X/1999 Fan Fiction ❯ Après ❯ Photograph ( Chapter 2 )

Pairings: KeiichixKamui, SorataxArashi

Disclaimer: CLAMP owns the majority of the characters. Other than Ayame, I own shit.

Part Two

Shirou Kamui waited outside the classroom for his boyfriend. Student president, Segawa Keiichi, had been called in for a meeting with the rest of the student council. And according to Kamui's watch, the meeting was just about over.

The door opened and students filed out. Kamui looked for Keiichi among them. He spotted his boyfriend towards the end of the group. Keiichi noticed him waiting and flashed him a bright smile.

"Kamui-kun!" Keiichi greeted, pulling Kamui into a hug.

Kamui returned the hug. "Hello to you, too."

"Ready to go?" Keiichi asked, putting his arm around Kamui's waist.

"Hai."

The two of them walked off and headed towards their favorite ice cream shop, just outside campus. As they walked, Keiichi told Kamui about the student council meeting. Kamui half-listened to what his boyfriend was saying.

"Oh, yeah," Keiichi said. "There's a new student coming in."

"Is there?" Kamui asked.

"Yeah," Keiichi said. "She'll be a senior, so we won't see her often."

"Did you find out her name?"

"Hai. Sakurazuka Ayame."

Kamui stopped in his tracks. "Sakurazuka Ayame?"

* * *

Ayame shuffled through the mess on her desk. She and her mother had just moved in the other day and already, her room was a mess. She tossed a couple of candy wrappers into the waste basket, put her manga on the shelf, flipped her lamp on for more light, and moved her incense burner aside. Finding what she was looking for, Ayame picked up the photograph. She looked at a certain young man in the photo.

"So, Shirou-kun," she whispered. "You're here in Tokyo, ne?"

Ayame had seen Kamui when she passed two boys on her bike. She should have recognized him at first glance. The wide, amethyst colored eyes were unique to Kamui. And if the eyes weren't a dead give-away, Ayame should have recognized him from his appearance alone; the boy hadn't changed much in the past two years since she had last seen him.

* * *

Hiroshi stood before his father. The elderly Sakurazuka Masaki sat up in his bed, too weak to move around much at all. Blind and hard of hearing, Masaki could not tell that Hiroshi was upset.

"Hiroshi," the elderly man wheezed. "Did Ayame-chan find Seishirou?"

Hiroshi clenched his fists at the mention of his estranged half-brother; he hated to hear the name of Masaki's elder son. Without a doubt, he wanted nothing to do with the one family member who had betrayed the Clan by falling in love with the Head of the Sumeragi Clan. It disgusted him.

"No, Father," Hiroshi lied, loud enough for his father to hear his words.

Masaki looked disappointed. "I have faith in her. I know she'll pull through for me. I would give anything to see my lost son before my time here on this Earth expires."

"I know, Father," Hiroshi said, the slight annoyance at the topic of his half-brother not registering in his father's ears. "I shall inform you if she is to find him."

"Thank you, my son."

Hiroshi kept the knowledge of his daughter's discovery hidden within him, not letting his father know that Sakurazuka Seishirou was alive and had been located in the city. He would stop at nothing to keep his half-brother from coming back into the Clan. Little did he know that his daughter knew of his plan to prevent Seishirou from re-entering the Clan, and was secretly plotting behind her father's back.

* * *

Keiichi looked at Kamui, who had been rather quiet since he had heard about the new student. His was beginning to regret telling Kamui about Sakurazuka Ayame. With a sigh, Keiichi took a spoonful of his banana split.

Kamui unconsciously stirred his chocolate sundae around. He took a bite, sucking on the spoon for a moment. When he set the spoon back into the ice cream, he felt Keiichi take a hold of his hand. He looked at his boyfriend.

"What's bothering you, Kamui-kun?" Keiichi asked, his hazel eyes locked on Kamui's lavender ones. "You haven't said a word since I told you about the new student."

"It's nothing really," Kamui replied. "Ayame-chan was my neighbor before I came back to Tokyo, that's all."

"I think that you're not telling me something."

Kamui sighed. "Okay, fine. She was someone I wasn't very comfortable around."

"Elaborate."

"There's something about her that never felt right," Kamui explained. "And now that I think about it, I think she may be related to Sakurazuka Seishirou."

"Well, she does have his family name," Keiichi pointed out.

