DAY THREE
"So, that's what's Subaru said," finished Hokuto the next morning, with a nod.
Kakyou looked thoughtful. "He's probably right, although it's a pity he didn't know the spell that was used."
"I think that kind of magic is against Sumeragi tradition." She shrugged. "I'm trying to figure out why people keep telling me I'm acting strangely, though. I mean, we were both Hokuto-chan, were we not?"
"People's personalities are formed by a combination of things," said the dreamgazer. "They aren't born with a set personality - it's formed by environment, by the people around them and by the circumstances of their upbringing as well as their innate nature. You've always been somewhat over-protective of your brother, yes?"
She nodded.
"This world's Hokuto-chan would probably have had the same attitude. But that particular part of both your personalities was moulded according to what your brother was like as a child."
"I think I understand," said Hokuto, slowly. "It's because Sei-chan never met Subaru to make that stupid bet. I think that somewhere, deep inside, Subaru knew what those marks on his hands meant and he knew why he had to wear gloves to cover them. He always knew he was going to die young, so he grew up quiet and withdrawn. But since the bet was never made, he was allowed to grow up normally.
"So, I didn't have to make up for his silence and that's why this world's Hokuto-chan had a different personality."
Kakyou nodded seriously.
She narrowed her eyes at him. "You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?"
He had the grace to look slightly embarrassed.
Sighing, for the second time in two days she related her life story, including the parts about Kakyou himself. "And that's why I want to get you out of here, Kakyou-san. Because I promised."
He nodded again, although he didn't look like he really believed her. "Thank you."
"Anyway, I still don't know why I'm here but in a way I'm sort of glad I am because I can make a difference here whereas in my world I couldn't, not really, because Sei-chan was an idiot and Subaru was too heartbroken to care and... I just wish I knew what was going on, that's all."
"Hmm," he said, when she was done. "Why don't you go talk to your grandmother?"
Hokuto blinked.
"She knows about magic, doesn't she?" continued Kakyou. "She may be able to tell you what spell was used and what its effects are."
"What difference can finding out what spell was used make?" muttered Hokuto. "I mean, I'm here, aren't I? That's not what I want to know."
"I want to make sure you'll still be here a year from now," said Kakyou solemnly. "If it's only a temporary spell, I'd like to know that so we can fix it permanently."
She stared at him blankly for a few seconds, then squealed and threw her arms around him in a tight hug. "That's so sweet!"
He blushed. "And besides, I don't know who he is. That's very strange."
Hokuto blinked at him. "How so?"
"Usually I know instantly the identity of people in my dreams. The way everyone does in dreams, you just know things. But in my case these things are true."
"But you don't know the identity of the man that killed my other self?"
He shook his head. "It's just a complete blank."
"What would cause that, do you think?"
Kakyou shrugged. "Phenomenal psychic powers would be my guess. After all, he had to perform the spell to bring you here, didn't he?"
She nodded thoughtfully. "I think I will see my grandmother," she announced. "I have lots to ask her."
-------------------------------------------
Hokuto spent most of the train journey to Kyoto planning what she was going to say to her grandmother. Should she confess to not being the "real" Hokuto-chan? Should she ask her questions by saying they were from an anonymous friend?
As she got off the train at the Kyoto central station she realised she really should have phoned ahead. Still, when she got to the family home everyone was absolutely delighted to see her, and of course they didn't mind that she hadn't called, it was just so wonderful to have her in Kyoto...
Eventually, she managed to pull her grandmother aside for a private conversation.
As they knelt in one of the simple, yet functional rooms of the house, Hokuto found herself growing increasingly nervous. What if her grandmother told her she had to go back? She wouldn't know what to do...
Her grandmother cleared her throat, causing Hokuto to look at her quizzically. "You are not Hokuto-chan."
Hokuto stopped short. "I... I mean, I... You... How..."
"A grandmother knows these things. Besides, everyone knows Hokuto-chan doesn't come to Kyoto. Ever."
