Gundam Babylon
A Gundam Wing / Tokyo Babylon crossover
Part 7: Shattered By Sakura
By Beth
Rating: G to PG-13 now, later R (for violence) Pairing: Heero + Duo, Seishirou + Subaru WARNING: Shounen-ai ahead, spoilers for Tokyo Babylon volumes 6 and 7DISCLAIMER: Gundam Wing owned by Bandai, Tokyo Babylon and CLAMP Campus Detectives (CLAMP Gakuen Tantei Dan) owned by CLAMP. This is an unauthorized not-for-profit work inspired and using elements of both for purposes of personal and shared entertainment. Some of the best mangaka get their start in doujinshi... I'm trying to see if the same goes for writers ^_^mini-dictionary:
sakura -- cherry, cherry blossom, cherry petal, cherry tree
moshi moshi -- hello, said when answering the phone
obaa-sama -- grandmother (very respectful)
kanji -- Japanese ideograms
neesan -- elder sister
onmyouji -- yin-yang magician
onmyoujitsu -- yin-yang magic
kaichou - chairman (Nokoru's title as chairman of the high school division)
sou ka - I see
Subaru decided that if he could not remember where he had put his textbooks, it meant he had not been to school for too long. He finally found them in the kitchen, buried under a pile of unread newspapers. He was just fastening the straps on his bag when the phone rang.
"Moshi moshi."
"Hello, Subaru-san. How are you today?"
"Fine, thank you obaa-sama," the boy smiled, sitting down. "I'm just packing for school. Is there a job coming up?" His grandmother, the head of the Clan, often called to pass on details of a place or person that needed his occult help.
"Not really." He heard the old lady sigh. "I did a fortune reading for you again."
Subaru froze. "Did you see sakura again?"
"Yes, but also something else. I fear I recognized that second aura. It did not feel antagonistic towards you, but what it is... I think you should be careful." The fax by the phone started spewing out pages tightly packed with kanji. "Please read those -- and be well, Subaru-san. Be well."
"You too, obaa-sama." Subaru's mouth was clenched tight, his gloved hands trembling. Don't let your soul be swept away by the sakura petals... His grandmother's words from the first time she told his future came back to haunt him.
Subaru chucked the faxed sheets of paper in his bag and slammed the door behind him before rushing down the stairs.
"Su-chan, what's the rush?" Hokuto asked him when he reached her floor. She was just locking the door behind her.
"Uh..." he stuttered, too distraught to put words together. "Obaa-sama called and sent me something..."
"Oh c'mon, Su-chan!" Hokuto grinned at him. "You won't fool your neesan! You just can't wait to see Sei-chan again -- true love hates separation!"
"Ho-hokuto-chan! It's not like that!!"
"Ohohohoho!"
Subaru realized that despite himself, he was enjoying school. Across the cafeteria table, Duo and Hokuto were having yet another heated discussions about the fine points of a classic anime.
"How can you like that chicken-headed idiot? He's the worst character on the show!" The American was visibly flustered. "Stupidest guy around!"
Hokuto scowled. "He's fun, he kicks ass and he's not stuck up like your favorite."
"Oh, so you're dissing my favorite now? He's not stuck up!"
"Yes he is! Stone-face!"
"That's dignity."
"Yeah right," the girl smirked. "And he's obsessed."
"Dedicated."
"Moody."
"You mean passionate," Duo corrected her.
"Well, maybe," Hokuto admitted reluctantly. "But he's got a deathwish."
"He just disregards his own safety in pursuit of his goal."
"Are you talking about me?" Heero asked, setting down the second helpings of dessert he had gone to get.
"No, Shinomori Aoshi," Duo grinned. "But you're right, sounds like you to the T," he whispered, winking at his partner.
"Yeah, the moody dork from "Rurouni Kenshin"..." Hokuto muttered. "I still don't know what you see in him."
Subaru tuned out the continuing quarrel and concentrated on the sheaf of fax he was holding. Some characters were not kanji but Sanskrit or even Hebrew, which made the overall sense even more clouded. But he thought he was getting the gist of it -- a shadowy person or group of persons connected with mysterious outbreaks of plagues and revolutions, with sightings reported all over the world and as far back as the Sumeragi clan had been in existence. He flipped a page, only to find the next one holding just a few lines of text
'In darkness deep all truths acquire
From Raven black and Spirit fire,
This omen bird with croak of death
Leads to thy kill - that dying breath.[from the Teachings of the Wolf Soldiers, 1545; attributed to prior oral tradition][1]'
The rest of the page was taken up by a photocopy of an old, handwritten note. The characters were simple hiragana, drawn by an uncertain hand:
'he walks in the path of death and chaos walks by his side and when you least expect it he breaks his bonds and silver shines and'
The last line ended in a single stroke, as if the writer had slumped over at that moment. The stain further down the paper had been rendered black by photocopying and faxing, but the onmyouji knew it was blood.
