Yeah, so when I came up with this idea I'd had three hours of sleep. It kind of shows, really. Warnings? Well, Straight!Subaru for starters. It's weird, believe me. Nothing else is really objectionable. No yaoi, either.
Spoilers for all of Tokyo Babylon and some of X. Tokyo Babylon belongs to CLAMP, as do the characters from X.
PROLOGUE
So, this was death.
"Subaru!" she said. /Kakyou/...
/It hurts./
Funny, that she hadn't anticipated this in giving up her life for her brother's.
/Ithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurts.../
DAY ONE
Hokuto awoke to the sound of somebody knocking somewhat insistently on her apartment door. She blinked, slowly, staring up at the ceiling. It was white, with a few tiny cracks spidering out from the corners. It was complete unfamiliar to her.
"Hokuto-chan! Hokuto-chan, are you in there? We're going to be late!"
Frowning, she got out of bed and fumbled her way through to answer the door. "Sei-chan? What are you doing here?" /What am I doing here, for that matter?/ she thought, suddenly realising the stupidity of her statement.
He stepped inside and shut the door behind him, smooth as ever. "Don't tell me you've forgotten? You offered to babysit for Subaru while he takes Mitsuki out for their anniversary."
"... Anniversary? Subaru? Since when is Subaru married?" she asked, incredulously.
It might have been her imagination, but she thought Seishirou looked a bit non-plussed. "Um. That was 5 years ago, remember? You were the best man."
/I was the WHAT?!/
"Don't tell me after all the trouble you went to to get them together you don't remember?"
"But... Subaru is... Subaru loves YOU! It's YOU TWO I was trying to get together! OnlyitturnedoutyoumadeabetwithhimwhenhewasreallylittleandyoureallywantedtokillhimsoIstoppedyouandmadeyoukillmeinsteadsoyoucouldbetogetherand..."
He stared at her. "Hokuto-chan, what are you talking about?"
"You! You're the Sakurazukamori! And you want to kill my brother!"
"Hokuto-chan, maybe it would be best if you went back to bed..." said Seishirou, glancing at her nightdress with a significant air.
"No! Tell me, ARE you the Sakurazukamori?"
"Hokuto-chan, either I am not the Sakurazukamori, in which case my answer will be no, or I am and I will lie to you. Either way, I feel the answer to that question is irrelevant."
Hokuto threw her hands up into the air in frustration. "Fine! Do you want my brother dead?"
"No," he said simply.
She regarded him suspiciously. "Fine. I'll believe you. For now."
"Thank you," he said with an air of extreme patience. "Now, are you going to get dressed or not?"
Giving him one final glare over her shoulder, she flounced into her bedroom to find some clothing.
Her options were disgustingly plain. Since when, she wondered, had she been a fan of blacks and muted greens? It was absolutely ridiculous.
"Hokuto-chan, please hurry up..."
Sighing, she threw on a pair of black pants and top, with a red jacket she could have sworn she once dressed Subaru in and made her way out to Seishirou. "There! How do I look?"
He blinked at her. "Very nice. Now, can we go?"
She obediently followed him out to his car, blinking at him in surprise when he walked around to open the door for her. "Such a gentleman, Sei-chan!" she laughed.
"Hokuto-chan, WHY do you keep calling me that?"
Hokuto stopped laughing. "But I've always called you that!"
"Hokuto-chan, I can quite seriously say that you have never called me that before in your life."
"But... But..."
Seishirou shrugged, and turned the corner at a surprisingly sedate speed.
"WHAT IS GOING ON?!" she yelled at the window in frustration.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Seishirou wince. "Hokuto-chan, you probably just had some very strange dreams. My waking you up so suddenly temporarily disrupted your perception of what is and isn't real," he said, in a patient tone. "Give it a few hours, you'll be fine."
After a few moments of silent fuming, she decided that breaking the window would solve nothing and resolved to stay silent for the rest of the journey.
