"Subaru…" the voice echoed through nothingness.
…
"Subaru, wake up." It was right by his ear.
"Ho--Hokuto?" He tried to open his eyes, but could see nothing.
"Yes, Subaru, it's me." Her voice was soft, quiet, like everything she said was a secret.
"But… you…" He still could not see. Where was he? He tried to move, but it seemed like his body was no longer there.
"Subaru…" Her voice became even quieter, but not like a secret… more like someone pleading hopelessly. "Subaru… I'm sorry."
Suddenly the space filled with light and Subaru found himself in a room. An unfamiliar room. And then he saw her.
"Hokuto!" He could move freely now. He ran up to his sister and hugged her, not once wondering how she could be there with him. As a matter of fact, the first thing that struck him as odd was the fact that his body was completely okay. He had no wounds, no pain, no scars. His right eye was even working perfectly. There was nothing that even hinted at what had happened between the Seals and the Angels. Nothing except his memory.
Finally, his senses kicking in, he realized that Hokuto shouldn't be here… she was killed by Seishirou long before.
He said the first possible explanation that crossed his mind.
"Am I… dead?" he looked up at his sister, and she smiled.
"No, Subaru, you aren't dead."
Subaru's mind was filled with questions. Where was he? Why was Hokuto here? Why was he healed? Where is everyone else? Why did Hokuto say she was sorry?
"You must have a lot of questions," Hokuto said, as if she had read his mind.
All Subaru could do was nod.
"Subaru, before I explain, you must promise not to be angry with me, or anyone else. I am so sorry, and have been ever since we were little."
Subaru nodded again. He couldn't find any words to say; he was so confused.
"Subaru, do you remember everything?"
Subaru just looked at her.
"Remember the boy who told you of the story behind the cherry blossom's color?"
"How did you…" his voice trailed off.
"Remember how Sei-chan and me used to tease you about your marriage?" She smiled as she herself thought about it, but then frowned as she remembered the reality.
"Yes…" Subaru remembered all those times perfectly.
"And the time when we sang at that karaoke bar? And you ended up helping that woman?" She forced herself to smile.
"Yes." Subaru smiled too, but his was real.
"And when you helped that old man… you delivered the bananas to his family?"
"Of course, I would never forget."
"And the boy with the kidney problems… how you bought him books, and I told you to buy him video games, but you said 'noooo, he likes books.'" She laughed out loud.
Subaru was silent, ignoring Hokuto's laughing, for he knew what would come next. Hokuto looked at him and stopped laughing. Her voice went down once again.
"And that woman… the boy's mom… tried to kill you for your kidney…" she paused, looking down at the ground with a look of great sadness, "and Seishirou took the knife in his right eye. He protected you."
Subaru did not reply. He was about to cry, because he did remember. He remembered everything, every little detail.
"You were hysterical, banging on his door, yelling his name. I wanted to pull you away, drag you out, tell you it would be okay, but you cried and cried and cried…"
"And then…" Subaru looked around the room, "when I realized…" He couldn't hold the tears in any longer.
"Subaru…" She held him tightly and she had the urge to cry with him. "That night, under the tree, the night that I cast my spell and said my last words in Sei's arms. I knew how he felt. Then you wanted… you thought you wanted to kill him. But you really... you wanted him to kill you… but the spell I cast reflected Sei's blow onto himself. He knew it would happen. And he died, right in your arms…"
Subaru cried even harder now, realizing he still loved Seishirou somehow, even with everything that he had done to him. A thought struck him. If Hokuto seemed to know everything, then… "What about the last thing he said to me that he didn't finish?!"
Hokuto jumped back at the suddenness of his question. She relaxed and said "Subaru… I'm so sorry."
"It's not your fault… I-I shouldn't have thought…" he looked down.
"That's not it." Her eyes filled with sadness. "Subaru, do you remember everything?"
He nodded, his eyes red from the crying.
"It…" she looked past Subaru, past the wall behind him, far beyond that. She swallowed, then took a deep breath. "It was all lies."
