Disclaimers: All CLAMP, not me.

~*~ Chapter 6: Guilty ~*~

The term �wallowing in self pity� didn�t even begin to describe the state Hokuto found Seishirou in a week after the �incident� with Subaru and Yuuto. Hokuto had kept Subaru�s spare key to Seishirou�s apartment and she decided it was due time to visit the man and make use of that key. It was early on a Sunday morning, and Hokuto came bearing bad news.

Subaru was taking a five day vacation to the Bahamas for reasons he had not disclosed. It�s not like he had to say it. Hokuto knew damn well that he was going simply to look at the other men half naked on the sunny beaches, and then pick a few of them with which he would have one-night stands.

On the other hand, Subaru would argue that was the nature of his relationship with Seishirou as well.

When Hokuto came in, Seishirou was sitting slumped into the cushions of the couch, cradling something in his lap. Hokuto crossed the room to stand in front of Seishirou, watching him stare into the blank TV screen with a disaffected gaze.

�Sei-chan,� she whispered, placing a hand on his shoulder and leaning over. Any other man, she would have been worried about them ogling over her cleavage, so nicely presented when she leaned forward as she was.

�The story of my life,� Seishirou muttered, simply shaking his head.

�What is?� Hokuto asked soothingly.

�The blank TV,� the man replied with an ironic twist to his lips. His expression was even more dreamy than it had been when Hokuto first came in. This did not bode well with the female Sumeragi twin.

Hokuto motioned to the thing in Seishirou�s hands that appeared to be a black strip of silk. �What is that?�

�A sock�� Seishirou replied. �His sock, to be precise. He left it here�.� Seishirou paused while Hokuto looked positively baffled. �I think it was his left sock.� Immediately after saying this, Seishirou burst into tears, sobbing like a small child whose favorite toy had just broken.

Hokuto, for her part, wasn�t sure what to make of her companion�s sudden outburst. �Um, Sei-chan, are you okay?� Hokuto sat down on the couch gingerly, rubbing one hand to comfort the sobbing man.

�No,� Seishirou wailed, sniffling loudly right thereafter. Honestly, Hokuto thought to herself, he�s being such a little girly boy� reminds me of my brother.

There was a pause, and then Seishirou snapped his head up to look at Hokuto, suddenly no longer crying. He regarded the girl next to him seriously while she looked at him warily, half-expecting him to break down again. �No, Hokuto-chan, I�m okay.�

Hokuto�s eyebrows gently raised. �Well, then, that�s good, because I have some bad news.� Seishirou did his best to hide a wince at that, but nothing got past Hokuto.

�About Subaru-kun?� Seishirou wondered, sounding like he would give anything for it to pertain to anyone but Subaru. Hokuto nodded as a reply, putting her hands on her knees and straightening her arms until her elbows locked, which ultimately caused her to sit up more. �Is it something bad for him or something bad for me?� was Seishirou�s next question.

�The latter,� Hokuto replied, and Seishirou didn�t even try to hide his wince. �Subaru is getting on a plane for the Bahamas in a few hours and he�ll be there for five days. He said something about going to become better at speaking English, but��

�Yeah, he�ll be a mater of tongues when he gets back,� Seishirou grumbled rather unpleasantly. �I take it he�s still very upset with me?� Hokuto nodded again and Seishirou sighed, looking at the silk garment stretched between his fingers. �And I suppose you want me to go to the airport?�

Hokuto nodded. �Even if you just go to see him before he leaves, it might stop him Sei-chan. He wouldn�t be acting like this if he weren�t in love� I mean, if he didn�t care about you. He obviously is jealous. People don�t get jealous over things they don�t care about.� Seishirou nodded, seeing the logic in this.

�You go see him, then,� Seishirou suggested. �Maybe I�ll be at the airport, maybe I won�t.� Seishirou shrugged. Hokuto watched this reaction and suddenly lashed out, her fist connecting nicely with Seishirou�s jaw. Seishirou jerked his head to look at her in disbelief. �What the hell was that for?� he demanded, rubbing his sore jaw.

