A Variable
I highly recommend reading the new special chapter that just came out. It's amazing and adorable and something amazing happened within it. Seishirou made an appearance in it but it wasn't world traveler vampire hunter extraordinaire Seishirou. It was a different one. The biggest tell being that this Seishirou wasn't blind in the one eye. And also because the heroes weren't scared of him (Kerogane doesn't trust that man in the least but was okay with him here. They're not the same Seishirou. They really aren't.) They were working with him to help the town. It's a cute little job and he gives them new clothing and is really a good guy. He's a kind priest. And that's canon and also wonderful. If there is a good Seishirou in the world that means so much. I could go on forever but I won't. I know a lot of people think he's the same but he's not, trust me. The story starts after they've already met him and probably explained that they know another like him which is why you see some slight 4th wall breaking where he reminds them that he's a good priest. It's so important that this information is out there now. And I'm taking it and running with it. Not cruel, not evil, not an ass but an actual good Seishirou exists somewhere out there and that means everything to me. Please at least go look at the pictures it's so cute and I had to write something with it. I had to. But that's just a heads up. It's important to know this before digging into this story. Please enjoy!
Two bright golden eyes watched the traveling companions head off on their next adventure. It was such a curious thing and yet... exciting! He smiled happily listening to the happy chatter of those around them, candy still trickling from the sky.
That familiar magic that he'd felt as the travelers returned once more but it wasn't them, no this was different. This was someone they'd told him about when they first arrived.
It had been quite surprising, he had to admit, when they'd been angry at the sight of him. All weapons and fangs... But that cute little white bun hopped onto him and explained that he was different from the very similar person they'd met before. No... not really similar. It was him, wasn't it? Just born in a different world with different circumstances.
And here was that exact person. Almost exactly the same as he was, save for one striking difference. He was blind in one eye... He also looked less than well. He didn't know much about this other him, other than he was dangerous, or so those travelers believed. And so it seemed to be. The moment this other version of himself realized that he too was standing before his mostly mirror image he sprang back, threads of magic and darkness spun around him. It reminded the priest of a wounded animal more than a dangerous enigma.
Were other versions of him dangerous people in other worlds? Who knows, he mused to himself. Instead of attacking or anything like that, he held up his hands and offered a smile, sincere and bright something the hunter before him would know nothing about. "You don't need to be scared. I'm just a priest. I do have some powers of my own but nothing to challenge you with. I don't wish to pick a fight. But I also don't wish for trouble to meet with this city. We're having such an exciting moment you see."
The priest gestured upwards as a few remains of candy fell to the ground. It took the similar being a moment before he realized that candy was falling from the sky. And all that defensiveness melted away to stare in almost awe.
Perhaps he too had a sweet tooth like himself? "Would you like to come with me?" the priest asked, holding out his hand for the nearly mirror image to take.
There was still reluctance as well as hesitation... there was nothing about this man that didn't remind him of a dog that was backed into a corner ready to bite. "I'm looking for two vampires. Have you seen them?"
"I'm afraid I don't know anything about vampires." Seishirou admitted. "Just what's in the stories. But maybe you can tell me about them. I might have seen them. I am not unfamiliar with strange travelers as of late." Still nothing, but there was a debate in the other's mind, clearly trying to determine something. "Is one of the vampire's names Subaru?" he questioned.
There was a spark of light in that one remaining golden eye. "You know Subaru!?" he asked, the hunter stepping forward once more.
"Ah, I know of a Subaru. He lives in my world... but please. We can talk about that in the church."
There continued to be some reluctance but at least the vampire hunter stepped forward, seeming to be somewhat willing to follow, though he did not take his hand. That was fine with the priest who was sincerely happy to have his near mirror image at least come with him.
It wasn't far to go and there was still the excitement over candy falling from the sky that no one noticed the priest and a duplicate walking through the streets. Eventually his cathedral came into sight. It was nice and rather extravagant but no more so than the rest of the city around it.
"You're really a priest?" His own voice was odd on the ears but the question made him smile. "Aren't you?" He asked glancing back at very familiar looking clothing that was almost like his own. A disguise perhaps or maybe something genuine.
