X/1999 Fan Fiction ❯ Après ❯ Reincarnation ( Chapter 9 )

Author's Note: I got lucky and managed an update! Yay! Though I don't know when the next one will be. Right now I have a strong urge to strangle my little sisters, which would get me put in juvenile hall. --; I guess that's a bad idea. Aaaauuuggghhhhhhh.......Excuse me while I go play with fire.

Warning: Nightmares. Post-cognitive nightmares. Explanations that suck. Just stuff this chapter. I think Sei-chan's going to kill me cause he doesn't get to bang Subaru just yet.

Chapter Nine: Reincarnation

Keiichi looked over at Kamui. It had been only three weeks since their break-up and Keiichi wanted to get back together with the amethyst-eyed boy. Kamui had admitted that he wanted to remain friends, but no more than that. He was happy with Fuuma and Keiichi didn't want to ruin the smaller boy's happiness.

With a gulp, Keiichi approached Kamui and tapped him on the shoulder. The violet-eyed boy turned to Keiichi and gave him a small smile.

"H-hi, Shirou-kun," Keiichi stammered. "I just wanted to know if...if you want to come hang out with me on my birthday, the day after tomorrow."

Kamui nodded. "Sure. That would be fine."

"You're not mad at me anymore?"

"Keiichi, you're my friend; I can't stay angry at you long."

Keiichi smiled. "Thanks, Shirou-kun."

Kamui sighed. "You can still call me `Kamui'. You don't have to bother with the whole `Shirou-kun' thing. I'm not one for formalities."

"Okay, Kamui-kun."

* * *

It was a bit late at night for the phone to be ringing. Mitsuko picked up the phone after saving her latest article. She placed the receiver to her ear.

"Sakurazuka desu!"

"Ah, Mitsuko-san," came Seishirou's voice. "I was just wondering if you could relay a message to Ayame-chan for me."

"No problem!" Mitsuko replied. "What's up?"

"I'm taking Subaru-kun on a little vacation for our anniversary tomorrow and I need Ayame to take care of the Tree for me while I'm gone."

"Can she do that?"

"She's next in line for my position," Seishirou said. "I think she can handle it."

"I dunno, Seishirou," Mitsuko said. "She's an emotional teenager. I think the job may get to her."

"I wasn't much younger than her when I took the job and I'm doing fine."

"But you're a guy and she's a girl," Mitsuko told her brother-in-law. "There's a slight difference between the two genders."

"I think she can handle it for two weeks."

"You're going to be gone that long?"

"I'm taking him to the Caribbean," Seishirou said. "It's going to be a while before we get back."

"Well, I really don't want her missing that much school, but I don't see much of a choice. She's the only one of her generation capable of doing the job. And none of the others have enough stamina to do it. So, I'll tell her."

"Thank you, Mitsuko-san."

"Out of curiosity, who's taking Subaru-san's place?"

"I talked to Akito, Subaru-kun's cousin, and he said he'd get someone to do it."

"Well, you two have a good time," Mitsuko said.

Seishirou chuckled. "Oh, we will."

Mitsuko could practically hear her brother-in-law wink. She laughed and hung up the phone, getting back to her work.

`The hunter glimpses its prey. She sprints towards the elusive game, in hopes of catching it in her clutches. A pounce, a tackle, and she has it! The desired merchandise is hers!

Ah, yes, the modern teenager: the most ferocious predator in the mall--'

* * *

Ayame lay curled up under her blankets. Her face was relaxed in her sleep. She had no school, as it was a Sunday and nothing was going to wake her.

::Feed me.::

Except for that. Ayame let out a small yelp and fell out of bed with a loud thud. She looked around for the origin of the voice. No one was in her room apart from her and her radio wasn't on, so there was no chance that the voice could be from it.

::I'm hungry,:: the voice said. ::Feed me!::

"Who are you?" Ayame asked.

::Think, Ayame. Your uncle hasn't fed me in the past three days. I'm starving!::

"Tree-san?"

::Bingo,:: the Tree said. ::Now go check your e-mail for a job. Seishirou had his employers forward their requests to you for a while.::

"Why?" Ayame asked. "I'm not the Sakurazukamori. He is."

::Yes, but he decided to take the Sumeragi to the Caribbean for their anniversary. They left this morning and, like the bastard he is, he hasn't fed me in three days because he's been busy packing in secret.::

"And why wasn't I informed of this?"

::He told your mother.::

"And I'm guessing Mom forgot," Ayame sighed. She looked at her alarm clock. "Holy shit! It's one-thirty in the morning!"

::Get used to it. The Sakurazukamori usually works at night to keep from getting caught and you're the Sakurazukamori for the next two weeks until Seishirou gets back.::

"When he gets back, he and I are going to have a nice long discussion on planning ahead."

