Author's notes: As per usual, this story is not set in modern day Japan, and it is highly recommended that you read the previous chapters before starting this one. No particular warnings for this chapter, though. Thanks go out to my beta, C, who it would be now be pertinent to reveal is not only the inspiration for the Subaru written here, but also the Karen. And to all my readers- especially Kelsey, who had the idea for one of the pairings here the same time I did, or even before, and is most certainly not ripping me off in any way ;). I love you all.


Anarchy

Chapter 5: Confluence


By Ari



Satsuki didn’t recognize him at first. When Beast warned her that an intruder had made his way down to the makeshift barrier they’d wrought from the wreckage of the basement of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, she watched through the cameras in puzzlement. To an outsider, it should look as if this part of the lower floors had collapsed in on itself, as much of the rest of the building had. Knowledge of what would have lain beyond that hallway should have been available to only a select few- all of whom were now dead.

And yet there he was. The feeling of dismay about him was tangible; even though his expression was impossible to see beneath the bandages that covered nearly his entire face, and he was hunched over and limping from visible pain. That which was not wrapped in white was badly burned, and only patches of sand-coloured hair remained on his scalp.

But Beast was not fooled- neither by the concealing bandages nor his drastically different posture. It scanned a textured map of his face and matched the lengths and angles to pictures stored in its archives.

-KIGAI YUUTO-

-Are you certain?- She would not normally ask Beast such a thing, but an error here could mean life or death. –You said that the chances of his survival from the destruction of the Ginza were minimal.-

-Minimal. There is a 99.8% chance that this is Kigai Yuuto.-

So, you beat the odds. For some reason, she remembered smiling. How typical of you, Yuuto-san.

She could see that he was about to turn away.

“Yuuto-san.” He started at the sound of her voice, hollow and metallic through the intercom. “Please wait while Beast clears a path.”

His sigh of relief was audible. He slumped onto a piece of concrete- once a part of the support pillar for an upper floor- to sit and wait, while Beast used the floor cables to pull the rubble out of the way for him. It was loud- scraping steel across the floor tiles, but Beast had not detected any other living persons in the building.

He tried to enter with his usual graceful stroll, but Satsuki could make out the slight trembling beneath all of his movements. Even so, the familiar sight was somehow… pleasant. “It’s been a while hasn’t it, Satsuki-chan?” He stopped in front of Beast’s mainframe, smiling- presumably- up at her through badly damaged lips.

“I take it we lost.”

His tone was light, and Satsuki knew enough to recognize a joke when she heard one- situational irony, in this case, as neither of them would be alive if his statement were not true- but underneath it was something else she struggled to define. Some connotation of negative emotion. Bitterness, perhaps? She supposed an appropriate answer would be along the lines of ‘No, the Earth’s just taking its time’ to continue the comedy, or ‘You don’t say’ or ‘You think?’ for sarcasm. She thought the latter would best suit the present mood, but wasn’t entirely certain, so she simply responded: “That is correct. Our Kamui failed to kill the other Kamui and was killed by him.”

“Surprise, surprise.” There was definitely something darker about him than usual- but perhaps that shouldn’t have been too unexpected; he had recently endured a great deal of physical trauma. “I’m sure it was very touching.”

She had no idea what he meant by that, and as such she let it go. He would explain it further if he felt it was necessary. “Beast informs me that you are risking further damage to your lower body if you remain in that position. You can sit in the sitting room.” She knew it was unlikely that he could support her weight in his condition, so she climbed down, rather than jumped, from Beast’s mainframe and led him to their old meeting room with the chair Kanoe and their Kamui had used so often. She leaned against the table beside him.

He seemed to gather himself a little there. “Are we the only Angels left, then?”

“No. There is one other.”

“Oh, wonderful.” She could put a word to that emotion: sardonic. “Is if the non-combatant soldier or the invalid?”

She’d had no idea he’d viewed some of his comrades in that way. The descriptions, in and of themselves, were correct, but the inference was unfamiliar. She was vaguely aware of a certain feeling coming from him- an honesty she’s never seen before, as if something had been stripped away and she could see more of him than before. Perhaps it was because of what has just occurred. She had no way of telling. “Neither. It is Sumeragi Subaru.”

“What?” He seemed startled. “I thought… Ah, right. I remember our Kamui rambling about something along those lines. That’s Sakurazuka-san’s… acquaintance, isn’t it?”

So she hadn’t been the only one to watch the ordeal down at the harbor, some months ago now. “Yes.”

“Well, I saw him at the hospital with the other Kamui.” He told her- no doubt, she surmised, the reason he had left earlier than he should have. “He might as well be one of the Seals, for our purposes. What happened to the other two?”

“Kuzuki-san was taken off life support several days ago. Shiyuu-san aided in the escape of one of the Seals and was killed by our Kamui. I would have assisted you earlier, but I was under the impression that you had died as well.”

“No doubt you were.” Both his tone and his look toward Beast’s main systems were incomprehensible to her. But again, if it was important, she was certain that he would explain it to her. “And how many are we up against?”

“Four, five counting Sumeragi-san. Shirou Kamui, Nekoi Yuzuriha, Kishuu Arashi, and Kasumi Karen.”

He nodded through all of the names, tapping his fingers idly on the table, until the last one. His hand clenched, his nails gouged little trails in the veneer of the polished tabletop. “She’s alive?”

This was so uncharacteristic of him- she was quite fascinated now. “Yes.” She answered simply. “Although I think that she would be as surprised to learn that you are.”

