tabula rasa: nine
@_@ No, really, I promise I'll finish this one by New Year's.
There may be a little fast-and-loose treatment of canon in this chapter--as far as I can tell, Kamui and Kusanagi do not meet before X16, so I've treated their meeting in this chapter as their first.
Warnings this chapter are for three "S"s: swearing, Satsuki, and sex. That's right, this chapter contains a not-very-explicit sex scene (yaoi, and if you can't guess the pairing I ain't telling ya); it's intense but not graphic, both guys are of legal age, and no goats were harmed in the writing of it. So no more content warnings for you.
Many thousands of thanks to Apapazukamori, Skimmer, Shoi, MD, and TK-chan (for that one nice, painful little detail towards the end ^~).
*`-,--
"Nataku, please step back."
Gathering the white folds of its scarf into the crook of one arm, it moved back a few paces as the cables on the floor began to twitch and hum with power. BEAST was tensing for the hunt, almost rumbling with anticipation as Satsuki's slight body settled into the "cockpit", her heartbeat amplified to a soft, resonant thud-thud-thud as it synchronized with the rhythm of incoming data streams.
"What is Satsuki doing?" Nataku asked.
Her voice came back metallic but powerfully loud. "Locating our next strike. And giving Sumeragi-san a wakeup call."
The Angel narrowed its eyes a little--it didn't like Satsuki's voice; the sound was harsh and cold. The words themselves, however, were important.
"Who is Sumeragi-san?"
"The Sakurazukamori. Another Dragon of Earth."
"He is still asleep?"
"Apparently." Now she sounded faintly amused. "Our next strike is in Ginza, but it looks like we're going to need a little help."
"And that is why we're calling Sumeragi-san."
"Speak of the devil," someone called out cheerfully; BEAST's humming picked up a little in pitch. Yuuto was standing in the doorway, Sumeragi's black-clad figure hovering like a solid shadow just behind him.
"Did you want us for something, Satsuki-chan?" the watercaster asked, grinning.
"The kekkai at Ginza," she replied, and there was a faint sub-aural hum beneath the metallic ring of her voice, as if the sound were about to spill over into deafening feedback. "It has to come down."
"Well, they all do, Satsuki-chan, but today's a Sunday."
There was a moment of silence. Nataku blinked, perplexed; the Sakurazukamori stiffened visibly.
"You wouldn't deny a man his day off, would you?" Yuuto nearly pouted, addressing the machine as if it were Satsuki herself. He removed his hands from his trenchcoat pockets and held them up, palms opento the air. "We've worked so hard all week, and the weather's just awful out there..."
"Kigai-san," Sumeragi said softly, sounding embarrassed. Nataku wondered if there was some significance to the way his cheeks grew pink. The enormous machine nearly whined around them, like some great predatory animal straining at a leash, waiting for the moment when something would give and it could spring for the blood it craved--
--and then one of the massive cooling fans in its hard drive roared into life, and several soft clicks echoed through the room. Satsuki was disconnecting.
"We'll wait for orders from Kamui-san," she said, her tone utterly flat. "Or for word from Kanoe-san. There's no point in striking before we have to."
"You're an angel of mercy, Satsuki-chan."
She let out a short, awkward chuckle, and Sumeragi smiled faintly; Nataku took its own confusion at the situation as its cue to leave and find Papa.
It would have to ask Papa what mercy and the destruction of kekkai had to do with each other. Not to mentionwhat that word "mercy" actually meant.
* * *
"So, what shall we do with our day off?"
Sumeragi stopped, that we freezing his muscles except for his suddenly pounding heart. His companion seemed not to notice for a minute, moving down the corridor with brisk steps; maybe, Sumeragi thought for a wild moment, Yuuto would just forget what he'd said, keep walking and let him melt through the floor...
The watercaster turned on his heel, broad smile and sandy hair flashing.
"You have had days off before, haven't you?"
His ears burned; embarrassment prickled under his collarbone. Yuuto chuckled, apparently noting his unease, and took a step closer. "I'm only joking, Sumeragi-san. You're not offended--?"
"N-no." He let out a breath, surprised at how firm his own voice sounded in his ears. "Sorry. It's been a long week."
"All the more reason to take some time off. Do you like Italian food?"
"I... guess so."
"Well--there's a fantastic little bistro just down the block from my apartment. We could go and have lunch, if you wanted. My treat."
He's asking you out, a childish voice in his head piped up. He's going to take you on a--
"I'd like that," he said quickly.
"Wonderful."
Yuuto's smile broadened just a bit, and he tipped his head towards the door. "Come on, then. Let's go."
Sumeragi's legs felt oddly light beneath him as he moved to catch up with the other Angel. It probably doesn't mean anything, he told himself, the words beginning to form a mantra in his head. It's nothing. He just wants to have lunch. It's nothing at all, he's not flirting, he hasn't been flirting, we've only known each other for a day, don't be an idiot...
"Cigarette?" Yuuto asked.
"Please."
* * *
"Can I help you?"
The man standing on the threshold of the Imonoyama mansion was quite possibly taller than anyone Subaru had ever seen before--he felt himself shrinking back a little, faintly intimidated. It didn't help that the pajamas he'd borrowed from Sorata-san already made him feel abnormally short.
"Ah... I'm sorry to bother you." His voice was a low rumble, a peal of distant thunder. "I think I have the wrong house."
Subaru tugged at one too-wide pajama sleeve with nervous gloved fingers. "Who are you looking for?"
"Nekoi Yuzuriha."
"Oh! You're at the right house." A smile of relief spread over his features, warm and brilliant. "She just got up... may I ask for your name?"
"Shiyu Kuasnagi." The older man paused, then frowned at Subaru a little. "Are you... related to her?"
"Me? Oh, no. I'm just a friend." He brushed self-consciously at his sleep-rumpled hair and bowed a little. "Sumeragi Subaru--very pleased to meet you, Shiyu-san."
Shiyu-san's eyes widened a little, and a frown creased his forehead. "Sumeragi--?"
He nodded. "Just Subaru will do, though."
"I..." Shiyu-san looked down, and the expression that tugged at his handsome, broad face was distinctly uncomfortable.
"Don't want to sound rude, but I think I need to see her very soon."
* * *
Kamui felt as if someone had struck him across the back of the neck with a live lightning rod.
He'd looked up to meet the stranger's gaze, and his senses had filled with raw power, the sudden jolting knowledge that the man's tall body contained a Dragon waiting to spring free with hissing, wide jaws...
"Whoa, you okay there?"
...and as abruptly as the sensation had come, it was fading, leaving only tingles of blue heat buzzing around the insides of his skull. He was warm, and his knees felt sort of liquid... oh. He'd fallen, and someone had caught him. His cheek rubbed flannel as he looked up... and up, and up.
No wonder Subaru had been fidgety when he'd told Kamui that Yuzuriha had a visitor.
"Sorry," he mumbled. "'m fine. Just... my head."
"Anything I can do?"
"I'll be okay." He stepped back a little, managing to force a slight smile. "Really."
"Kusanagi-san?"
Yuzuriha's voice, bright and anxious, rang out as she skidded into the room on bare feet. Inuki ran yipping behind her, biting at the cuffs of her socks as if they were moving chew-toys.