Ayame went over to her computer, sat down and turned the PC on. She waited for it to boot and checked her e-mail. There were two requests for killings. She quickly memorized the addresses, grabbed her wallet and headed out.

::You're going out in your pajamas?:: the Tree asked. ::Boy, your victims are going to be terrified by a teenage girl in shorts and a t-shirt sporting an American band's picture.::

::Hey, I think American singers are scary.::

::Is that why you're wearing a Disturbed t-shirt?::

::Well, Disturbed is actually pretty good. It's Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys that are terrifying.::

::I see.::

Ayame laughed and hailed a taxi, giving the driver instructions to take her to a place she thought would be inconspicuous. When the taxi stopped, she gave the driver some money and walked towards the hotel where the first target was staying. She wove an illusion and headed to the room. Fifteen minutes later, she was out of there, her arm covered in blood. Within her illusion, she had fed the Tree after killing the man.

::Do I really have to go kill the other guy tonight?:: Ayame asked. ::I'm really tired and want to sleep.::

::I'm still hungry.::

Ayame rolled her eyes. ::Fine.::

About an hour, another government target, and a sex crazed asshole later, Ayame's arm was covered with more blood and Tree-san was finally satisfied. Ayame wandered back home under cover of an illusion and immediately jumped into the shower.

By the time the teenager got in bed, it was four o'clock in the morning.

* * *

"Seishirou, it's still early," Subaru moaned when Seishirou shook him awake the next morning.

"Wake up, Subaru-kun," Seishirou said. "We're going to miss our plane."

"Plane?"

"Yes, Subaru-kun. Now get up."

Subaru sat up, letting the blankets pool in his lap. The sunlight that seeped into the room shone onto his bare chest. Seishirou picked up a shirt and threw it to his younger lover.

"Seishirou, what are you talking about?" Subaru asked, pulling the shirt over his head.

"I'm taking you on vacation for our anniversary, Subaru-kun."

"What?"

Seishirou pulled Subaru out of bed. "You and I are going to the Caribbean for two weeks and our plane leaves in a half hour."

"Wait. What about the Tree? And my job?"

"Ayame's going to take care of the Tree," Seishirou said. "And Akito said that he'd find someone to take your place for a while.

"What did my grandmother say?"

"Do you honestly think I'm going to talk to your grandmother?"

Subaru thought about that for a moment. "No. Good point."

"I have your stuff packed and by the door. Get some pants on and let's go."

* * *

About two and a half hours later, on the other side of Tokyo, the daughter of Sumeragi Akito woke up screaming. Akito jumped out of bed and rushed into the eight-year-old's room to Hokuto's side.

"`Tou-san!" Hokuto cried. "There was blood! So much! And it hurt so bad!"

Akito picked up his trembling daughter and set her in his lap. He cradled Hokuto in his arms as her frightened tears fell in quick secession with her sobs.

"It was just a nightmare, Hokuto," he said, holding his daughter close. "It wasn't real. Everything's okay."

"I saw it!" Hokuto sobbed. "Everything felt so real! And...and there was so much...so much blood!"

Akito rocked his daughter back and forth, trying to calm her down. After a few minutes, Hokuto finally stopped crying. It was just past six-thirty in the morning, so Akito decided to make his fully awake daughter breakfast. He carried Hokuto out of her room and into the kitchen.

As he cooked, Akito speculated the significance of the nightmares Hokuto had been having. Most of them weren't really nightmare, just strange dreams. They had begun barely after Hokuto had met Subaru and Seishirou. None of them had been graphic before, like this one.

When the dreams had first begun, Akito had debated talking to the previous Clan Head. Lady Sumeragi might have known a bit about these dreams. He hadn't gone to the elderly woman then, but now he was worried about his daughter and decided that he had to find a way to stop these dreams.

"`Tou-san," Hokuto called from the table. "Where's `Kaa-san?"

"She had to go on another business trip," Akito replied. "She left early this morning."

"Oh."

There was a long moment of silence. Akito wracked his brain to think of a way to get his daughter's mind off the nightmare she had awakened from. Then he remembered something that might cheer up the eight-year-old.

"Oh, Hokuto-chan, Ayame-san offered to watch you while I'm at the station today."

Hokuto brightened at that.

Akito set a plate of food in front of his daughter and sat down with his own plate. He watched as his daughter poked at the food, seemingly unsure of whether or not she wanted to eat or not. After a while, she finally got a few bites down then left the table. Akito sighed and stood up. He left the plates of uneaten food on the table and went into his room to change. He grabbed his uniform and changed into it.

About ten minutes later, he knocked on his daughter's door. Hokuto came out, dressed in a black and pink kitty outfit, complete with black ears and a tail. Akito chuckled. His daughter loved to dress up and he always thought it was so adorable. He took the eight-year-old's hand and led her out of the apartment and down to the parking lot. The two of them got into the car and drove off.