�Sakurazuka Seishirou, you will be there. And if you fuck up again, I will unleash burning hatred with the passion of a thousand suns on your sorry little ass. Are we clear?� Seishirou gaped at Hokuto, definitely in disbelief about what he had just heard. �Well?�

�You are an oni,� Seishirou replied. �And you�ll be a late oni if you don�t hurry over to Subaru�s apartment.� Hokuto didn�t move. �Do you mind? I have to get dressed to go to the airport!� Seishirou put his hands on his hips in a girly manner that was clearly mocking Hokuto. The woman bounced to her feet with a giggle and went on tip-toe to kiss Seishirou�s cheek.

�I love you, Sei-chan,� was all she said before dancing out of the apartment. Seishirou made a quick mental note to get the locks on his door changed as soon as possible.

~*~

Hokuto entered Subaru� apartment without even knocking. She could hear shuffling in the bedroom, so she went in, not surprised to find Subaru there, packing a suitcase. He was dressed in a pair of athletic pants that snapped up the side and a loose t-shirt, probably for the plane ride. He glanced up when she walked in, but didn�t stop packing. Throwing something from his dresser in the suitcase.

�Nee-chan, I didn�t expect you to come back before I left. Are you going to come with me to the airport?� Subaru asked politely while he rummaged through the top drawer� the underwear drawer if nothing had changed in Subaru�s organizational habits in the past few years.

�Subaru, about this trip��Hokuto began. She promptly stopped when Subaru threw a glare at her that might have promised death to her if he didn�t love her so dearly.

�Hokuto, don�t go there,� Subaru said, shaking his head. He paused, though, staring at one of the pictures on his dresser. It was then that Hokuto realized that a good nine or ten of the frames were missing. Likely the pictures of Seishirou.

�Subaru, what happened to all the pictures of Seishirou?� Hokuto asked, clearly surprised. Subaru jolted at the question, looking nervous for a moment before his expression turned stony.

�I threw them out,� he replied finally, turning from Hokuto to face the windows. Hokuto crossed the room to the bed and began to dig through the suitcase. �Hey!� Subaru turned to her, with a hand out as if to stop his sister, but it was too late. Hokuto�s hands closed around a picture frame.

As expected, under a layer of clothing, there were all of the pictures of Seishirou. Hokuto sighed, and looked at her brother who was looking sad for the first time since he announced his trip. �You aren�t really going to the Bahamas, Subaru,� Hokuto stated more than asked.

�I�m going to Okinawa,� Subaru replied in a similar flat tone. �I just need to get away for a few days. I� Hokuto-chan, I�m in love with Seishirou-san,� Subaru admitted, looking like he was heart-heavy.

�Oh, I know,� Hokuto replied, sitting on the edge of the bed and running her fingers over the edge of the picture frame. She looked back up to Subaru who looked positively perplexed. �What? I�m your sister, of course I know these things.�

�But� I didn�t even know until a week ago,� Subaru stuttered out as though he hadn�t really meant for the words to be aloud so much as he was just thinking aloud.

�Don�t worry about it,� Hokuto said as she stood. She drew her brother into a hug. �You just go to Okinawa and get some rest, okay?� Subaru nodded, returning his sister�s hug. �You know that I love you, Subaru, and I will always be here for you. But� you are such an idiot sometimes, I like to think we aren�t actually related.�

�Hey!� Subaru protested with a light laugh. But, secretly, he was enjoying the moment. Rarely, anymore, did the twins get a moment alone to remind each other that they loved the other dearly.

�Subaru,� Hokuto�s voice suddenly sobered. �There�s something I need to tell you before you go�.�

~*~

�Nice of the director to give all of us the week off,� Aoki commented to Karen as they walked down the length of Tokyo International Airport. �I�m not surprised that our ratings are off the charts, considering the subject matter, but I did not expect the director to see fit to give us all paid vacation.�

�No kidding,� Yuuto agreed, looking more sullen than usual. �I still can�t figure out why your brother wouldn�t come with us to Hokkaido, though.� The last was directed to Setsuka. She just shrugged.