Hokuto deflated. "I see. Well, since you already know I'm not the 'real' Hokuto-chan, what I wanted to know was... Why am I here? Because I am Hokuto-chan, I'm just not the Hokuto-chan that belongs in this universe."
Her grandmother frowned. "You don't think this is your home universe, but you are Sumeragi Hokuto?" she asked.
She nodded. "I had a twin brother called Subaru too and he was the Clan Head. But... most of the other things were very different."
Her grandmother's brow creased in thought. "There is... one spell..." she said, hesitantly.
"Yes?"
"It's a spell forbidden to the Sumeragi Clan. It takes a soul from another universe and puts it in a living, but soulless body."
"And it's irreversible?"
A nod. "Once a soul moves on, it can not be brought back." She bowed her head in sorrow. "Our Hokuto-chan is dead."
Hokuto averted her eyes. "I'm sorry," she said uncomfortably.
"Don't be silly, child, it's not your fault," said her grandmother.
"Who cast the spell?" asked Hokuto, eagerly.
"That, I don't know. But I do know this - there are very few onmyouji in the world with the power to perform that spell, and of them far, far less than half would have the inclination."
"I see," said Hokuto, remembering Kakyou's words about "phenomenal psychic power". She stood. "Thank you very much for your time," she said, bowing swiftly.
"My pleasure. But won't you stay for a tea ceremony?"
Hokuto hesitated. "I... I mean, well, I, that is, I..." She gave in. "Okay."
Over tea, Hokuto found herself relating her life story. Again.
When she finished, her grandmother looked thoughtful. "What do you think of this world's Sakurazuka Seishirou, then?"
Hokuto hesitated. "I don't know, really... He seems nice enough, but then, so did our Seishirou-san... I don't trust him, though."
"He's not the Sakurazukamori," said her grandmother, firmly. "I examined him thoroughly when the twins first mentioned they had met a Sakurazuka."
"But...?" said Hokuto, sensing there was more.
Her grandmother looked ponderous, as if she were having trouble forming her thoughts into words. "There are plenty that would want the Sakurazukamori dead, but Sakurazuka Seishirou is one of the few that could possibly achieve it."
Hokuto gave her a worried look. "But, if he kills the Sakurazukamori he'll inherit the position... That's the way it works."
Her grandmother paused halfway through lifting her cup to her lips. "You're sure?" Hokuto nodded. "Well. That changes things. Do you think he knows?"
She nodded. "Given who he was in my universe, I'm almost positive he knows. That may even be part of the reason he wants to kill the Sakurazukamori."
"You should stop him, if you can," said her grandmother, firmly.
Hokuto nodded again. "I intend to."
-------------------------------------------
When Hokuto got home, she found a light blinking on her answering machine.
"Sumeragi-san, this is just your weekly reminder that your column is due by 8pm tonight, for publication on Saturday," came an unfamiliar voice. "Please don't forget to e-mail it to us." The mechanical voice on the end of the message told her it had been received at 11 o'clock that morning.
She blinked. Saturday was two days away, according to the calendar. And... column?
Not knowing quite what else to do, she rang her brother.
"Oh!" he said, when she'd finished relating the message. "Of course, you wouldn't know about that! My sister writes... well, wrote, really... a column for the Saturday paper."
"I see... What was it about?"
Subaru seemed a bit bewildered. "Well, whatever took her fancy, really. The computer should still be in the study, right? Your password is ryousuke-sama. She told me that in case she ever forgot. As if she would."
"Okay," she said, writing it down. They chatted for a few minutes more, then she hung up and went into the study. After locating some of this Hokuto's old columns and reading them in order to figure out what kind of style she should be writing in, she opened a word processor and began to type. She told the story of a girl she met once, a foreigner but not a gaijin, a girl who had left her home country to work in Japan. "This is a dream I had once," she wrote at the end of her article, hating the lie but knowing it was necessary, "but it is also a true story."
She titled the article simply "Smile", and posted it to the address she found in her outbox.
--
TO BE CONTINUED.
Comments appreciated.