"Missy!" His face brightened visibly with relief. "Sorry to drop in without asking--"
"No, it's fine! I'm very glad to see you. Sit down, sit down--ah, Kamui-san, this is Shiyu Kusanagi-san, he's a friend of mine--"
"You're one of them," Kamui said quietly.
Yuzuriha turned red and sputtered something that could have been the tail end of a word; Kusanagi merely looked down at his hands.
"It's okay, missy," he said softly. "You don't have to make any excuses for me."
She fell silent. The inugami seemed to sense something was wrong with his human, and sat quietly at her feet, small tail thumping soundlessly against the floor.
"I'm not here to hurt anybody, and I know I'm gonna get in trouble for this. For coming here and telling you. But it's really important, and... I just don't wanna see you get hurt, little lady."
Yuzuriha's cheeks pinked, but she reached over and laid her small hand over his. "Kusanagi-san..."
"Your friend... Sumeragi-san. Something's not right with him."
He felt his eyes go wide; his breath caught in his throat. "What?"
"Our... our Kamui brought him to stay with us the other day. As the Sakurazukamori."
Kamui's knees turned to water.
"I went to go see our yumemi the other day to ask her something, and I saw him hanging out with one of the other guys... I don't stick around them much; they're all pretty crazy, if you want my opinion..."
"Hanging out? What did he look like?"
Kusanagi rubbed his forehead, as if trying to keep his frown from deepening. "Much older than the kid I met. Tall. Wore all black. And there was something funny about his right eye..."
"Blind," Kamui murmured. His heart was doing something strange in his chest. The Subaru he'd known was still alive, still in pain, and... and he'd become the Sakurazukamori.
But the Subaru who had turned unblinded green eyes on him over tea, yesterday... who was he?
...or what?
"Now, I have no idea if he's planning anything, or if--"
"...blind in one eye?"
All three of them looked up, startled; Subaru was standing in the doorway, holding a tray of teacups rather close to his thin chest. He looked somewhat embarrassed, as if he'd been caught eavesdropping--
Oh, no.
"I'm--I'm sorry. I just thought maybe I should make some tea, and--I overheard a little--" He shifted his weight nervously. "I think I've seen that man before."
"Sumeragi-san--" Kusanagi started, but Yuzuriha slid her hand more firmly over his, and spoke up.
"Subaru-san, do you know what the Sakurazukamori is?"
The boy's face darkened. Kamui was almost afraid to breathe.
"My grandmother told me a little about them," he said softly. "The guardians of the Sakura--onmyouji who use their magic to kill. They're a clan, but the head always becomes an assassin..."
He shook his head a little, as if to clear it, but a thoughtful frown tugged at his pretty features. "You said he's blind in one eye... is he sort of tall and thin, sad-looking?"
Kusanagi nodded once, clearly confused.
"I knew it," Subaru said. "I have seen him before."
"You--but when? Where?" Kamui stammered.
"Wait, Subaru-san--is he the one who--?"
The boy nodded his agreement; on the sofa, Kusanagi looked very much like he'd walked in on the last five minutes of a murder mystery.
"Who did what? Missy, what's he talking--"
"You know what?" Yuzuriha was suddenly on her feet, smiling brightly. "Let's go see if Hien-san is up. We can make her some breakfast and you can play your violin for her. I'm sure that'll make her feel a lot better, don't you think?"
"Well, uh--" Subaru blinked, but she was already pulling the tea-tray out of his hands.
"Come on! You can borrow some clothes from Kamui-san. And then later we can go shopping, and..."
In that way that only a cheerful teenage girl can manage, Yuzuriha hustled him out of the room, chattering a mile a minute, Inuki skidding across the floor after them.
Kamui looked back at Kusanagi. The Angel was still staring at the open doorway, a faint half-smile playing across his face as he listened to that happy voice fading along the length of the hall. For all his muscle and height, he looked a little vulnerable--partly relieved that he'd passed on what he'd seen, and partly still anxious.
He really does care about her, Kamui thought.
And he managed a smile.
"Thank you for coming," he said.
* * *
Sumeragi hadn't liked the earthquakes that had wracked Tokyo when he first arrived, but now he found he wanted nothing better than for one to start up so the ground could open up and swallow him.
Yuuto, as it turned out, lived on Odaiba, a vibrant little island on the far side of the Bay from Tokyo Tower. He hadn't sensed the protective magic of a kekkai when the light rail train had brought them into the station; the place was probably still standing only because the Dark Kamui had decided it wasn't important enough to destroy--yet. For several horrible moments, though, he recalled hearing Yuzuriha chattering at Sorata about Odaiba's amusement park, and it had made him wonder whether Yuuto might ask him if he wanted to ride the ferris wheel.
Fortunately, Yuuto had simply continued to tease him about the concept of vacation time, all concern and charm. Not just vacation time, either--he'd cajoled Sumeragi into sharing an obscenely large order of pasta, then stayed talking over the last few basil leaves for at least an hour. Yuuto, he'd soon found out, was a master of small talk: he chattered pleasantly about books, about the food, how oddly cold the weather had been lately. He'd coaxed a few personal details out of Sumeragi, as well--but those were ones he hadn't thought about in years. His favourite food, his favourite colour, the best neighbourhoods to visit in Kyoto during cherry season.
It was the closest he'd been to anything normal in a very long time.
Yuuto had first insisted on buying crepes--huge ones filled with chocolate--and then on taking him back to his apartment for coffee. Frankly, Sumeragi couldn't have said no even if he'd wanted to; the other man was so damn persistent in being charming (just like Seishirou-san, he'd thought more than once) that he couldn't make himself refuse.
And now, with a plain blue coffee mug between his hands and those clear eyes focused on him as if he were the only important person in the world...
"Liking this whole 'day off' thing so far, Sumeragi-san?"
"I... yeah. Thank you."
Yuuto made a dismissive gesture and sipped his coffee. "You looked like you needed it. I don't think there's much point in working together if we can't get along, don't you agree?"
Sumeragi "hmm"ed, and ran his fingertip around the rim of the mug nervously. His heart was an erratic drumbeat in his own ears; no matter how he willed it to just quiet down and leave him alone, it kept thumping, fast and hard, as if it were trying to escape his thin body altogether.
"Sumeragi-san."
His head snapped up. "Huh?"
"Are you all right?" Yuuto's features (god he's handsome, Sumeragi thought) were twisted in a concerned frown. "You've been acting odd all day... have I offended you?"
"Oh... n-no, not at all, Kigai-san! It's not that--" Oh, shit. He was going to have to say something. "I'm really sorry... you've been very nice to me today, I had a great time--"
"Then..." The watercaster tilted his head, that frown turning to an encouraging little smile. "What's wrong?"
Just say it, a voice at the back of his mind whispered through the terror that threatened to paralyse him. You'll probably get struck by lightning, but hey, at least then you won't have to look him in the eye again...
"I'm attracted to you," he blurted.
Dead silence.
There was no lightning bolt, and he could feel embarrassment tensing the muscles in his legs, a cue from his subconscious that now would be a good time to get the hell out of here. But he couldn't quite bring himself to move.