The journey seemed to last forever - something which Hokuto figured had to be a combination of how high strung she was and the fact that Subaru really did live quite a way out from the city centre.
Subaru and his wife had apparently managed to buy a small house in the outer suburbs. It was a nice little house, in her opinion, with small, neat garden out the front. They pulled up in front of it and parked in the driveway.
As soon as Seishirou got out of the car, two small children emerged from behind the fence and flung themselves at him.
"Sei-shi-rou-san," pronounced the larger child carefully, then abandoning all formality as he scooped her up and swung her in the air. She giggled helplessly. "Ne, will you be staying?"
Shaking his head. "Sorry, Hikaru-chan. I have other work to do. I'm just here to drop your aunt off."
"He~eh? Hokuto-bachan is here?"
Feeling somewhat overwhelmed, Hokuto crept out from her safe position behind the car.
"No fair hiding!" cried Hikaru, stamping her foot. The young boy had no such problems with her and ran out to attach himself to her leg.
"Children! Come here!" called a female voice, in a very 'mother' tone.
So this was the mysterious Mitsuki, Subaru's wife. Hokuto regarded her intently for a few moments before crying out. "You're THAT Mitsuki!" she said in an accusing voice.
The woman stopped and blinked at her.
"You're the one that told Subaru you hated him because he wasn't normal! That really hurt him, you know, it took me an entire week to convince him that being not normal didn't make you any less a better person." She glared.
"Um... Hokuto-chan..." And that was her brother, looking quite confused. "We've already been over this. Mitsuki apologised for that years ago and I forgave her."
Now she remembered the case in question. Remembering what had happened to bring that conversation about made her flush with embarrassment. "I'm... I'm sorry. It just took me by surprise, that's all."
"I think Hokuto-chan is having some reality issues," said Seishirou, in a stage whisper to Hikaru. The little girl giggled.
"Are you okay, Hokuto-chan?" asked Subaru, sounding concerned.
She nodded, although she didn't feel fine at all. "Just... all of a sudden, nothing seems to make sense. I keep forgetting things I should know and remembering things that nobody else does. It's... weird."
He squeezed her on the shoulder gently. "Come inside and have some tea. I'll call the restaurant and warn them we'll be late, if that's okay."
Mitsuki nodded, and herded the children inside.
The first thing she noticed about her brother over tea was that he was very happy.
He was also not the Subaru she knew. This Subaru was less quiet - more outgoing. He smiled and joked with his wife about the children, and presented Hokuto with a big hug and a bouquet of flowers as they were leaving. "For giving up your evening for the brats," he said affectionately.
Seishirou waved to her. "Have a nice time. I'll be back to pick you up tomorrow morning."
She blinked. So that was why he had come along.
"The number of the restaurant is on the whiteboard," said Mitsuki. "There's the usual towel and things set out for you in the spare room, too. Bed-time is 7:30, as Hikaru knows. Don't let her tell you any different."
"Thank you," she said, faintly.
The door slammed. Now all she had left to face was the two miniature whirlwinds called Hikaru and... damn. She didn't know the boy's name.
It was easy enough to pick up. The girl was Hikaru and she was 5 years old, and the boy was Ryu and he was 3 years old. Hikaru lived up to her name perfectly, being bright and bubbly and somewhat outspoken. Ryu seemed to be content to live in his elder sister's shadow, but Hokuto made the extra effort to make him speak for himself a little.
She taught them five different word games; two ball games and two variations of hide and seek. By the time bed-time arrived she was exhausted and Ryu looked about ready to fall asleep on the spot.
"Come on you two, bed time," she said, gently pushing them in the direction of what she hoped was the bedrooms.
Surprisingly, there were no objections, not even from the generally hyperactive Hikaru.
Once the two of them were tucked in, the nightlights turned on and the pictures books read, she returned to the living room. The house seemed unnervingly quiet.
Sighing, she flopped down on the sofa to watch television until Subaru and Mitsuki arrived home. Really, all she wanted to do was sleep.
