X/1999 Fan Fiction ❯ Pocky in the Park ❯ Pocky in the Park ( Chapter 1 )

Author's Note: I have to blame this one on Draconis-sama. She threw the idea out there, and kept mentioning it, and "graciously allowed" me to not drown the plot bunny as it formed. ~laughs~ Many thanks are owed for that though, it was a lot of fun to write. I hope it's half as much fun to read!

Sorry. It's silly, it's pretty much pointless, and it contains spoilers. If you're trying to stay spoiler free for X, leave now. I've been corrupted already. Too many fics, too many friends, not enough sleep? You be the judge.

Pocky in the Park

It was a rather painful reminder at first. Then again, how could anything hurt worse than losing--everything? It was just another sign of the crumbling world around him. At this point he'd be happy to see humanity annihilated. All the suffering would come to an end.

There was too much suffering.

Subaru was weary unto death of all the suffering in the world. He had learned the hard way that there were worse things than death.

It didn't make him happy though when he heard that voice softly whispering to him, telling him that Tree-san was hungry.

He had long since stopped shuddering at the thought. It was duty. After watching Seishirou die in his arms, after being forced to kill the one he loved in such a gruesome manner, it hadn't taken much to wear him down mentally to the point where he could do his duty as the Sakurazukamori.

Subaru, I am hungry again.

That wheedling tone had always brought to mind the image of a young woman, though most of the time he didn't bother trying to picture Tree-san as having a human form. Something about this particular request, in that particular tone, with that particular image, was irresistible. Subaru rose from his chair immediately and got ready to leave his apartment. It was best done quickly, gotten over with so he didn't have to go through the other persuasive measures Tree-san had used in the past.

He had placed his hand on the doorknob when the voice came to him again, this time with a playful hint to it. Subaru, I would like some Pocky.

"You've got to be joking," he murmured aloud, stopping.

Please?

Subaru turned around, hung his overcoat back up, toed off his shoes, and headed back to his chair. Almost as an afterthought he picked up a pack of cigarettes and pulled one out. He casually sank back into the chair to further contemplate the nature of his misery--and ignore the further pleading of Tree-san about having Pocky. It had to be a glitch anyway; evil trees didn't eat Pocky. That was absurd.

Normal trees don't devour corpses or bestow magical powers either.

His only response was to light the cigarette and concentrate more thoroughly on ignoring that little voice. Tree-san chuckled slightly and withdrew...for now.

~~~~~@~~~~~

It was an hour after Subaru went to bed, only fifteen minutes after he'd managed to fall asleep, when Tree-san woke him. Subaru, you need to wake up!

He was instantly awake, out of bed, and had grabbed a handful of ofuda while searching for an attacker. "Who? Where? What?" He was still blinking the sleep from his eyes when he heard the distinct mental voice of the sakura, tittering softly.

Don't you remember anything? I want Pocky.

"There's no danger?"

Of course not. Who would dare attack the Sakurazukamori in his own lair, especially since you still possess all the powers of your former position as well?

Subaru sighed heavily and crawled back into bed. Like he needed that little reminder. "Was there a point to this?"

Pocky.

"Good night, Tree-san."

~~~~~@~~~~~

Subaru was woken up two hours later, at dawn. This time he wasn't surprised by it; he just blinked and stared at the clock for a few moments. "You honestly think that doing this will encourage me to get you Pocky?"

Eventually.

He groaned, rolling over and covering his head with the thick blankets. "If I refuse?"

Haven't we already covered this on other matters?

"Stop joking around and let me sleep."

It was clearly time to show Subaru that Tree-san was serious. Well, relatively. His mind was invaded by the impression of a small child with skinned knees and...braids. Yes, a small girl, crying, and looking up innocently, begging for one thing. Please?

Tree-san was met with total silence, both physically and psychically.

Seishirou would do it.

Subaru flinched. That one was hitting below the belt, and he couldn't believe Tree-san would say such a thing. More unbelievable though was the thought of-- "I can not picture Seishirou-san buying you Pocky. Or any other snack food."

He did. It amused him. He was still young when he took the office, you know. Things like that were entertaining to him.

"Yes, yes, I can see that. Things like feeding you junk food and making bets about killing small boys...I can see exactly how he'd find such things amusing." He glared off into space, not having a "real" target for his anger.

Sarcasm, Subaru? It's true though; those are things he found amusing.

"Damn you," he whispered, wrapping his arms around a pillow in a death grip.

Does this mean you won't buy me Pocky?

"You're serious? You honestly want some?"

Yes.