"I know we haven't known each other that long, and--and I know you're probably not interested or anything." Oh, god. He was going to get laughed at. He was sure Yuuto was going to laugh. "It--it's just--" Sumeragi swallowed hard, feeling his carefully constructed explanation turning to ash at the back of his throat. Yuuto's smile was slowly undoing him. "I mean, I--I'm twenty-five years old, and I've never even been kissed, and--and--you seem nicer than any of the others, really..."
"Mm, I see." That smile broadened just a little; Sumeragi felt his ears begin to burn. "I have to say I'm very flattered, Sumeragi-san."
And then, suddenly, he was leaning across the table, his blue eyes shining with something that wasn't entirely mischief.
"Would you like me to kiss you?" he murmured.
Sumeragi blinked--hesitated--and realised he could feel Yuuto's warm breath rolling in faint waves against his skin.
"Would you?" he whispered.
"I'd be honoured."
And he leaned in even further, and--
Hokuto had taken a great deal of wicked pleasure in teasing him about kissing. Seishirou had often made a point of leaning in close during their fights, his empty gorgeous smile only a few inches from his cheek or forehead or lips while he purred some smug comment. Kamui's forehead had been pressed against his once, and he could have sworn he'd felt the boy feather an apologetic kiss against his bandaged hand when he woke up in the hospital with a blind right eye.
None of those little hints could have prepared him for this.
At first it was nothing more than a touch of lips--smooth to smooth, like kissing a warm piece of silk. Then Yuuto's lips parted, and he was teasing Sumeragi's mouth open with the tip of his tongue, breathing the taste of coffee into the kiss. He pulled in a quick breath out of sheer surprise--the contact was deliciously warm--and then, almost as if by instinct, began to tentatively push himself deeper into the kiss.
Yuuto tasted wonderful. There was heat and faint salt in the smooth planes of his mouth; beneath the coffee taste there were hints of clove and chocolate, and something else he couldn't identify except as something that made him want to wrap his arms around the watercaster, pull their bodies close together, move against him in the same slow rhythm of that kiss...
There was something soft on his face--Yuuto's hand--and then Sumeragi felt a shiver race up his spine as the other man pulled back.
"How was that, Sumeragi-san?" he asked softly.
It took him a moment to remember how to speak.
"That... was good," he heard himself saying, rather lamely.
"I'm glad." Yuuto tilted his head slightly, running his thumb over the curve of Sumeragi's cheek. "You're very attractive."
"Kigai-san--"
There was a moment of lull; he almost couldn't hear his own breathing. His whole body was warm with remembered pleasure.
And then they were kissing again.
This time Sumeragi responded more readily, leaning further over the small table to press his mouth more fully against Yuuto's. He felt the watercaster's hand slide into his hair, fingers stroking the back of his neck; he had to reach out and curl his hand around Yuuto's shoulder just to have something to hold on to. A slight, warm breath rolled across his tongue--a sigh.
He needed to be closer.
He broke the kiss, surprised at how quickly his own breath came and went, and offered Yuuto an apologetic half-smile. The other Angel stood and stepped around the side of the table; Sumeragi rose to his feet, and then Yuuto's arms were around his waist, one hand splayed at the small of his back.
You're very attractive.
There are things people do when they're attracted to each other...
A slow ripple of warmth danced against his side; Yuuto was gently tugging at the tail of his shirt, pulling it up. Soft fingertips brushed at the bared skin just above his hip, teasing in a way that wasn't quite tickling. He felt his lungs expand with a sudden gasp as Yuuto's hand ghosted over one little hollow below his ribcage--the sensation was so unexpectedly good it made his whole body arch.
He broke the kiss to tilt his head to one side, letting out a low moan as Yuuto's mouth moved to his jawline and then his throat. His breath was hot, steady, sending warm shivers down his spine and shoulderblades and lower, pooling into a steady ache in his groin--
He heard himself whimper, and his mind was so clouded he couldn't bring himself to be embarrassed.
People had hugged him before, or shaken his hand, or touched his shoulder reassuringly. Hokuto had been perhaps the only person who knew how sensitive his skin was--though she'd used it to tickle him mercilessly when he wouldn't tell her something. After she'd died and he'd buried himself in work and training... he'd just been too busy to explore anything like this. He'd had dreams occasionally, but when he woke he could never remember them--not like he remembered his nightmares, full of stark and bloody detail.
why did I wait this long? why didn't anyone tell me this was so good? why can't I breathe and oh god why doesn't he stop teasing me--
"Please," he hissed.
Yuuto's hand settled across the curve of his hip. "Please what?" he asked, and pushed his nose against the space just behind Sumeragi's ear.
Was there a word for what he wanted, for the needles of hot sensation rushing up and down his spine? He couldn't think of it; his grip on language was dissolving completely as Yuuto's thumb traced an idle circle against the bare skin over his beltline.
"Please," he repeated, desperate.
And the watercaster pulled back.
For a moment Sumeragi could only blink, a vague pulse of fear moving through his mind--was Yuuto going to ask him to leave?--but that hand didn't move from its place over the smooth arch of bone.
"Come on," he said softly.
In a heat-fogged daze, he let Yuuto lead him past the main room; he felt the backs of his legs hit something soft, and then his knees gave out and Yuuto's weight was smooth across his chest, their mouths pressed together for another sinuous, hard kiss. The watercaster's slim hips bore down on his gently, and the heat in his groin redoubled; suddenly his slacks were uncomfortably tight.
He reached up to grip Yuuto's shoulderblades, and his hips rocked almost of their own accord--the more intense that heat became, the stronger the little lances of pleasure that raced through his tense muscles.
Yuuto broke the kiss, nibbled gently at his lower lip.
"Do you want to?" he asked, the words nearly a breath against Sumeragi's mouth.
god yes, he wanted to whisper. yes. please yes. i don't know how you're doing this to me but please god don't stop...
His tongue was too thick with the taste of coffee and clean water to work properly; all he could do was nod.
Yuuto's hand slid down his side again, playing over the hollows in his ribcage, slipping under his shirt to trace patterns over the flushed skin. His lips were everywhere on Sumeragi's face: dropping kisses against his closed eyelids, along his forehead, over the curves of his cheekbones. He only paused for a moment to blow a warm stream of breath along Sumeragi's ear--it wasn't even a touch, but it drew a long moan from his throat.
please don't tease me--
As if he'd read that thought from the lines of Sumeragi's body, Yuuto shifted his weight a little, and his hand moved lower. There was a faint tugging, and then his belt buckle was coming open--the fabric wasn't quite so tight against him, anymore--
Yuuto touched him.
Sumeragi's hands clenched tight enough to bruise on his shoulderblades; his head slammed back against the bedcovers even as his hips bucked into that touch. Yuuto's fingers were warm where they curled around that hard heat; this was a meeting of fire and fire, meant to burn itself out. The friction of skin on skin was slight but delicious, and it wasn't long before his hips found an erratic but swift rhythm, pushing up in short thrusts to counterpoint each increasingly firm stroke.
yes--
His world narrowed rapidly, becoming smaller and hotter. His head was spinning, throbbing, he was going to lose himself in this, he was at the edge of something immense and tingling. For a moment he felt like he was trying to run from a tidal wave, heart pounding and skin burning with the effort, until Yuuto did something swift and warm with his fingers and he could only stare as that wave towered over him--
And then--
--then--
It was half like an electric shock and half like the backlash of a powerful white spell, bright and sharp, blocking out everything. He cried out, but the sound was barely a whisper in his own ears, drowned under a fierce wave of heat.