He shook his head disgustedly. “I thought I’d gotten both of them. Ah well. Five to two, yes? That sounds hopeful.”

“I take it that you think some kind of retaliation is likely. I had the same concern. Revenge for their comrades, or fear that we would continue with the Dragon of Earth’s plan.”

“Oh, that’s just what I feel up to right now.”

It was impossible- to Satsuki at least- to tell if he was joking or not. “I think, though, that they will have assumed that you are dead, and they would have no way of knowing my whereabouts. I can use Beast to conceal any transactions we make- I cannot imagine that they would have access to anyone who could possibly challenge Beast’s capabilities in electronic security.”

“So, what, we sit in the basement and order food over the internet for a few years?”

It was Beast’s suggestion that he needed medical attention badly, and probably morphine, but he was far too interesting like this for Satsuki to pass up the opportunity to talk a little more. “I wouldn’t mind that. I take it you would, Yuuto-san?”

“I would rather knock on Shirou-kun’s door and spit in his face, actually.” He sounded as if he meant it. “Besides, if they do find us- this was our headquarters after all- there’s no guarantee that this place is secure.”

Satsuki nodded. “I was concerned about that myself. But now I have you- between the two of us, we could fend them off in this place with a few strategic blockades. And with Beast’s cameras, they won’t be able to catch us unaware.”

“I seem to recall that Sakurazuka-san could turn himself invisible, actually. You don’t suppose Sumeragi-san could do that too?”

“Beast has motion and heat sensors as well.”

“Now, maybe I skipped the lecture on onmyoujutsu and technology at college myself, but I don’t think you know for certain that will work. If he can slip in and kill us in our sleep, staying here is rather pointless, don’t you think? I seem to recall that sort of thing as being Sakurazuka-san’s occupation, even.”

Satsuki nodded again. She had expected these concerns. “That’s a possibility, yes. And no, I’m not certain. But if he changes sides, he might be less willing to help them than you think. He and Shirou-san pose the greatest risks- according to Beast’s observations, they are the only two with powers that would give us difficulty in a position of advantage.”

“Beast should try to tell that to the fire-caster.”

“You were outnumbered in that battle. And you still performed very well and fought it to a draw. You exceeded Beast’s expectations, in fact.”

“I’m flattered.” Another unreadable expression.

“But with Shirou-kun and the onmyouji… Trust me, Satsuki-chan. If one of them goes after us, the other will.” He laid his head on his arms, looking thoroughly defeated. “So, what do we do?”

Satsuki titled her head to the side, taking in the full measure of this new side of the man she… well, admired, she supposed. Uncertain if she was more or less impressed by it. “What do you suggest, Yuuto-san?”

His eyes fluttered closed. There was a long pause- long enough that she began to think that he’d fallen asleep or unconscious. When he spoke, there was an edge of cruelty to it that delighted her. “We lie low for a while until I’m healed and the situation becomes more clear. We make contact with Sumeragi-san and see if it’s possible to get him on our side. Then we do the opposite- you get as integrated as possible into the systems of Tokyo, and I’ll find as high-profile work as I can. So that we’re as deeply rooted in this city as we can be. They won’t go after us if they have to take the lives of thousands of its inhabitants to do it.”

Definitely more impressed.

“There’s just one problem.” He added.

“Oh?”

He reached up and touched the bandages over his face. “How do I get a high-profile job like this?”

She laid a hand over his, smiling. “I know of many people who can fix that sort of thing, Yuuto-san. And Beast has access to all the money in the world.”

And it was gone. The blithe smile returned, and the all the easy charm flowed back into place as if it had never left. He kissed her hand gently. “Of course. You’re quite wonderful, as always, Satsuki-chan.”

But she’d already seen what lay beneath the surface, and named it for what it was.

Not that it mattered to her. This would be even more entertaining than before.

* * *


Subaru’d left the balcony door open again.

No matter which way he moved, it was impossible to get all of his body under the blanket in his position, and as such his hands and face were freezing. If that wasn’t impetus enough to get out of bed, nothing would be. It was too much of a crime to leave the blanket- which had stolen all of his remaining body heat- there on the mattress, so he wrapped it around his shoulders and hopped onto the floor. His slippers were there by the bed, but then so were his boots, so he decided to save time and step right into the latter.

His first stop was the balcony. As he’d suspected, the sliding doors were ajar- just a crack, but with winter this close, it was enough to suck nearly all the warmth from their under-heated apartment. Kamui closed it firmly. He’d told Subaru enough bloody times to use the stairs. The neighbors were going to start talking again. It always amazed him how the man could be so oblivious to the impression he left on other people- it wasn’t really that he didn’t care, more like he simply didn’t notice that they did care.

Yet then Kamui caught the faint scent of java, and all was forgiven. He dragged himself through the living room- the blanket knocked over a few empty bottles on the coffee table, but he paid them no mind- and over to the coffee pot. He sniffed it first. It was stale and lukewarm, but decidedly better than nothing. He took a sip and winced, and shoved it into the microwave instead. It was, as always, a mystery to him how cold coffee could taste so vile, and hot coffee so good. Cold tea was good. Cold cocoa was good. Yet cold coffee required loads of sugar to become even remotely palatable. He reflected on this while the microwave finished with his drink.