"Something like that..." the hunter admitted, offering a smile though it held no life. Seishirou had seen a smile like that before.
"Hmm. Well. My mother died when I was very young. Too young to be able to take care of myself and I was taken in by the church. I've been here ever since."
"So, you never knew your mother?"
"I'm afraid not."
"That probably made all the difference in the world..."
"Who knows," the priest laughed, pushing open the heavy wooden door to the cathedral and allowing the hunter to step inside. Stained class windows, candles alight everywhere, polished and clean pews and a grand organ were just a few notable things within the stone building. It was lavish but old enough to have gained such things. To the priest, it was home.
"It's not always warm in here so I can get you something a little heavier. I know very well these kinds of clothes aren't always the warmest and yours look quite worn. If you're insistent upon continuing to dress up like a priest I suppose I can let you borrow one of mine. I imagine we're the same size." He laughed at his own words, finding them quite funny as he continued down the isle between the pews, reaching the back where there was a door that led deeper into the church for other priests and nuns that worked here. For now it was just them which would serve them just fine. "There is always soup, if you'd like. Karen made it today before she left so it'll be quite good. On a cold day like this it won't last long. And lets see--"
"I don't need any of that." the hunter cut him off, his voice holding irritation and impatience. "You mentioned Subaru. What do you know about him?"
The priest was hardly thrown off, he managed to find a rather heavy cloak and wrapped it around the shoulders of his near double. "I did. I mentioned my Subaru, if they look the same I can answer your question a bit better. But before that you need to at least be looked after, even for a moment."
"I don't need these things. Warmth or food. I need to be on my way. Time is--"
"Irrelevant in concerns to jumping around worlds, or so I imagine. That's what those travelers told me. Time is different everywhere so it doesn't matter how much you waste in one world. What you're hunting cannot be found by jumping aimlessly. I almost would go so far to say that you're better off staying in one place. Like, if you get lost in the woods, you should stay still you have a better chance of being found then!" The priest patted the familiar shoulders now covered with that nice cloak. "Spending a few hours of me will not kill you--"
"Seishirou-san!"
Both men looked up and glance at the door where the familiar voice was coming from. The hunter knew it was wrong to hope but he did all the same. The face that he was greeted with was exactly the face he was looking for but he knew the child that had run in was no vampire.
"Seishirou-san!" he heard the voice again, much closer, and suddenly the young teen ran in, nearly tripping over himself.
"Suuuubaru, I told you to be careful!" came a female voice, a bit further away.
"Seishirou-san, are you okay!?"
"Yes of course!" the hunter stepped forward smiling down at the teenager. "Why?"
"Something slipped past my barrier that shouldn't have, I was worried..." The pale cheeks of Subaru heated up. "But I guess it was nothing."
"You worry far too much, Subaru-kun~" Seishirou, ruffled the boy's dark locks. "But it is worried that is appreciated all the same."
"Ho ho ho! Maybe Subaru just wanted to see you Sei-chan~" came the female voice, peeking into the main room. "Dragging me all the way over here Subaru? I'd have gone anyway, we didn't have to run."
"I really did feel something get past the barrier!"
"Maybe because my friend over here broke it? He's pretty powerful too." The priest, with a happy smile, gestured over to the hunter who had been content to be out of sight and in the shadows.
Subaru paled just slightly at the sight of the very similar man and took a step back while Hokuto's jade colored eyes lit up at the sight. "Woooah! Sei-chan, you didn't tell us you were a twin too!" She hurried up to him, looking him over. "At least it's easy to tell you two apart." Making a vocal note of the one blind eye much to Subaru's embarrassment, as he struggled to apologize for her.
"You see, his magic is very strong and probably set off your barriers as you're not used to such magic. But really Subaru-kun... the church is protection enough on it's own. You don't need to expend your own powers to protect this place."
"I really want to." Subaru insisted, tearing his gaze away from the hunter. "But I will take into consideration his magical abilities so we won't have another false alarm."
"That's a good idea," Seishirou encouraged, ruffling the soft dark hair once more. "Now, it's rather late and both of you should be heading back home." He gestured them away and walked them partially back to the cathedral doors.