His senses returned slowly, bringing in a sweeping tide of newness. Yuuto's breath moved in a steady rhythm against his throat; his hands were still tight on the watercaster's back. He could smell something vaguely sweet and musky, with the faint tang of coffee at its edge.
He didn't think he'd ever been quite so warm.
"You all right?" Yuuto asked.
Sumeragi turned his head slightly to brush a kiss against the tangle of blond hair that half-obscured his vision.
"Thank you," he breathed. "That was wonderful."
"There's more," he whispered, nosing in to nuzzle Sumeragi's cheek.
More? He shivered at that thought--there was something possibly more intense than that bright release, and Yuuto wanted to give it to him, actually took pleasure in teaching him what it was...
"Show me?" he murmured.
The watercaster's smile flashed at him before Sumeragi pulled him down for another long kiss.
* * *
"Oh--Subaru? Can you come here a moment?"
The boy looked up from the shopping bags he'd been sorting through. "Um--give me a minute, Karen-san?"
The older Seal chuckled. "Oh, dear. Let me guess, Yuzuriha took you out?"
"She said I shouldn't keep wearing other people's clothes," he admitted, pinking slightly. "She acts just like Hokuto on a shopping trip."
"Well, it's probably for the best. I'm sure Sorata will want his pajamas back eventually, right?"
She crossed the room in a few graceful strides, keeping one hand behind her back, and held out her free hand to him. "Come on. Up you get. I have something for you."
He reddened further. "Something--?"
Karen nodded. "I was going through my things and seeing if there's anything Hien-san could wear..."
"Oh!" Subaru let her tug him to his feet. "Thanks--yeah, Nekoi-san and I were picking out some clothes for her, too. We found a really nice dress for her, it looked very pretty on Nekoi-san..."
"That sounds lovely. Now..." She winked at him. "Close your eyes."
Obediently he closed his eyes, a faintly confused look tugging at his delicate features. Something settled across his hair, slowly, something with a very definite weight and texture...
"Okay, open."
Subaru glanced around; the thing on his head moved a bit, almost like--
He reached up and tugged it off.
Karen had given him a flat, wide-brimmed black hat--a little worn-looking, maybe, but still in very good shape.
She beamed. "I haven't worn that in a while, and you've got a good face for hats... it had a veil on it, so I took that off, but I think it suits you."
"Karen-san... you really want me to have this?" Now his expression was almost delighted, as if he were waiting for her to tell him, yes, it was okay for him to accept this gift and be happy about it.
She took it and set it back on his head, smoothing one of his unruly black eartails with her fingertips.
"It looks very cute on you," she said. "And I don't wear it at all, so..."
He looked up at her for another few heartbeats, then tentatively leaned over and linked his arms around her waist in a loose hug.
"Thank you so much," he murmured. "Really."
Her smile broadened. A part of her still wondered what had happened to the Sumeragi Subaru she'd known, to turn this innocence into withdrawn and bitter silence--but the rest of her was growing very fond of this sweet, effusive boy-self. Like Kamui, his vulnerability made her that much more certain that humanity was worth protecting: after all, if it could produce souls as kind and trusting as his, what other good things couldn't it accomplish?
She hugged him closer.
"My pleasure, Subaru."
* * *
Sumeragi pulled back the curtain and let his forehead rest against the windowpane.
One kiss had turned into two, then a dozen; Yuuto's hands had moved from his face to his collarbone, lower, lower still. Almost before he could take in what was going on, he'd found himself shivering, sweating, naked, his body fitted against Yuuto's as he drove towards painful, bright-edged climax...
The city, beyond the cold layer of glass, glowed with motion.
Yuuto had a perfect view of Rainbow Bridge.
The edges of broken concrete and twisted metal gleamed like the body of a dead dragon in the water of Tokyo Bay. A floating corpse, immense and powerless. Useless. He could see the edge of his own reflection in the glass, the curve of a pale cheek covering the ruin's jagged shapes.
Yuuto turned over in his sleep. He'd dropped off before Sumeragi had come back from the shower.
Sumeragi closed his eyes.
"...will you read a little to me, Karen-san?"
"The Bible?" Karen looked both amused and puzzled. "I didn't know you were interested."
"Well..." He shrugged. "I've never been to a Christian church or anything, and--I thought you might want a little company. If you'd rather be alone, though--"
"Not at all. Come and sit by me."
She patted the space beside her on the narrow bed, and he sat, her smile sparking broad and welcoming as he settled.
"My mother and I used to read the Bible together when I was very little," she said. "So... reading helps me remember the good times, as well as my faith. A good thing to share with a friend."
He hesitated, looked down uncomfortably.
"I wish I could remember my mother."
Karen's hand settled on his shoulder.
"She died a little while after Hokuto and I were born," he went on, picking shyly at the palm of one glove. "She got--very sick, very fast. And my dad didn't really talk about her much."
"Did he remarry?"
"He was in a car accident when I was four. I miss him, but... I really wish I could have known my mother."
"I'm sure she'd be very proud of you, Subaru." Her hand slipped from his shoulder to rub a soothing circle between his shoulderblades. "In fact, I'm sure she is proud, right now."
He felt a smile tugging at his lips, glanced up to look gratefully into her eyes.
"I know she must have had a good heart," he said softly. "Just like Karen-san."
For a moment, she looked startled, and then her eyes grew bright and just a little unfocused.
"Why don't we read now?" she asked, her voice husky.
Sumeragi's hand had become a fist against the glass.
It wasn't fair. It just wasn't fair. He'd thought that getting rid of the yumemi would ease this terrible jagged ache in his chest--after all, destroying one instrument of destiny was a way of striking back at the whole damn mess. He'd thought that sharing a bed with someone who reminded him so strongly of Seishirou would make the loneliness that weighed him down lesser, lighter to bear.
The hurt, the loneliness, the grief were no less intense. The man whose bed he'd slept in, if only for an hour, was a complete mystery to him; though his smile was as dangerous as Seishirou's, and his kisses had been warmer and stronger than the dreams the Sakura had given him, he wasn't Seishirou. He never could be.
His heart had become small and brittle from being alone so long, and now that he had seen his younger self happy, trusting, touching lives...
Sumeragi turned away from the view, closing his eyes against a stab of anger.
"...suffer the little children to come unto me," Karen read in her lilting voice as he leaned on her shoulder. "Forbid them not, for such is the Kingdom of God..."
He pushed himself away from the cold plate glass, and began scanning the room for his clothes.
Yuuto made a sleepy noise, and lifted his head, blinking drowsily.
"Sumeragi-san?" He yawned hugely. "Come to bed."
"I can't. I'm sorry."
"Something wrong?"
He paused, watching the other Angel--his lover, now--stretch out languidly in the tangled bedclothes. The long expanse of bare, tanned skin along his naked torso gleamed in the half-light, all clean curves, like the crest of a wave.
Sumeragi stooped to gather up his shirt.
"I'm fine," he said. "I just thought of something I have to do."