When they arrived at the apartment where Ayame lived with her mother, they were greeted by a cheerful Mitsuko and a less-than-awake Ayame. Hokuto immediately forgot about her nightmare and went over to Ayame to ask what was wrong.

"I didn't sleep well last night, Hokuto-chan," Ayame replied. "That's all."

"Maybe you should drink some tea," Hokuto said.

"I think that's a good idea," Mitsuko said. She turned to Akito. "Well, we'll make sure Hokuto has a lot of fun today. Once Ayame is awake, I can take the girls out on the town for the day."

Akito thanked Mitsuko and headed back down to his car. As he got into his car, his two-way radio went off.

"Detective Sumeragi, we need you at the Four Seasons immediately!" the voice from the radio called. "There's been a suspicious murder and we need all the help we can get on this case."

"I'm on my way!"

* * *

The plane had just taken off. Seishirou looked over at Subaru, who had fallen back asleep. He chuckled, leaned over, and nibbled at his lover's earlobe. Subaru moaned and his eyes fluttered open.

"Seishirou-san!" Subaru protested when he remembered that they were on a plane. "There are people around!"

"So?" Seishirou asked. "It's not like anyone cares. There are reasons why I booked our tickets as first class."

Subaru looked around. There weren't that many people in first class. Those who were there were either to busy with laptop computers, talking or sampling champagne.

"Seishirou, it doesn't matter if no one is paying attention," Subaru said. "They'd still eventually notice if we were to start making out."

"Who said we were going to make out?" Seishirou asked, a hint of playfulness in his voice. "I was planning on a bit of playful flirting."

"Flirting?"

"Subaru-kun, we're going to be on this plane for fifteen hours," Seishirou said. "I, for one, cannot go that long without a bit of innuendo."

"Seishirou-san!"

"Miss!" Seishirou said, calling the stewardess. "Could I get an ice cream sundae? Vanilla ice cream, sliced strawberries, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and a cherry?"

Subaru turned crimson.

"Anything for your friend, sir?" the stewardess asked, writing down the order.

"No, I think he's good."

The stewardess went off towards the kitchen with Seishirou's order. Subaru stared at Seishirou, his cheeks tinted a pale pink color.

"A bit of innuendo?" he asked. "I don't think that's a bit."

Seishirou merely smiled. A few minutes later, the stewardess returned with the sundae Seishirou had ordered. The Sakurazukamori gave the young woman a rather large tip, then took the spoon from the sundae, scooped up some of the ice cream, and fed it to Subaru.

Subaru closed his eyes as he enclosed the spoonful of ice cream in his mouth. He let Seishirou slide the spoon from between his lips and savored the sweet taste. The ice cream melted in his mouth, sliding down his throat as he swallowed it.

The Sumeragi opened his eyes just in time to see his lover put a spoonful of ice cream into his mouth. He watched as Seishirou made a show of pulling the spoon out of his mouth, licking off every last bit of chocolate sauce. When Seishirou finally lowered the spoon, Subaru leaned forward and licked a bit of choclate from the older man's chin.

"Subaru-kun," Seishirou said, pushing the Sumeragi away. "We're on a plane."

"It's your own fault, Seishirou-san," Subaru smiled. "You're the one who ordered the sundae."

* * *

"Kamui-kun, thanks again for hanging out with me today," Keiichi said as the two boys reached the door. "I really appreciate the fact that you did. I mean, I know were still friends, but I was a bit afraid that you wouldn't want to spend time with me after we broke up."

Kamui looked at the taller boy. "Keiichi, we're friends, no matter what. Nothing will change that. You and I will always be able to hang out. Fuuma doesn't seem to mind."

"Do you think it would be okay if we start having lunch together again?"

"I don't see anything wrong with that."

Keiichi smiled. "Thanks, Kamui-kun."

"I'll see you on Monday!" Kamui said, as Keiichi headed off. When he could no longer see the tall, blond boy, he went inside.

"Tadaima, Fuuma," he called.

"Okaeri," Fuuma said, stepping out of the kitchen, a soda in hand. "You're home awfully late. It's 11:00."

"We went to a movie," Kamui said, pulling off his shoes. "Neither of us knew when it would end. Sorry that I didn't call."

"It's okay. I was just wondering where you were."

"A bit jealous, ne?"

"No."

"Uh, huh," Kamui said. "Sure. Then why are you clutching that can of soda as if your life depended on it?"

Fuuma looked down at the can of soda. He had opened it earlier and he had been squeezing it , therefore the carbonated beverage was now overflowing onto his hand.

"Fuck,' he said. "Kamui, you're such a smart-ass."

"I know."

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

Yeah, pointless stuff, like I told you. Um...yeah. Thanks to all who have reviewed. My lack of internet connection keeps me from keeping track of who has reviewed, so I'm sorry that I can't give credit. But thanks again to everyone!

Look forward to the good stuff next chapter.