"Oi, Su-chan, whatcha reading?" Duo unceremoniously appropriated the file out of the startled black-haired boy's gloved hands. "This omen bird with croak of death... Wah, too spooky! So, what do you think, Aoshi-"
"Moody-dork-sama," Hokuto supplied, "or Sanosuke?"
"Chicken-head," the American clarified.
"I like Saitou Hajime," Subaru said.
That got everyone's attention.
"That psycho killer?" Duo protested.
"He's so full of himself!" Hokuto agreed.
"I think I see a pattern," Heero mused. "Tall, black hair, golden eyes..."
"Oh, of course!" the girl giggled. "He reminds you of Sei-chan!!"
Duo decided that, while fun, lunch with Heero and the Sumeragi twins was a foolproof way of making him late for the Japanese class. He grabbed a seat by Wufei, who seemed preoccupied with a thick file.
"Man!" Duo exclaimed. "First Su-chan, now you - what is it about people and files today?!"
"Takamura-kun has asked for my opinion on this," the Chinese boy responded calmly.
"Well, what's it about, Wu-chan?" Duo was curious now.
"There have been threats on both the campus and Kaichou himself. With his mother out of the country, he's the only member of the Imonoyama family in residence at the moment, so Takamura-kun has asked me to review Kaichou's security arrangements."
"Suoh-kun does take that secretary cum bodyguard stuff seriously, doesn't he?" Duo appropriated the file and leafed through it, ignoring the outraged glare of the teacher. "Looks like all guards have their work cut out for them. Even Suoh-kun himself has trouble keeping up with Nokoru-kun..."
"Your ideas?" Wufei asked.
The American grinned. "You've got five able terrorists on this side. I say one of us keeps by Nokoru-kun's side at all times. Even when Suoh-kun's present -- I know he's good, I saw you sparring, but he's never killed anyone. Split second hesitation... we both know how deadly that can be."
"Yes."
"You'll have to make do with yourself, Q-man and Trowa for now though, me and Heero are going into town with Su-chan and Hokuto. We'll be back late."
"Maxwell, Chang!!" the teacher snapped. "If you've finished..."
"Oi! Wait up!"
Subaru and Heero turned to see Duo running towards them through the crowded courtyard of Clamp Senior High.
"Are you going to see Sei-chan now?" the American asked when he caught up with them.
"Yes."
"Cool! Give him my best wishes. I've still got an Arts class, with Hokuto, then I guess we'll go shopping around Shinjuku. Give us a ring when you're finished with your visiting and we'll figure out a place to have dinner."
Heero shot him a curious glance. "Don't tell me you're dragging Quatre along again. I thought that last time he described you as the Fashion Inquisition."
"Nah," Duo grinned. "He's got extra IT with Nokoru-kun. All we're taking is his credit card."
It was still early afternoon and the train into the city was not crowded. The seats next to Subaru and Heero were empty, allowing them to talk privately.
"Are you afraid?" the brown-haired boy asked.
"Is it that obvious?" Subaru muttered.
Heero looked pointedly at the other boy's gloved hands, which were clenching the book bag convulsively.
"I guess I am," the young onmyouji admitted. "I want to talk to Seishirou-san... I've almost made up my mind to tell him exactly how I feel... but I had the dream again tonight."
"The sakura one?"
"Yes. The young man under the tree... he looked almost like Seishirou-san. Only so evil..."
"Sou ka. Have you considered the fact this may be due to Seishirou-san's last name?"
"Sakurazuka? Yes... though I'm not sure. I'm afraid it's more than that. And my grandmother told me something today that scared me even more."
"The Sumeragi matriarch?" Heero asked.
"Yes. She felt another presence by me. At first I thought she might be sensing you - you've got a fair amount of power - but the description doesn't match."
"Was that what you were reading during lunch?"
"Uh-huh. If my data is true, this person would be a match for the Sakurazukamori, both in magical and destructive power, but I have no idea who can it be." Green eyes looked desperately at Heero. "I know obaa-sama couldn't have been mistaken, but I don't feel such malice in anyone near me. The only person in whose heart I can't look is Seishirou-san, and that's only... because... I guess I'm afraid what I would find. But I know he's not evil either!"
