Sagano-cho, Kyoto (West)
Sumeragi Family Residence April 16, 2000 — 21:48 The small shisa next to Sachiko's and Hokuto's spirit tablets raised its head and growled deep in its throat. A moment later, somebody knocked. Ameru stood, gave the upset guardian spirit a brief pat on the vermillion mane, and opened the door. "Shiro-san." Sumeragi Hamamatsu stood in the hallway, bowing to him. "If you would follow me. The elders request your presence at the council." First, that shift of power in the estate wards, and now they were calling him to council? Ameru frowned. Hamamatsu was already looking impatient. "I'm coming." He took his jacket from the hanger and closed the door behind him. The great hall was full of people. Fusuma separated the elders from the rest of the clan. Tripods holding shallow bowls of glowing embers and incense warded the dais. Guards sat beside them, watching the open fire as much as protecting the elder council against eavesdroppers. Apparently, the topic wasn't meant for the ears of commoners yet, but the assembled clan hadn't been dismissed. Murmurs arose as Ameru followed Hamamatsu to the screened dais. Murmurs about who he had been. A guard he didn't know by name moved the fusuma aside and let him enter. The room inside was dimmed, lit mostly by the fire within an iron tea stove around which the elders had formed a half circle. A cushion was laid out before them. For him. Ameru bowed low and then sat down, feeling the cloth of his suit pants strain against his knees. He waited silently. He knew better than to rush her. "Ameru-san," she acknowledged him, avoiding the matter of the family name with the joviality of old people. "It's been a long time since you were here." He bowed slightly. It was plain truth. In 1979, a month after his father's death, he'd sat in front of a similar council to be stripped of his identity and sent away to father a child prophesied to save the world on the final day of 1999. The woman destined to bear that child had turned out to be a 15-year-old girl who had wanted him no more than he had wanted to leave Sachiko. Ameru clamped his jaws tight at the memory. He'd felt like a pedophile touching that awkward girl. And Tohru-san hadn't conceived easily. "I think you know why we summoned you, nephew," Tomoaki stated. "Your son—" "Kamui's in Tokyo, Tomoaki-san," Ameru said softly. His mother's hand twitched. "We are speaking of Subaru-san," she clarified stiffly. "And his public indecency with the Sakurazukamori." ~:~:~:~:~ Sakura Enterprises, Osaka 21:56 Fujiwara Michiko, Chief of Operations of Sakura Enterprises Shikoku Section, closed the door of her office behind her and locked it. She sat down behind her desk and for a moment, just buried her face in her hands. For twenty years now she'd worked for the Mori. And Seishiro had been the Sakurazukamori. She'd met him the first time a few weeks before her sister gave birth. The Osaka office had sent her to assist him, but he hadn't wanted assistance; just a driver. "You're Mariko's sister," had been the first thing he'd said to her and for a long time that had been his only comment. No question. No inquiry. It had been a statement of fact, not interest, while her nondescript compact car sped towards Kobe harbor's freight terminal on Port Island. She'd been taught that the Sakurazukamori was the last, the final line of spiritual defense for Japan when all else failed. There'd be no second chance should he fall. And the Sakurazukamori next to her on the passenger seat was barely nineteen years old. She hadn't thought he could win against a fully-fledged demonar until she saw what he was capable of. And what he could take, if need be. One of the fire demon's claws had opened his belly, had torn into his stomach, and still he had chanted, channeling the Sakura. That was when she'd learned that the Tree could heal — at a price. Port Island had lost a wharf that day, but the demonar had been contained and Seishiro... She remembered him virtually unconscious in her car afterwards, reeking of blood and intestines; remembered his refusal to be brought to a place registered with the organization. They'd ended up parking the car in a deserted industrial lane. She remembered his groaning, his hisses of agony... and something else she hadn't dared ask about. Seishiro was a force to be reckoned with. She knew he'd kill her without a thought should his position demand it, as she had voted to destroy him when he'd been caught with the Sumeragi. She hadn't been worried then — but she should have been. With Honshu out of commission, she was the section leader closest to Tokyo. She'd be the one called to serve the Tree — something Seishiro had no doubt taken into account. If he lost his position, she would go to Tokyo and somebody else would be sent to rule Shikoku section. She'd have to make sure Mariko and the children were gone by then. However, it would be a lot better for them all if he just remained the Sakurazukamori... Her hand fell to the intercom. "Contact Hokkaido, Korea, and Kyushu. Tell them Shikoku as working section closest to