© 2002 Copyright Original Storyline created by Gold (E-mail: )
Disclaimer: Ye know eet.

After The Fact (Version 3.0)
Part 2: When We Were Young

It was a cold day in January.

Fourteen-year-old Sakurazaka Seishirou knitted his brows as he studied the advanced calculus problem in front of him. He scanned the rough working on the Palmtop, twirling the electronic pen on his knuckles as he did so.

Someone knocked timidly on the door and Seishirou sighed, and pushed back the dark hair that had fallen into his eyes. He did not bother to look at the tiny, palm sized screen that had popped up and blinked into life on his desk, showing an image of whoever was standing outside his door. Seishirou did not need to look. There was only one person whose knock sounded like that—timid, shy and tentative, as if afraid to bother the person on the other side of the door. "Come in, Subaru-kun," he called patiently, his eyes still on the small screen that showed his homework. (Was the inverse cosine of that angle wrong, perhaps? So many decimal places…or p'raps it was the differentiation of that long equation that was wrong?) "The door's not locked."

The door slid open quietly and a small dark head appeared.

Seishirou looked up with a smile. "Where's the rest of you?" he asked teasingly.

Eight-year-old Sumeragi Subaru coloured as he sidled in slowly. He caught sight of the e-books on Seishirou's desk, and the open Palmtop and pen. He halted, looking dismayed. "Oh-h-h. I didn't know, Seishirou-san…I'm sorry for disturbing you, gomen ne…"

Seishirou's cheerful smile did not waver. "Ah, that's all right. I wasn't doing anything interesting," he said frankly. (Die, calculus, die!) He waved Subaru to a pair of identical cane armchairs with cushioned seats. "Have a seat…" He raised an eyebrow. "But where's Hokuto-chan?"

Usually Subaru's twin sister, Hokuto, visited with him.

Subaru heaved a tremendous sigh for one so small. "She's looking for me right now," he informed Seishirou. "I think she wants me to play a game, but I—"

"Sei-chaaaaaan!!!"

Sumeragi Hokuto bounded into the room through the open door and plonked herself into the cane armchair next to Subaru's. At eight years old, she held more energy in her small body than ten Subarus put together. Although the twins were identical in appearance, with unusually fair skin, hair that was black as soot, and brilliant, emerald green eyes set like sparkling jewels in faces as delicate as flowers, Hokuto and Subaru could not have been more different. Hokuto was the madcap one who needed someone to run around after her, just so she wouldn't get into trouble, and it always happened that Seishirou was the one who did the running. Subaru was quieter and it was quite clear that he was the less outgoing, shyer one of the two. Seishirou handled both easily enough. At fourteen, he was the best beloved friend of the eight-year-old Sumeragi twins.

"Sei-chaaan." Now Hokuto's voice held a warning note. "You're not wearing the scarf I gave you for your birthday! I made it with my own hands, you know!" She sprang up and put her hands on her hips. "Where is it?"

Seishirou smiled at her with all the charm he could muster. "Hokuto-chan, it isn't a very cold day, and I don't want to perspire into the scarf," he said reasonably. "When I really need it, I promise I'll wear it." (And I hope never. I will not wear that orange-and-blue striped scarf until the day the sky falls down and the mountains crumble into the sea, etc, etc…)

The little girl eyed him suspiciously. "All right," she said, throwing herself back into the chair. She swung her legs to and fro. "Sei-chan, come and play a game with us. I'm bored."

Subaru shook his head at his sister and said softly, "I think Seishirou-san's busy."

"I have homework," explained Seishirou deprecatingly. "Besides, don't you think Subaru-kun's looking a little tired?"

Hokuto turned her head and studied her twin. "I guess so," she said seriously. Then she stuck out her lower lip. "But I'm bored."

Seishirou was prepared. After all, he had had eight years of dealing with the Sumeragi twins. "I have an old laptop somewhere on the shelf there," he said, not looking up. "It comes with the Design-and-Draw software—quite old, but it still allows you to draw and colour. Be careful of the pen, though—you have to press hard to get an effect sometimes. You might want to try designing clothes since you like them so much, Hokuto-chan. But you must be very quiet. –And Subaru-kun, the e-book you were reading the last time you came is also on that shelf. And you're going to borrow it home if you can't finish it." This time, Seishirou did look up and he smiled at Subaru. "It's all right if you want to borrow things from me, you know. Just ask."

Subaru nodded, ducked his head and went pink in the face.

Hokuto was already scrabbling for the laptop. "Sei-chan, you are such a nice person to prepare all this for us! I like drawing a lot, and I'm going to have so much fun drawing clothes for Subaru and myself!" She gave a delighted squeal of laughter. "But Sei-chan, you will have to force my brother to take back the book…you know he won't ever ask you for things, 'cause he's just too shy to!"

"Whereas you are not," said Seishirou agreeably. "Have you got the laptop? Subaru-kun, did you find the e-book? Good."

So it was that on a busy afternoon in early January, when it was late in winter, that Sumeragi Hokuto first began to design clothes, a hobby that would bring her twin brother much discomfort and embarrassment, and afford much affectionate amusement for everyone around them.