He sat up with a sigh. "If it will keep you quiet for a while, fine."

~~~~~@~~~~~

Tree-san was silent the rest of the morning as Subaru showered and shaved and prepared to face the press of humanity he'd find outside this early in the morning. There was a warm glow of happiness though that Subaru couldn't shut out...as much as he tried to wallow in his misery, he could almost forget how much he hated his life when Tree-san was happy. The fact that this was an innocent pleasure made it all the more poignant. He hadn't known that Tree-san *could* experience innocent pleasure.

Subaru walked quickly to the nearest store, prompted as much by curiosity as by the desire to not have to face any more nagging from Tree-san. He stood, looking at the variety available, and realized he had no idea what kind to get. He'd never been big on snacking himself, and the silent contentment was not broken as he stared at the boxes. "A little help here, Tree-san?" he murmured under his breath.

I want to see what you would pick, was the only answer he got.

He was on the verge of being annoyed, but somehow he couldn't quite feel it. Instead he found the ghost of a smile playing on his lips as he contemplated the box of Chocobanana Pocky before him. He didn't know why it would make him want to smile, but as his fingertips brushed over the box he felt--something. Something almost happy.

"Will this be acceptable?"

The happy feeling increased slightly, but that was all. He picked up the box, and prepared to simply pay for it and leave, but now he heard that voice again. You should buy me some sake while you're here. I'd like that very much.

Subaru stopped cold, losing any trace of the smile he'd almost worn. "You want to get drunk?" This time he raised his voice in his shock. People in the store turned to look at him, and some primal instinct to blush and apologize profusely had to be squashed vigorously before he could think. It was getting easier as time went on to ignore things like that, but his childhood still came back to haunt him whenever he called attention to himself in public.

You might as well just give in and not argue. If you make a big deal of it you'll just embarrass yourself, and I know how much that discomforts you still.

The others in the store looked away in due time, busy with their own lives and absorbed in their own sets of problems. By that time, Subaru was already complying with the extra demand and had grabbed a bottle of sake. If the tree wanted Pocky and sake, so be it.

Almost as an afterthought, Subaru grabbed a small package of doughnuts for himself, since he couldn't remember the last time he ate anything. He could feel the sakura's approval, and was pleased despite himself. Tree-san didn't only nag about its own state of hunger...it made sure that Subaru took care of himself as well. He couldn't fulfill his duty otherwise.

That taken care of, he walked to Ueno Park. Most people were now at work or school, the morning rush was starting to die down, and though there were still many people around he went unnoticed. If he had wanted to be invisible he could, but human nature was enough to erase all traces of him from most people. His good looks still attracted some attention, but his posture and expression convinced the world to leave him alone. In the end, every passerby only saw another face in the crowd.

He didn't bother with using any true magic until Tree-san came into sight. Even then, it was a mutual thing, and Subaru was surprised to see the appearance of a person standing there under the tree limbs, waiting. He knew immediately that the person standing there was illusion, chosen by Tree-san to represent itself.

"So, this was your plan all along?"

"Yes," Tree-san said in a soft, alto voice. The illusion appeared to be a young human male, similar in age to Subaru, with long, dark brown hair and gray eyes. The clothes weren't anything remarkable, a nondescript black suit that would fit in anywhere on the busy Tokyo streets. Tree-san showed impeccable taste though by deciding on an attractive body. Subaru wasn't sure if this was a deliberate decision made for a psychological advantage, or if it was a display of vanity. There was no telling the mind of a tree, magical or no. "Now you have to join me. It will be like the old days."

Subaru frowned. "Old days?"

In response, a scene began to form. Three people gathered for a picnic nearby, two teenagers and an older man who looked to be in his mid-twenties. One of the teenagers, the boy, wandered away from the others. Subaru recognized them, all three of them, immediately. It was a scene from his past, one he'd replayed over and over in his mind, torturing himself over how he should have know the truth all along. Seishirou had given so many hints over that year, but Subaru had been too naïve, too trusting in the intrinsically good-natured motivations of others, to have even tried to realize those moments for what they were.

"It can never be like the old days. Those people are dead."

"No, you're still here, Subaru. Like it or no." Still, the vision faded away, and Subaru was left slightly shaking. Tree-san quirked an eyebrow in his direction, but said nothing further about it. "Sit down, eat your doughnuts, and pour the drinks."

"Isn't it a little early to get drunk?"

"It wasn't when I first asked for the Pocky," Tree-san said teasingly. "You only have yourself to blame for procrastinating."

Subaru's response wasn't in words, but his expression was eloquent to a fault. Still, he sat down and poured drinks, wondering what kind of insane taste buds Tree-san must have to mix those two flavors. "You're actually going to drink the sake? And eat the Pocky?"

"That's the idea. It would be silly to put you through all that if I can't enjoy it, yes?"

"How?"

Tree-san laughed. "Magic! How else?" Subaru's response was again not in words, though this time his facial expression was accompanied by an equally eloquent gesture. This only made Tree-san laugh harder, of course. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'll need your help, so I suppose it wouldn't be wise to make you too upset with me."

"It's a little late for you to be thinking of that at this point, isn't it?"

"Will you force me to resort to desperate measures, Subaru?" Now Tree-san sounded serious. "I thought this would be fun for both of us, and help you understand the one you still love so much. He still haunts you.... Yes, he was a monster. Whatever that is. Just as you are now, or so you call yourself. However, his life was not all about death. Yours doesn't have to be either."

Subaru leaned his back against the sturdy trunk and held up one of the cups he had brought. He peered at the illusory form of Tree-san over the rims of the dark sunglasses he had taken to wearing. "So, how is it that you want me to help?"

Tree-san imitated a joyful smile perfectly. "It's a simple spell really, you shouldn't have any problem with it at all. In fact, it's just a modification to the first spell I taught you--the one to feed me from those you kill."

"How comforting," Subaru murmured, but it didn't stop him from paying attention to the instructions he was given.

