I really should have known what kind of day it was going to be when I opened my eyes. You know
why? Because I saw Kotori. In case you didn't know, she's dead, but that's a long story. The
point is, I woke up and there she was, floating over my bed.
"Good morning, Kamui-chan!" she chirped.
The problem with warning signs so early in the morning is that you're never awake enough to
process the damn things.
"K'tori?" I mumbled, "Aren't you dead?"
She giggled.
"Time to get up, Kamui-chan!" she said, "You'll be late!"
"Umpf," I muttered, throwing back the covers. They went right through Kotori. I started taking
off my pajamas and putting on my clothes.
"Hmm, nice body, Kamui-chan," Kotori said.
"WHAT?!" I yelled, whirling. But when I turned around, she was gone - only a white,
fluffy feather remained, hanging in the air.
I decided not to think about it. In fact, I was so busy not thinking about it that I barely noticed
that Yuzuriha was acting strangely at breakfast. So I was kind of surprised when she cleared her
throat and stood up.
"Guys, I have to tell you something," she said.
"Yes?" Arashi asked politely.
Yuzuriha took a deep breath.
"I don't want to be a Dragon of Heaven anymore!" she announced, "It sucks! I mean, I can't
have a normal life, Tokyo keeps blowing up around me, and my boyfriend is helping
to do it! Well, I've had it! As of now, Inuki and I are no longer Seals!"
Well that shocked us. So much so that I waved back to Kotori when she appeared floating over
Sora's head and waggled her fingers at me. Sora waved back.
"So what will you do?" Arashi asked.
Kotori blew me a kiss. I absently returned it.
"I'm going to elope with Kusanagi," Yuzuriha said.
Sora blew a kiss back at me. I guess he couldn't see Kotori, I don't know. I wasn't paying attention.
"Oh?"
"Yeah. We're going to Australia."
"Oh."
Kotori winked and disappeared.
"I have to go pack now," Yuzuriha announced, "Good luck saving the world, you guys!"
And with that she left. Sora, Arashi, and I just sat there staring at each other. Finally Arashi
stood up.
"Sora, you have a feather on your head," she said.
Fast forward to school. I had gotten a clue by that point, and I was pretty wary. Keiichi kept asking
me if I was looking for someone. I just said no, but did he see any fluffy white feathers? He told
me that I needed more sleep. Frankly, I was hoping that I was asleep at that point, but
I just smiled.
So around lunch time I told Keiichi that I needed some quality brooding time and ran off to
my favorite part of campus - the sakura grove where we'd buried Kotori. I thought I'd just sit
there and calm down and maybe even wake up. Silly me.
Subaru was sitting on the ground, smoking and brooding. He does that a lot. I called out to him.
"Kamui," he said.
"Subaru," I replied.
"Kamui," he said.
"Subaru," I replied.
"Kamui," he said.
"Subaru," I replied.
"Kamui," he said.
"Will you knock it off?!" I yelled.
"Oh. Sorry."
I sat down upwing of his cigarette.
"You're in a rut," I informed him.
"Oh. Sorry."
I sighed in exhasperation and rolled my eyes. Mid-roll they stopped. Kotori was back, and this
time she had a friend.
"Subaru," I said.
He turned to me in a noxious blue haze.
"Look up."
He did. Then he swallowed his cigarette.
"N-n-n-nee-chan..." he sputtered between coughing fits.
Kotori's companion floated down to glare a Subaru.
"What the hell are you doing!?" she demanded.
"Uh..."
"You are pathetic!" she pronounced, "Subaru Sumeragi, you are a big pathetic loser!"
"B-but Hokuto..." he stuttered.
"No buts!" Hokuto stated, "You're trying to kill yourself! Do you think I died so that you could die?"
"Uh..."
"No! Now pull yourself together!"
"But -"
"NOW!"
Hokuto snatched the pack of cigarettes from Subaru's pocket.
"And if I ever see you smoking again, I'll make sure you live 1000 years, get it?"
"'es," Subaru said meekly.
Hokuto nodded in apparent satisfaction. Then she turned to me.
"Hmm," she said, "Kotori's right. You are cute."
And with that both ghosts vanished. And yes, they left two big, fluffy feathers behind. Subaru
sneezed.
"I'm - " *sneeze* "allergic -" *sneeze* "to feathers!" *sneeze sneeze* A feather went up his nose.
I decided that it would be a good time to leave. I swear I heard giggling as I fled.
How did I spend the rest of my day? In hiding. I went and locked myself in the basement of the
science building and hoped that no one would find me. It really almost worked, too. I should've
known it wouldn't last.
About five o'clock I heard footsteps. Then a voice.
"Hello, Kamui."
"Hi Fuuma," I said resignedly.
"I'm Kamui," he said.
"Whatever."
"Say it! Say I'm Kamui!"
I sighed.
"Say I'm Kamui, damn it!!" Fuuma screamed.
"Fine. You're Kamui," I said in monotone. Fuuma stopped hopping up and down and turned
the suave back on. I swear that boy has a switch.
"So, Kamui," he said smoothly, "Do you have a wish?"
My stomach gurgled.
"I want a hamburger," I told him.
"You wish for a hamburger?" he said after a pause.
"Yeah," I said.
Another pause.
"That's lame," he said, "How can you end up dead with a wish like that? Geez, Kamui!"
"Hey, I'm hungry, ok?" I said defensively, "I haven't eaten since breakfast!"
I think that Fuuma was getting ready to make a nastyt reply, but we'll never know, because at
that moment Seishiro came skipping out of nowhere holding a basket in one hand and
flinging cherry blossoms with the other.
"Sakura! Sakura for everyone!" he cried.
"..." said Fuuma. Seishiro began skipping in a circle around us.
"Don't you love sakura?" he asled jubilantly, "I love sakura! In fact, I love sakura so much that
I think I'll give up on destroying the world and become a flower girl!"
Fuuma turned green.
"Then I'll go around the world dispensing cherry blossoms to everyone! I'll become the Sakura
Fairy! Seishiro the Sakura Fairy! Yay!!!"
"Excuse me," said Fuuma, "I'm going to be sick."
"Wait!" called Seishiro, "Sakura will make you feel better! Sakura! Sakura for everyone!"
That's about when I found you. Like I said, I really should have known what kind of day it was
going to be when I woke up this morning. But it all seems to be over now. Thanks for listening.
You have no idea how nice it was to just sit and talk without anyth- What? Why are you staring
like that?
What do you mean, I have a feather on my head?!
