So, another fic with Subaru xD; Strange, because I almost never read any TB or X fanfiction anymore...

There's almost no warning for this one, only implied SeiSub ^^ (and it's not the typical Christmas fic, don't worry?) No real spoilers either, but you wouldn't know what's going on if you don't know TB anyway~

Disclaimer: Not mine, Clamp owns my soul and all those characters.

Christmas in Tokyo

The apartment was surprisingly quiet for being situated in the middle of Tokyo, surrounded by billions of people. It didn't feel like such a big city at all, was what the black haired boy was thinking as he was gazing out of the window in his bedroom at the stale gray sky.
Sure, it was crowded, dirty filled with people that were being eaten up by their daily life and work. It brought forth the most cruel humans, crimes and sad stories.

Do you hate Tokyo?

But it was impossible to hate this city. It was alive. You could feel it breathing if you tried hard enough. It was as impossible to completely hate as humankind.
If you looked at the couples and families on the streets today it was the day of love. It seemed like the whole metropolis had brightened up in celebration of a holiday that didn't even concern them, the birthday of a prophet in a foreign religion. Nevertheless it was celebrated.
Children watching with shiny eyes how bearded men in red cloaks handed out cheap presents could be seen everywhere.
Earlier that day Hokuto had taken him out for some last minute shopping. But after only a few seconds she had gotten distracted by several sales in clothes stores. So he had been sitting in a crowded and overheated mall while his twin sister ran excitedly through rows and rows filled with the latest fashion trends.
His bench was in a secluded spot, from where he could watch the blinking decorations inside the store and the street below the wide window.
In every corner speakers blasted the same old Christmas songs as every year, seemingly trying to spread an aura of love and happiness. He had been watching as people shoved their way through the masses, some getting angry, others apologizing for their rudeness. If one didn't look carefully those thousands of people seemed to blend into one entity, like they were one being only. But he could see the individuality of every single person in there, everyone with their own thoughts, their own goal in mind.
He put a gloved hand on the glass of the window and felt the cold seep through. Then, just as he thought of turning around to look for his sister, the first white flakes drifted down from the heavy black clouds. Snow in Tokyo that was rare! People halted in their hectic filled lives to look up at the sky and marvel at the beauty as more and more filled the air like cotton candy.
Children tried to catch the powdery flakes with their tongues while parents worried about pollution and toxic substances.
The snow gave the city a different atmosphere. It made the decoration that much more colorful, everything glowed in a warm light. Letting his hand fall back into his lap Subaru lifted his head to direct emerald eyes into the sky, watching black dots dancing in front of a blue-gray canopy. With every second the flakes were growing in size and some of them covered street light and colorful umbrellas before melting.
Underneath the sea of coverings one could watch people looking up at the sky and decorations as if seeing them for the first time.

"Subaruuu! Look what I found!!" The exclamation was heard through the whole store and said boy hurriedly turned back around while his eyes searched for his boisterous sister. "Hokuto-chan! Not so loud!" He sweat-dropped as several people turned around. "You're disturbing the other customers!" Groaning inwardly at the heap of clothes in her arms he couldn't help but smile at her. She looked so happy and excited. Even if it was his money she would be spending "Aren't they pretty? And so cheap, too!" she squealed.
Her golden halo bounced as she skipped over to him to show off some extravagant pieces of clothing. "Nee-chan!" he clung to her arm as he tried to calm her. "Those are beautiful, but please don't be so loud!" Her response was a loud laugh though: "Aww, come on, Subaru! Loosen up, it's Christmas after all!" Again several people turned around to regard the outstanding pair of twins. The maniacally laughing girl was dressed in a long pink dress, complete with golden wings and a halo, obviously representing an angel, while her brother wore black pants and boots, topped by a long red cloak and a Santa's hat with two bobbles. The seams were adorned by white plastic fur mixed with glittery silver streaks and his hands clad in black gloves with silver stars. He looked uncomfortable and apologized to everyone they crossed paths with, as his sister dragged him off to the checkout.

"Come on, we still need to buy groceries, wouldn't want to leave your lover waiting for his special Christmas menu, now would we? Ohohoho~" , she winked at him and struck a pose before dropping her various bags into his arms and running for the moving staircase.
"H…Hokuto-chan!!" blushing and stumbling after her, Subaru tried to catch up.
"Wait up!" But she just laughed and ran out of the door into the flurry of snow.

Later that evening Subaru was lying on his bed and watching the sky through his window. It had stopped snowing quite soon and it had melted rapidly, leaving only a film of water on everything.
Hokuto was busy in the kitchen and he was banned to his room. She was obviously preparing something secret.
He glanced at the clock. Seishirou-san would be arriving soon, unless he had been caught in the traffic… That such a beautiful thing such as snow could cause so many accidents. There was always danger in beauty and purity.
That got the Onmyōji thinking about the older man they were expecting. The ever present question whether he had anything to do with the clan of the Sakurazuka. The vet was a mystery to him. He was sure he had a pure heart, such a kind and nice man, but was that all there was to him? The way he always laughed off their questions and suspicions.
Maybe he played only a small part in that clan of killers? But no, it couldn't be, right?
He remembered how his sister had invited the dark haired man over for this evening a week prior. She had called him at work and before ending the conversation she had simply handed the phone over to Subaru. He had only been able to stutter and blush, he wasn't sure why. Then Seishirou had mentioned how much he was looking forward to his "date" with his Subaru-kun on Christmas Eve and laughed at the embarrassed "Seishirou-san!!" he got in response. But instead of embarrassing him more the older man had pulled him into a long conversation about work and school and the blessings of having a sister like Hokuto.

