Title: "Good Things Come (To Those Who Wait)"
Author: J.J.
Warning: It's an AU BASED ON THE MANGA, it probably contains some OOCness, uses Japanese words (the dictionary is at the bottom) and includes insanity and some spoilers.
Notes: Written for Feedingthetree community's 2nd challenge: 'Setsuka Sakurazuka'.
Warning over notes: This fic has notes. You will find them at the bottom. Each time you see a number between brackets it means there's a note connected to the word/sentence that preceded it. However I suggest you to read the notes AFTER you finished the fic unless the word/sentence connected to the note is really troublesome for you to understand. Anyway the fic should be still understandable without the notes. Notes are merely extra explanations for who wants to know more.
Dedicated: to Mefiant who, despite everything, thought it should still be posted.
Disclaimer:
"Tokyo Babylon" and "X" belong to Clamp. I'm merely using their characters because I love them... especially Seishiro and Subaru...
Do I own something here? Oh yes, I own the plot and a sensitive heart which would surely break if you give me harsh reviews, so please be honest but nice, okay?
Thanks: To Sally for betaing this! Thank you a lot!
Summary: A quick glance at Sakurazuka Setsuka's life...

The place was surreal, a vast, white emptiness that seemed to extend forever; a place that could only exist in dreams, or better in nightmares, but neither of the two figures floating in it seemed to pay attention to their surroundings. They both looked frail and minute, beautiful, almost doll-like, and so very young they could have just reached their teenage years and in fact one of them had. The other... The other's semblance was deceptive; it reflected an image of youth that had been long gone for her. Not that she had ever noticed trapped as she was by her role and her invalidity.

The younger one looked clearly displeased, ruby lips curled into a delicate pout, dark fine eyebrows frowning slightly over beautiful, catlike, golden eyes, framed by long eyelashes.

"Who are you?" she asked. "If you are here to talk about that man too..." Her frown deepened. "I don't regret what I did. He hurt me. I hurt him back and now... now they don't want to let me leave. They keep me in this house, this house with bars on the windows and I..."

"You didn't hurt him, Setsuka-dono. You murdered him and, in doing so, you inherited his title and position," the other replied, her words clearly audible in Setsuka's mind even if she wasn't making a sound; her face void of any expression as her red eyes were void of any light.

"I don't want his stupid position," she said, forgetting for once her manners and stomping her little foot on the ground like a petulant, spoiled child. "It's disgusting to have all that blood staining my pretty clothes," she commented wrinkling her little nose as she shuddered lightly, hugging herself. "I didn't follow all those Onmyoudo's lessons to do... 'this'. I refuse to do this. He said that coming here I would have met someone I could love so my stupid family would have to stop saying I'm not... normal."

Actually she didn't care much about their opinion. It was just that their accusations of her not being able to love, made her look like as if she was flawed, and she was sure she was anything but flawed. She was a perfect, proper, young lady. Despite the fact she came from a distant branch of the Sakurazuka Ichimon she was perfect in every sense, from manners to ability in Onmyoujutsu, surpassing every girl in and out of the family. There was no way she could have flaws.

"They won't say it anymore, Setsuka-dono. You killed them all long ago. Do you remember?" the other reminded her, the bells laced to her kimono jingling slightly. She blinked at that casual observation. She had? Oh yes, she should have, she remembered vaguely the screaming voice of her little brother asking her to stop, to just stop, his voice rising to a horrified scream as their father's head rolled gracefully on the floor, few steps from him, like a Tsubaki blossom would.

Two days after she had... settled matters with her family, that man had shown up in her garden while she was tending her Tsubaki-tachi. An arrogant, self confident man from the Sakurazuka's main branch that expected her to marry him, just because he could help her to fix her 'little problem' with her family. He didn't interest her at all, even if he seemed to believe he was irresistible. He was tall, with large shoulders, tan skin and an infectious grin. She would have no problems admitting he was handsome but that didn't mean she wanted to spend her life with him. Actually she preferred to continue living with her Tsubaki-tachi... They were like her, beautiful, delicate and perfect...

Besides she had no problems with her family now that she was using them as fertilizer. Neither her nor her Tsubaki-tachi, who were growing even more beautiful and red had any problems. Evidently Sakura weren't the only flowers that enjoyed drinking blood.