Honshu is calling for a section leader meeting in fifteen minutes." ~:~:~:~:~ Sagano-cho, Kyoto (West) Sumeragi Family Residence 22:02 Public indecency. With the Sakurazukamori. Ameru knew he should pay attention to what the elders were saying. The shisa had warned him of them, but it hadn't warned of the Sakurazukamori, who had slept with his son. No, with whom his son slept— Did that distinction really matter? Would it have mattered between him and Sachiko? His head swirled while he forced himself to follow their words. Today, Subaru had ended a thirteen-hundred-years old feud and called his lover to his side, defying the elders. He tried to reconcile that with the photograph of the resigned, grey-eyed man he'd taken in Tokyo almost a year ago— "Ameru-san," his mother addressed him. "You are born Sumeragi. Certainly you see that Subaru cannot remain head of the house when he involves us in bloodshed. You had to forgo the headship in order to fulfill the prophecy your father penned on his deathbed. It is within the law for you to reclaim it, now that the year of decision has passed. As your son, Subaru is subject to your decisions." Ameru said nothing. The man who'd casually traced the ofuda of the gecko shiki back to him hadn't cared for the intricacies of Sumeragi law. But because of him Subaru had stood up against the council — something Ameru should have done when they'd taken the twins twenty-three years ago. He balled his fists. He wouldn't fail Subaru again. "With all due respect, honored elders," he said. "I cannot see your point. Certainly, Subaru-sama can expect privacy in his own rooms." "For sleeping with the Sakurazukamori?" Tomoaki asked incredulously. "If he chooses to do so," Ameru shrugged. "Yes." "Ameru-san. The Sakurazukamori is also the murderer of your daughter." Elder Makoto took the word for the first time. "Can you forgive that?" Ameru closed his eyes briefly. "No. I cannot forgive that. But I can see why my son needs him." He faced his mother in midst of the elders. "I refuse the position. The thirteenth head of the Sumeragi is Subaru." ~:~:~:~:~ Sakura Enterprises, Osaka 22:16 Three of the four monitors on the wall were lit when Michiko entered, checked the security, and locked the room. Blurred frames behind desks similar to the one here were waiting for her; the fourth — Honshu — remained dark. Michiko squared her shoulders and straightened her suit before sitting down and activating the line. "Ladies and gentlemen. Three days ago, in the afternoon of April 13, we all were witnesses to the Sumeragi head entering our Tokyo offices and destroying the section's Chief of Operations. Since then, Honshu section has been inactive and Shikoku, as the closest functional section, is handling the Sakurazukamori until Honshu is fully restored. This is the matter requiring your attention." Michiko drew a deep breath. "Colleagues. After reviewing the footage from Honshu section in detail, I have come to the conclusion that we made a grave mistake. When we decided to remove Sakurazuka Seishiro from office, we ignored the Sakura itself. It is evident that the Sakura does not consider Sakurazuka's involvement with the Sumeragi transgression. Therefore, Shikoku considers his removal from office invalid." Silence. Michiko held her breath. If she had miscalculated, she was dead. They wouldn't let her live if they doubted her loyalty to the organization. She— =Seconded,"= Korea said calmly. =Ditto.= Hokkaido chuckled. =It is easier to replace an unfit COO than a fit Sakurazukamori.= =Accepted,= Kyushu signaled grudgingly. =But that doesn't change the fact that the Sumeragi invaded our Tokyo offices to avenge the assault on his lover. We can't leave such a challenge unanswered. The Sumeragi—= "Indeed, Kyushu-san," Michiko cut in sharply. "Hokkaido-san. And that is our second point tonight. We do not have to replace Honshu's COO and Sumeragi did not invade our offices." =We all saw him killing Honshu-san!= Korea exclaimed. "The former Honshu-san," Michiko specified coolly. "As you can see—" She displayed a still frame showing Sakurazuka Romiro being ground to death by sakura petals in front of Sumeragi's booted feet. "The current Honshu-san is Sumeragi." ~:~:~:~:~ Sagano-cho, Kyoto (West) Sumeragi Family Residence — West Wing 22:26 "I'm just scared." Akiko cradled the receiver of the mobile phone between her shoulder and ear and folded a second white blouse on top of the white pants suit already in her suitcase. "What if it doesn't work? What if... it isn't sufficient in his eyes?" A clearly audible snort came from the other end of the line. =You don't have to do this at all!= Her brother declared. =I'll go and drive some sense into that jerk—= "No!" Akiko clasped the receiver as she straightened. "No, Ayato. This is the man who killed Subaru-san's sister and walked away from it. I don't want to lose you." =From all I heard, his sister was magically inept.