Well, this is it- the actual freaking end... ^_^

Inner Strength- By Monica Shin

===Chap 12===

        Duncan and the trio stopped in shock as they saw something truly
unexpected. Sakurazukamori on his knees, staring up at his tree in shock.
Duncan looked at the man, with his vacant eyes, and asked, "What the hell is
he doing?" Nokoru examined Seishirou closely, and then answered, "I think he
is walking the mindways- his consciousness is not where his body is, but
somewhere else..."

        Looking at the helpless body, Duncan raised his sword. "Good- that
means that I can take care of him without having to die to do it. This is
for Subaru, you bastard-" As the blade came down, Duncan noticed something
that shocked him even more. The killer seemed to be crying unconsciously,
with a few tears trickling from his eyes.

        "What the-" Duncan could remember Subaru telling him of
Sakurazukamori, of Seishirou's inability to feel, and stopped the blade
before it decapitated the man. Knowing that it was stupid, Duncan decided to
wait until the assassin regained his own mind- after all, he still had a
blade near enough so any move that the killer may make would be easily stopped. 

        Finally, the dully staring eyes become self aware as his mind
returned to reality. Duncan knew that his face is the first thing that the
assassin saw, along with his sword, so he readied himself for an attack. An
attack that never came, as Seishirou stayed on his knees, and looked
frantically at the tree.

        "How... how? How could he do such a thing?" Seishirou's confused,
almost plaintive question rang through the now-quiet location. "How is he
still alive?" Duncan looked at him questioningly, wondering what had
happened, before he realized what Seishirou had just said. 

        Duncan pulled Seishirou up by the collar of his shirt. "What?! What
did you just say?" Seishirou gave him a distracted look, as if his mind was
still wandering the mental pathways, as he replied in a faint voice, "He's
still alive... in the tree... he dies, but then he's back, and he's
screaming..."

        Duncan gave Nokoru a horrified look, to which Nokoru just nodded. In
an appalled voice, Nokoru said what had been in everyone's mind. "It appears
that Immortality is possible when one's head has not been truly cut off-
especially if that Immortal has powers that lets him preserve his life force
in such a way."

        Nokoru's overly convoluted language couldn't hide the fact that he
had paled terribly as he looked at the tree with too-wide eyes. Akira's
horrified whisper made everyone look at the younger man. "You mean that he's
still alive in there? That he's being brought back to life, only-" Suoh's
controlled voice finished Akira's sentence. "Only to die again after he's
been drained by the tree..."

        Duncan gave Seishirou a look full of wrath as he slowly put the
sword to the unresisting assassin's throat. "Kill that thing- do it! Or else
I swear that I'll kill you-" Seishirou ignored him as his mind assimilated
what the others had said with the facts that he had so arrogantly discarded
before. *Subaru-kun... Immortal? How? That means...*

        "That means that he'll be like that for as long as the tree exists?"
Seishirou pulled himself away and looked at the cherry tree, whose blossoms
had turned even redder as it fed. "That he'll be connected to me, and will
be screaming like this..." Seishirou could feel something crack- something
inside him shatter, break into so many small pieces that it could never be
fixed...

        "Subaru... kun... you. You did this on purpose... how could you? You
knew that this was going to happen, but-" Seishirou gave a grim smile, and
kept on talking to nothingness, as all the rest stayed silent, not sure what
to do with the rambling onmyouji. "So, that was your plan, ne? To kill off
Sakuruzukamori by making it so that there is no need for a hunt- not anymore..."

        Seishirou stopped as he tried to search for the voice that compelled
him to kill, but couldn't hear it over the barely muffled screams that
penetrated every shield that he had. Shaking his head, he went over to the
tree, and put his hands onto the bark. "What am I supposed to do now? If I'm
not Sakurazukamori... if you've made me able to feel..."

        Looking into his heart, Seishirou realized that the barrier that had
existed over his feelings- a natural consequence of being Sakurazukamori-
had splintered, allowing the forbidden feelings to exist, emerge... the
feelings that he had disguised as possessiveness for a certain prey- those
became what would have been if Seishirou hadn't been the assassin. "You
idiot... Subaru-kun- do you really think I can allow this to go on? For you
to exist in this manner?" 

        Seishirou grimaced a bit, and then lifted his hands from the tree.
"You win... you've won, Subaru-kun." The man who could not be Sakurazukamori
anymore commanded what was left of his power, and then struck out at the
tree. Against any ordinary opponent, the tree would have won easily- it was
a reservoir of pain and power, and could defend itself against any who dared
to go against it. 

        But against Seishirou, it was vulnerable, susceptible to any attack
that he may throw against it. Seishirou knew where all its defenses were,
and where it was most assailable, and he exploited this weakness
mercilessly. One quick spell destroyed the symbol and power behind
Sakurazukamori in a blaze of energy that blinded all who had been watching
for several seconds... and also inflicted a backlash that fatally wound the
caster.