That man insisted. He made a bet with her. He said that by following him she could learn what love was. He said that, without knowing what love was, she was like a beautiful flower who still had to blossom.

She'd been mildly intrigued and had followed him gracefully.

The love he had showed her hurt. She hadn't wanted it but he had given her no choice.

He had also resumed training her in Onmyoujutsu. In her opinion he had only himself to blame if his student had surpassed the teacher and had used the knowledge he had given her to get rid of him. However she hadn't given him to her Tsubaki-tachi. She was sure the Tsubaki-tachi wouldn't have liked him and so she'd left him to the tallest Sakura that was growing in the garden of the house where he had kept her. The Sakura seemed to appreciate the gift and had smiled benevolently at her, becoming her friend. The Sakura also started telling her stories, dark stories the Tsubaki-tachi didn't know. The Sakura always said they were bound now, because she had fed him, and he would return the favour taking care of her. They were one in the same now.

She wasn't sure if she should be happy about this. She still preferred the Tsubaki-tachi to the Sakura. She still wanted to be like the Tsubaki-tachi but Tsubaki-tachi were frail and couldn't really help her. In that household she needed a strong ally and the Sakura was fitting enough even if he had the disturbing tendency to speak with that man's voice. Maybe it was due to the fact the Sakura had eaten him.

However... getting rid of that man hadn't helped her much.

Now... now they were keeping her trapped in that house, in that room with bars, uncaring of the fact she was feeling sick. They hadn't even bothered to call a doctor. They seemed pleased she was feeling sick.

It was so unfair they were keeping her trapped, caged, like a princess from one of the fairy tales she and the Tsubaki-tachi loved so much.

The Sakura and the Tsubaki-tachi were her only companions now. The Tsubaki-tachi would cheer her up, reminding her that she was still beautiful like them. The Sakura would encourage her by telling her she would grow strong, strong like him, strong enough to murder her captors one day and gain back her freedom.

And now... that weird lady in white had come to intrude in her world.

She was unsure about what to do with her.

Here there were no Sakura or Tsubaki-tachi to feed.

"What do you want from me?" she asked, her fingers playing distractedly with her long hair. The lady in white too had long hair, long hair that was as white as the snow. She somewhat reminded her of a Yuki Onna, or a butterfly, with those long kimono sleeves she might have been exchanged for a white one. Maybe she should pin her to a wall and leave her there, only there were no walls around either.

"You're the Sakurazukamori now, Sakurazuka Setsuka-dono, your duty is to kill the ones who threaten Japan. As Japan's YumeMi it is my duty to tell you who they are," the other replied.

"I don't want to be the Sakurazukamori," she countered petulantly. "I..."

"It is only by coming here and being the Sakurazukamori that you'll be able to meet the one you'll love," the YumeMi interrupted her. "The previous Sakurazukamori hadn't truly lied to you..."

"So... I am capable of love?" she asked in an almost childish wonderment.

"Only one person," was the answer. "The one who will kill you and inherit the position of Sakurazukamori. You'll meet him for the first time in less than nine months, when they take you to Kanazawa to meet the elders of the family."(1)

"That will suffice," Setsuka replied practically, uncaring of the fact that her lover would also be her murderer. Actually she thought it would be rather romantic, like one of those dark tales the Sakura used to tell her. "Will he love me?"

"No. He will love the one who will kill him," the woman replied shaking her head.

"I don't want to share him," she stated, pouting slightly.

"You won't. He'll meet him only after your death," the figure assured.

"Him?" Setsuka tilted her head, amused. So there was a reason her soon to be lover wouldn't give her the proper appreciation. Oh well, no offence taken in this case. Besides she would be the first to have him and to her that meant she would always come first anyway. At that point she really didn't think she would be able to love someone but it didn't really matter. It would be fun to pretend to be a princess waiting for her prince. She smiled, a smile filled of girlish innocence and stopped paying attention to the YumeMi, lost in her little dream world.