= "But Subaru-san isn't." Akiko suppressed a sigh and looked at the small home shrine she'd set up for Inari. The reverence candles she'd lit earlier flickered in their vermillion stands. Inari, her former family's kami, had always given her comfort in the cold glory of the Sumeragi's sun. But since this morning it seemed as if the god's dutiful fox spirits were laughing at her, laughing and heckling while leaping after sakura petals dancing on the wind. She shuddered, returning her attention to the phone. "I know it's late, but can you pick me up? I'm going to call Matsubara-sensei tomorrow." =Of course, but you shouldn't do this because a murderer threatened you.= "I know. And thank you for caring." She closed the line and dropped the mobile phone on top of the folded clothes in her suitcase. I'm not doing this because the Sakurazukamori threatened me, she told herself. I'm doing this because he's got a point. The bargain among their families hadn't been kept and it was Subaru-san who'd been kind enough not to pressure her about it. Most other men — certainly most of his elders — would have sent her away, not caring what became of her. A woman without child never became wife, but what about the groom? She hadn't thought about that, but she honestly didn't want him to suffer a lonely life because of her. She stilled— "—he sleeps in my bed." Maybe he hadn't been lonely. Maybe, she'd freed him to pursue a life his elders wouldn't approve of. Maybe— —she ought to stop lying to herself. Akiko slammed her suitcase shut. She'd call the doctor tomorrow. ~:~:~:~:~ CLAMP Campus, Tokyo University Hospital 23:55 Akechi Shigetaka shielded his eyes with his arm as the dark, unmarked helicopter swept in to hover barely a meter above the landing platform. An agile, black-clad man jumped down to the roof and ran towards him, ducked against the whirling rotor blades already pulling the machine back into the night sky. Akechi closed his hand around his older half-brother's lower arm and smiled, receiving the same close wordless welcome in return. It had been years since they'd seen each other in person. Ijyuin Shigetoshi was still surprisingly fit, given that he'd turned fifty three years ago. The price and the benefit of his fame... so to speak. "Do you have the file?" he asked. Instead of an answer, Akechi patted his waist, making the folder hidden there outline under the cloth, and indicated the door leading from the roof. They rode the elevators to sub level one. From the backdoor near the morgue, it was only a short way through the park and unlit gardens to Imonoyama's residence. The mansion itself was dark, appearing for all that mattered as if its inhabitants had gone to bed early, still the service door to the yard opened before the two of them had even left the shadow of the trees. No lights inside, either. Imonoyama was a dark shadow against the black interior as he held the door for them. "Welcome," he said, closing it soundlessly and Akechi blinked in the sudden brightness of the ceiling lights coming to life. "I'm sorry that I can't offer you the front door." "Unexpired statutes of limitation tend to affect your social affairs." Ijyuin shrugged and smiled. "Comes with the business." Imonoyama nodded. "I've jammed the library and the adjacent rooms. Conferring there should be safe." He led the way up a narrow staircase. "But we have to make it quick. The jamming affects surrounding buildings as well and I'd prefer to keep Suoh ignorant of our meeting." With a wry smile, he added, "He gets testy when I receive guests he's not allowed to pat down." "I wouldn't mind," Ijyuin laughed, "but he might find more than he was looking for." "That's what I'd like to prevent," Imonoyama said dryly and opened the library. The room was cozy as usual. The heavy velvet curtains were drawn and the flames of the lit fireplace made shadows run over the dark bookshelves lining the walls up to the ceiling. The thick, light-golden patterned carpet with its blood-red crest cushioned his brother's and Imonoyama's steps. Akechi closed the door and followed them. His arm pressed firmly against the file inside his jacket. Imonoyama checked the display of a small device set on one of the tables under the windows, nodded and turned. "We're green. So what's so urgent a matter that you risk coming to Tokyo in person?" "I think it's easiest if I just give you the file," Akechi answered instead of his brother, opening his jacket to retrieve the manila folder and hand it to Imonoyama. Beside him, Ijyuin nodded, then headed for the small bar in the corner and poured himself a drink. He offered one to Akechi as well, while their host sat down in one of the comfy armchairs and read. Akechi accepted the glass gratefully. After a few sips, Ijyuin, leaning with his hip against the bar, asked, "Does Akira know?" "No." Akechi had a sip of his drink, Their father had disappeared long before his nephew was born. It wasn't his hunt. Yet. The alcohol was burning in his throat; here was a reason he usually preferred tea. "Speaking of Akira," he said, putting the glass down, "have you seen him recently?" "It's become difficult since he's got a family of his own to worry about." His brother shrugged. "And a pediatrician isn't as newsworthy