"Such a mother hen, Sei-chan," Hokuto whined while Subaru looked warily back where they'd left the hunter.
"Please be safe, Seishirou-san."
"You needn't worry about me, Subaru-kun... Everything will be just fine, you shall see."
Another round or two of goodbyes were said, as it was always a bit difficult to get the twins home. The priest eventually returned to where he'd left the hunter who seemed thoughtful. "Did those two look like your twin vampires?" he asked curiously.
"Only half. Hokuto isn't the other twin in my world."
"That's curious." the priest mused. "But I am sure all these things work out the way they do for reasons. That being said, I have never run across anyone who looks like Subaru before. If that mysterious twin that's from your world is here I'd have never known. But... before you rush off again, I'd like to show you something. It won't take more than a few minutes."
The hunter once again seemed reluctant but a little light goading got the priest what he wanted.
He led them a bit deeper into the church, heading for a very important part of the building. "I've come to understand after speaking with other world travelers that those like me exist out there. We're the same and not the same all at the same time. I've come to suspect that most cases, we're not the best of people. It was not a surprising thing to hear. For while I don't know anything about my mother, nor what she looked like I do remember something she told me." The priest pushed open another set of wooden doors, these leading them out into a courtyard that was near the back of the church, surrounded by the large stone walls that kept this place completely private and intimate. This courtyard had only one kind of tree. Sakuras.
Even in this chilly weather they bloomed a health shade of pink, though a bit light for the hunter's taste it was impressive.
"And I have learned... there is no need for us to become exactly what is dictated before us. We can perform the tasks that are ours without becoming monstrous.
"A graveyard," the hunter concluded.
"Indeed... I encourage families to bury their lost ones in the courtyard of the sakura trees, where they never stop blooming. There is something comforting to bury the dead in a place where living never ceases. There are always people dying in this world. That's the one truth that we all must faith someday. And I will not take needlessly... I enjoy my time here in the church and I enjoy what I do. And I am able to uphold whatever it is my lost family is supposed to do without doing anyone any harm. Such things make me very glad. And I do wonder why our paths are so different. Those travelers described you as nothing short of monstrous... so quick they were to draw their blades against me. So quick people are to judge without knowing anything. Do they know why you're chasing the vampires? Do they have any inkling as to what may have happened between the three of you? They do not... and yet you are at fault. For those that cause chaos in emotional torment are cast from heaven and are to be damned... So the way the world works." The priest smiled sadly for a moment, catching a few of the petals from the trees in his hand before turning around to face his almost double. "I was surprised to meet you. And more surprised to find that you were nothing like what I was told. A journey that has taken a heavy toll and left no fruitful results. Something bound to end in tragedy as I find our stories often do. Everywhere is death. So many dreams and so many lives lost beneath these waves. How can it be that the story is doomed? Is that even possible? A variable has to change somewhere. I think any will do. And the story can right itself. These travelers told me that the soul is the same. All of our souls are the same. Yours and mine. And that means... if you and I are the same and it's only the circumstances of our lives that have set us on our paths then the story is not doomed. Just unlucky. And there is much that can be done about luck when given time and patience."
It was a hard thing to process, all these things being said in his own voice with his own face. It was like hearing your own thoughts. This priest said they weren't evil. That's what he was being told. He too knew of other versions of himself scattered across the world suffering fates that were all so similar. Dying in watery graves that only caused him to fear things like the sea if nothing else to avoid that fate.
He didn't know this kind of comfort, the comfort in words and assurances. It was a hard thing to take.
"No one in this world is born cruel. Or evil. The world around us forms a person to be that way."
"And how can you believe something like that so easily. Do you believe anything you say? How do you know some circumstance won't make your life turn out exactly like the rest of our other selves?"
The priest smiled brightly clasping his hands together. "It's nothing more than a matter of faith."
Faith. Such a strange thing and yet simple. They were all born into lives much like priests, or actual priests for that matter. He lived in a home of false exorcists, but exorcists all the same. People of the cloth that seemingly lived to help people when in reality they only strove to serve the earth from the destruction of man kind. That was the duty of the Sakurazukamori. Of all Sakurazukamoris throughout all the worlds. But it was always surrounded with such darkness and death. And it didn't have to be. You didn't actually have to kill to complete this mission, so the living proof before him told him as much.