*`-,--
The verse Karen reads here is Mark 10:14.
There may be a little fast-and-loose treatment of canon in this chapter--as far as I can tell, Kamui and Kusanagi do not meet before X16, so I've treated their meeting in this chapter as their first.
Warnings this chapter are for three "S"s: swearing, Satsuki, and sex. That's right, this chapter contains a not-very-explicit sex scene (yaoi, and if you can't guess the pairing I ain't telling ya); it's intense but not graphic, both guys are of legal age, and no goats were harmed in the writing of it. So no more content warnings for you.
Many thousands of thanks to Apapazukamori, Skimmer, Shoi, MD, and TK-chan (for that one nice, painful little detail towards the end ^~).
*`-,--
"Nataku, please step back."
Gathering the white folds of its scarf into the crook of one arm, it moved back a few paces as the cables on the floor began to twitch and hum with power. BEAST was tensing for the hunt, almost rumbling with anticipation as Satsuki's slight body settled into the "cockpit", her heartbeat amplified to a soft, resonant thud-thud-thud as it synchronized with the rhythm of incoming data streams.
"What is Satsuki doing?" Nataku asked.
Her voice came back metallic but powerfully loud. "Locating our next strike. And giving Sumeragi-san a wakeup call."
The Angel narrowed its eyes a little--it didn't like Satsuki's voice; the sound was harsh and cold. The words themselves, however, were important.
"Who is Sumeragi-san?"
"The Sakurazukamori. Another Dragon of Earth."
"He is still asleep?"
"Apparently." Now she sounded faintly amused. "Our next strike is in Ginza, but it looks like we're going to need a little help."
"And that is why we're calling Sumeragi-san."
"Speak of the devil," someone called out cheerfully; BEAST's humming picked up a little in pitch. Yuuto was standing in the doorway, Sumeragi's black-clad figure hovering like a solid shadow just behind him.
"Did you want us for something, Satsuki-chan?" the watercaster asked, grinning.
"The kekkai at Ginza," she replied, and there was a faint sub-aural hum beneath the metallic ring of her voice, as if the sound were about to spill over into deafening feedback. "It has to come down."
"Well, they all do, Satsuki-chan, but today's a Sunday."
There was a moment of silence. Nataku blinked, perplexed; the Sakurazukamori stiffened visibly.
"You wouldn't deny a man his day off, would you?" Yuuto nearly pouted, addressing the machine as if it were Satsuki herself. He removed his hands from his trenchcoat pockets and held them up, palms opento the air. "We've worked so hard all week, and the weather's just awful out there..."
"Kigai-san," Sumeragi said softly, sounding embarrassed. Nataku wondered if there was some significance to the way his cheeks grew pink. The enormous machine nearly whined around them, like some great predatory animal straining at a leash, waiting for the moment when something would give and it could spring for the blood it craved--
--and then one of the massive cooling fans in its hard drive roared into life, and several soft clicks echoed through the room. Satsuki was disconnecting.
"We'll wait for orders from Kamui-san," she said, her tone utterly flat. "Or for word from Kanoe-san. There's no point in striking before we have to."
"You're an angel of mercy, Satsuki-chan."
She let out a short, awkward chuckle, and Sumeragi smiled faintly; Nataku took its own confusion at the situation as its cue to leave and find Papa.
It would have to ask Papa what mercy and the destruction of kekkai had to do with each other. Not to mentionwhat that word "mercy" actually meant.
* * *
"So, what shall we do with our day off?"
Sumeragi stopped, that we freezing his muscles except for his suddenly pounding heart. His companion seemed not to notice for a minute, moving down the corridor with brisk steps; maybe, Sumeragi thought for a wild moment, Yuuto would just forget what he'd said, keep walking and let him melt through the floor...
The watercaster turned on his heel, broad smile and sandy hair flashing.
"You have had days off before, haven't you?"
His ears burned; embarrassment prickled under his collarbone. Yuuto chuckled, apparently noting his unease, and took a step closer. "I'm only joking, Sumeragi-san. You're not offended--?"
"N-no." He let out a breath, surprised at how firm his own voice sounded in his ears. "Sorry. It's been a long week."
"All the more reason to take some time off. Do you like Italian food?"
"I... guess so."
"Well--there's a fantastic little bistro just down the block from my apartment. We could go and have lunch, if you wanted. My treat."
He's asking you out, a childish voice in his head piped up. He's going to take you on a--
"I'd like that," he said quickly.
"Wonderful."
Yuuto's smile broadened just a bit, and he tipped his head towards the door. "Come on, then. Let's go."
Sumeragi's legs felt oddly light beneath him as he moved to catch up with the other Angel. It probably doesn't mean anything, he told himself, the words beginning to form a mantra in his head. It's nothing. He just wants to have lunch. It's nothing at all, he's not flirting, he hasn't been flirting, we've only known each other for a day, don't be an idiot...
"Cigarette?" Yuuto asked.
"Please."
* * *
"Can I help you?"
The man standing on the threshold of the Imonoyama mansion was quite possibly taller than anyone Subaru had ever seen before--he felt himself shrinking back a little, faintly intimidated. It didn't help that the pajamas he'd borrowed from Sorata-san already made him feel abnormally short.
"Ah... I'm sorry to bother you." His voice was a low rumble, a peal of distant thunder. "I think I have the wrong house."
Subaru tugged at one too-wide pajama sleeve with nervous gloved fingers. "Who are you looking for?"
"Nekoi Yuzuriha."
"Oh! You're at the right house." A smile of relief spread over his features, warm and brilliant. "She just got up... may I ask for your name?"
"Shiyu Kuasnagi." The older man paused, then frowned at Subaru a little. "Are you... related to her?"
"Me? Oh, no. I'm just a friend." He brushed self-consciously at his sleep-rumpled hair and bowed a little. "Sumeragi Subaru--very pleased to meet you, Shiyu-san."
Shiyu-san's eyes widened a little, and a frown creased his forehead. "Sumeragi--?"
He nodded. "Just Subaru will do, though."
"I..." Shiyu-san looked down, and the expression that tugged at his handsome, broad face was distinctly uncomfortable.
"Don't want to sound rude, but I think I need to see her very soon."
* * *
Kamui felt as if someone had struck him across the back of the neck with a live lightning rod.
He'd looked up to meet the stranger's gaze, and his senses had filled with raw power, the sudden jolting knowledge that the man's tall body contained a Dragon waiting to spring free with hissing, wide jaws...
"Whoa, you okay there?"
...and as abruptly as the sensation had come, it was fading, leaving only tingles of blue heat buzzing around the insides of his skull. He was warm, and his knees felt sort of liquid... oh. He'd fallen, and someone had caught him. His cheek rubbed flannel as he looked up... and up, and up.
No wonder Subaru had been fidgety when he'd told Kamui that Yuzuriha had a visitor.
"Sorry," he mumbled. "'m fine. Just... my head."
"Anything I can do?"
"I'll be okay." He stepped back a little, managing to force a slight smile. "Really."
"Kusanagi-san?"
Yuzuriha's voice, bright and anxious, rang out as she skidded into the room on bare feet. Inuki ran yipping behind her, biting at the cuffs of her socks as if they were moving chew-toys.
