The one to carry on

Author: Shinzona

title: 'The one to carry on'

story: Seishiro's promise to Subaru

disclaimer: i do not own Tokyo Babylon

warning: spoilers for the end of Tokyo Babylon

thanks to kuroshirafor beta reading

My successor must be the one I'll give my life to.

Someone who'll care with life as much as I do with dead corpses, lying beneath the Tree of Death.

Utterly fascinated while I watched you, I want someone like you to be the next Sakurazukamori.

Forgetting everything while I watched you. Even that I was preparing to feed the Sakura Blossom Tree by holding that dead corpse around my bloody drenched arm.

Surely that phenomenon must have triggered some primitive instinct to unconsciously abandon my line of duty. Dealing with you as my future heir and finding more about what made me freeze in my steps, was my prerogative.

Of course, you saw me doing some nasty stuff, but you didn't seem to be frightened nor disgusted. Instead you just stood there amazed, like you wanted to engage something. Or were you waiting for me to commence a meeting?

A dialogue?

Charming, I thought.

Whatever that might be…

was now revealed to me.

Never before has anyone told me if the captured souls under the sakura tree were hurting.

But, you did.

Nor showing that much sorrow in teary eyes.

You eyes captured me somehow.

And I knew.

I wanted you.

I so wanted you.

The world stopped spinning for a moment as I set my eyes on you.

I smiled for having found what I've been looking for even though I didn't know what I was looking for.

Finding a meaning to my life. Filling my mind with multiple possibilities leading to a single conclusion. Seeing nothing else but an ethereal figure to light my path towards destruction and renewal.

The true meaning of life was revealed before my eyes, therefore I'll devote my entire life to you, Subaru-kun.

Only you.

And no one else.

You'll be the One.

The next Sakurazukamori.

With your bear hands you'll pierce my heart to release me of my duty of current head of the Sakurazuka clan consisting of a single entity.

Staining your fragile limbs and silken white robes with my unpure blood, will awaken your dormant desire to kill and summon the cherry blossom tree's chants.

You'll never experience sorrow again. Nor a wish to help people and sacrifice your life for countless of meaningless beings. A strong self-centred being will eventually surface and suppress that caring and gentle Subaru-kun.

My Subaru-kun. I promise you, you'll never have to wipe you teary eyes again or heal that broken heart of yours.

I'll make sure you'll have wept all of your distress with a single cry.

And replaced that pure and kind heart with a stone.

I'll make sure you won't have to show what a good person you are or were.

Don't worry. Just be patient.

In due time...

I'll be the one to crunch your heart.

Draining your beautiful orbs to leave them as dull as the moon's shadow. The light you once were.

After that, Subaru-kun you'll never feel pain again.

And to make it more pleasing you won't see it coming. Your previous sacred life will only have been a bad memory or nightmare if you're damned lucky. Or from your point of view, that precious life you once cherished that much. A lost innocence, perhaps.

I'll curse you just to make it more formal and claim you as my prey.

Inverted pentagrams on my striking prey will seal this 'arrangement'. Don't forget to see those scars light up in the moonlight. A past recollection of my presence, an unknown man you met under a blooming cherry tree a long time ago.

With a predatory smile. Like the one I bear now. In front of my prey. That vital piece of your memory will be erased by my doing, filling your mind with tiny gaps, soon to be revealed after our next encounter.

A bet to make it more official will surely be much entertainment and a lame excuse to spend some time with you. Open your arms and receive the illusion of true love and protectiveness. Embrace it, as it will lead you straight into my trap.

In the end, that curtain will fall, breaking your delicate heart. Leaving a revengeful longing only meant for me. A menacing look will eventually leave from your face and destroy the person that lied to you. A kind veterinarian that seemed to care for you and whom you trusted completely.

You'll kill me with the same intensity I worshipped you with.

On the promised day.

After that, Subaru-kun you'll never have to feel pain again.

You won'thave to feel again.

I promise.

owari

Author's note: There are so many misconceptions around the so-called bet and whether Seishiro or Subaru won it.

The bet didn't exist, it was just an excuse...