"Why don't you stay, just a little longer," the priest encouraged and the hunter hesitantly accepted. Only because he wanted to see if this man was speaking honestly about living or was just a liar spouting falsities, or so he told himself that was the reason for his lingering.
He watched at night, he sniffed out for blood, he lurked and stalked and hunted for all intents and purposed but this church operated like a church and was run by the dutiful priest who looked just like himself. And when he wasn't hunting for some foul play he was spending time with his near double who had a personality that was so familiar... In fact, it was the exact personality he'd used on Subaru all those years ago for a whole year. And it made him question if the fake personality had been all that fake to begin with.
The more time he lingered the more questions he found surfacing and the more kindness he was given to the point he didn't know what to do a great amount of the time. It was an overwhelming situation to be in. Especially at first.
The way his double appeared in his blind spot with his gestures and comforts and endless array of sweets, which is what this world seemed to be known for. Ice cream, cake, any kind of sweet was available at nearly any time. Not that he'd complain about that but... to constantly be gifted such things and offered the contact and words of kindness was... it was different. Especially when this priest was well aware of his true nature and just what he was. There was only acceptance.
And not just from his other self but the twins as well who seemed endlessly fascinated with him. The more he tried to avoid him the more often they'd find him. Trying to get all sorts of answers from him, the first being a name which he wasn't sure he should give seeing as he and the priest had the same name and if they were pretending to be twins... He didn't even know the whole story or if it was a lie. Technically the priest never confirmed the twins's assumption...
"I'm really glad you're here," Hokuto told him, one afternoon in the courtyard, under the sakura trees. The chill of winter had faded and the warmth of spring was starting to turn into summer. He really hadn't meant to stay this long.
"Are you...?"
"Mhm. Despite you insisting upon staying a mystery to us, you make Sei-chan happy. He's not so lonely anymore."
"He's always had you two around... It's very hard to be lonely, I imagine."
"Mmm. You can be the most popular person in the world and still be lonely. It's difficult, being a priest. I know Sei-chan loves it because he can help so many people. But he also has to be alone. I always wanted him and Subaru to be together. And in a way they can... I guess. I just think it would always be lonely..." She frowned just a bit, glancing up through the tree branches and peering at the crystal blue sky. "You being around is okay. You can be in the church more and even pass as one another. And don't worry... I know you're not really twins." The hunter said nothing to her astute conclusion, allowing her to continue instead. "Sei-chan doesn't lie to us, so when he didn't confirm my assumption as your twin I knew it was because he couldn't say. And really... I don't understand it myself. I probably never will. But you're both Sei-chans and yet very different. And he gives you something that you lack and in return you do the same for him. You give him company... Something very important. I don't think you'll ever take him far away from us. I'm not worried about that. And I'm pretty sure you'll never hurt him, not intentionally anyway. All I ask, is that you don't just up and leave one day. At least say goodbye. Especially to him. He's pretty fond of you."
Someone being fond of him. What did that even feel like? And was he capable of feeling it towards another? He watched the lengthy sermons from the rafters, keeping out of sight and yet being able to see and hear. The songs and words all being led by the person that looked just like him. Fondness towards another individual...
Was it something he felt towards Subaru ever? That had been such a long time ago he hardly remembered. All that eventually remained was that he simply had a desire to find. Where had that desire gone? He did still think of Subaru often, not terribly hard when those twins ran around here. But to chase no longer seemed appealing. His double had been right. Stay put and maybe they'd find each other that way.