~~~~~@~~~~~

Half an hour later, Tree-san found out that Subaru could be a very silly drunk under the right circumstances. Tree-san found out that it could be a silly drunk right along with Subaru, and rather enjoyed the feeling.

"Ne, Tree-san, are you sure I need to have half of this myself."

The illusion nodded solemnly. "It's a very important part of this variation of the spell. Very important. Seishirou never told me why, but he was a very trustable Sakurazukamori, so I never asked."

"He liked this flavor of Pocky?"

"Oh, no. He always had Green Tea flavor. He said the flavor went better with drinking."

Subaru shook his head. "I still can't picture him getting drunk like this. Are you sure?"

"You impugn my honor by questioning my honesty, mortal?"

"No, no, of course I'm not--wait, no, that is what I'm doing." The current Sakurazukamori paused and appeared to think about it. "Yes, that is indeed what I'm doing, Tree. You object?"

"Of course I object!" Tree-san cried, giggling.

"Oh, okay." Subaru paused again and grinned. "So, what are you going to do about it?"

"Not a blessed thing," the tree replied, holding up and downing another glass of sake. "Come, come, you must keep up!"

"That's hardly fair," Subaru slurred. "I don't drink very much, I don't drink very often, nor do I eat very often. I'm at a distinct disadvantage here."

"I fail to see the part where that's my problem."

"You also weigh a lot more than I do, so you can hold your alcohol better. Tree-san, you're huge. Maybe you should go on a diet." He patted the sturdy trunk to make his point.

"That is something that even you should not joke about, Subaru."

"Did I mention the part about not getting enough sleep? Another disadvantage to this sort of thing, Tree-san." He curled up and pretended to go to sleep, but it was very clearly an act. Mock snores were soon heard, punctuated by occasional laughs.

"Oh, don't be like that! Humans are so boring when they're asleep!"

"Says the tree that prefers people dead."

"That's food! You're company! You're so mean to me, Subaru-kun!"

"Ah, wait. Don't call me that."

Tree-san smirked, but didn't reply.

"No, really, don't call me that."

"Oh? What are you going to do to stop me?"

"Well, since you're much more of a pest when you want to be than I could ever be, nothing." Subaru shrugged. "Just don't call me that."

"Now you're mean *and* no fun!"

They both laughed, attracting stares from passing tourists and picnicking families nearby. "Hey, aren't we supposed to be unnoticed right now? Isn't that part of the illusion?"

"Oops," Tree-san giggled girlishly, reestablishing the full effect of the mabaroshi with a small effort of will. It realized that the fault was actually Subaru's, but the human was clearly too drunk to pay attention to the details. That's part of what made this so much fun.

"Tree-san? One thing puzzles me."

"Only one, Subaru-kun?"

"Stop that!" He wagged a finger warningly, but shrugged a moment later. "Currently, one thing. "Why is it, when you really want something, you send me images of a little girl...but now, when you decide on a representation of yourself to meet me face to face, you are a man?"

"I am? Who said that?" Tree-san made a show of looking around as if searching for the culprit. "I can prove to you now that I am no such thing!" The image began to make a show of stripping, with every intent of showing proof one way or the other.

"Wait! Stop! No! Pretend I didn't ask, because I don't want to know what you've designed to appear under those pants."

Immediately the illusion was returned to his original state, laughing. "You really are cute, you know that? So much fun to tease."

Subaru frowned. "You keep doing that."

"Doing what," Tree-san asked innocently. Too innocently.

"You keep acting like him," Subaru said, seeming to sober immediately.

"Seishirou is part of me, like all of your predecessors. He is part of my experiences, and I was part of him. I will become part of you as the years pass, unless your Kamui ends humanity first." Tree-san's image leaned close to Subaru, piercing him with the illusory eyes. "Please get used to it now, Subaru. This was his gift to you, the one he loved. This was the greatest gift he could give."

Somber silence reigned for a time while Subaru thought those words over. "I honestly don't know if I should be grateful or very disturbed."

"Oh, very funny."

Subaru just lit a cigarette and smiled. He decided that it was nice to be able to do that again, even if he had to get drunk to do so. Perhaps that was the whole point behind this? Maybe this is what Tree-san really had in mind the whole time?

He looked once more at the smiling face before him, a trick of magic with a mind of its own. It was an interesting thought; maybe Tree-san had just been trying to get Subaru to smile once again. Nah, couldn't be. Evil, murderous tree wanting to cheer him up? Why? He would do his job no matter how miserable he was, so that shouldn't be a factor.

"Subaru! More Pocky!"