as Nijyo Menso." "You could play Santa for his sons as well," Akechi suggested. "And rob him of his privilege?" His brother laughed. "I'm not that kind of thief." He swirled the remaining liquid in his glass briefly, downed it in a single gulp, and looked at the folder now lying open on Imonoyama's knees. "But I'm worried about him. Sakurazuka, the rumors about that house..." He shook his head. "Even if only the gist of it is true—" "I don't believe it," Imonoyama interrupted, looking up at last. "That's—" He ran a hand through his hair and laughed uneasily. "I'm sorry. I'm just trying to wrap my mind around the fact that the forbidden number in my phone book is actually Akira's... uncle?" "Did that forbidden number ever mention his father?" Ijyuin asked. "Not that I recall. Seishiro's a schoolfriend of mine." Imonoyama said stiffly. "We weren't that close." "A schoolfriend I had as a patient last year," Akechi challenged, "with injuries that would have required a hospital station if not an ECU. Yet you insisted on treating him here." "His previous experiences with hospitals weren't agreeable. I merely respected his wish not to see the inside of one again." Imonoyama put the folder aside and stood. "If that's all—" "Did you ever meet your friend's family?" Ijyuin asked calmly from the bar, ignoring the impending dismissal. "No." Imonoyama shrugged. "He's always been very reclusive about his family." "I see." Ijyuin set his glass down and straightened. "Then do you know how to contact him about this?" "I've been to his house before." Akechi reminded him. "I'm confident I can find it again, should the need arise." "You sure?" Akechi nodded. "But we should be careful. When I treated him, I noticed signs of abuse in his formative years. We don't know how he'll react if we just show up on his doorstep asking about his past." "According to your blood test Akira-kun has an uncle he'd befriended at school and we have a brother we didn't know about." His brother fixed him squarely. "Born in the year our father disappeared. Something I cannot — and will not — ignore." "I concur with Akechi-sensei here," Imonoyama said into the aggressive silence between them. "Seishiro isn't an easy character to begin with. Surprising him will get you nowhere. You have to be careful with him. Very careful." Imonoyama actually laid a hand on both their sleeves, as if willing them to calm down. His quiet words held a strange emphasis. "You do not want to threaten him." "Then what do you suggest we do?" Akechi asked calmly. "Let it be is no option." Imonoyama sighed. "Speak with Sumeragi-san first. Alone," he stressed. "He knows him better than I do these days. I can arrange for a meeting, but it might take a while." ~:~:~:~:~ Ueno-Sakuragi-cho, Tokyo, April 17, 2000 — 01:17 It was well past midnight when Yue felt his temporary ward approaching the house. The Sakura hadn't told him about Sei-chan's return, thus he assumed they hadn't come by the park. The pentagram ornament on the garden wall outside the gate creaked, but the spirit soldiers remained quiet, so there was no obvious need to hurry. Lady ginkgo rustled above him. The female tree carried the seal he had cut into her trunk over eighty years ago with obvious pride. Sumeragi-san's ferns, growing thick around her roots, whispered with delicate fronds already reaching above his knees. Yue looked up into the ragged, dark crown and bowed earnestly over his folded hands at her, before relocating his attention to the front garden. Sei-chan appeared worn, though he stubbornly insisted on walking on his own. Sumeragi seemed worried about that, given the way he trailed a step behind as if to catch him if necessary. "Fool." Yue manifested beside them, grabbing Sei-chan under the arm. "Begone," his successor growled and Yue drew on the Sakura's power to overrule the command. Sei-chan was cold to the touch, and his heartbeat was too slow. Yue shook his head. The Sakura had healed the body, but replacing spilled blood and lost ch'i was impossible. The Tree merely kept the body alive until blood and ch'i had been rebuilt. It wasn't the same as being fit and about in a moment. Far from it. Sei-chan was aware of that — at least theoretically — but he seemed scarily determined to ignore the implications. Sumeragi seemed oblivious. "Open the door," Yue told Sumeragi. "I can pass through. He can't." His successor propped himself against the wall to kick off his shoes after the door had closed. "Stubborn fool," Yue stated. "Shut up. It was necessary." Seishiro yanked his tie loose and worked down the button line of his shirt as he slowly went up the stairs towards his bedroom, pointedly ignoring Yue's presence beside him. "There was a suicide, stopping the Yamanote between Ueno and Uguisudani," Sumeragi provided quietly. "That's why it took too long and—" "One should think suicidal idiots would jump at rush hour for maximum impact on travelers!" Seishiro snarled, tossing his shirt across the desk on the way to the bed. "One should think recently spirit-healed Sakurazukamori would leave a safety window when