And it wasn't a bad thing, he liked it here. It wasn't home but it was a good world. He enjoyed these sakura trees and their whispers. They were wiser, perhaps because the blood they usually got was older. They had many stories to tell and enjoyed his company. He enjoyed the songs of the sermons being performed and the interesting tales of faith that were told. He enjoyed learning to play the organ or just watching the priest play it, his fingers, just like his own, sliding over the glossy keys and showing that it wasn't an impossible task though it may look like it. He enjoyed the treats of this world and the conversations he had. Early morning chatter over tea as the priest prepared for his chores for the day. The lunch gossip and at the end of the day talk of much more sincere things. That's when he talked the most, about worlds and hunting, his mother and brother. The priest would throw his legs over his lap and listen with rapt attention and sometimes there wouldn't be talk just silence which was a nice thing as well and they'd read until the priest eventually fell asleep in his spot. It was a routine that never failed night after night. Through the oncoming summer and fall and back into that chilly winter which would eventually become spring once more. Seasons changing faster than he anticipated and before he was truly aware of it years had passed. Not too many but enough that subtle changes in their interactions had gone almost unnoticed.
The gestures all had increased tenfold in ways he'd never had expected, especially since he intended to just stay there a few hours or a couple of days. When the priests hand was offered he took it every time. When parting ways there was often a gentle pressing of their foreheads together. Full of smiles, bright ones and others slowly getting there when it came to sincerity. Gentle contact for no reason, moving pieces of hair that didn't' really need to be moved or a gentle hand on the shoulder, fingers training down an arm. But nothing more physical then that.
It was intimate in it's own way with no words attached that might shatter the illusion they chose to live behind. They helped one another with the loneliness that was always present. Especially when the twins headed off to universities and were gone for many long periods of time.
The twins that had always been a part of the priests life were suddenly absent and that left a hole that could only be filled by the hunter for it was a pain he understood to some extent. Being left behind... It wasn't quite the same but the ache was something he could relate to. Though college was nothing compared to what came next which was Subaru getting married. She was a pretty girl, an old childhood friend of Subaru's whom he'd reunited with in college. In Subaru's excitement he didn't think of the old flames that lingered and remained in his younger years with Seishirou. That crush had developed on both ends even though it was something that could never be. For Seishirou was a priest and such things or marriage of any kind were simply not allowed. And Seishirou could not give up the church and he could certainly not do it now that Subaru had found happiness. It was the right choice especially since the priest felt he should have never felt anything for Subaru at all.
"Please take care of him," Hokuto requested of the hunter.
And he did for what else could he possibly do but just that? Old conversations from first meetings returned to him. It was in their nature to do bad things when pushed to emotional extremes. All it took was a variable. But it would not be this one. This world had the makings of a happy ending and yet it could not come to pass. Luck was never to be on their side... Though he had hoped...
But it was through this that he learned and watched the strength they possessed on a different scale. Not through magic and spells but emotionally. He watched his devastated priest get up every day and continue with his routine. His sermons. His duties. It all stayed on point, all done with a smile. Only a night did it all fall apart and that's why he was there. The ache was only something he could relate to. And so he'd tell his stories, even if the priest had heard them a dozen or so times now, he told them still. Over and over...
Subaru's wedding came to pass. And eventually Hokuto too. Seishirou married them both with bright smiles and heartfelt well wishes. The twins began to have their own families. They came to visit but overall, they didn't see much of them anymore.
Time continued to tick on.
But a mortal's clock ticks on so much faster and before you realize it, it reaches the end. Or even worse... it stops too soon.
The talk of one being mortal and the other not being so had come up once or twice but never led to anywhere. The priest had pried open the hunter's mouth and hunted for the famous vampire fangs and asked a few questions but nothing more. The hunter himself had never thought too much about it, knowing that without Subaru his life force was always on the edge of a knife. Death could be tomorrow or another hundred years from now. What to do when the priest became older was not something that he'd ever thought too far ahead. And his priest didn't get to live to become too old anyway.
It started with an irritation in the eyes. Something that went ignored for too long and ignoring it caused sight to be lost in both. They both managed to turn it into a light joke. "How dreadful, one eye between the two of us."
"One is all we need," the hunter confirmed, pressing his forehead against the priest's.
"I suppose so." Seishirou answered with a smile, reaching up to place his palm upon the hunter's cheek. The only way to see was through touch now.
After the eyes lost all sight the rest was quick to follow. Eventually that clock that moved too fast already broke a bit too early. And once again the hunter found himself abandoned but this pain was nothing like when Subaru had run away.