�Fuuma-kun, Keiichi-kun, Shirou-kun, and Shirou-chan are going to Osaka and Kyoto to �see the sights�, or something like that. I think Seishirou wants to stay behind to keep an eye on Fuuma-kun and Keiichi-kun.� Setsuka grinned. �Besides, without him, the two of us can spend more time making fun of Karen-san and Aoki-san.�

�Um�� Aoki blushed. �I don�t think that will really be necessary,� he put in, his glasses slipping. �I mean, what is there to tease us about?� This, was obviously the wrong question, given the three identical looks of disbelief that he got. �A man can hope,� he grumbled.

Suddenly, Karen stopped, causing Yuuto to run into her, and Aoki to fuss over her when she tripped forward. Setsuka paused, turning to look in the direction that Karen had been looking when she suddenly stopped. �Is that my brother?� she asked, peering in between the general crowd to the other side of the room.

Yuuto looked in the direction that Setsuka indicated and his face lit up. �Hey, it is Seishirou. I wonder what he�s doing here, of all places. If he isn�t going out of town, that is�.�

�Fushigi na�� Karen muttered, watching as Seishirou took a seat beside a gate. �It�s almost as though he is waiting for someone there. Do you think he has a lover we don�t know about?� The suggestion was delivered with just a hint of fan girl hopefulness.

�No,� Yuuto and Setsuka both replied at the same time, though Yuuto�s voice sounded desperate whereas Setsuka just sounded doubtful. Of course, it was that moment when the one Seishirou really was waiting for came up to the man. �I could be wrong, of course,� Setsuka said flippantly.

�No, wait, that�s Sumeragi-san!� Aoki hissed. �It has to be. But� why would they be meeting in the airport. I thought Subaru hated Seishirou�.� Mere moments after Aoki spoke, Subaru threw himself at Seishirou, locking his lips over the older mans�. Yuuto�s hand clenched into a fist, Karen looked thoughtful, Setsuka laughed, and Aoki commented, �Looks like I may be wrong as well.�

~*~

After foolishly throwing himself at Seishirou, Subaru took a step back and his hand shot forward, connecting squarely with Seishirou�s jaw. It wasn�t enough to floor the man, but he certainly caused him to swagger back. �Ow� that�s the second time today�.�

�You�re a bastard!� Subaru declared. �I can�t believe you would turn around and make out with that blonde idiot within mere hours of sleeping with me.� Subaru waved a hand in the air as he spoke. �Do you know how much it hurts to be ditched for a flitty bastard like him? It�s like I�m being made to be lesser than Kagai-san, of all freaking people.�

�Are you done?�

�No, but I can pause.�

�Do, please.� Seishirou�s request was followed by him taking a step forward to take Subaru in his arms again for a proper kiss. Now, it was not only their costars, but also half of the airport looking at them as Seishirou kissed Subaru thoroughly. When he pulled back, he met Subaru�s eyes. �I�m not going home empty-handed, Subaru-kun. I�m not going to let you leave me again. I don�t want Yuuto, I want you. I can�t remember ever loving anyone but you.�

�Seishirou-san, frankly, if you loved me�.�

�Keep pausing.� Seishirou put two fingers to Subaru�s lips. �Give me a second chance.� Seishirou sighed heavily as Subaru eyed him with obviously forced patience. �I have no intention of losing this bet with you, Subaru-kun, because I want to be with you. If I could reverse time, and I could stop Yuuto from kissing me, I would.� Seishirou sighed, bowing his head, hiding his eyes with his bangs. �I don�t want to be alone anymore, Subaru. Without you, I�m nothing. There�s no reason for me do anything, much less continue to write the show, if you aren�t going to be there.�

�Seishirou-san�.� Subaru�s voice hitched. He put a finger gently to Seishirou�s chin, tilting it back up to he could look directly into Seishirou�s eyes with is own beautiful emerald eyes. �You�ve hurt me, Seishirou-san. Badly, even. I have absolutely no reason to forgive you for even a second, but I�.� Subaru trailed off. �I don�t want you to hurt like I do now.�

Seishirou started at that. It wasn�t what he expected the younger man to say at all. �So� will you give me that second chance, then?� His voice was possibly more hopeful than he would have hoped, but it was, nonetheless, just filled with the genuine desire to be with Subaru.

