A Promise Kept

Here is more of my S/K story. Hope readers enjoy it.

Sorata fidgeted as he shadowed the smaller boy. He didn't think Kamui knew he was there, but of course, he WAS the Kamui. He'd been playing b-ball with that tall friend of his, Fuuma, the guy who'd made him promise earlier. Then they'd acted like they were both drunk for a moment, or been smacked repeatedly upside the head. This was something Sorata could DEFINITELY relate to. He winced at the memory of the time he'd stolen the old Stargazer's favorite onigiri and even the old man had refused to forgive him until he'd polished the entire monastery. The smack on the head had actually come from one of his friends had tried to steal the treat...

Sorata had been fidgeting more because of Kamui not listening to him in his apartment more than anything else. He had needed to tell the younger guy something, but he really didn't want to give his life protecting Kamui like that. He wished he knew where the Divine Sword was being kept so he could protect it that way, but since he didn't, he just kept following Kamui around...

Then he felt it.

Power was being used nearby- and squinting his eyes, he saw some weird- uh, he had no idea if that was a girl or a guy- whatever it was, it was wearing Chinese clothes and was carrying something long and pointy.

This was a bad thing, considering what the Old Stargazer had told him would happen.

"KAMUI!" he leapt down from his hiding place. The other boy could yell at him after they saved the sword. "He's got the sword- going that way!"

Kamui had been heading after the Fuuma guy, who was on his bicycle. It really didn't make sense to Sorata for him to do that, especially if he had been able to get into his kekkai earlier, but to each their own, right?

Now, to get that sword!

"Kamui! Lets outflank him!" he pointed, and he and Kamui started to go after the weird whatsit... and Kamui ran off without him, and was tangled up in these long scarves... which Kamui burned away with almost no effort.

"Oh wow..." He then whistled, but that stopped abruptly when the chinese person managed run, after Kamui started blowing up neon signs-

"Yup, I'm getting him to switch to decaf-"

And as Sorata followed along, the Chinese dude (dudette? What WAS that?) dropped on to a bullet train and sped impossibly fast away.

"It's happening," Sorata dropped next to Kamui, eyes distant. "It's happening exactly like the Old Stargazer predicted."

This had the effect of Kamui going directly for his throat.

"You mean you KNEW about this and didn't-"

"Man- I TRIED to tell you! I said the Old Stargazer had told me other things and I was GOING to tell you but you ran me off! You wouldn't listen! YOU SCREWED UP!" Sorata snarled back, his usually laconic temper finally rearing its head. He'd been watching this guy all night and now Kamui was doing this? "You were too SELFISH to listen! You couldn't see anything beyond the fact I had accidentally stepped on your sore toes and wouldn't let me finish!"

Kamui let his collar go, and turned away, but in that moment Sorata saw a flash of emotion on the other boy's stoic face- plenty of anger, lots of self-recrimination, fear, confusion and doubt. Sorata almost stared as all these things played in quick succession, and he realized (his second epiphany of the evening- and he had a limit of three per week) that Kamui had no idea what was going on. Not really. Kamui knew he had power and lots of it- as evidenced by his going ape shit mode on anyone who got close. He didn't know who to trust- he'd been shoved into this mess willy nilly. He knew something about the Divine Sword, and that was it.

Poor kid. Sorata had known his fate since he was small, and while he didn't really think it was that great to know, at least he'd been given the time to accept it.

"I need," Kamui's voice became softer as he looked back at Sorata. "I need to find the closest hospital. The master of the Tokagushi shrine was the guardian of the sword. For someone to have gotten it from him means that he's either dead, or in the emergency room. Either way, Kotori and Fuuma-" Kamui shut up, and Sorata realized he'd spilled something rather important. That he cared about that Fuuma guy and this other person Kotori. Had Sorata been his enemy, that would be valuable information.

Good thing hurting Kamui was the last thing on the Kouya monk's mind.

"You'll have to lead, I'm not exactly from around here."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~





Kamui had gotten two cans of coffee on their way there.

"Do you drink that stuff a lot?" Sorata watched him down the brown liquid with fascination. Kamui didn't answer but started on the second one, finally tossing both cans into the nearby recycle bin.

Sorata was graced with Kamui's death glare and walk away.

"I guess you do..."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~




Sorata really didn't pay much attention to what Fuuma said about his father's condition as much as notice the byplay between him, his sister and the boy he'd sworn to protect. There was old, old ties there. It made him happy to see that Kamui had a bit of a soft spot for both of those kids, but for Kotori in particular. Didn't really surprise Sorata though- she was a looker. And a sweetheart.

"I'm sure he'll get better, no sweat!" Sorata found himself chiming in when Kamui refused to say anything. The smaller boy didn't answer, looking even more pale than usual as they looked at the handsome master of the shrine, who even in his illness had the echoes of the stern presence he must have owned.

"But all the same," Sorata's smile turned a little sickly. "Please tell us if you need anything?"

Kamui turned and left; Sorata nearly squawked when he noticed and dashed to catch up.

They left... and it was raining. Not hard enough to make them uncomfortable, but it drizzled enough to make the skies seem to be weeping. It made for a heavy mood Sora really didn't like.

"Kamui," he spoke up, after the silence got too oppressive. "He's going to make it. Its not really your fault. It's part of your destiny. The old stargazer told me: The Shinken of Kamui will be stolen by one of the Seven Angels. When it makes itself known to Kamui again, it will have changed its shape."

"The Promised Day?" Kamui scoffed. "The End of the World? You really don't expect me to BELIEVE that, do you?"

Sorata didn't answer immediately. "I can't really relate to you, because I've never had to deal with something really bad like a losing your only blood relative. But," he exhaled slowly. Maybe this would help? "The monks that took me away when I was three, under the old Stargazer's orders once told me that my mother didn't want to give me up. That when they came, she stood outside in the rain, crying.

Crying for a very long time."

He leaned up against the handrail of the bridge they were on, looking up at the crying sky. Sometimes in the darkest parts of the night he thought he actually remembered it. He couldn't see his father, or his mother's actual face, but he remember the tears and the rain.

"Maybe it was on a day like today..."

Looking down he saw that Kamui looked vaguely distressed. Oh, bad idea.

"But I don't remember any of it!" he closed his eyes in a goofy smile. "Well, the point of all that was I think I know a little of how heavy your destiny feels."

Kamui was silent, his violet eyes downcast. "How?"

"I was told about my fate my whole life," Sorata's voice was matter-of-fact, meeting Kamui's earnestly. "I was told that I would give my life protecting you, and that I would die for the person I loved. I don't know how or why I'll die," he sighed, a little wistful now. "I just hope that the person I chose to die for is beautiful. I really don't have any other choice to make."

Two enormous violet eyes stared at him in shock and horror. Oh shit, that had NOT been his intention.

"Well," he now tried to laugh it off. "Like I said, I know how hard all this has to be for you..."

They didn't notice the other woman's approach until they heard her speak.

"I know your destiny too- at least a small portion of it," said a feminine voice from underneath the red umbrella.

Sorata got between Kamui and this newcomer.

"Who are you and what do you want with Kamui?" He had that promise, after all.

"I'm your one and only blood relative, Kamui," the woman said, ignoring Sora completely. Moving her umbrella to the side, she also removed a pair of large framed glasses.

"In fact, I bet I look a lot like your mother."

Sorata had to judge that, from the pole-axed expression on Kamui's face, she was right.




To be continued!