"So, that's what's Subaru said," finished Hokuto the next morning, with a nod.
Kakyou looked thoughtful. "He's probably right, although it's a pity he didn't know the spell that was used."
"I think that kind of magic is against Sumeragi tradition." She shrugged. "I'm trying to figure out why people keep telling me I'm acting strangely, though. I mean, we were both Hokuto-chan, were we not?"
"People's personalities are formed by a combination of things," said the dreamgazer. "They aren't born with a set personality - it's formed by environment, by the people around them and by the circumstances of their upbringing as well as their innate nature. You've always been somewhat over-protective of your brother, yes?"
She nodded.
"This world's Hokuto-chan would probably have had the same attitude. But that particular part of both your personalities was moulded according to what your brother was like as a child."
"I think I understand," said Hokuto, slowly. "It's because Sei-chan never met Subaru to make that stupid bet. I think that somewhere, deep inside, Subaru knew what those marks on his hands meant and he knew why he had to wear gloves to cover them. He always knew he was going to die young, so he grew up quiet and withdrawn. But since the bet was never made, he was allowed to grow up normally.
"So, I didn't have to make up for his silence and that's why this world's Hokuto-chan had a different personality."
Kakyou nodded seriously.
She narrowed her eyes at him. "You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?"
He had the grace to look slightly embarrassed.
Sighing, for the second time in two days she related her life story, including the parts about Kakyou himself. "And that's why I want to get you out of here, Kakyou-san. Because I promised."
He nodded again, although he didn't look like he really believed her. "Thank you."
"Anyway, I still don't know why I'm here but in a way I'm sort of glad I am because I can make a difference here whereas in my world I couldn't, not really, because Sei-chan was an idiot and Subaru was too heartbroken to care and... I just wish I knew what was going on, that's all."
"Hmm," he said, when she was done. "Why don't you go talk to your grandmother?"
Hokuto blinked.
"She knows about magic, doesn't she?" continued Kakyou. "She may be able to tell you what spell was used and what its effects are."
"What difference can finding out what spell was used make?" muttered Hokuto. "I mean, I'm here, aren't I? That's not what I want to know."
"I want to make sure you'll still be here a year from now," said Kakyou solemnly. "If it's only a temporary spell, I'd like to know that so we can fix it permanently."
She stared at him blankly for a few seconds, then squealed and threw her arms around him in a tight hug. "That's so sweet!"
He blushed. "And besides, I don't know who he is. That's very strange."
Hokuto blinked at him. "How so?"
"Usually I know instantly the identity of people in my dreams. The way everyone does in dreams, you just know things. But in my case these things are true."
"But you don't know the identity of the man that killed my other self?"
He shook his head. "It's just a complete blank."
"What would cause that, do you think?"
Kakyou shrugged. "Phenomenal psychic powers would be my guess. After all, he had to perform the spell to bring you here, didn't he?"
She nodded thoughtfully. "I think I will see my grandmother," she announced. "I have lots to ask her."
-------------------------------------------
Hokuto spent most of the train journey to Kyoto planning what she was going to say to her grandmother. Should she confess to not being the "real" Hokuto-chan? Should she ask her questions by saying they were from an anonymous friend?
As she got off the train at the Kyoto central station she realised she really should have phoned ahead. Still, when she got to the family home everyone was absolutely delighted to see her, and of course they didn't mind that she hadn't called, it was just so wonderful to have her in Kyoto...
Eventually, she managed to pull her grandmother aside for a private conversation.
As they knelt in one of the simple, yet functional rooms of the house, Hokuto found herself growing increasingly nervous. What if her grandmother told her she had to go back? She wouldn't know what to do...
Her grandmother cleared her throat, causing Hokuto to look at her quizzically. "You are not Hokuto-chan."
Hokuto stopped short. "I... I mean, I... You... How..."
"A grandmother knows these things. Besides, everyone knows Hokuto-chan doesn't come to Kyoto. Ever."