�Of course,� Subaru whispered, hugging Seishirou tighter. �One of these days, I�m going to seriously kick your ass for this, though. You just wait.� Seishirou let out a surprised burst of laughter at Subaru�s comment. Subaru then smiled wryly at Seishirou, and held up an envelope. �What do you think of Okinawa?�

�I hear it�s beautiful there,� Seishirou replied, leaning down to kiss those sheepishly smiling lips. There was a chorus of applause from their audience, which was, of course, when they realized that they had an audience. Seishirou pulled back, frowning. �Subaru-kun, we�re being watched by a lot of people�.�

Subaru laughed. �Never bothered you before, Seishirou-san.�

�It�s not the same,� Seishirou whined.

�Hai, hai. Let�s get you a ticket to Okinawa. The plane leaves in a little over an hour now.� Seishirou agreed, and they went back to make sure that the charter plane wasn�t full yet, this time hand-in-hand. Seishirou was happy with the arrangement, and he was very surprised that Subaru was suddenly so willing to be lovey-dovey with him again� he hardly even had to apologize.

But, who was Seishirou to argue with a good thing?

~*~

Fuuma flopped back on his bed in his hotel room in Kyoto. �I had no idea it would be this warm here,� he commented, staring up at the ceiling. �Keiichi, you�re from here originally. Why didn�t you forewarn me?�

Keiichi sighed. �Fuuma, I�ve been living with the Sakurazukas since I was eight. It�s not like I remember much about the time I lived here.� Keiichi noticed the clock on the bedside table and sighed. �Where are the Shirous anyway?�

�Kamui was hungry, you know how grumpy he gets,� Fuuma replied patiently. �Besides, I think it�s good that he�s getting a little time with his sister. He really does adore her, even if he doesn�t act like it.� Fuuma propped himself up on one elbow, looking at Keiichi carefully for a moment before breaking into a huge smile. �You really are a good couple, you know.�

�Thank you, Fuuma. It�s nice to hear that from you, for once.� At Fuuma�s strange look, Keiichi sighed. �Fuuma, don�t lie to me. You have it for Kamui.�

�I�ve been in love with Sakurazuka Seishirou for years, Keiichi,� Fuuma replied.

�Doesn�t matter,� Keiichi argued, sitting on the edge of the bed Fuuma was flopped across. �And you don�t have to be careful what you say just because he�s my boyfriend. I asked your permission before I asked him out, remember?�

Fuuma paused for a long moment and then nodded slightly. �I know it�s stupid of me, but I think a part of me is getting drawn into the role I play in the show� and I am getting drawn into the part of the one that he loves the most� and it makes me wish I really was that person. Sometimes, I even forget, even if only momentarily, that I�m not that person.� Fuuma shook his head. �I�m not a very good best friend, I suppose. But� I don�t think I can just forget about him and move on with life�.�

�It�s okay, Fuuma,� Keiichi said pleasantly. �I just wanted to know for sure how you felt.� Keiichi reached out a hand to brush Fuuma�s hair out of his eyes. �You are my best friend, I would never hold anything as stupid as this against you. I promise that as long as Kamui wants me, I�ll treat him well. And, when we break up, you�ll be the first to know, okay?�

�Okay, thanks.�

The door suddenly opened, and Kamui came in holding two bags of food while his sister held the door for him. �I got something of everything while I was there� I didn�t know what you�d want, Keiichi. Fuuma, I made sure that there wasn�t any hot sauce� um�� Kamui trailed off as Keiichi was suddenly right next to him, taking the bags from him.

�Onii-chan, you forgot your shoes,� Kotori pointed out, taking Kamui�s shoes from him and handing him slippers a moment later. She then stood and held out both of her hands. �We figured out what to do about sleeping arrangements while we were out. Since we have four beds in two rooms, we made a color coded chart that represents the four beds.� In her right hand, there was, in fact, a piece of paper with the floor plan of the two rooms (both labeled) with all four beds�one green, one blue, one red, and one yellow. �Then, we took these toothpicks and colored the end to match one of the beds. So, everyone take a toothpick!� Kotori balled her hand into a fist so that only the tops of the wooden toothpicks were sticking out.

