Shivering violently, Subaru ran into the forest, his breathing ragged and short as he went deeper and deeper in, the shadows cast by the surrounding trees becoming more ominous as he grew closer to the centre.
Rushing into a clearing, he sank to his knees, tears of angry frustration leaking from his mismatched eyes as the dark entity appeared before him, lifitng his head to look at him.
Why.....why did you leave? You were supposed to be my source of information. The figure spoke, his voice calm and docile, yet with an edge of danger to it.
"Touya-san found out....and I'm sure Hori knew something was up.....they figured me out, Tarukane-san....they realised I betrayed them....." A sharp stinging feeling suddenly erupted in his cheek, and Subaru found himself knocked to the floor as the Tarukane struck him viciously.
Fool. What use are you to me now? How will you ever gain your redemption? Subaru gasped as the figure blurred, and a single tear crept down his face as he stared into a set of intense eyes - one startling amber and the other a milky white.
"Seishirou-san...."
You were the one who made me lose my eye, Subaru-kun. You were the one who killed me. And now you deny me my revenge on that girl? Now you deny me the chance to kill her in this little game of mine?!
Subaru shook his head frantically, eyes wide with denial.
"No! I....I can still be of use to you, please! I'm still an onmyouji....and I'm still the Sakurazukamori! Remember, I'm stronger than before! I mastered your killing skills! I can help, I swear it...." His voice trailed away, hitching in silent sobs as a gentle hand rested on his head, memories of a time when he was an innocent 16 year old returning to him.
Hush, Subaru-kun.....you may serve me as my own assassin if you wish to redeem yourself. Forget the government that once asked you to kill for them. Now there is only me, and all I ask of you is your loyalty....and devotion. The Tarukane's deep voice soothed, and Subaru found himself nodding, spurred on by the weight of his guilty conscience.
"I...I swear it. I won't be torn anymore. I'll....I'll act completely for you." He murmured, before being swallowed by the shadows as they removed him, taking him into the darkness that he had teetered at the edge of for so long.
So Hori.....it's assassin against assassin. You made the wrong choice when you summoned such a tainted, shattered soul for our game. Will your comrades be able to face me when the time comes? Will you be able to withstand the power of my new onmyouji and I?