Heero sat in silence. He awkwardly placed a hand on Subaru's arm. Blue eyes gazed at the despairing onmyouji, trying to find some way to lift the mood without going against what he felt himself.
"This is silly," Nokoru stated. "You've got no proof that those threats have any substance."
"Kaichou, I must take every threat to your well-being seriously," Suoh insisted. "The fact the persons behind them did not make their move yet doesn't mean they won't."
"But Suoh-kun..."
"Come on, Nokoru-kun." Quatre sighed. "Let's have a walk in the park and talk about it." He nodded to Suoh. Wufei filled me in on the situation, he mouthed.
Behind a corner, a nondescript young man in a Clamp College uniform hit a speed-dial button on his cellphone. "Subject is heading towards the park. One person of company."
"Acknowledge. Wait until they are distracted and apprehend."
In a bookshop, Duo stopped browsing the current issue of "People" and turned to see Hokuto leafing through a guide to Tokyo's restaurants.
"What are you looking for?" he asked.
"Something romantic - I want to arrange a dinner for Subaru and Sei-chan as soon as Sei-chan gets out of the hospital. It'll be a double celebration," she grinned.
"Double?"
"It's also the anniversary of their first meeting - I can't believe they have known each other for a whole year now! Actually, I think it's been exactly a year today."
A year? Duo's heart skipped a beat. Then he grinned carelessly. He wouldn't... too melodramatic, he thought.
"The doctor told me he might go blind," Subaru said. The two boys were walking down the street, nearing the hospital.
"There's always cybernetic implants," Heero remarked. "They're getting better every year."
"Yeah... but it's not the same." The onmyouji sighed, then noted the ex-pilot's glare. "I know, I know! I should be happy he's not dead."
The brown-haired boy shook his head. "This may sound trite to you, but I've seen too many deaths not to value life."
"Yeah, right."
But the green-eyed boy was smiling when they entered the hospital. The young woman behind the reception desk recognized him and nodded as they passed.
"What floor is Seishirou-san on?" Heero asked when they entered the lift.
"The fourth one. Room 444."
When they got out, Subaru was almost running. The room was just down the corridor, and he was at the door in an instant. The other boy hurried to keep up.
Then a black energy shimmered into view in the doorway. Subaru passed through it, a startled expression on his face as he stared into the darkness filling the space before him. Heero though was stopped by the barrier, the strands of magic crackling and threatening to hurt if he proceeded.
All he could do was watch as a gust of wind-
we're in a building shouldn't be wind
-took off Subaru's hat. The same eerie breeze ruffled Seishirou's hair.
"Now, the time has come to conclude our game," the tall man said. "Hasn't it, Subaru-kun?"
Da-da-da-dee!
Hokuto's cellphone rang frantically. She fumbled to answer it, caught in the crowd of a Ginza boutique.
"Obaa-sama? No, he's not with me. He went to see a friend- No, I'm sure- it can't be! Yes, we're on our way."
She looked at Duo with worry in her green eyes. "It's about Subaru."
He froze momentarily, dropping the jacket he had been trying on. Then he caught her hand. "Let's go."
[1]This is an excerpt from a poem by John Mullin called "The teacher (the wolf)". It was NOT written by me, but rather shoved in my face when Duo got bored of waiting for me to guess what he was.
Notes: The Lady Sumeragi does call Subaru "Subaru-san", at least according to the translation I read (by Ronny Hedin). Blame it on her being old-fashioned and formal. The first fortune reading she did for Subaru is mentioned in Volume 4 (Save A)
Aoshi, Sanosuke and Saitou (who, besides being tall, dark-haired and golden-eyed, happens to have no qualms about killing and hurting people) all property of Nobuhiro Watsuki. I read the 'moody-dork-sama' comment at a shrine to the aforementioned moody dork himself. Yes, I've got Kenshin on the brain. So do a few friends of mine - the conversation was once again inspired by a real one (with the only difference being that I was busy writing this fic and no-one was surprised that I liked Saitou ^_^)
Unfortunately I don't have "Tokyo Babylon" volume 6 (the events of which are featured in this part) -- so I made Seishirou's room number up. 4 = shi = death. Normally a hospital wouldn't have a fourth floor (because of bad luck), but what the hell...
In the next chapter: Sakura, falling. "Should have listened when you called my name"