months of freedom.
I suppose the least I can do is to make them happy for you - ne?
And in the veterinary clinic, away from prying eyes, Seishirou smiled like a killer for a long, long time.
(fine)