"I know. That's what made me think about it."

Keiichi smiled. "Anyway, Kamui-kun. She's a senior. We're only juniors, so we won't have any classes with her."

With that, Keiichi took Kamui's spoon and scooped up some of the slowly melting sundae. He held it out to his boyfriend.

"Now open up."

Kamui happily obliged.

* * *

Later that night, Subaru and Seishirou stood in their kitchen, occupying themselves with the dishes. The Sumeragi quietly washed the dishes, and then handed them to the older man, who dried them and put them away. Just as Subaru handing Seishirou the last dish, the phone rang.

Seishirou went into the sitting room hit speakerphone after it rang a couple of times. He dried the plate and handed it to Subaru.

"Sakurazuka desu."

"Hi, Uncle Seishirou," Ayame's voice came from the other line.

"Good evening," Seishirou replied, flinching at being called `Uncle Seishirou'.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Seishirou saw Subaru silently snickering. Seishirou glared and threw the damp towel at his younger lover.

"Ano…I was calling to ask if I could stay at your place after school for a while tomorrow."

"Why?"

"Well, Okaa-san's got an interview, and she doesn't trust me at home by myself, even though I'm eighteen."

"What about your father?" Seishirou asked. "Can't he watch you?"

"He has to work tomorrow," Ayame sighed. "He's got two major surgeries to handle."

"Well…"

"Please, Uncle Seishirou?"

Seishirou sighed. "Fine."

"Thanks!" Ayame said. "Pick me up at CLAMP academy, okay?"

"All right."

"Bye!"

Seishirou hung the phone. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it.

Somehow… he thought, taking a long drag. I think I've just been set up.

* * *

Arashi looked up at Sorata. She closed her textbook.

"A new student?" she asked.

"That's right," Sorata smiled. "I overheard a teacher talking to the student council. She's in our grade and will be starting tomorrow."

"Well, I'm glad we have a new student," Arashi said, turning back to her homework. "There hasn't been one since we enrolled."

"Not true," Sorata replied. "There's been a whole class of freshmen."

"Well, aside from them."

Sorata laughed and gave Arashi a small kiss on the cheek. The Hidden Priestess of Ise blushed and playfully punched Sorata's arm. The Kansai monk laughed and poked Arashi's side, making the young woman giggle.

"Sorata!" the Ise maiden cried through her giggles as Sorata moved on to tickling. "Stop it!"

"Okay," Sorata said, without stopping. "But only if you come get ice cream with me!"

"Ahh!" Arashi let out as a short scream. "That's cheap!"

Sorata continued tickling the raven haired girl until she finally gave in. Grabbing his wallet, he led Arashi outside and towards a nice ice cream parlor.

The sun was setting after they paid for their cones. Sorata decided that a nice walk as they ate their ice cream would be nice. Arashi agreed. They walked along until Sorata (quite literally) walked into a girl about their age.

"Oops!" Sorata exclaimed. "I'm sorry!"

"That's alright," the girl said. "It was accidental."

Sorata looked at the dark teenage girl. Her dark hair was in a messy braid, her black jeans had a rip in one knee and her knee was scraped and bleeding slightly, her dark tanktop had a broken strap, which she held up. The most noticeable thing about the girl was her right hand. It was covered in blood.

"Are you okay?" Sorata asked her.

The girl waved her bloodied hand carelessly. "I'm fine. There sure are a few creeps in this city, though."

"Were you hassled?" the Kansai monk inquired, his voice full of concern.

"Yeah," the girl smiled. "But I handled it."

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Arashi asked the girl.

"I'm fine. But my mom is going to be pissed."

With that, the girl excused herself and headed off. Sorata and Arashi watched as the girl disappeared down the street.

"Her smile reminds me…" Sorata began as he and Arashi headed for the apartment they shared with Yuzuriha.

"Reminds you of what?" Arashi asked.

"Of Sakurazuka-san."

* * *

When she got home, Ayame found her mother asleep on the couch, unpacked boxes scattered around the single piece of furniture in the room. Quietly, she headed for the bathroom. After a quick shower, Ayame threw her clothes in the laundry, changed into her pajamas, and got into bed.

Grabbing her turquoise stuffed rabbit, Ayame curled up and fell asleep.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Okay, I know this story is kinda pathetic at the moment. I'm working on getting the good stuff written. Give me a break, please.

Reviews would be nice, too!