Bundled in a warm blanket, sipping hot black coffee… only one thing would make his morning more complete, but Subaru had apparently pocketed his last pack. That was fine- it was only about the eight thousandth time he’d done it over the past decade, since Kamui had picked up the habit. It took him about the same amount of time to go through a pack of cigarettes as it took Subaru to go through nine or ten, so it made no difference to him. The onmyouji would probably have smoked the whole thing by now, anyway.

Ah well. There was a quick substitute for that.

Kamui got about halfway to the cabinet above the sink before he realized that he had things to do that day. Things that would be more difficult if he had more than coffee to drink for breakfast.

Or would they be less?

Besides, as much as he might like to, he couldn’t go out in boots and a blanket. Though the expression on Nokoru’s face would almost be worth it. Cradling the steaming cup tightly to his chest, he made his way to the bedroom. A quick inspection of the clothes on the floor showed them to be unsuitable for a day out in public- which was unfortunate, because he was pretty certain that he had no more clean shirts, and there was no way he was going down to the laundry room at this hour. There would be a line, and he had no patience for that right now. Well, if Subaru was going to take his cigarettes, he was going to have to do the damn laundry. The sheets needed to be washed anyway. He grabbed one of the older man’s black turtleneck shirts. It was a little long, and a bit tight in the shoulders, which combined to fit him more or less adequately.

His grey duster lay crumpled on the side of the bed where he’d left it. His cell phone was on top of it, which meant that he’d probably forgotten to turn it off last night and someone had called- Subaru had always been a much lighter sleeper than Kamui. No messages though, and the last number that has called it was one he didn’t recognize. A wrong number maybe, or perhaps Yuzuriha had called him from the airport but didn’t want Subaru to wake him.

He traded the blanket for the coat, sliding it on like an old friend. He’d had it for years now; found it in an old pawn shop in Shibuya while Subaru was looking for another pair of his usual military boots. It was a little torn at the edges and there were stains that he could never quite manage to get out- a Taiwanese knock-off of a Hong Kong designer label that Kamui read as ‘Kou Sou In’ but probably wasn’t even close to the real name, his Cantonese being, well, non-existent- but it was a man’s coat, and it fit him perfectly.

Kamui finished the rest of the morning routine as quickly as he could- eat some leftovers from the fridge, brush his teeth, put some gel in his hair- more of a token gesture than an attempt at a style, check his email. He didn’t particularly need- or so Subaru had led him to believe- any enlargement implants, diet plans, or free trials of porn sites involving news reporters and schoolgirls, so he was free to start his day.

“Ah, shit.” He stopped in the doorway. The cracked frame, the cut and dangling wires in the keypad- this was going to be a problem. Yet he had no idea how to fix it. He tried to jostle it into place somehow, with no real progress. He wasn’t even going to touch the keypad. Eventually he decided to just prop and chair diagonally under the door handle and leave the same way Subaru had.

He made sure to close the doors, and grabbed the railing. He hated doing this in broad daylight-

“Hey.”

And that was why. Kamui stepped back and turned to face his neighbor- who just ‘happened’ to see him head out, he was sure. The man was leaning against the side of the next balcony, and fixed him with a patronizing look.

“That was cute, last night. Breaking the door down after he locked you out. If you insist on being such as asshole to him, you could at least be quieter about it.”

“Listen.” Kamui hated this guy, too. If he so much as raised his voice with Subaru, he had something to say about it. “That wasn’t me. He didn’t lock me out. Some street trash broke into our apartment to steal things- I broke the door in because I was worried when I saw the lock broken.”

The man looked like he believed him about as far as he could throw him. “Of course you did.” Kamui wished he try. “That’s why he was bleeding when I went over to check on him.”

Kamui had so many things to say to that- they all came out as a strangled, disgusted growl in the back of his throat. “You went into my apartment?” The bastard was so bloody lucky he was out of arm’s reach… “Are you blind, or just fucking stupid? There are bulletholes in my walls. Why the hell would I do that?!”

He didn’t seem impressed. “I’ve heard that you-“

“Oh, fuck what you heard.” Kamui would normally have gone back inside and slammed the doors by this point, but this provided him with a solution to his dilemma. Besides, who did this guy think he was? He stepped up on the railing and jumped the distance between the two balconies. It was only two meters or so- not an unreasonable distance for a normal person to jump. As expected, though, his neighbor was pretty startled. He was already backing off, so Kamui walked him back against the opposite side. “None of what happens between Subaru and I is any of your fucking business. And if you ever go into my apartment again, for any reason-“ He shoved him, hard, forcing him to grab the rail to stop himself from going over. “-You’ll be leaving through the back door.”

That said, Kamui left through his neighbor’s apartment door. A little pissed off, but more than a little satisfied. Maybe he’d get the point now. Didn’t he have anyone he cared about?

Kamui abhorred Tokyo’s inner city during the day. Even though the sky was grey and overcast, enough light filtered through to expose all the dirt and garbage in the streets, all the deepening cracks in the concrete. It was quieter than the evening, when all the streets of his district came to life and all the shops and nightclubs did most of their business. Everyone he passed had somewhere to go- head down, saying very little; much like him.

It changed as he left the city proper and made his way into the residential areas near the campus. Here there were housewives out for a daily walk, and young children playing in the parks. It reminded him of the place he’d grown up- though there was no way a single mother working alone would be able to afford that now. The children, too, were not left unattended- mothers watched him carefully as he passed. He remembered playing for whole days alone with Fuuma and Kotori.