"Missy!" His face brightened visibly with relief. "Sorry to drop in without asking--"
"No, it's fine! I'm very glad to see you. Sit down, sit down--ah, Kamui-san, this is Shiyu Kusanagi-san, he's a friend of mine--"
"You're one of them," Kamui said quietly.
Yuzuriha turned red and sputtered something that could have been the tail end of a word; Kusanagi merely looked down at his hands.
"It's okay, missy," he said softly. "You don't have to make any excuses for me."
She fell silent. The inugami seemed to sense something was wrong with his human, and sat quietly at her feet, small tail thumping soundlessly against the floor.
"I'm not here to hurt anybody, and I know I'm gonna get in trouble for this. For coming here and telling you. But it's really important, and... I just don't wanna see you get hurt, little lady."
Yuzuriha's cheeks pinked, but she reached over and laid her small hand over his. "Kusanagi-san..."
"Your friend... Sumeragi-san. Something's not right with him."
He felt his eyes go wide; his breath caught in his throat. "What?"
"Our... our Kamui brought him to stay with us the other day. As the Sakurazukamori."
Kamui's knees turned to water.
"I went to go see our yumemi the other day to ask her something, and I saw him hanging out with one of the other guys... I don't stick around them much; they're all pretty crazy, if you want my opinion..."
"Hanging out? What did he look like?"
Kusanagi rubbed his forehead, as if trying to keep his frown from deepening. "Much older than the kid I met. Tall. Wore all black. And there was something funny about his right eye..."
"Blind," Kamui murmured. His heart was doing something strange in his chest. The Subaru he'd known was still alive, still in pain, and... and he'd become the Sakurazukamori.
But the Subaru who had turned unblinded green eyes on him over tea, yesterday... who was he?
...or what?
"Now, I have no idea if he's planning anything, or if--"
"...blind in one eye?"
All three of them looked up, startled; Subaru was standing in the doorway, holding a tray of teacups rather close to his thin chest. He looked somewhat embarrassed, as if he'd been caught eavesdropping--
Oh, no.
"I'm--I'm sorry. I just thought maybe I should make some tea, and--I overheard a little--" He shifted his weight nervously. "I think I've seen that man before."
"Sumeragi-san--" Kusanagi started, but Yuzuriha slid her hand more firmly over his, and spoke up.
"Subaru-san, do you know what the Sakurazukamori is?"
The boy's face darkened. Kamui was almost afraid to breathe.
"My grandmother told me a little about them," he said softly. "The guardians of the Sakura--onmyouji who use their magic to kill. They're a clan, but the head always becomes an assassin..."
He shook his head a little, as if to clear it, but a thoughtful frown tugged at his pretty features. "You said he's blind in one eye... is he sort of tall and thin, sad-looking?"
Kusanagi nodded once, clearly confused.
"I knew it," Subaru said. "I have seen him before."
"You--but when? Where?" Kamui stammered.
"Wait, Subaru-san--is he the one who--?"
The boy nodded his agreement; on the sofa, Kusanagi looked very much like he'd walked in on the last five minutes of a murder mystery.
"Who did what? Missy, what's he talking--"
"You know what?" Yuzuriha was suddenly on her feet, smiling brightly. "Let's go see if Hien-san is up. We can make her some breakfast and you can play your violin for her. I'm sure that'll make her feel a lot better, don't you think?"
"Well, uh--" Subaru blinked, but she was already pulling the tea-tray out of his hands.
"Come on! You can borrow some clothes from Kamui-san. And then later we can go shopping, and..."
In that way that only a cheerful teenage girl can manage, Yuzuriha hustled him out of the room, chattering a mile a minute, Inuki skidding across the floor after them.
Kamui looked back at Kusanagi. The Angel was still staring at the open doorway, a faint half-smile playing across his face as he listened to that happy voice fading along the length of the hall. For all his muscle and height, he looked a little vulnerable--partly relieved that he'd passed on what he'd seen, and partly still anxious.
He really does care about her, Kamui thought.
And he managed a smile.
"Thank you for coming," he said.
* * *
Sumeragi hadn't liked the earthquakes that had wracked Tokyo when he first arrived, but now he found he wanted nothing better than for one to start up so the ground could open up and swallow him.
Yuuto, as it turned out, lived on Odaiba, a vibrant little island on the far side of the Bay from Tokyo Tower. He hadn't sensed the protective magic of a kekkai when the light rail train had brought them into the station; the place was probably still standing only because the Dark Kamui had decided it wasn't important enough to destroy--yet. For several horrible moments, though, he recalled hearing Yuzuriha chattering at Sorata about Odaiba's amusement park, and it had made him wonder whether Yuuto might ask him if he wanted to ride the ferris wheel.
Fortunately, Yuuto had simply continued to tease him about the concept of vacation time, all concern and charm. Not just vacation time, either--he'd cajoled Sumeragi into sharing an obscenely large order of pasta, then stayed talking over the last few basil leaves for at least an hour. Yuuto, he'd soon found out, was a master of small talk: he chattered pleasantly about books, about the food, how oddly cold the weather had been lately. He'd coaxed a few personal details out of Sumeragi, as well--but those were ones he hadn't thought about in years. His favourite food, his favourite colour, the best neighbourhoods to visit in Kyoto during cherry season.
It was the closest he'd been to anything normal in a very long time.
Yuuto had first insisted on buying crepes--huge ones filled with chocolate--and then on taking him back to his apartment for coffee. Frankly, Sumeragi couldn't have said no even if he'd wanted to; the other man was so damn persistent in being charming (just like Seishirou-san, he'd thought more than once) that he couldn't make himself refuse.
And now, with a plain blue coffee mug between his hands and those clear eyes focused on him as if he were the only important person in the world...
"Liking this whole 'day off' thing so far, Sumeragi-san?"
"I... yeah. Thank you."
Yuuto made a dismissive gesture and sipped his coffee. "You looked like you needed it. I don't think there's much point in working together if we can't get along, don't you agree?"
Sumeragi "hmm"ed, and ran his fingertip around the rim of the mug nervously. His heart was an erratic drumbeat in his own ears; no matter how he willed it to just quiet down and leave him alone, it kept thumping, fast and hard, as if it were trying to escape his thin body altogether.
"Sumeragi-san."
His head snapped up. "Huh?"
"Are you all right?" Yuuto's features (god he's handsome, Sumeragi thought) were twisted in a concerned frown. "You've been acting odd all day... have I offended you?"
"Oh... n-no, not at all, Kigai-san! It's not that--" Oh, shit. He was going to have to say something. "I'm really sorry... you've been very nice to me today, I had a great time--"
"Then..." The watercaster tilted his head, that frown turning to an encouraging little smile. "What's wrong?"
Just say it, a voice at the back of his mind whispered through the terror that threatened to paralyse him. You'll probably get struck by lightning, but hey, at least then you won't have to look him in the eye again...
"I'm attracted to you," he blurted.
Dead silence.
There was no lightning bolt, and he could feel embarrassment tensing the muscles in his legs, a cue from his subconscious that now would be a good time to get the hell out of here. But he couldn't quite bring himself to move.
