The Obsidian Key -An UnAuthorized Key story- Part 3 by Kristin Huntsman /It couldn't be./ Fear touched cold inside of Subaru, fear and hate and despair and, worst of all, that love that destroyed... destroyed everything. But the eyes across from him did not seem to understand that. The boy - Seishirou? - stared at him. The lips did not curve up in that gentle, mocking smile, the face gave no recognition, the stance held only confusion. "Who are you?" Subaru asked, trying to fight down what he felt, trying to be rational. "What are you doing here?" "I am Sakura, Subaru-sama." The boy did not move, seeming cautious of his behavior. "I am your slave, to make use of as you wish for however long you choose to stay here. Have I done something wrong?" His eyes were worried, holding a tinge of fear - fear of punishment, perhaps? /What did they do to the slaves here, that the boy was scared he had done wrong?/ /Seishirou would never be afraid./ /Therefore, this was not Seishirou./ "... No," Subaru said faintly, dropping his eyes to the bed. "No, you haven't, Sakura-san. You just reminded me of someone I... knew. It startled me, that's all." The boy was quiet for a moment, then asked, "Shall I order a breakfast for you, Subaru-sama?" "No, thank you," Subaru murmured. He looked at the bandage around his hand. "I'd just like to be alone for a little while, please." He heard a whisper of fabric as the boy made a bow. "As you wish, Subaru-sama. To summon me, simply pull on the cord hanging by the bed." Then he was gone and Subaru was alone. Subaru looked up and took in the room. It was so dark... everything was black. But that black was soothing, warm... it comforted. It was better than brightness that was too sharp in its own light. It was a womb, a night, a place of rest and rebirth. Subaru climbed back on the bed, still in the clothes he had worn on the plane trip over to wherever this place was. For the third time, he fell asleep and dreamed. Seishirou returned to the Obsidian Room after an hour of waiting and hearing no noise. As he had halfway expected, Subaru had crawled onto the bed and fallen asleep again. he agreed with Subaru's instincts. He smiled to himself. He'd extended the merest of touches to Subaru's mind to make him believe that "Sakura" was not in the least related to Sakurazukamori. It had been appallingly easy; Subaru hadn't even noticed it. Seishirou hadn't even needed to use the shield personality he'd spent the morning constructing. A waste, that. But better overly cautious than discovered. The management might not be pleased if he and Subaru-kun came to blows on the premises. // The last of the tea poured out of the cup. It was empty when it hit the floor. It shattered into thirteen pieces. A boy with dark hair knelt down on the tatami, reaching a hand towards the shards. A gloved hand touched his, and he looked up. It was looking into a mirror. Two young men of the same age and height gazed at one another, violet eyes meeting green in confusion. A tear dropped into a pool of water between them, shifting in the way of truth, and the boy with the green eyes and gloves now faced a young woman with the same eyes and face as his own, she meeting his gaze seriously. Someone approached them and the boy looked up. A veterinarian with a charming smile looked at the twins, and the boy stood, reaching out his hand, smiling-- The veterinarian turned to dust and blew away in the wind. The boy looked around, but he was all alone in the darkness. He had lost the way home. // Subaru woke crying.