calculating their traveling times," Yue returned, stabilizing him when he lost balance shedding his pants. Yue sat him down on the bed, straightened... ...and found himself face to face with a Sumeragi, who watched him wordlessly for a moment and just left. He seemed as worn as Sei-chan, probably more so. There'd been a different kind of ache in those green eyes, painfully familiar even after fourteen-hundred years. Yue stopped the line of thought abruptly. The Sakura didn't need a second reason for jealousy towards the other source of the Dao, now sitting on Sei-chan's couch, lean face buried in his hands. Yue faded into the kitchen and queried the guardian dead how to use the coffee maker. Ten minutes later, he hovered a steaming cup in front of Sumeragi's face, smiling when surprise briefly replaced weariness. "We still have to talk, Second-source-of-the-Dao," he said and sat down on top of the kotatsu without bothering about pushing some of the clutter over the edge. "There's nothing to talk about," Sumeragi said flatly, nevertheless taking the cup, clasping it for its warmth. "It was necessary," Yue reminded him softly, making sure the coffee didn't slosh out of the cup. "I committed murder." Sumeragi raised a hand as if to stop the expected reply. "And no, I can't take the Sakura's involvement as justification for my crime or for forcing my people to bear the stain of the blood I spilled. I—" He closed his mouth abruptly, as if he had just now realized he was revealing all that to a ghost whom he was supposed to exorcise. "No crime," Yue said firmly. "If spilling blood to defend what's important stains you, then all samurai were eta. It is the duty of a clan head to make his people see reason, to force it upon them if necessary. You acted as what you are, based on what you know and they don't understand. Yet. Do not belittle that." Sumeragi glanced at him shocked. "I was forced to make the same decision in life," Yue reminded him. "I can't say I regret the results. And neither should you. You defended what you were supposed to defend and eliminated the threat to your loved one afterwards." Silence. "You were there," Sumeragi said at last. "Under the tree. Did... did I hurt him?" Yue contemplated his answer for a moment. "No," he said finally. "Kali took Shiva. She gave life where it was almost lost. No child remembers the pain of birth." He forced Sumeragi to meet his eyes, felt goose bumps on the warm skin where his spirit fingers rested on it. Yet Sumeragi didn't shiver, didn't break away from his touch. "The goddess of creation approved of your choice, or neither he nor you would be here now." "Then why are you still here?" Breaking the contact with regret, Yue sat back on his heels and laughed. "Do you still want to exorcise me? I suggest you reconsider. The Sakura would not approve." "I don't care about the Sakura's approval. I'm supposed to exorcise you. But I'm also supposed not to kill anybody, not to live with the Sakurazukamori, not to love—" he broke off, actually sipped from the coffee. "I don't do much of what I'm supposed to do these days. I'm not even sure I should." He put the cup down next to Yue's thigh on the kotatsu and nodded towards the now dark bedroom. "Why do you help him?" There was an unsaid 'Why do you help me?', but Yue was sure Sumeragi wouldn't like the answer to that. "Sei-chan's a special one," he said instead. Sumeragi coughed at the diminutive. "Few have affected the Sakura as much as he has. Fewer yet have changed the structures at the very core of what we are." He smiled wistfully, allowing his substance to become translucent as he continued. "I was forced to open a chasm between Amaterasu's children and the Sakura. He closed it." Yue allowed his spiritual essence to brush against Sumeragi's lips as he dissipated fully. "In a most pleasurable manner." ~:~:~:~:~ Minato-ku, Tokyo Shibaura South Wharf Tokyu Shipping container yard 07:48 The torn spirit exploded. Omi barely had time to dive behind one of the containers stored in this remote part of the shipyard. Dirty seawater splashed over the top of the container, soaking him. Debris cluttered against the metal. Had he been only a breath slower... Omi cautiously came to his feet after the tempest had died down. His knees were weak. He'd probably sprained his left wrist. Propping himself against the rusty side of the container, he caught his breath. His coat stank of oil and sea waste, where the harbor water had hit him. His— He shuddered, fumbled a dripping wet ofuda out of his pocket. Luckily, he'd used waterproof marker instead of traditional ink — Subaru-san's suggestion. He pushed the thought about the break of tradition away, gripped the soaked ofuda more tightly and looked around the corner of the container. The small sea demon that had feasted upon the mutilated spirit left almost on the edge of the water was gone. Omi slumped in relief. to be continued in Family Matters 18 - Lunar Eclipse Notes: Eta is a highly derogatory name (literally "filthy mass") for the outcasts in feudal Japan, who worked in occupations related to death.