Kamui got red, Fuuma got blue, Keiichi got yellow, and Kotori was left with green. Kamui took the chart from his sister. �Okay�. So Fuuma and I are in this room, and you two are in the room across the hall.� Kamui went to the table where Keiichi was taking food out of the bags, and snuggled up next to the blonde. �That okay with you?�

�Of course,� Keiichi replied, leaning over to kiss Kamui lightly. They then concentrated on getting the food out of the bags, onto the table, in a more or less organized fashion.

�Strange luck I�m having,� Fuuma mused to himself, twirling his toothpick between his index finger and thumb of his left hand.

Kotori winked at him, �Any luck is good luck though, right?� Fuuma blinked at her for a moment, and then smiled.

�I guess so.�

~*~

The day before vacations were over, Hokuto held a dinner party for family and close friends again. Really, it was just the Sakurazukas and the Sumeragis� which meant that Fuuma and Keiichi ended up coming along. So, the Shirous were also invited. �So,� Hokuto asked, an amused expression glued to her face, �How were your trips?�

�Lovely,� Setsuka, the first to reply, said. �Aoki-san and Karen-san are finally making some progress, too. I think they just might hook up soon.� There was laughter around the table.

�About damn time,� Subaru said, chuckling. �They�ve been giving each other goo-goo eyes from the get-go.� Setsuka gave Subaru a pointed look. �What does that look mean?� Subaru asked Seishirou who was preoccupied with staring at Subaru as though he was the only thing a blind man could ever see in full color and focus.

�It means, �you�re one to talk�, Subaru-kun.� Under the table, Seishirou put a hand on Subaru�s knee, and the younger man looked a little annoyed, but amused at the same time. He reached for his glass of water (he was not indulging in alcohol, if he could at all help it) and was just starting to drink it as Setsuka spoke up again.

�Especially after the show you put on at the airport�.� Subaru nearly spit out the water again. Seishirou�s eyes went wide, and Hokuto suddenly looked very interested. �You should have seen how Subaru almost tackled Seishirou�.�

�You were there?� Seishirou demanded incredulously.

�I really have never seen two people draw that much attention to themselves in the airport, actually�� Setsuka added, grinning mischievously.

�I can�t believe I missed it!� Hokuto said, putting a hand to her cheek. �This is terrible�.�

�Setsuka-san, you are a bad influence on my wife,� Kakyou commented wryly. �I suppose that is to be expected, though, being the sister of the worst influence to ever enter this household.� Kakyou tilted his head in Seishirou�s direction.

�Not yet, Kyou-chan,� Hokuto chided, smiling sweetly at her husband. �He�s only my future brother-in-law. We can start planning the wedding, though, I suppose.�

�See what I mean?� Kakyou directed at Setsuka who merely laughed at that.

�Sounds like everyone had a wonderful vacation,� Kotori commented shyly. �Ours was so busy� we tried to see and do everything in such a short amount of time�.� Kotori sighed and glanced at Fuuma.

�Yeah, we hardly had time to sleep. Keiichi made sure we got up early every morning so we could see as much as possible. Of course, he was also the one who wanted to go to sleep late every night�. Damn morning people.� The others chuckled at this as well.

�At least you got sleep,� Kamui said with a groan. �Not only did Keiichi make me get up the earliest and stay up the latest, when I finally did get to sleep� this big lug would start snoring.� Kamui motioned with his thumb to Fuuma who huffed.

�I do not snore!� Fuuma insisted.

�Like a lion�s roar,� Kamui disagreed.

�You always did snore, Fuuma-kun,� Seishirou commented pleasantly.

After another round of laughter, conversation trailed off into other topics in smaller groups, which led to Subaru leaning over to ask his sister, �Why did you want to have this party, Hokuto?�

Hokuto clapped her hands together. �That�s right!� She smiled. �Everyone, there�s something I wanted to tell you.� After a moment, Hokuto had everyone�s attention. �I already told Subaru this before he left for Okinawa, but I wanted everyone else here to know before I tell everyone at work�.� Everyone was leaning forward a little in their chairs expectantly. �I�m pregnant.�

~*~ To Be Continued�.~*~