Tokyo Babylon Fan Fiction / X/1999 Fan Fiction ❯ Lost Souls ❯ XV ( Chapter 15 )

Fuuma chuckled, not looking away from where he had Kamui pinned with shards of glass and snakes of spare wire and cabling.

"Sumeragi," he stated in an amused tone. "I would have thought you'd know better than to get between me and Kamui, after what happened last time." He finally turned around, giving Subaru a bright smile, all false kindness like the smiles Subaru was so used to from the kindly mask of a veterinarian that had become his most beloved.... "Oh, that's right. You forgot." The smile twisted into a cold smirk...again an expression so much like Seishirou would make.... "Such a hassle to have to teach it to you again. But, it was your Wish, and I'm the one who granted it."

"My...Wish...?" Subaru stared, taking an involuntary step backward as Fuuma stalked closer.

"Yes. It didn't help, did it? You poor thing," Fuuma said sympathetically, grinning a predatory grin when Subaru found himself backed against a wall. He placed a hand on either side of Subaru, leaning in. "You poor, poor thing," he whispered. "Your Wish is even more fucked up than it was before, isn't it?"

Some instinct for self-preservation propelled Subaru into action, making him dodge away and draw his attacker further from Kamui's injured form. He reached automatically for the ofuda he always kept handy in his coat pocket--

--right next to his cigarettes--

--neither of which were there.

Fuck.

This was going to be difficult without his foci. Not impossible, but...life or death situation without the tools he had grown so used to? It was going to be painful to say the least. Subaru gathered his power, concentrating, visualizing what he wanted and the exact boundaries--he touched the spots as he dodged, marking them mentally and with a trace of his energy. He dodged again at the last moment, satisfied that Fuuma was following him, ready to touch the last spot and trigger the spell--

He was slammed suddenly against a wall opposite of where he wanted to be. He was lucky to be able to cushion himself with a burst of energy, but it still stung and knocked the wind out of him. He lost the concentration necessary for the spell to work.

"The problem with a trap," Fuuma said calmly, "is that the one you are trapping must be surprised in order for it to be effective. We've played this game before, Subaru-kun."

What?

Subaru jumped away from the wall before Fuuma decided to take advantage of his helplessness...but he was starting to get seriously disturbed. That last bit had erased from his mind that it was coincidence somehow that Fuuma kept reminding him of Seishirou. He knew--he just knew that addressing him like that had been a taunt. It had been deliberate.

But, that didn't explain why, at that moment, Fuuma had looked just like Seishirou.

He was left with few alternatives. Complex spells were out of the question. Or, maybe not. He looked for something sharp and his eyes landed upon a piece of glass. He dove for it quickly, scraping arm with it and dipping a finger into the blood. This would work. This would be perfect. He ran for cover, needing only to borrow a few moments.

Practice made the complex symbols form quickly as he drew upon the steel side of the roof vent. He had to dip his finger into the red liquid a few times, but he was able to ignore the stinging sensation and was satisfied with what he'd done. He brought his hands together, his fingers falling easily into place despite the complex positioning. Again, this was aided by many years of practice. He backed away slowly, smoothly, and began to chant. Energy crackled in the air, and he had almost uttered the last necessary syllable when he felt a hand wrap around his neck and cut off his air.

The spell exploded, discharging the energy violently. It took a great chunk of the building with it, but the blast had been directed in the opposite direction. That meant Subaru was unaffected by it...but it also meant that Fuuma escaped unscathed.

"Nasty side effect, just from interrupting the spell. I'd hate to see what would have happened if I'd let you finish it." Fuuma looked calmly at Subaru, smiling as he released his grip enough to let the onmyouji breathe.

In the background they could hear Kamui crying out, protesting helplessly. It was just background noise to Subaru until he made out the words, "Not again!"

"Again?" he rasped, still gasping for precious air and wondering how long that would last.

Fuuma just laughed. "Yes. This is feeling remarkably like déjà vu, except Nataku was here last time. And, I remember I told you then that the easiest and fastest way to escape a kekkai is to kill the one who erected it."

Oh, shit.

"Your Wish has changed so much in a week's time. And then, just like now, granting that Wish will give me my freedom. Thank you, for having such a delightfully messed up mind, Subaru-kun."

And again, he looked just like Seishirou. The one person he wanted to see the most right now. The last person he wanted to see right now. It was all jumbled in his mind and confusing, but he had a sinking sensation that he knew what Wish Fuuma had found within his heart this time and an overwhelming sense of dread hit him.

"Why...why do you look...like...?"

"Because you want me to," Fuuma leaned closer, almost whispering the answer. "Just like last time. And fate's hand can only be stayed for so long."

Subaru nodded, closing his eyes to take a deep breath and prepare himself.

As if he could.