        When the light-daze cleared from Duncan's eyes, he saw that
Seishirou had collapsed after destroying the tree. A figure lay sprawled
next to him in the tree's wreckage, and Duncan realized that it was Subaru,
albeit bloodied and battered. Subaru stood up shakily, sobbing
uncontrollably as he tried to speak with his wearied voice. "Duncan-san... I
did what you said... I used my strong point and won..."

        Duncan started to approach him, but stopped as he saw Subaru look
down at his rival. "Seishirou-san..." Seishirou looked up at him, his eyes
truly seeing. "Subaru-kun- you won... I destroyed the tree... I am not
Sakurazukamori- not anymore. But it appears that I will not live for very
long, either. It was a good hunt..." 

        Subaru knelt next to him, and took his hand. "Is that all you can
say? I was there, present in your mind, though I wasn't noticing much...
being digested by a tree will do that to you..." Seishirou couldn't help but
smile at the way Subaru said that particular gem, and then sighed. "All
right- you won the bet also... is that what you want me to say?"

        Subaru shook his head. "How about 'I love you'? If it's true..."
Seishirou looked up at him, his breath becoming shallower. "I... love..."
Then the tree's vengeance ran its full course, and he fell silent. Quietly,
Subaru let go of his hand, and watched as Seishirou Sakurazuka, no longer
Sakurazukamori, still vanished as his victims had done- in a shower of
blossoms that flew to the sky.

        "Subaru, are you-" Duncan stopped as he saw the look in Subaru's
eyes. "Duncan-san, you were right to try to stop me from my revenge... I
realize that now. If only because..." There, he stopped and sighed. "It is
ironic, you see- I never thought about what would happen if he were gone,
and I was still left..."

        Duncan took his arm and pulled him to his feet. "Subaru! You're an
immortal now- loved ones dying, for whatever reason, happens to us all the
time- No one likes it, but it happens. You have to start dealing with it
now, or else-" Subaru shook his head slowly. "I'm sorry, Duncan-san. But it
seems that you've lost another student to revenge... or it's aftereffects.
At least you won't have to kill me..."

        Taking his arm away from Duncan, Subaru gave him a sad smile.
"Ironically enough, the tree was the only thing that could have kept my
consciousness alive the way it did... it trapped my soul, and intertwined my
mind within it's own. Now that it's gone, only my ward is keeping my body
from disintegrating- and the ward's effectiveness will last for only a few
more moments.

        Looking at the sky, Subaru's voice grew almost happy. "At least he
will not have to wait long with Hokuto-chan... Sayonara, Duncan-san...
Duncan." Then, a muted flash of light burst from Subaru's body, and he
scattered into pure white blossoms, whirling into the sky after the red.
Duncan felt a power stir around him, and knew that he was receiving the
Quickening. It was a surprisingly gentle one that merely burned the remains
of the tree to the ground.

        Duncan stared long into the sky, as Nokoru, Suoh and Akira clung to
each other for support. Akira started to cry, and the other two supported
him the best they could, trying not to show their own shock. Finally, Nokoru
pulled himself together. "MacLeod-san... I believe that your friend
Richie-san will be wondering what happened to you... if you like, the
Imonoyama car that's coming for us can drop you off also."

        Looking at the sky, Duncan nodded slowly. "Thank you..." As Duncan
walked away from the smoking remains of the tree, he smiled viciously. That
vengeful smile disappeared as his couldn't help but feel burdened by this
loss that should not have been. *Subaru, you idiot! How could you just...*
Then, he shook his head. 

        "I realize that I can't fault him." This quiet statement made Nokoru
and his friends turn toward Duncan. "He knew what he was doing, what was
going to happen... How can I be angry at him for doing what he felt was
right?" Nokoru nodded. "But I think that you many grieve, even for a
righteous thing that has inflicted pain..." 

        Looking at the clear blue sky, Nokoru smiled. "They are happy, I
think. And we are now in a world where there are no predictions, no written
fate... perhaps the seven will merely become six, or a certain young man
will never find out what his name means... but they have given the world
choice. Even if they did so unwittingly, it is still something beautiful
that came out of the pain..." 

        Gazing out at the beauty of the world, something that even he could
never tire of, Duncan saluted silently with his sword. "Be content, Subaru.
Be that, if nothing else..." As he walked out of the death-filled place,
Duncan tried to think of any who should know so they may mourn. He asked
Nokoru, "What are you going to tell Subaru's grandmother?" 

        Nokoru answered, "She already knows, I think... She knew when he
killed Subaru's sister that it was almost inevitable, no matter what the
prophecies may have said. He was too strong for a fate not of his own
choosing... and that may be the truest thing, for all the power
Sakurazukamori had over him."

===Finis===
-----
Monica/Akira-chan/Heero/Hayama/Naga/Kircheis no Miko- Proud TABBE! Member
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Loves- CLAMP, LoGH, MB, RKen, Z/B, Gundam, EVA, Subaru, Kircheis, Izumi
"Tell Annerose-sama that Sieg kept his promise..." - Kircheis