The sprawling campus held so many memories as well. It had changed a little over the years- acres around the edges given over to development, new buildings constructed for more students- but the stone halls and dormitories, spacious lawns, parks, and fountains had largely remained the same. Class was in session, so he encountered no one on the walkway to the building where Nokoru kept his offices.

He saw it out of the corner of his eye and - almost as an afterthought - he stepped off the paved path and headed through the trees that lined it, into a certain small glade. Through the thicket he could faintly hear the sounds of a gym class playing on a nearby field. In the center was an old tree with wide, arching branches. This time of year, the leaves had all fallen, and all that was left of the normally lush, green were thin grey branches- exposed, like the skeletal framework of a building being built or torn down. In the spring, the grass below would be littered with small white flowers; now there were only bits of brown, decayed leaves and broken branches.

She was buried here. He came here when he could, when he was not looking after Subaru or working, when he could bear it. He didn’t know if she would want that or not.

Sometimes he would sit here for hours, but not today. It was cold, and he would be expected soon. Would she be disappointed? Did she ever watch him? He hoped she did. Here, at least. If she watched him any other time…

Head bowed, standing quietly beneath the branches, he desperately hoped she didn’t. Would she hate him? No… she wouldn’t. She couldn’t ever do that. Not even when he’d tried to make her. But would she be proud of him? He used to think that, just maybe, she would be.

Look- the world is saved, just like you said it would be. And I’ve found someone. He’s still in pain, but I’m taking care of him. Someday, he’ll love me too. We have a place in Shinjuku. Well, the New Shinjuku… the city is being rebuilt. Someday, it will be just like it used to be. And we’ll live together happily in it, he and I.

Tears worked their way into his throat unbidden. There was no reason for her to be proud of him. He hadn’t saved anything- Fuuma had done that. Tokyo - and the world - had changed forever. And Subaru… he would never, never be…

He had never, never said that he…

And he was not the kind of person anyone would be proud of. ‘Ne, Kotori, look what I’m doing now- I hurt bad people for the sake of worse people so that I can cling to what I’ll never have…’.

-Let’s make a promise-

The rustling of dry, dead grass and twigs snapped him out of his thoughts. He cleared his throat and wiped his eyes. It was a ball. A soccer ball had rolled up beside him.

“A-anou. Nii-san.”

Kamui turned around. A tall, brown-eyed boy stood at the edge of the glade, dressed in the short and long-sleeved shirt of the campus’ winter PE uniform. He had short, neat black hair and an athletic body- probably the one who’d kicked the ball out here in the first place. “I’m so sorry to disturb you like this, but could I have my ball… back…” He trailed off in mid-sentence, eyes fixed on Kamui’s face.

Kamui raised an eyebrow quizzically. Was there something wrong? “You’re staring at me.”

“A-ah! I’m sorry!” The boy bowed. “I-I mean, I’m not staring. I just- well, could I have my ball back?”

“Why are you staring at me?” There was something so innocent about the boy’s flustered reaction- Kamui found himself smiling. “I won’t give the ball back until you tell me.”

The boy looked embarrassed and pleading, like he’d been caught sneaking out of class, but desperately didn’t want to be punished. “I’m not staring, really.” He protested, eyes still locked on Kamui.

“Hnn.” I’ve never seen a Japanese person with blue eyes before. Are those real? Or: Your Japanese is so good for a foreigner. Kamui supposed his parents had raised him to be more polite than that. What is someone as old as you are doing at the campus? You couldn’t be in school- but you don’t look like a parent. Still, Kamui couldn’t help himself. “What’s your name?”

“I- uh…” The boy mumbled something quickly. Kamui could only catch ‘Ryuhei’. There was a definite flush to his cheeks.

“You’re still staring at me, Ryuhei.” He tossed the ball and caught it again. “I’m not a woman, you know.” He was just teasing him now.

“I-! I know that! Of course you’re not- you don’t even look like- It’s just that…”

“’Just that’…” Kamui prompted.

“…It’s just that you’re very beautiful.”

Kamui dropped the ball.

It rolled down the little slope created by the tree roots and stopped at the boy’s feet. He didn’t pick it up, though.

He’s said it with such genuine sincerity… What kind of thing to say was that? Kamui’s chest hurt- he didn’t know why.

“Are you alright?” Ryuhei asked. His brown eyes were full of concern. Kamui nearly choked. It was like breathing though a vice.

“I-I’m fine.” He swallowed. “No one has ever said that to me before.” Of course no one has said it- who says that?

“Well… it’s true… Are you sure you’re alright, Nii-san?”

“Shirou Kamui.” He replied, astonished at the trembling in his own voice. He leaned against the tree for support.

“…Shirou-san?”

“’Kamui’ is fine.” He shook his head. “And so am I.” He bit his lip. “I’m just… I’m going to break up with someone. Soon.”

Ryuhei looked like he wanted to apologize, but a classmate cut him off. “Oi! Senpai!” There were shouts from the field. “Have you found it yet?!”

“Coming!” Ryuhei snatched up the ball. “I’m sorry.” He whispered, and jogged off through the trees.

* * *

She wouldn’t have minded if she’d stayed at his side forever.

Everyone else had fled: the two of them had been left behind in a deserted intersection at Tokyo’s core. The battle was beyond her and now, it seemed, had finished. The clash of swords had given way to the distant roar of fire, now swallowed in the patter of countless drops of rain on asphalt and cement.

