Duncan and the trio stopped in shock as they saw something truly unexpected. Sakurazukamori on his knees, staring up at his tree in shock. Duncan looked at the man, with his vacant eyes, and asked, "What the hell is he doing?" Nokoru examined Seishirou closely, and then answered, "I think he is walking the mindways- his consciousness is not where his body is, but somewhere else..."

Looking at the helpless body, Duncan raised his sword. "Good- that means that I can take care of him without having to die to do it. This is for Subaru, you bastard-" As the blade came down, Duncan noticed something that shocked him even more. The killer seemed to be crying unconsciously, with a few tears trickling from his eyes.

"What the-" Duncan could remember Subaru telling him of Sakurazukamori, of Seishirou's inability to feel, and stopped the blade before it decapitated the man. Knowing that it was stupid, Duncan decided to wait until the assassin regained his own mind- after all, he still had a blade near enough so any move that the killer may make would be easily stopped.

Finally, the dully staring eyes become self aware as his mind returned to reality. Duncan knew that his face is the first thing that the assassin saw, along with his sword, so he readied himself for an attack. An attack that never came, as Seishirou stayed on his knees, and looked frantically at the tree.

"How... how? How could he do such a thing?" Seishirou's confused, almost plaintive question rang through the now-quiet location. "How is he still alive?" Duncan looked at him questioningly, wondering what had happened, before he realized what Seishirou had just said.

Duncan pulled Seishirou up by the collar of his shirt. "What?! What did you just say?" Seishirou gave him a distracted look, as if his mind was still wandering the mental pathways, as he replied in a faint voice, "He's still alive... in the tree... he dies, but then he's back, and he's screaming..."

Duncan gave Nokoru a horrified look, to which Nokoru just nodded. In an appalled voice, Nokoru said what had been in everyone's mind. "It appears that Immortality is possible when one's head has not been truly cut off- especially if that Immortal has powers that lets him preserve his life force in such a way."

Nokoru's overly convoluted language couldn't hide the fact that he had paled terribly as he looked at the tree with too-wide eyes. Akira's horrified whisper made everyone look at the younger man. "You mean that he's still alive in there? That he's being brought back to life, only-" Suoh's controlled voice finished Akira's sentence. "Only to die again after he's been drained by the tree..."

Duncan gave Seishirou a look full of wrath as he slowly put the sword to the unresisting assassin's throat. "Kill that thing- do it! Or else I swear that I'll kill you-" Seishirou ignored him as his mind assimilated what the others had said with the facts that he had so arrogantly discarded before. *Subaru-kun... Immortal? How? That means...*

"That means that he'll be like that for as long as the tree exists?" Seishirou pulled himself away and looked at the cherry tree, whose blossoms had turned even redder as it fed. "That he'll be connected to me, and will be screaming like this..." Seishirou could feel something crack- something inside him shatter, break into so many small pieces that it could never be fixed...

"Subaru... kun... you. You did this on purpose... how could you? You knew that this was going to happen, but-" Seishirou gave a grim smile, and kept on talking to nothingness, as all the rest stayed silent, not sure what to do with the rambling onmyouji. "So, that was your plan, ne? To kill off Sakuruzukamori by making it so that there is no need for a hunt- not anymore..."

Seishirou stopped as he tried to search for the voice that compelled him to kill, but couldn't hear it over the barely muffled screams that penetrated every shield that he had. Shaking his head, he went over to the tree, and put his hands onto the bark. "What am I supposed to do now? If I'm not Sakurazukamori... if you've made me able to feel..."

Looking into his heart, Seishirou realized that the barrier that had existed over his feelings- a natural consequence of being Sakurazukamori- had splintered, allowing the forbidden feelings to exist, emerge... the feelings that he had disguised as possessiveness for a certain prey- those became what would have been if Seishirou hadn't been the assassin. "You idiot... Subaru-kun- do you really think I can allow this to go on? For you to exist in this manner?"

Seishirou grimaced a bit, and then lifted his hands from the tree. "You win... you've won, Subaru-kun." The man who could not be Sakurazukamori anymore commanded what was left of his power, and then struck out at the tree. Against any ordinary opponent, the tree would have won easily- it was a reservoir of pain and power, and could defend itself against any who dared to go against it.

But against Seishirou, it was vulnerable, susceptible to any attack that he may throw against it. Seishirou knew where all its defenses were, and where it was most assailable, and he exploited this weakness mercilessly. One quick spell destroyed the symbol and power behind Sakurazukamori in a blaze of energy that blinded all who had been watching for several seconds... and also inflicted a backlash that fatally wound the caster.

