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Posted by KrystalRose at 05:15:52 09/04/2003.
*ahems* Because it was too insane trying to tie up all the loose ends at the end of Flash, I hereby present to you this sequel. It helps if you've read Flash to understand what the hell is going on here, but I've managed to kind of rehash how Flash began. Feedback is muchly appriciated. ^^
Much thanks goes to Ria, for editing this four page tangle of weird. Thanks to Xandra for pestering me and to Kouri, because I managed to get inspired by reading Reversal.... again. ^^;;; I borrowed a tiny, tiny detail from Reversal. Find it and you get a (not real) cookie.
Fallen Into Grace
By Krystal Rose
Prologue
Calmly, he pushed his dark sunglasses further up the bridge of his nose and peered at the younger man through tinted lenses. It was after midnight and the air was dead silent, save for the gentle rasping of two men breathing. They were standing on an overpass, with eight lanes of highway carved into the ground below.
They leapt high into the air, sending massive amounts of magical energy careening madly at each other. Each player knew his part well, and planned in advance to remove himself from harm. Debris rained down around them, filling the air with a thick cloud of dust.
“You wish to kill me, Subaru-kun?” the assassin said, eying the man. “Then I give you your chance,” He spread his arms wide, offering the perfect shot.
Subaru’s eyes widened for a moment, not knowing what to make of the Sakurazukamori’s offer. It had to be a trick.
“How could you possibly know what I wish for?” Subaru replied quietly, gathering his own power. He was certain that Seishirou was up to something, but he chose to play along with the game. Perhaps his True Wish would be granted in the process.
The Onmyouji struck the asphalt at Seishirou’s feet, watching the solid surface below crumble and fall. The Sakurazukamori did nothing, allowing gravity to pull him down to the freeway below. Subaru felt his heart leap into his throat before it sank to the pit of his stomach.
“Seishirou-san!” He cried, as the man’s body slammed into the pavement. Subaru leapt after him, drifting gently to the road. Seishirou’s form lay like a broken doll, limp and barely breathing. Subaru touched the man’s face, hoping that somehow, that touch would undo the damage.
The Sumeragi drew Seishirou into his arms, his mind racing. It never occurred to him that the man’s offer was genuine. He shook Seishirou’s shoulders lightly, hoping that would wake him.
But Seishirou was limp in his arms. He trembled, kneeling there on the asphalt, trying to stop of the flow of tears. Why? Why couldn’t he stop loving this man?
He pulled away when he heard the Sakurazukamori cough and take in a sudden breath. So, Seishirou wasn’t going to die. Not now, at least.
Laying the man on his back, Subaru quickly took off his coat, rolled it up and placed it under Seishirou’s head. Standing, he backed away, keeping a close watch on his tormenter. It was truly amazing how gentle the man looked in slumber.
~
It was the cold, slowly creeping into his awareness that alerted Seishirou that something was wrong. Maybe Subaru had forgotten to shut their bedroom window, or maybe they managed to kick the bed sheets off sometime during the night. Slowly, and with great effort, he opened his eyes.
The quiet bedroom he expected to see wasn’t there. Instead he was looking upon a battlefield, roads torn up, concrete crumbled and sprinkled around in huge chunks. He caught a shimmer of emerald green beyond a cluster of broken trees.
Seishirou realized the dream had ended.
His first reaction was to sit up and survey the area, but his head hurt terribly and a rush of dizziness made the move impossible. He managed to sit up halfway before falling back down into something soft. Seishirou was able to turn his head just enough to see the rolled up white trench coat that was serving as his makeshift pillow.
He inhaled deeply, smelling and tasting the scent of the Sumeragi. It was lovely, the scent hinting of lavender shampoo, sweat and cigarettes. He managed to turn his body so that he was lying on his side. His long fingers ran over the white coat, thinking fondly of its owner.
But then he hit a wall. It was the magical ward his mother helped him cast when he was twelve that barred him from exploring the feeling any deeper. He wondered if he dared attempt to break the ward. It would certainly interfere with his work…
He moaned lightly at the throbbing in his head. In fact, everything hurt when he tried to move. He probably had a few broken bones in addition to a minor concussion.
Seishirou turned his head up, sensing suddenly that he was being watched.
“So, you’re awake.” Subaru said sullenly. The slender man turned to face him, his frail appearance exaggerated without his usual coat. His black clothing was wrapped tightly around his body, making him seem like he might break in half if the wind blew too hard. This delicate creature walked slowly towards him, the worry in his splendid green eyes deepened by the dull illumination of a nearby streetlight.
“Subaru…” He uttered, watching him move with rapt attention. Seishirou was rapidly recalling the wraith-like, ethereal beauty he had left behind before his journey to some other world.
The onmyouji knelt beside him, his gaze intense. Seishirou struggled to swallow the lump in his throat.
“You still have your kekkai up,” he noted, wanting desperately for the Sumeragi to cease with that lost and empty gaze of his.
“You’re laying in the middle of the road,” the onmyouji replied in a matter-of-fact way. He still kept his distance, watching the man carefully.
“My thanks,” he said as causally as he could. This was not the time or place to start spouting confessions of love and promises of reformation. Seishirou kept his gaze calm and cool.
Subaru started slightly. That certainly wasn’t what he expected to hear.
“Do you think you can walk?” Subaru asked, trying to clear his head.
“Walk?” he asked softly, as if Subaru just asked him to perform a great feat of physical strength. “I’d be lucky if I could crawl.”
“It’s definitely not safe for you to stay here,” he said, as if this was some grand revelation. “Though I would be perfectly justified in leaving you here.”
Ouch. That hurt worse than the sum of all his injuries. Subaru should have just walked away after striking him down. Any sane human being in his position would have—but then again, whoever said Subaru was sane?
“Then leave me here,” Seishirou found himself saying. He had bluffed before, when he offered Subaru a free strike at him. That was a serious mistake then and it was probably a stupid idea trying it again. Subaru was not the same person he was when they were together nine years ago and he certainly wasn’t the same person as the man from his otherworldly experience. As soon as the words left his lips, he winced, wishing frantically that he could recall them.
“I think I will,” the Sumeragi replied dryly, crossing his arms. “Maybe the traffic will finish off the job.” His words were bitter and hollow. Seishirou didn’t dare meet his eyes. He hoped with every fiber of his being that Subaru wouldn’t take off and leave—not like that. When he finally chanced and upwards glance, Subaru was already walking away.
He saw the emerald barrier flicker and dissolve around the edges. Subaru wasn’t kidding. As he struggled to sit up, a sharp, gut-wrenching pain rocked through his body. A trip to the hospital would soon be in order.
That was just great. The kekkai was going down and he could already see the torn up bits of concrete fuse and mold back into the highway, just as they were before the battle. In a matter of seconds, the road would be back to normal and his chances of not getting plowed over by a speeding vehicle weren’t looking good. He struggled with every ounce of effort he could summon, painstakingly rolling onto his side and inching towards the shoulder of the road.
He grabbed the dirtied white coat and pulled himself across the road, his teeth grit and eye set upon his goal. The pain most likely would have been enough to knock out a man twice his size, but his sheer stubbornness wasn’t going to allow him to die as some kind of glorified road kill—and he didn’t suppose Subaru expected him to expire that night either.
His fingers bled from finding whatever handholds he could on the road. The Sakurazukamori forced his legs to work, to propel him faster. With his body against the road, he could feel the deep vibrations on an oncoming truck. Headlights flashed in the corner of his eye and the last thing he could recall was the deep bellow of a car horn followed by squealing breaks.
~~~
.... um, don't kill me. *hides*
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