-- TO BE CONTINUED
Comments appreciated. Constructive criticism appreciated even more. And, yes, I do know what is going on and yes, it is rather strange.
Spoilers for all of Tokyo Babylon and some of X. Tokyo Babylon belongs to CLAMP, as do the characters from X.
PROLOGUE
So, this was death.
"Subaru!" she said. /Kakyou/...
/It hurts./
Funny, that she hadn't anticipated this in giving up her life for her brother's.
/Ithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurts.../
DAY ONE
Hokuto awoke to the sound of somebody knocking somewhat insistently on her apartment door. She blinked, slowly, staring up at the ceiling. It was white, with a few tiny cracks spidering out from the corners. It was complete unfamiliar to her.
"Hokuto-chan! Hokuto-chan, are you in there? We're going to be late!"
Frowning, she got out of bed and fumbled her way through to answer the door. "Sei-chan? What are you doing here?" /What am I doing here, for that matter?/ she thought, suddenly realising the stupidity of her statement.
He stepped inside and shut the door behind him, smooth as ever. "Don't tell me you've forgotten? You offered to babysit for Subaru while he takes Mitsuki out for their anniversary."
"... Anniversary? Subaru? Since when is Subaru married?" she asked, incredulously.
It might have been her imagination, but she thought Seishirou looked a bit non-plussed. "Um. That was 5 years ago, remember? You were the best man."
/I was the WHAT?!/
"Don't tell me after all the trouble you went to to get them together you don't remember?"
"But... Subaru is... Subaru loves YOU! It's YOU TWO I was trying to get together! OnlyitturnedoutyoumadeabetwithhimwhenhewasreallylittleandyoureallywantedtokillhimsoIstoppedyouandmadeyoukillmeinsteadsoyoucouldbetogetherand..."
He stared at her. "Hokuto-chan, what are you talking about?"
"You! You're the Sakurazukamori! And you want to kill my brother!"
"Hokuto-chan, maybe it would be best if you went back to bed..." said Seishirou, glancing at her nightdress with a significant air.
"No! Tell me, ARE you the Sakurazukamori?"
"Hokuto-chan, either I am not the Sakurazukamori, in which case my answer will be no, or I am and I will lie to you. Either way, I feel the answer to that question is irrelevant."
Hokuto threw her hands up into the air in frustration. "Fine! Do you want my brother dead?"
"No," he said simply.
She regarded him suspiciously. "Fine. I'll believe you. For now."
"Thank you," he said with an air of extreme patience. "Now, are you going to get dressed or not?"
Giving him one final glare over her shoulder, she flounced into her bedroom to find some clothing.
Her options were disgustingly plain. Since when, she wondered, had she been a fan of blacks and muted greens? It was absolutely ridiculous.
"Hokuto-chan, please hurry up..."
Sighing, she threw on a pair of black pants and top, with a red jacket she could have sworn she once dressed Subaru in and made her way out to Seishirou. "There! How do I look?"
He blinked at her. "Very nice. Now, can we go?"
She obediently followed him out to his car, blinking at him in surprise when he walked around to open the door for her. "Such a gentleman, Sei-chan!" she laughed.
"Hokuto-chan, WHY do you keep calling me that?"
Hokuto stopped laughing. "But I've always called you that!"
"Hokuto-chan, I can quite seriously say that you have never called me that before in your life."
"But... But..."
Seishirou shrugged, and turned the corner at a surprisingly sedate speed.
"WHAT IS GOING ON?!" she yelled at the window in frustration.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Seishirou wince. "Hokuto-chan, you probably just had some very strange dreams. My waking you up so suddenly temporarily disrupted your perception of what is and isn't real," he said, in a patient tone. "Give it a few hours, you'll be fine."
After a few moments of silent fuming, she decided that breaking the window would solve nothing and resolved to stay silent for the rest of the journey.
The journey seemed to last forever - something which Hokuto figured had to be a combination of how high strung she was and the fact that Subaru really did live quite a way out from the city centre.