The blouse of her uniform was soaked through in a matter of minutes, her hair dripped water in her eyes, her knees ached from having knelt so long on the unyielding pavement, her hand, in his, shook with the cold. All the while she watched the pallor of his skin change from pale, to white, to grey. But the discomfort was not why she eventually left him where he lay- her sorrow having shifted into a sensation more like profound emptiness- it was the idea that she should at least know what had happened before she joined him. Whether the battle had been won or lost, and who was left to celebrate that victory.

It would be, she thought, her final duty to all of them.

Gently, she pressed his palm to her face, much as he had an eternity ago, and laid it over his heart. She rose and brushed off her shins, red and raw, of flecks of dirt and small stones embedded loosely in them. She would return here when she was finished. There was nothing else for her to do.

By purest chance, as she tread in the direction she had last heard the fighting, she caught a flutter of black against the grey cityscape, and turned that corner to find one of the last people she had expected to see again. Subaru met her eyes for just a moment, but it was enough to see the look of recognition there. Everything that happened now was meaningless- all that was left were the last chores of life, things to be put into order before they could escape it. She watched him pass in silence.

“Subaru… please.” Kamui’s voice pleaded, subdued and mournful. “Please wait.”

Kamui was limping after him, wet and shaking. He noticed her only when he had nearly reached her side, where she could see the tears the rain washed down his cheeks. “Arashi.” He took a step toward her and stumbled- it was impossible to make out against the drenched black fabric of his uniform, but his shoes and socks were bloody. She caught him before he fell.

“Arashi. You have to find the others. I-I haven’t seen anyone else yet.” He felt fragile in her arms, trembling. “I think Yuzuriha might be alright. I saw her take her kekkai down. But Karen-san and Aoki-san- theirs collapsed.”

She nodded briefly. Yes, there was one more duty to perform. She had to help the others, after they had done so much for her, and then she was free. “Where are they?”

“The last time I saw them, the Ginza.” He pointed to where thick black smoke rose up to meet the clouds. “I can’t- Subaru!” The other mane was nearly out of sight. “Subaru, wait!”

Kamui broke free from her grasp- not that she resisted it- and followed him, sobbing openly from the pain of forcing his wounded limbs to hurry, out of sight.

A small voice inside urged her to follow him. He was hurt- pitiful, wretched- she should protect him. But he had clearly already won his battle. Whatever he did now- and there must be a reason he followed the onmyouji- was not something from which she could protect him, if she ever could have protected him at all. In the end, after all, she had been the one in need of protection.

But for what purpose? If there was anything, anything at all, that she could go back and change, it would be to tell the man she loved not to protect her. Alive, even alone, he would have a purpose. She did not. If he’d listened, he would have known what to do- known the words to say to comfort Kamui, as he always had; known what Subaru was doing and why.

He would have a plan, too, to find the other Seals amidst the burned wreckage of Tokyo’s core- the kilometres of buildings decimated by the final battle for their future that Arashi now found herself faced with. The rain had kept the fire from spreading more than a few blocks, and doused the flames that reached outside of the heart of the inferno. Inside a few of the mostly intact malls and stores, however, the fire raged on. Were they inside those buildings, or inside the ones that had already collapsed? Would they be together? Were any of the Angels still here?

She decided that if they were in the ruined buildings, they would likely not have survived. She located the least damaged one- a large department store- and made her way in through a ground floor window. She could immediately see why the fire hadn’t spread so badly in here: the racks of clothing, the thin grey carpets, the store displays- they were all drenched in water. Her shoes squelched in puddles gathered on the floor. Up the stairs there was more fire, hissing and spitting steam as it met the damp surroundings. She peered further up the stairwell. Above, everything was lost in the blaze that had consumed much of the rest of the area- if there was someone still alive in here, they had to be on this floor or lower. She stepped out onto the landing and followed the path of destruction. Some force here had ripped the tiles from the walls, shattered pillars, and bent steel doorframes. They must have fought the water caster here, but this couldn’t all be his doing, it couldn’t…

It was so hot that curls of steam rose from her clothing- her hair was already nearly dry. The smoke made her eyes water, and blurrily she could just make out a slash of darker red against the flames. In that direction, the water was tinted faintly pink. She soaked her scarf in the water and tied it around her mouth to keep from choking- it tasted metallic on her lips. She jogged over, dodging errant bursts of flame, trying her best not to slip.

“Aoki-san.” She breathed, then looked away.

The older man- with his kind eyes and open smile and gentle touch- lay in a pool of blood beside a crack in the cement wall so deep that the thickest ridges exposed flecks of the grey light outside. His back had been broken by the impact, his skull spilt open. Someone had already smoothed his hair over it, away from his eyes.

Perhaps that meant that Karen was still alive.

Or that the water caster was.

Arashi whispered a quick prayer over him, and promised him silently that she would make sure his wife and daughter were told, if no one else was left to do it. He would be in good company.

There was nothing else she could do for him, so she left him to search the rest of the floor. By the time she had finished the fire had spread so badly that she had to wet her hair and uniform once again and sprint to the stairwell, right through the encroaching flames.

She paused for a few moments on the ground floor to catch her breath. It might not be long before the ceiling collapsed- she had to hurry. She checked the ground floor as quickly as she could- no sign of anyone there. That left the basement level, which connected with the subway.

She leapt down the stairs on flight at a time and skidded to a halt at the level above the subway platform.

It was flooded. The whole terminal was flooded- water reaching the up the stairs, everything below completely submerged. The few weak flames that still burned down here provided only a dim red light. She could make out very little beyond.