"I know we haven't known each other that long, and--and I know you're probably not interested or anything." Oh, god. He was going to get laughed at. He was sure Yuuto was going to laugh. "It--it's just--" Sumeragi swallowed hard, feeling his carefully constructed explanation turning to ash at the back of his throat. Yuuto's smile was slowly undoing him. "I mean, I--I'm twenty-five years old, and I've never even been kissed, and--and--you seem nicer than any of the others, really..."
"Mm, I see." That smile broadened just a little; Sumeragi felt his ears begin to burn. "I have to say I'm very flattered, Sumeragi-san."
And then, suddenly, he was leaning across the table, his blue eyes shining with something that wasn't entirely mischief.
"Would you like me to kiss you?" he murmured.
Sumeragi blinked--hesitated--and realised he could feel Yuuto's warm breath rolling in faint waves against his skin.
"Would you?" he whispered.
"I'd be honoured."
And he leaned in even further, and--
Hokuto had taken a great deal of wicked pleasure in teasing him about kissing. Seishirou had often made a point of leaning in close during their fights, his empty gorgeous smile only a few inches from his cheek or forehead or lips while he purred some smug comment. Kamui's forehead had been pressed against his once, and he could have sworn he'd felt the boy feather an apologetic kiss against his bandaged hand when he woke up in the hospital with a blind right eye.
None of those little hints could have prepared him for this.
At first it was nothing more than a touch of lips--smooth to smooth, like kissing a warm piece of silk. Then Yuuto's lips parted, and he was teasing Sumeragi's mouth open with the tip of his tongue, breathing the taste of coffee into the kiss. He pulled in a quick breath out of sheer surprise--the contact was deliciously warm--and then, almost as if by instinct, began to tentatively push himself deeper into the kiss.
Yuuto tasted wonderful. There was heat and faint salt in the smooth planes of his mouth; beneath the coffee taste there were hints of clove and chocolate, and something else he couldn't identify except as something that made him want to wrap his arms around the watercaster, pull their bodies close together, move against him in the same slow rhythm of that kiss...
There was something soft on his face--Yuuto's hand--and then Sumeragi felt a shiver race up his spine as the other man pulled back.
"How was that, Sumeragi-san?" he asked softly.
It took him a moment to remember how to speak.
"That... was good," he heard himself saying, rather lamely.
"I'm glad." Yuuto tilted his head slightly, running his thumb over the curve of Sumeragi's cheek. "You're very attractive."
"Kigai-san--"
There was a moment of lull; he almost couldn't hear his own breathing. His whole body was warm with remembered pleasure.
And then they were kissing again.
This time Sumeragi responded more readily, leaning further over the small table to press his mouth more fully against Yuuto's. He felt the watercaster's hand slide into his hair, fingers stroking the back of his neck; he had to reach out and curl his hand around Yuuto's shoulder just to have something to hold on to. A slight, warm breath rolled across his tongue--a sigh.
He needed to be closer.
He broke the kiss, surprised at how quickly his own breath came and went, and offered Yuuto an apologetic half-smile. The other Angel stood and stepped around the side of the table; Sumeragi rose to his feet, and then Yuuto's arms were around his waist, one hand splayed at the small of his back.
You're very attractive.
There are things people do when they're attracted to each other...
A slow ripple of warmth danced against his side; Yuuto was gently tugging at the tail of his shirt, pulling it up. Soft fingertips brushed at the bared skin just above his hip, teasing in a way that wasn't quite tickling. He felt his lungs expand with a sudden gasp as Yuuto's hand ghosted over one little hollow below his ribcage--the sensation was so unexpectedly good it made his whole body arch.
He broke the kiss to tilt his head to one side, letting out a low moan as Yuuto's mouth moved to his jawline and then his throat. His breath was hot, steady, sending warm shivers down his spine and shoulderblades and lower, pooling into a steady ache in his groin--
He heard himself whimper, and his mind was so clouded he couldn't bring himself to be embarrassed.
People had hugged him before, or shaken his hand, or touched his shoulder reassuringly. Hokuto had been perhaps the only person who knew how sensitive his skin was--though she'd used it to tickle him mercilessly when he wouldn't tell her something. After she'd died and he'd buried himself in work and training... he'd just been too busy to explore anything like this. He'd had dreams occasionally, but when he woke he could never remember them--not like he remembered his nightmares, full of stark and bloody detail.
why did I wait this long? why didn't anyone tell me this was so good? why can't I breathe and oh god why doesn't he stop teasing me--
"Please," he hissed.
Yuuto's hand settled across the curve of his hip. "Please what?" he asked, and pushed his nose against the space just behind Sumeragi's ear.
Was there a word for what he wanted, for the needles of hot sensation rushing up and down his spine? He couldn't think of it; his grip on language was dissolving completely as Yuuto's thumb traced an idle circle against the bare skin over his beltline.
"Please," he repeated, desperate.
And the watercaster pulled back.
For a moment Sumeragi could only blink, a vague pulse of fear moving through his mind--was Yuuto going to ask him to leave?--but that hand didn't move from its place over the smooth arch of bone.
"Come on," he said softly.
In a heat-fogged daze, he let Yuuto lead him past the main room; he felt the backs of his legs hit something soft, and then his knees gave out and Yuuto's weight was smooth across his chest, their mouths pressed together for another sinuous, hard kiss. The watercaster's slim hips bore down on his gently, and the heat in his groin redoubled; suddenly his slacks were uncomfortably tight.
He reached up to grip Yuuto's shoulderblades, and his hips rocked almost of their own accord--the more intense that heat became, the stronger the little lances of pleasure that raced through his tense muscles.
Yuuto broke the kiss, nibbled gently at his lower lip.
"Do you want to?" he asked, the words nearly a breath against Sumeragi's mouth.
god yes, he wanted to whisper. yes. please yes. i don't know how you're doing this to me but please god don't stop...
His tongue was too thick with the taste of coffee and clean water to work properly; all he could do was nod.
Yuuto's hand slid down his side again, playing over the hollows in his ribcage, slipping under his shirt to trace patterns over the flushed skin. His lips were everywhere on Sumeragi's face: dropping kisses against his closed eyelids, along his forehead, over the curves of his cheekbones. He only paused for a moment to blow a warm stream of breath along Sumeragi's ear--it wasn't even a touch, but it drew a long moan from his throat.
please don't tease me--
As if he'd read that thought from the lines of Sumeragi's body, Yuuto shifted his weight a little, and his hand moved lower. There was a faint tugging, and then his belt buckle was coming open--the fabric wasn't quite so tight against him, anymore--
Yuuto touched him.
Sumeragi's hands clenched tight enough to bruise on his shoulderblades; his head slammed back against the bedcovers even as his hips bucked into that touch. Yuuto's fingers were warm where they curled around that hard heat; this was a meeting of fire and fire, meant to burn itself out. The friction of skin on skin was slight but delicious, and it wasn't long before his hips found an erratic but swift rhythm, pushing up in short thrusts to counterpoint each increasingly firm stroke.
yes--
His world narrowed rapidly, becoming smaller and hotter. His head was spinning, throbbing, he was going to lose himself in this, he was at the edge of something immense and tingling. For a moment he felt like he was trying to run from a tidal wave, heart pounding and skin burning with the effort, until Yuuto did something swift and warm with his fingers and he could only stare as that wave towered over him--
And then--
--then--
It was half like an electric shock and half like the backlash of a powerful white spell, bright and sharp, blocking out everything. He cried out, but the sound was barely a whisper in his own ears, drowned under a fierce wave of heat.