When the light-daze cleared from Duncan's eyes, he saw that Seishirou had collapsed after destroying the tree. A figure lay sprawled next to him in the tree's wreckage, and Duncan realized that it was Subaru, albeit bloodied and battered. Subaru stood up shakily, sobbing uncontrollably as he tried to speak with his wearied voice. "Duncan-san... I did what you said... I used my strong point and won..."

Duncan started to approach him, but stopped as he saw Subaru look down at his rival. "Seishirou-san..." Seishirou looked up at him, his eyes truly seeing. "Subaru-kun- you won... I destroyed the tree... I am not Sakurazukamori- not anymore. But it appears that I will not live for very long, either. It was a good hunt..."

Subaru knelt next to him, and took his hand. "Is that all you can say? I was there, present in your mind, though I wasn't noticing much... being digested by a tree will do that to you..." Seishirou couldn't help but smile at the way Subaru said that particular gem, and then sighed. "All right- you won the bet also... is that what you want me to say?"

Subaru shook his head. "How about 'I love you'? If it's true..." Seishirou looked up at him, his breath becoming shallower. "I... love..." Then the tree's vengeance ran its full course, and he fell silent. Quietly, Subaru let go of his hand, and watched as Seishirou Sakurazuka, no longer Sakurazukamori, still vanished as his victims had done- in a shower of blossoms that flew to the sky.

"Subaru, are you-" Duncan stopped as he saw the look in Subaru's eyes. "Duncan-san, you were right to try to stop me from my revenge... I realize that now. If only because..." There, he stopped and sighed. "It is ironic, you see- I never thought about what would happen if he were gone, and I was still left..."

Duncan took his arm and pulled him to his feet. "Subaru! You're an immortal now- loved ones dying, for whatever reason, happens to us all the time- No one likes it, but it happens. You have to start dealing with it now, or else-" Subaru shook his head slowly. "I'm sorry, Duncan-san. But it seems that you've lost another student to revenge... or it's aftereffects. At least you won't have to kill me..."

Taking his arm away from Duncan, Subaru gave him a sad smile. "Ironically enough, the tree was the only thing that could have kept my consciousness alive the way it did... it trapped my soul, and intertwined my mind within it's own. Now that it's gone, only my ward is keeping my body from disintegrating- and the ward's effectiveness will last for only a few more moments.

Looking at the sky, Subaru's voice grew almost happy. "At least he will not have to wait long with Hokuto-chan... Sayonara, Duncan-san... Duncan." Then, a muted flash of light burst from Subaru's body, and he scattered into pure white blossoms, whirling into the sky after the red. Duncan felt a power stir around him, and knew that he was receiving the Quickening. It was a surprisingly gentle one that merely burned the remains of the tree to the ground.

Duncan stared long into the sky, as Nokoru, Suoh and Akira clung to each other for support. Akira started to cry, and the other two supported him the best they could, trying not to show their own shock. Finally, Nokoru pulled himself together. "MacLeod-san... I believe that your friend Richie-san will be wondering what happened to you... if you like, the Imonoyama car that's coming for us can drop you off also."

Looking at the sky, Duncan nodded slowly. "Thank you..." As Duncan walked away from the smoking remains of the tree, he smiled viciously. That vengeful smile disappeared as his couldn't help but feel burdened by this loss that should not have been. *Subaru, you idiot! How could you just...* Then, he shook his head.

"I realize that I can't fault him." This quiet statement made Nokoru and his friends turn toward Duncan. "He knew what he was doing, what was going to happen... How can I be angry at him for doing what he felt was right?" Nokoru nodded. "But I think that you many grieve, even for a righteous thing that has inflicted pain..."

Looking at the clear blue sky, Nokoru smiled. "They are happy, I think. And we are now in a world where there are no predictions, no written fate... perhaps the seven will merely become six, or a certain young man will never find out what his name means... but they have given the world choice. Even if they did so unwittingly, it is still something beautiful that came out of the pain..."

Gazing out at the beauty of the world, something that even he could never tire of, Duncan saluted silently with his sword. "Be content, Subaru. Be that, if nothing else..." As he walked out of the death-filled place, Duncan tried to think of any who should know so they may mourn. He asked Nokoru, "What are you going to tell Subaru's grandmother?"

Nokoru answered, "She already knows, I think... She knew when he killed Subaru's sister that it was almost inevitable, no matter what the prophecies may have said. He was too strong for a fate not of his own choosing... and that may be the truest thing, for all the power Sakurazukamori had over him."