It was easy to talk to him, he was someone that understood on some level. Maybe even better than his own twin. It felt like having a friend, the only one Subaru had ever had outside of his family. Sure, he got along great with most people, but they didn't understand, it was lonely.
He smiled. It was a really nice feeling. And that this friend even took time to spend Christmas with them. Didn't he have a family?
He sat up and wondered about what he actually did know about the vet. The only things coming to his mind were his profession as a vet, that he lived alone and that there was some mysterious connection to the clan of the Sakurazuka. Not the most trustworthy person, he'd have to make sure his grandmother never found out he was friends with him.
Hokuto-chan trusted him, and he did, too. That would have to be enough.
Still, he couldn't help but wonder. Surely asking him to tell them more about himself would be impolite? He could already see how he'd laugh it off as if it were nothing. Maybe he'd tell them when he was ready.
Another glance at the clock.
Seishirou-san was running late, maybe he'd been stuck in traffic? Stretching out on the bed again he smiled in the semi-darkness of his room. He only hoped he'd like his present...A good book could never do any harm, could it? But what if he already owned it? He knew that he read a lot, that would be really embarrassing. Maybe he should have...
Shaking his head he berated himself, too late to worry about that now. And surely he could exchange it for another one if he really already had it.
Now it was really getting late.
He got up slowly, wandered into the living room and smiled at his sister. She was preparing a table she had set up only for this evening. "Smells delicious, Hokuto-chan, what is it?" She looked up and laughed.
Then she walked over to him to pull him into a hug. "It's a surprise!", she whispered into his ear, "We'll have to wait a bit though~ Sei-chan called a while ago, said there was an emergency at the clinic, but he'll come as soon as he can! It won't be too long~ He'll hurry to his date!"
Poking him she exclaimed:"But that just gives us more time to prepare! It's a mission! Come on! Help me set the table and the Christmas tree!" Said tree was made of plastic and small enough to fit on the table. "Isn't it beautiful? The day of love~" she sighed dreamily and dragged him into the kitchen. Handing him various colorful decorations she squealed:"Put those on the table, please! We wouldn't want Sei-chan to be disappointed by the lack of deco on this special day!"
"Okay." Smiling at her he went to do just that.
He was so glad to have her with him, how could he ever thank her? She had made up a rule that they were not to give each other presents on Christmas, it was the day of love after all, she had insisted that the presence of the other was enough. He could understand her point, without her he didn't know what he'd do.
Suddenly he was playfully batted with a baking glove. "Hey, don't space out! Sei-chan could arrive any minute now! Don't you want everything to be perfect for your beloved?"
As if on cue and before Subaru could protest the doorbell rang. "See? Open the door, will you? I still have some last minute preparing to do!" After shoving him in the direction of the door she vanished into the kitchen again.
The bell rang again and he called out:"Coming, coming! (1)", even if the one at the door wouldn't be able to hear him, before he ran into the dark hallway.
As expected an image of his friend appeared on the small screen as he pressed the button, a calm smile on his face and an arm full of presents.
Subaru smiled. "Seishirou-san!"
"Merry Christmas, Subaru-kun! I'm terribly sorry I'm late on this special day, I suppose your wonderful sister already told you about the reasons? I came as fast as possible, wouldn't want to leave my Subaru-kun waiting." He grinned as a blush crawled up said boy's cheeks, but before he could tease him some more, Hokuto came up behind her twin:"Ohohoho~ That's right, Sei-chan! But don't leave him waiting any longer now! Come on in!" She pressed the buzzer and ran out the door to greet their friend with an enthusiastic hug. "Merry Christmas!! This suit looks awesome on you!" The man smiled:"Thank you, Hokuto-chan! You two look really fashionable, too!"
The girl giggled and released him a bit. "Ooooh, and so many presents! I can't wait~" She laughed even while she narrowed her eyes at the distinct smell of blood covered only barely by an expensive after-shave. But when she looked up at the hazel eyes behind the glasses she only saw warmth and honesty directed at her brother, who smiled back shyly, so she inwardly dismissed it as animal blood from the emergency surgery, he had said he'd had. Even though it left a bad taste in her mouth.

She'd leave that topic for another day, then she could corner him. Not when Subaru looked so happy. But she would protect him with everything she had.
Stepping away from the smell she ran back inside. "Come on in, I prepared a super-special meal, extra for the day of love! Wouldn't want it to get cold, now would we?!"

2090 words.