His senses returned slowly, bringing in a sweeping tide of newness. Yuuto's breath moved in a steady rhythm against his throat; his hands were still tight on the watercaster's back. He could smell something vaguely sweet and musky, with the faint tang of coffee at its edge.
He didn't think he'd ever been quite so warm.
"You all right?" Yuuto asked.
Sumeragi turned his head slightly to brush a kiss against the tangle of blond hair that half-obscured his vision.
"Thank you," he breathed. "That was wonderful."
"There's more," he whispered, nosing in to nuzzle Sumeragi's cheek.
More? He shivered at that thought--there was something possibly more intense than that bright release, and Yuuto wanted to give it to him, actually took pleasure in teaching him what it was...
"Show me?" he murmured.
The watercaster's smile flashed at him before Sumeragi pulled him down for another long kiss.
* * *
"Oh--Subaru? Can you come here a moment?"
The boy looked up from the shopping bags he'd been sorting through. "Um--give me a minute, Karen-san?"
The older Seal chuckled. "Oh, dear. Let me guess, Yuzuriha took you out?"
"She said I shouldn't keep wearing other people's clothes," he admitted, pinking slightly. "She acts just like Hokuto on a shopping trip."
"Well, it's probably for the best. I'm sure Sorata will want his pajamas back eventually, right?"
She crossed the room in a few graceful strides, keeping one hand behind her back, and held out her free hand to him. "Come on. Up you get. I have something for you."
He reddened further. "Something--?"
Karen nodded. "I was going through my things and seeing if there's anything Hien-san could wear..."
"Oh!" Subaru let her tug him to his feet. "Thanks--yeah, Nekoi-san and I were picking out some clothes for her, too. We found a really nice dress for her, it looked very pretty on Nekoi-san..."
"That sounds lovely. Now..." She winked at him. "Close your eyes."
Obediently he closed his eyes, a faintly confused look tugging at his delicate features. Something settled across his hair, slowly, something with a very definite weight and texture...
"Okay, open."
Subaru glanced around; the thing on his head moved a bit, almost like--
He reached up and tugged it off.
Karen had given him a flat, wide-brimmed black hat--a little worn-looking, maybe, but still in very good shape.
She beamed. "I haven't worn that in a while, and you've got a good face for hats... it had a veil on it, so I took that off, but I think it suits you."
"Karen-san... you really want me to have this?" Now his expression was almost delighted, as if he were waiting for her to tell him, yes, it was okay for him to accept this gift and be happy about it.
She took it and set it back on his head, smoothing one of his unruly black eartails with her fingertips.
"It looks very cute on you," she said. "And I don't wear it at all, so..."
He looked up at her for another few heartbeats, then tentatively leaned over and linked his arms around her waist in a loose hug.
"Thank you so much," he murmured. "Really."
Her smile broadened. A part of her still wondered what had happened to the Sumeragi Subaru she'd known, to turn this innocence into withdrawn and bitter silence--but the rest of her was growing very fond of this sweet, effusive boy-self. Like Kamui, his vulnerability made her that much more certain that humanity was worth protecting: after all, if it could produce souls as kind and trusting as his, what other good things couldn't it accomplish?
She hugged him closer.
"My pleasure, Subaru."
* * *
Sumeragi pulled back the curtain and let his forehead rest against the windowpane.
One kiss had turned into two, then a dozen; Yuuto's hands had moved from his face to his collarbone, lower, lower still. Almost before he could take in what was going on, he'd found himself shivering, sweating, naked, his body fitted against Yuuto's as he drove towards painful, bright-edged climax...
The city, beyond the cold layer of glass, glowed with motion.
Yuuto had a perfect view of Rainbow Bridge.
The edges of broken concrete and twisted metal gleamed like the body of a dead dragon in the water of Tokyo Bay. A floating corpse, immense and powerless. Useless. He could see the edge of his own reflection in the glass, the curve of a pale cheek covering the ruin's jagged shapes.
Yuuto turned over in his sleep. He'd dropped off before Sumeragi had come back from the shower.
Sumeragi closed his eyes.
"...will you read a little to me, Karen-san?"
"The Bible?" Karen looked both amused and puzzled. "I didn't know you were interested."
"Well..." He shrugged. "I've never been to a Christian church or anything, and--I thought you might want a little company. If you'd rather be alone, though--"
"Not at all. Come and sit by me."
She patted the space beside her on the narrow bed, and he sat, her smile sparking broad and welcoming as he settled.
"My mother and I used to read the Bible together when I was very little," she said. "So... reading helps me remember the good times, as well as my faith. A good thing to share with a friend."
He hesitated, looked down uncomfortably.
"I wish I could remember my mother."
Karen's hand settled on his shoulder.
"She died a little while after Hokuto and I were born," he went on, picking shyly at the palm of one glove. "She got--very sick, very fast. And my dad didn't really talk about her much."
"Did he remarry?"
"He was in a car accident when I was four. I miss him, but... I really wish I could have known my mother."
"I'm sure she'd be very proud of you, Subaru." Her hand slipped from his shoulder to rub a soothing circle between his shoulderblades. "In fact, I'm sure she is proud, right now."
He felt a smile tugging at his lips, glanced up to look gratefully into her eyes.
"I know she must have had a good heart," he said softly. "Just like Karen-san."
For a moment, she looked startled, and then her eyes grew bright and just a little unfocused.
"Why don't we read now?" she asked, her voice husky.
Sumeragi's hand had become a fist against the glass.
It wasn't fair. It just wasn't fair. He'd thought that getting rid of the yumemi would ease this terrible jagged ache in his chest--after all, destroying one instrument of destiny was a way of striking back at the whole damn mess. He'd thought that sharing a bed with someone who reminded him so strongly of Seishirou would make the loneliness that weighed him down lesser, lighter to bear.
The hurt, the loneliness, the grief were no less intense. The man whose bed he'd slept in, if only for an hour, was a complete mystery to him; though his smile was as dangerous as Seishirou's, and his kisses had been warmer and stronger than the dreams the Sakura had given him, he wasn't Seishirou. He never could be.
His heart had become small and brittle from being alone so long, and now that he had seen his younger self happy, trusting, touching lives...
Sumeragi turned away from the view, closing his eyes against a stab of anger.
"...suffer the little children to come unto me," Karen read in her lilting voice as he leaned on her shoulder. "Forbid them not, for such is the Kingdom of God..."
He pushed himself away from the cold plate glass, and began scanning the room for his clothes.
Yuuto made a sleepy noise, and lifted his head, blinking drowsily.
"Sumeragi-san?" He yawned hugely. "Come to bed."
"I can't. I'm sorry."
"Something wrong?"
He paused, watching the other Angel--his lover, now--stretch out languidly in the tangled bedclothes. The long expanse of bare, tanned skin along his naked torso gleamed in the half-light, all clean curves, like the crest of a wave.
Sumeragi stooped to gather up his shirt.
"I'm fine," he said. "I just thought of something I have to do."
*`-,--
The verse Karen reads here is Mark 10:14.