With a dim roar that had become so familiar over the last year, she heard the upper floors begin to give way under the strain of the hot, softened metal that supported them. If she left now, she could be crushed before she ever reached the exit.

There was nowhere else to go. Arashi bound her hair back with her scarf as best she could, and kicked off her shoes. She stripped off her socks, then with a shrug, peeled out of her wet blouse and skirt as well. There was no one here to see it, and no one would ever find her if she drowned. It would only weigh her down. After a few deep breaths, she leapt into the water.

It was warm. In time, it would probably be unbearably so- but now it was pleasant. She swam out to the end of the platform; plastic garbage that had floated up out of the cans drifted along beside her, and realized she would have to dive through the tunnels. Then it was a very simple matter: if there were air pockets along the way, she might be able to make it to the next station and, if it was still standing, escape. It not, she would die here.

She dove.

Even in the darkness, she could make out odd scars on the tunnel walls- patches of charred black and shattered cement like in the rooms above. The battle had continued here.

There were no pockets of air that she could find, no breaks in the roof of the sunken tunnel. She bit her lip and pressed forward; it wasn’t long before her lungs burned, crying out for air. She didn’t know how much further she could go without giving in to them.

But wait- there was light ahead. Faint, distant, orange light. Another station, not too far away. She might just be able to make it. She increased her pace- maybe she could tell Kamui of the fate of one of the other Seals, at least.

Out of the corner of her eyes she noticed a glimmer of orange and copper, glinting in the light. At first glance it appeared to be fire under the water- but that couldn’t be. Arashi looked back to see the last Seal, Karen, floating not far from her, caught by cables broken loose from the ceiling.

If she stopped now, she might not make it to the station. She might not be able to get the other woman free. She might not even be alive, after all this time.

Arashi eyed the platform, so tantalizingly near. But even if she reached it, what then? A message for Shimako and Yuka. One that Kamui or Yuzuriha could give them, in time. There was Sorata’s side… but perhaps he had already been swept away by the rain.

She turned and kicked down to the trapped fire caster, grabbed her by the shoulders and, braced against the floor, pulled with all her strength. Little bubbles escaped her mouth at an involuntary cry that came with the effort. Her bonds tore quickly- the older woman came free from the debris, and Arashi swam forward with a desperate strength she didn’t know she had left, chest spasming with the need to draw breath.

It took all of her years of discipline to wait until she broke the surface to take in the air that her body needed so badly. She dragged Karen’s motionless body out of the water and collapsed on the stairs. They were open to the street above- cold rain pelted her as she lay there, gasping.

The other Seal was not breathing, and her lips were tinged with blue. Arashi reached over and touched the side of her neck- the newfound sensation of air in her lungs made her somehow hopeful. And there… there it was- a dim, fluttering pulse against her fingertips. The fight must not have ended long before she arrived. If she had stayed with him longer; if she had searched other buildings; if she had swum past, abandoning hope… Arashi felt a mixture of guilt and elation.

She tilted the other woman’s head back, gently opening her mouth, and pressed her lips to hers. They were cold, but soft. And warmer each time she leaned back down, counting on her fingers, to breathe into her mouth again.

She didn’t know how long she spent at it, not that it mattered. Nothing would have made her stop. Not until she saw the other’s chest struggle to take in tiny breaths of its own, and cough dark liquid onto the steps beside her. Her eyes opened soon after- ashen clouds reflected in their depths. Arashi took her hand.

“Karen-san?” She asked breathlessly. “Can you hear me?”

Karen stared past her, to the sky above, for a long time before she answered. “It’s over?”

Arashi nodded. Her hair had come undone from the scarf, doubtless lost in the water below, and spilled over her shoulders. “Yes. Kamui told me to find you.”

The older woman took in the meaning of that quickly, then did something that took Arashi by surprise- she smiled, brilliantly, at the same time that tears began to roll down her cheeks.

“Karen-san?”

“Thank God. Oh, thank God.” She managed. “I was so afraid- so afraid that this had all been for nothing. All this…” She looked peaceful and grateful.

But she was badly wounded. And some of the people so beloved to them were dead. The city she wanted to protect lay in ruins. Arashi had to ask: “Why…?”

Karen laid her head on Arashi’s shoulder, and laughed. She laughed. Softly, genuinely. “Oh, don’t you see? It’s over. Everything has been worth it. Fate has run its course- everything is ready to start again.” A few tears dripped onto Arashi’s hand. “Ao- Seiichirou would be would be delighted. His daughter is finally safe.”

Arashi couldn’t understand it. “But…”

“And the sky is so lovely.” She gazed up at the clouds reverently. “There’s so much to do.”

Arashi didn’t know what else there was to do. She didn’t know why the older woman was so enchanted, or why her smile caused her to question the emptiness within. She, and Kamui, and Subaru, and everyone, she had thought, was stricken by grief at the devastation that had been visited upon them. But Karen- to her, this seemed worth celebrating. “…We’ll both freeze if we stay out here much longer.” Was all she could manage.

Karen stood, shakily, eyes still on the heavens above them. “Coming?” She asked, sweetly welcoming.

“Yes.” Arashi wrapped an arm around her waist. She had no idea what lay behind the other woman’s smile.

But she wanted more than anything else in the world to find out.


* * *


Yuzuriha had to stifle a yawn. Despite all the caffeinated soft drinks - probably a few too many, but who was counting? - she’d smuggled from the airport or the black tea that Nokoru was endlessly offering her, she was exhausted. It couldn’t be jet lag- she’d only changed one time zone. Around noon, she’d even considered postponing the whole thing until tomorrow, but by that time Karen and Arashi had just arrived, and Kamui’s cell phone was off. She would just have to cope with it and turn in early tonight.