Hokuto deflated. "I see. Well, since you already know I'm not the 'real' Hokuto-chan, what I wanted to know was... Why am I here? Because I am Hokuto-chan, I'm just not the Hokuto-chan that belongs in this universe."
Her grandmother frowned. "You don't think this is your home universe, but you are Sumeragi Hokuto?" she asked.
She nodded. "I had a twin brother called Subaru too and he was the Clan Head. But... most of the other things were very different."
Her grandmother's brow creased in thought. "There is... one spell..." she said, hesitantly.
"Yes?"
"It's a spell forbidden to the Sumeragi Clan. It takes a soul from another universe and puts it in a living, but soulless body."
"And it's irreversible?"
A nod. "Once a soul moves on, it can not be brought back." She bowed her head in sorrow. "Our Hokuto-chan is dead."
Hokuto averted her eyes. "I'm sorry," she said uncomfortably.
"Don't be silly, child, it's not your fault," said her grandmother.
"Who cast the spell?" asked Hokuto, eagerly.
"That, I don't know. But I do know this - there are very few onmyouji in the world with the power to perform that spell, and of them far, far less than half would have the inclination."
"I see," said Hokuto, remembering Kakyou's words about "phenomenal psychic power". She stood. "Thank you very much for your time," she said, bowing swiftly.
"My pleasure. But won't you stay for a tea ceremony?"
Hokuto hesitated. "I... I mean, well, I, that is, I..." She gave in. "Okay."
Over tea, Hokuto found herself relating her life story. Again.
When she finished, her grandmother looked thoughtful. "What do you think of this world's Sakurazuka Seishirou, then?"
Hokuto hesitated. "I don't know, really... He seems nice enough, but then, so did our Seishirou-san... I don't trust him, though."
"He's not the Sakurazukamori," said her grandmother, firmly. "I examined him thoroughly when the twins first mentioned they had met a Sakurazuka."
"But...?" said Hokuto, sensing there was more.
Her grandmother looked ponderous, as if she were having trouble forming her thoughts into words. "There are plenty that would want the Sakurazukamori dead, but Sakurazuka Seishirou is one of the few that could possibly achieve it."
Hokuto gave her a worried look. "But, if he kills the Sakurazukamori he'll inherit the position... That's the way it works."
Her grandmother paused halfway through lifting her cup to her lips. "You're sure?" Hokuto nodded. "Well. That changes things. Do you think he knows?"
She nodded. "Given who he was in my universe, I'm almost positive he knows. That may even be part of the reason he wants to kill the Sakurazukamori."
"You should stop him, if you can," said her grandmother, firmly.
Hokuto nodded again. "I intend to."
-------------------------------------------
When Hokuto got home, she found a light blinking on her answering machine.
"Sumeragi-san, this is just your weekly reminder that your column is due by 8pm tonight, for publication on Saturday," came an unfamiliar voice. "Please don't forget to e-mail it to us." The mechanical voice on the end of the message told her it had been received at 11 o'clock that morning.
She blinked. Saturday was two days away, according to the calendar. And... column?
Not knowing quite what else to do, she rang her brother.
"Oh!" he said, when she'd finished relating the message. "Of course, you wouldn't know about that! My sister writes... well, wrote, really... a column for the Saturday paper."
"I see... What was it about?"
Subaru seemed a bit bewildered. "Well, whatever took her fancy, really. The computer should still be in the study, right? Your password is ryousuke-sama. She told me that in case she ever forgot. As if she would."
"Okay," she said, writing it down. They chatted for a few minutes more, then she hung up and went into the study. After locating some of this Hokuto's old columns and reading them in order to figure out what kind of style she should be writing in, she opened a word processor and began to type. She told the story of a girl she met once, a foreigner but not a gaijin, a girl who had left her home country to work in Japan. "This is a dream I had once," she wrote at the end of her article, hating the lie but knowing it was necessary, "but it is also a true story."
She titled the article simply "Smile", and posted it to the address she found in her outbox.
--
TO BE CONTINUED.
Comments appreciated.