"The Tsubaki-tachi will be so happy to hear this. They were right when they said good things come to those who wait! But I fear the Sakura will be jealous. The Sakura is so possessive he can barely stand the Tsubaki-tachi. The Sakura always says he's the one who could be my soulmate, that we're one and the same. Oh well, I guess we'll make a bet, he and I. If I will really love this one, the Sakura will get me as food. If not, the Sakura will have him. It seems a fair deal. I'm sure the Sakura will agree too, he can't resist the chance of a good meal, and then, with the Tsubaki-tachi..."

Setsuka went on rambling, unaware of the grin forming on the YumeMi's face.

Hinoto could see so very clearly how the life of her loved one would turn out... how that life would wrap itself around the one of another boy, one who hadn't been born yet, in an insane, narcissistic, self-centred, arrogant and self-destructive love that would end up burning them both.

And now that she thought about it... she should pay a visit to Sumeragi-dono also. It was a bit early to begin talking with the woman about the future Sumeragi no Chou, nine years too early really, but Hinoto was a YumeMi after all, and she knew very well the advantages of planning everything ahead of time. She might as well begin to prepare the groundwork for the 13th KaChou.

Sakurazuka... Sumeragi... they were nothing more than pawns in her game; a game from which she would be the only winner in the end.

Yes, good things come to those who wait.

JJ's Notes:

1. The one Setsuka will love is, of course, Seishiro, who will be born in a while (yes, Setsuka is pregnant, that's why she's sick and the Ichimon is happy). Seishiro, however, is born in Kanazawa so I assume Setsuka should have gone there to give birth to him. Poor boy... I understand why the Sakurazuka had preferred to keep him away from his mother...

JJ's Extra Notes:
This was supposed to be a piece about Setsuka. The description of her and of the house in which she lived came from the drama cd and the little that the manga showed. In the canon material there's no mention, as far as I know, about her past, if she was a Sakurazuka by birth, who was her family, who was Sakurazukamori before her, if she loved him or her and so on. I just made it all up. And yes I made her totally insane. However, in canon, it's not sure if she was insane, even if she said some pretty weird things. As for the fact she can talk with the Sakura and the Tsubaki-Tachi... I'll leave it to your imagination to figure out if they can really talk or if the discussions they had with Setsuka were born from her insane mind...
Why have Setsuka meet Hinoto in a dream? The Sakurazukamori kills those who are a threat for Japan. He also kills those who'll be a FUTURE threat as Seishiro did with Nagi Kumiko or some children. To know who will be a future threat, he should have some way to see the future. Yes, the Onmyouji have ways to do divinations but their predictions don't seem to be very clear so I assumed a YumeMi took care to report to the Sakurazukamori who was a threat for Japan. It would be deliciously ironic if it was Hinoto (it might also be Kakyou... if he's like Hinoto his young look might be deceptive).
About Hinoto... Sorata pointed out that, even if Hinoto looks young, she's definitely not (which makes me wonder about Kanoe... is her appearance deceptive too?). I don't know how old Hinoto is exactly but she makes a good pair with Setsuka, who also will look like a young girl until her death (so maybe Setsuka was a YumeMi too?). Also I liked to show how Hinoto was planning everything right from the beginning. We see how she had influenced Nataku/Kazuki's life... it's possible to assume she had manipulated Subaru and Seishiro's lives right from the beginning also...

Dictionary:
-dono: used at the end of the name to show respect, somewhere between '-san' and '-sama'
-tachi: Used to transform the name in plural or to mean 'and friends'
KaChou: Family Head
Onmyoudo: "Way of Yin and Yang". Yin and Yang are the male and female forces underlying the movement and changes of nature. Onmyoudo is based on the Chinese arts of astrology, divination and Taoist magic and also represents a mystical way of living in harmony with the forces of nature
Onmyouji: "Person who practices Onmyoudo". Basically a magician, sorcerer, diviner and astrologer
Onmyoujutsu: "Art of Yin and Yang". The ability to use Onmyoudo spells
Sakura: "Cherry Tree" or "Cherry Blossom"
Sakurazukamori: "Guardian of the Cherry Blossom Burial Mound". The assassin who uses Onmyoujutsu to kill whomever threatens Japan
Sumeragi no Chou: Sumeragi's Head
Tsubaki: Camellia
Yuki Onna: "Snow Woman". Creature from Japanese mythology that can control snow and/or winter
YumeMi: "Dreamgazer". One that can see the future in dreams

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