Besides, it seemed like ages since the last time they’d all been together. Karen and Arashi were always working, and while Kamui had no trouble stopping by the bar for drinks, Nokoru had trouble leaving the school. Oh, he begged off most of the time due to his responsibilities as Chairman, but Yuzuriha suspected that it had more to do with what the parents and the patrons of the campus would think of him entering that kind of establishment. When she’s voiced these suspicions to Karen, she’d only chuckled and swore that she and the girls would never tell a soul if he chose to visit. Here, at least, they could all be together.

Now, she just had to stay awake to enjoy it.

“Your turn.” Arashi’s quiet, but direct voice broke through her tired musings.

“Eh?” She blinked several times and rubbed at her eyes. “Oh, right. Sorry.” Right- the game of Go they were in the middle of playing. Arashi was much better at it than she was, despite the fact that she liked to take what seemed to Yuzuriha an eternity to make a move- or perhaps because of it- and she’d now drifted off in her thoughts so badly that she has to stare at the board for a while just to remember where they were in it. Had she been on the offensive? Had Arashi? Ugh. It looked like the older woman was going to win this one, too. “Hrm… I think maybe I should forfeit.”

Arashi raised an eyebrow coolly. “You’ll never learn that way.”

“I’m just not up to it right now…” Yuzuriha pleaded, but placed a stone regardless. Arashi was probably right- even if she lost, it would be good practice for next time. Hopefully the game would be over by the time Kamui arrived- he was closer to her level.

“This place is just perfect. Are those lilacs?” Karen and Nokoru were seated at a table nearby- one of the many scattered about in his small indoor garden. It was really quite pretty: many colours and varieties of flowers, a skylight patterned roughly in the shape of a star.

“Oh, yes. I planted them last year.” Nokoru looked like he’d dressed to impress someone, clad in a tan silk suit and tie. She had no idea who it could be. He was usually more casual, and he certainly hadn’t dressed like that this morning.

“Last year? How long ago did you have this built?” Perhaps it was Karen. She looked elegantly gorgeous as always. Her coppery curls brushed her shoulders and the straps of a dark blue dress with ruffled sleeves that clung to the curves of her body, offset by a bright sliver necklace. Yuzuriha could swear she looked younger every time she saw her. She’d remarked as much to Arashi once, and while she thought she’d be flattered, she’d merely sighed and responded “Well, she should.” Yuzuriha could only guess at what that meant.

“A little over a year ago. I thought I might do something with the old head office. There’s only me now, and I don’t need that much space.”

“A year ago?” Karen asked, feigning indignance. “And you only invited me here now?”

“I- well. It…” Nokoru always got a little flustered around Karen. Yuzuriha thought it was adorable. “It wasn’t ready then. I would never show you an unfinished room.”

Arashi couldn’t be more different than either of them. Black pants, black jacket, black boots; her long black hair tied back in a tight ponytail. Nokoru didn’t allow weapons on campus, or she would probably have taken her sword, as well. No jewelry, nothing expensive- though Yuzuriha noted with a bit of delight that one of the girls had pestered her into trimming her bangs again- now they were lightly feathered to the side of her face. Yuzuriha wanted to grow her hair out like that, but it wasn’t very practical in her line of work- not with having to pin it up under a helmet all the time. Some of the other women did it anyway, but Yuzuriha was in active combat more often than most of them. Even the best style would fall apart eventually- not to mention the days or weeks she sometimes had to go without a shower. As a result, she hadn’t had it more than a few inches long in years. Kamui’s hair was longer.

There was a man with hair like Kamui’s in Manila, only he’d tied a bandana overtop of it to keep it out of his face while he worked. He was a lot taller than Kamui, though. Poor Kamui. She’d outgrown him in high school- he hadn’t really grown much at all since-

“Yuzuriha?” Arashi tapped the table in front of her. “Maybe you’re right. Are you sure you don’t need to lie down for a while?”

“Sorry!” Yuzuriha jumped, startled. Arashi had already moved, and that meant she’d been daydreaming for quite a while. “No, no I’m fine. I’d love to talk. I don’t think I’m up to Go right now though, really.”

“That’s fine.” She replied, and began to clear the stones off of the board. “It’s been a long time since we’ve been able to talk to you. Face to face, at least. I know you’re online a lot, but you’re usually half way across the world- I have to rely on Kamui for updates on most things you’re doing.”

“Indeed. I almost never get the chance to see you online, either.” Nokoru added, leaning into their conversation. “What sort of things have you been up to, Yuzuriha?”

Yuzuriha realized she didn’t even know Nokoru’s email address. Maybe he knew hers- she couldn’t remember giving it to him. “Well… the last few operations, besides training, have been as part of UN forces. Mostly peacekeeping. Sometimes to protect aid workers- that kind of thing.” She grinned. “I was on CNN a little while ago. My English is getting pretty good, so I got to talk to a reporter.”

“Ah. I don’t really watch the news, let alone in English.”

“I can send you a clip.”

“I’d like that, but I wouldn’t understand a word you said.” He admitted sheepishly. “You know, when I was younger, a lot of girls joined the JSDF because it was difficult to get promotions in most companies. There was a lot of bias that women would quit as soon as they were married and had children, so it wasn’t worth training them to be executives.”