He could leave. He could leave all these memories behind and try and pick the hunt back up. It's what he'd have done in the past, this is what he was sure of but he was not like that anymore. The goodness that this priest represented despite their trying histories from other selves, he would not leave it behind as nothing more than a memory.
He'd become it.
He ran the sermons he knew by heart and led the songs he'd learned so long ago. He played the organ the priest had taught him withe gentle touches and guidance. He held the burials under the Sakura trees. Eventually he married Subaru and Hokuto's children, watching the individual families grow and grow. But he also held their funerals. The fate of the immortals was to watch the world and people waste and decay around them... Though this world held strong and would likely to continue. It kept it's magical like charm and never changed too much. Tiny advances here and there... If there was a world to stay in with this seemingly never ending life, it was this one. The magical charm was why the villagers never questioned their never aging or changing priest. It simply what was.
But the loneliness had returned. And his very reflection was a reminder of what had been lost long ago. They were the same in physical sense only and it was with the truly good heart of the priest that he too believed he could be like that.
Seishirou's fingers slid across the keys of the organ in the church, playing a tune he recalled only faintly. It was a song he heard long ago. A time long ago. In a world he hardly recalled anymore. A vampire prince played it with his delicate and lithe fingers.
That was the night before he'd protected Subaru's life by sacrificing his own. The night before he was changed...
The doors to the church creaked open and were gently closed, not allowed to slam close as so many do. The footsteps were barely audible as they walked down the isle.
"I'd heard some curious things in my travels from various sources though I never thought I'd see it for myself. The town whispers of an ageless priest... who smiles so kindly while his eyes tell a much sadder story. He's sat in this church for over a hundred years..." Seishirou's fingers pause on the keys, knowing that familiar voice even though it's been ages since he heard it. "He sits and plays, and helps and is good. He is a kind man they say. I couldn't believe it... I truly couldn't. So I had to see for myself. I hunted for this world for a long time wondering what I'd find. But hoping... hoping somehow..." The voice wavered just slightly and the footsteps stopped before the final pew. Unable to get any closer or go past the alter. "I never thought I'd see you again. Though I wanted to... Eventually running became searching. I've been searching for you, Seishirou-san."
Slowly he glanced back at the person who was speaking, the jade eyes familiar, he could never forget them though he'd wanted to at one point. He was exactly the same. Unchanged by time. Still in regal clothing, though different from the ones he last saw the prince in. Their severed bond ached to be reconnected but never could be. But that didn't mean too much right now.
Slowly Seishirou pushed the chair back and stood. "Subaru-kun."
The vampire prince nodded, rubbing at his eyes as they began to water. "I-Is it really you?" a choked sob escaping the pure blood.
"I've been waiting for you," Seishirou informed the vampire, taking the last few needed steps over to where Subaru was. "Eventually we'd meet, so long as I stayed still." So the priest had said so long ago.
Subaru reached out grabbing onto the other's arm and pulling him close, eventually embracing him. "It's been so long. I left you without a way to survive. I... At first I didn't care. But I talked to Fuuma-san a few times. After the anger went away I realized I needed to find you but Kamui wouldn't let us run into you. Running. Always running. Eventually he and I had to part ways. I had to find you... But I thought for sure, after all this time..." The vampire closed his eyes, his fingers digging into the priest attire, attempting to hold Seishirou tightly and never let him go, making sure this moment was real. That Seishirou was real.
This was it, he realized. This was going to be the happy ending. The one time the story goes right, despite having gone wrong in every direction already. A variable... The priest had said a variable had to change. And it did. And now... now things would be okay. Every moment that had passed by and happened had been leading up to this moment, something that if he didn't know any better, was set up by a witch. Only that kind of plotting and scheming could be done by her. And maybe it had been. But maybe it hadn't. That was irrelevant now.
Carefully he pried Subaru's claws off of him so he could lean down and press his forehead against his, as he'd done with his almost double so long ago. "From now on, everything will be okay, Subaru-kun~" And they would be. He'd become that person he'd pretended to be all those years ago, perhaps the person he'd always secretly been, the person Subaru had fallen in love with.
The story was not always doomed to fail. It was just unlucky. But luck is something that can easily be remedied, given time and patience.