Tokyo Babylon Fan Fiction / X/1999 Fan Fiction ❯ Subaru, Seishirou and the Hokkaido Getaway ❯ Epilogue ( Chapter 7 )

Epilogue

Subaru was warm, wonderfully warm in his bed when he woke. Sunlight was shafting through the windows, telling him that it was already late in the morning. The sound of a door opening and a cool draft brushing against his face confirmed that someone had come into the room.

Sitting up, he saw his sister bouncing in with Seishirou.

"Subaru!" she exclaimed excitedly. "You're awake at last! We've been waiting for you for ages! But Sei-chan wouldn't let me wake you!" She stuck her tongue out at Seishirou in mock disgust, although Subaru could tell from her broad grin that she was pleased by his lover-like action.

Seishirou merely smiled merrily back at her. "It was a long journey for Subaru-kun yesterday. I'm sure he must be tired." The vet turned, bent down and ruffled Subaru's hair affectionately.

For a moment, Subaru sat blinking while his mind tried to piece together what was wrong with this picture. Then a strange thought, or was it a memory, crossed his mind. What was he doing in bed? Didn't he leave the resort last night to talk to Ajibana-san? The memory receded and it seemed to him that he couldn't have left the resort. Not if he was currently in his pajamas and in his bed. It had to have been a dream… hadn't it? It was strangely hazy and vivid all at the same time.

Seishirou hid a secret smile to see Subaru frowning in confusion. He was sure the boy would dismiss last night's events as a figment of his dreams. The Sumeragi was very good at rationalizing his way out of the strange things that happened to him-almost as if he was unwilling to see the truth.

It was one of the things about him that fascinated Seishirou-his overwhelming, if subconscious desire to remain innocent to the extent that he refused to believe what his mind was telling him.

"I had a very strange dream," muttered Subaru as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "I remember getting up late last night, but I don't remember going back to bed."

Hokuto's eyes narrowed in mild concern. Was her little brother sleepwalking? That could be dangerous. She turned to Seishirou and slapped him lightly on the shoulder. "You need to keep a closer eye on Subaru-chan, Sei-chan!" she scolded.

Seishirou laughed with pure amusement. "I always take care of my Subaru-kun, Hokuto-chan," he said with utmost sincerity, managing to keep the irony out of his voice.

Subaru wasn't entirely sure why that comment made him feel like paling and blushing simultaneously, but he pushed the feeling away with a will. He made a soft choked, embarrassed cough and dashed into the bathroom to change.

He left the door slightly ajar, so he could hear Hokuto and Seishirou bantering back and forth, because their voices somehow always comforted him.

But Hokuto turned on the radio, and they all heard something that had the opposite effect.

Top of the news, the small mountainside home of local artist Ajibana Naosuke has burned to the ground, in a mysterious tragedy early this morning.

Ajibana-san was noted mainly for his realistic landscapes of the Mount Asahi region, though locals say that in recent weeks he had switched to creating street scenes, sometimes with a whimsical or supernatural element.

The authorities do not suspect foul play.

"Ajibana-san," whispered Hokuto. "Oh, Sei-chan, that's horrible! And we just saw him last night!"

Seishirou patted the girl's shoulder. "It's a tragedy, Hokuto-chan. But sometimes these things happen." The man's voice was practical and comforting all at the same time.

Subaru stood frozen in the bathroom, his emerald eyes huge and dilated, staring back in the mirror.

He looked as if was almost remembering something, but then it disappeared, and his eyes narrowed to their more normal size.

"What a terrible thing," he murmured to himself absently. "What could have happened?"

Subaru bent over the sink and squeezed his eyes shut. He knew what the artist had been doing; it had come to him in the middle of the night. He was certain he had been responsible for the incidents at the resort. But he hadn't deserved that kind of death.

No one deserved to die that way.

He sighed. It was his duty to inform Ebisawa-san that the problem was taken care of, but he didn't want to ruin the memory of Ajibana-san.

He could only hope that the manager didn't ask any questions he couldn't answer.

***

Much later, a subdued Subaru stood at the train platform, staring wistfully back at Mount Asahi. It hadn't been an easy interview, but in the end, Ebisawa-san had accepted Subaru's word that all evil magical manifestations were gone.

Hokuto hadn't been at all happy about leaving so quickly. She continued to protest, saying neither Sei-chan nor Subaru had the chance to ski or had anything resembling a vacation yet. But Subaru, for once, had overridden her protests with surprising strength and insisted that they leave. Something about the mountain made him ill at ease, and he didn't want to be in the area any more.

Seishirou laid a hand on his shoulder, startling the Sumeragi out of his haze.

"There was nothing you could have done for him, you know."

Subaru looked up into Seishirou's warm amber eyes. Seishirou always, somehow, seemed to know how he was feeling, and what to say to make him feel better.

Subaru doubted that he would ever know many people who were able to do that for him. He smiled weakly at his friend.

"I know, Seishirou-san, but I still wish I could have done something." He bent down to pick up his bag, and started to walk towards the locomotive, before he stopped and turned.

"But thank you. You always help me."

Seishirou said nothing, merely nodding his acknowledgement and smiling before he followed after the Sumeragi to board the train.

He wondered, as he watched Subaru try to stow all the items Hokuto had insisted they bring on the train with them, if he'd really be tired of Sumeragi Subaru after a year. He continued to be interesting.

And perhaps someday, Subaru would manage to make him feel something for him.

Notes:

Xan: *wink wink* I leave it to you to think of who it was who put Subaru back into his pajamas. At any rate, it was a wonderful writing with Mizu again. Thank you for reading this far. *bows*

Mizu: And hey, I wrote CLAMP again! (Though Xandra had to drag me away from Paradise Kiss in order to do so) It was, as always, great fun to write Tokyo Babylon-there's something wonderful about the chemistry between the Sumeragi twins and Seishirou.