Yuzuriha made a face. “I know. You aren’t that much older than me, Nokoru-san. That wasn’t why I joined, though. I just like it. I’ve had the chance to meet people from all over the world, and help them rebuild their lives. I get to travel to just about anywhere in the world for free, too.” Well, those weren’t the only reasons… but she wasn’t getting into that now. “Maybe I’ll stay on and become an officer. Or maybe I’ll join the Red Cross- we’ve done a lot of work with them, and I think I’d like that, too.”

“That’s wonderful.” Karen slid from her chair to stand across from her, behind Arashi, and rub the other woman’s shoulders lightly. “Hmm… you’ve been practicing too hard, haven’t you?”

Nokoru coughed politely, looking flustered again. “Ah… so, you two… what are your future plans?”

Karen’s eyes glittered with amusement. “The two of us are just fine with our business for now.” She kissed Arashi’s cheek, and Yuzuriha could swear Nokoru’s face reddened. “Years from now we might retire to the countryside. Or, if we can afford it, Europe. You’ve always wanted to see Italy, haven’t you darling?”

“I thought it was more that you want to live in Paris, Karen.” Arashi replied evenly, seeming not to notice Nokoru in the slightest.

“Perhaps just a little.” Karen’s expression was the epitome of innocence. “But it would mostly be for you. I’ve heard that Paris can turn just about anyone into a romantic.”

Nokoru seemed to have decided that there was something infinitely fascinating about the empty Go board. Karen might have wanted to tease him a little longer, but he was saved by the sound of the garden’s large double doors being shoved open, and Kamui glaring around them at him.

“Ever thought of drawing a map to this place, Nokoru? I asked where you were, and all your secretary could tell me was ‘the new garden’. Do you have any idea how many gardens there are on the campus?” He snapped.

Yuzuriha leapt to her feet- regretting it a little, as all the blood rushed down into her feet and her vision was left fuzzy for a few seconds- before Nokoru could respond, probably to chide him for not using the right entrance. “Kamui!”

“Yuzuriha…” His expression softened immediately. He closed the distance between them and gave her a friendly hug. “How’ve you been?”

“Great!” She was struck by how little he’d changed- he’d lost much of the boyishness he’d had when they were younger, his shoulders had broadened, and his features grown more masculine, but other than that time hadn’t really touched him at all. She’d been on a two-year tour of duty, and he was the very picture of when she’d left. There probably wasn’t a soul who didn’t know him who wouldn’t mistake him for a man in his twenties. Not like her at all, or Subaru… And speaking of Subaru, his dress, at least, was almost exactly the same as his now- long coat, black turtleneck, boots and everything. “Hey. You know you’re a serious couple when you start to wear the same clothes. You look just like Subaru-san.”

He turned away, and for a moment, looked absolutely miserable- then it was gone. “Yeah.”

Hadn’t anyone else seen it? Yuzuriha was positive that he’d just looked like he was about to cry, and yet Karen just smiled sweetly at him and asked: “Would you like something to drink, honey?”

Kamui shook his head. “Nah. Not right now.”

And that was that. Kamui took a seat beside her, and asked about one of Karen’s girls- Nokoru found meaning in the Go board once again- and they started to chat as if nothing had happened. Yuzuriha was left puzzled. Hadn’t they noticed? Then again, Kamui had been her best friend for ages- maybe she’d caught something they couldn’t see.

“…And she’s watching the place for us today. Oh, that reminds me,” Karen turned back to her. “You called us here to tell us something, didn’t you? We’re all here now.”

She did, but if Kamui was upset about something… now might not be the best time. Yuzuriha wasn’t all that worried about it- they might be, though. It was only a precaution- the chances were good she hadn’t even come into contact with it herself, even- just a stay in Tokyo in case she needed treatment. She was just one of the many soldiers sent home because someone had reported that chemical weapons had been used at their site of deployment. Besides, she felt fine. “Just that I’m going to be in Tokyo for a while- I don’t have any more assignments any time soon.” She would tell them why if she needed to.

Kamui perked up. “That’s great! Next time, we can go for some real entertainment, too.” Nokoru shot him a look, which he ignored. “You said you had pictures to show me?”

Yuzuriha pulled her camera out of her bag and plugged it into a screen Nokoru had brought for them. She scrolled through to find the pictures from her latest trip, and they all exclaimed over the lush jungles and crystal clear beaches she’d captured- none of them had ever been outside of Japan. Exotic plants and animals- her and her detachment posing with exotic animals, which Inuki hadn’t liked much- teaching a few local children to play baseball. They’d ended up giving them a bat and the balls afterwards. And more: all of her best memories from the last few months. The other memories- they weren’t the kind of things she would take pictures of.

Kamui excused himself towards the evening, reminding her that he had a few things he had to get done that night. Karen and Arashi waved, Nokoru wished him a pleasant evening, and she offered to walk him out. She waited until they were a ways from the garden, in a silent corridor, before she asked: “Are you okay, Kamui? You don’t seem well today.”

He stopped. “It’s not something you should be worried about.” He said simply- he wouldn’t face her.

“Kamui…you know that, if anything is wrong, you can come to me. When you need to. If there’s anything you need to say.” She laid a hand on his shoulder.

“I know.” Was he shaking? “I also know why you’re here.”

“Kamui… I just didn’t think that…”

He cut her off with a bittersweet smile. “You remind me of what I should have been.”

With that, he walked away and around the corner, leaving Yuzuriha to wish she knew what he could possibly mean by that.

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