Subaru and his wife had apparently managed to buy a small house in the outer suburbs. It was a nice little house, in her opinion, with small, neat garden out the front. They pulled up in front of it and parked in the driveway.
As soon as Seishirou got out of the car, two small children emerged from behind the fence and flung themselves at him.
"Sei-shi-rou-san," pronounced the larger child carefully, then abandoning all formality as he scooped her up and swung her in the air. She giggled helplessly. "Ne, will you be staying?"
Shaking his head. "Sorry, Hikaru-chan. I have other work to do. I'm just here to drop your aunt off."
"He~eh? Hokuto-bachan is here?"
Feeling somewhat overwhelmed, Hokuto crept out from her safe position behind the car.
"No fair hiding!" cried Hikaru, stamping her foot. The young boy had no such problems with her and ran out to attach himself to her leg.
"Children! Come here!" called a female voice, in a very 'mother' tone.
So this was the mysterious Mitsuki, Subaru's wife. Hokuto regarded her intently for a few moments before crying out. "You're THAT Mitsuki!" she said in an accusing voice.
The woman stopped and blinked at her.
"You're the one that told Subaru you hated him because he wasn't normal! That really hurt him, you know, it took me an entire week to convince him that being not normal didn't make you any less a better person." She glared.
"Um... Hokuto-chan..." And that was her brother, looking quite confused. "We've already been over this. Mitsuki apologised for that years ago and I forgave her."
Now she remembered the case in question. Remembering what had happened to bring that conversation about made her flush with embarrassment. "I'm... I'm sorry. It just took me by surprise, that's all."
"I think Hokuto-chan is having some reality issues," said Seishirou, in a stage whisper to Hikaru. The little girl giggled.
"Are you okay, Hokuto-chan?" asked Subaru, sounding concerned.
She nodded, although she didn't feel fine at all. "Just... all of a sudden, nothing seems to make sense. I keep forgetting things I should know and remembering things that nobody else does. It's... weird."
He squeezed her on the shoulder gently. "Come inside and have some tea. I'll call the restaurant and warn them we'll be late, if that's okay."
Mitsuki nodded, and herded the children inside.
The first thing she noticed about her brother over tea was that he was very happy.
He was also not the Subaru she knew. This Subaru was less quiet - more outgoing. He smiled and joked with his wife about the children, and presented Hokuto with a big hug and a bouquet of flowers as they were leaving. "For giving up your evening for the brats," he said affectionately.
Seishirou waved to her. "Have a nice time. I'll be back to pick you up tomorrow morning."
She blinked. So that was why he had come along.
"The number of the restaurant is on the whiteboard," said Mitsuki. "There's the usual towel and things set out for you in the spare room, too. Bed-time is 7:30, as Hikaru knows. Don't let her tell you any different."
"Thank you," she said, faintly.
The door slammed. Now all she had left to face was the two miniature whirlwinds called Hikaru and... damn. She didn't know the boy's name.
It was easy enough to pick up. The girl was Hikaru and she was 5 years old, and the boy was Ryu and he was 3 years old. Hikaru lived up to her name perfectly, being bright and bubbly and somewhat outspoken. Ryu seemed to be content to live in his elder sister's shadow, but Hokuto made the extra effort to make him speak for himself a little.
She taught them five different word games; two ball games and two variations of hide and seek. By the time bed-time arrived she was exhausted and Ryu looked about ready to fall asleep on the spot.
"Come on you two, bed time," she said, gently pushing them in the direction of what she hoped was the bedrooms.
Surprisingly, there were no objections, not even from the generally hyperactive Hikaru.
Once the two of them were tucked in, the nightlights turned on and the pictures books read, she returned to the living room. The house seemed unnervingly quiet.
Sighing, she flopped down on the sofa to watch television until Subaru and Mitsuki arrived home. Really, all she wanted to do was sleep.
-- TO BE CONTINUED
Comments appreciated. Constructive criticism appreciated even more. And, yes, I do know what is going on and yes, it is rather strange.