…
"Subaru, wake up." It was right by his ear.
"Ho--Hokuto?" He tried to open his eyes, but could see nothing.
"Yes, Subaru, it's me." Her voice was soft, quiet, like everything she said was a secret.
"But… you…" He still could not see. Where was he? He tried to move, but it seemed like his body was no longer there.
"Subaru…" Her voice became even quieter, but not like a secret… more like someone pleading hopelessly. "Subaru… I'm sorry."
Suddenly the space filled with light and Subaru found himself in a room. An unfamiliar room. And then he saw her.
"Hokuto!" He could move freely now. He ran up to his sister and hugged her, not once wondering how she could be there with him. As a matter of fact, the first thing that struck him as odd was the fact that his body was completely okay. He had no wounds, no pain, no scars. His right eye was even working perfectly. There was nothing that even hinted at what had happened between the Seals and the Angels. Nothing except his memory.
Finally, his senses kicking in, he realized that Hokuto shouldn't be here… she was killed by Seishirou long before.
He said the first possible explanation that crossed his mind.
"Am I… dead?" he looked up at his sister, and she smiled.
"No, Subaru, you aren't dead."
Subaru's mind was filled with questions. Where was he? Why was Hokuto here? Why was he healed? Where is everyone else? Why did Hokuto say she was sorry?
"You must have a lot of questions," Hokuto said, as if she had read his mind.
All Subaru could do was nod.
"Subaru, before I explain, you must promise not to be angry with me, or anyone else. I am so sorry, and have been ever since we were little."
Subaru nodded again. He couldn't find any words to say; he was so confused.
"Subaru, do you remember everything?"
Subaru just looked at her.
"Remember the boy who told you of the story behind the cherry blossom's color?"
"How did you…" his voice trailed off.
"Remember how Sei-chan and me used to tease you about your marriage?" She smiled as she herself thought about it, but then frowned as she remembered the reality.
"Yes…" Subaru remembered all those times perfectly.
"And the time when we sang at that karaoke bar? And you ended up helping that woman?" She forced herself to smile.
"Yes." Subaru smiled too, but his was real.
"And when you helped that old man… you delivered the bananas to his family?"
"Of course, I would never forget."
"And the boy with the kidney problems… how you bought him books, and I told you to buy him video games, but you said 'noooo, he likes books.'" She laughed out loud.
Subaru was silent, ignoring Hokuto's laughing, for he knew what would come next. Hokuto looked at him and stopped laughing. Her voice went down once again.
"And that woman… the boy's mom… tried to kill you for your kidney…" she paused, looking down at the ground with a look of great sadness, "and Seishirou took the knife in his right eye. He protected you."
Subaru did not reply. He was about to cry, because he did remember. He remembered everything, every little detail.
"You were hysterical, banging on his door, yelling his name. I wanted to pull you away, drag you out, tell you it would be okay, but you cried and cried and cried…"
"And then…" Subaru looked around the room, "when I realized…" He couldn't hold the tears in any longer.
"Subaru…" She held him tightly and she had the urge to cry with him. "That night, under the tree, the night that I cast my spell and said my last words in Sei's arms. I knew how he felt. Then you wanted… you thought you wanted to kill him. But you really... you wanted him to kill you… but the spell I cast reflected Sei's blow onto himself. He knew it would happen. And he died, right in your arms…"
Subaru cried even harder now, realizing he still loved Seishirou somehow, even with everything that he had done to him. A thought struck him. If Hokuto seemed to know everything, then… "What about the last thing he said to me that he didn't finish?!"
Hokuto jumped back at the suddenness of his question. She relaxed and said "Subaru… I'm so sorry."
"It's not your fault… I-I shouldn't have thought…" he looked down.
"That's not it." Her eyes filled with sadness. "Subaru, do you remember everything?"
He nodded, his eyes red from the crying.
"It…" she looked past Subaru, past the wall behind him, far beyond that. She swallowed, then took a deep breath. "It was all lies."