B y Y o u r S i d e ; k a l e i d o s c o p e \ \

Disclaimer: Hokuto-chan, Kakyou, X, TB CLAMP's stuff. Not mine... I wish. Oh, and the song "Echo" by Trapt is... well, copyright Trapt. The Ayumi songs are copyright Hamasaki Ayumi.

Notes and Warnings: Perfectly clean. Not an ounce of naughty stuff, yaoi, incest, whatever. Wow, all the stuff I like isn't in this story. Then why am I still writing it? I have no idea. Well, because Hokuto-chan is adorable and Kakyou is sort of alluring in his own sad, desperate way. And I haven't written something that isn't just a one-shot in a while. Ohohohohohohoho! Prepare yourself for major embarrassment of poor old Kakyou-kun. I'm doing ridiculous things to him, I swear. Anyway, I'm rambling. Enjoy!

Close my eyes
Let the whole thing pass me by
There is no time
To waste asking why
I'll run away with you by my side
I'll run away with you by my side

"Hokuto..." Kakyou managed to say weakly as he reached for the bleeding image of Hokuto before him. "Hoku... to..." Small beads of tears began to force themselves out of unconscious eyelids in the "real world". In his dreamscape, Kakyou was left sobbing, looking rather pathetic yet somehow captivating at the same time.

Loneliness. ...Again.

He began reverting to his old Wish again. The Wish of... wanting nothing but to die. To perish, to disappear from the mortal world and pass on to something better, or worse. But at least something different. Perhaps a place where he was not obligated to be cataleptic his whole life.

Was it really... too much to ask?

Sumeragi Hokuto awoke with a start. She found herself in the guest room in her brother's apartment again (for she had the unfortunate habit of staying at his house the majority of the time); it was odd, for she had had the oddest dream the night before. Had she really crossed into someone else's dream? And then, just as suddenly, she had disappeared from the dream, and returned to her own dreamscape. What had truly happened?

"Hokuto-chan?" Her twin brother, Subaru, entered her room, preceding his entrance with a light knock on her door.

Hokuto blinked wearily. She was still tired, but the fever had nearly disappeared. "...Subaru," she said with a sigh of relief.

Subaru gave a small smile in return, and asked almost freakishly politely, "How are you feeling today? Seishirou-san was worried about you... and I was too, of course." He blushed slightly. "It wasn't... that nice of you... to leave me alone with him for one night." He blushed even brighter, and Hokuto was forced to start giggling uncontrollably.

After finally halting her manic laughter, Hokuto said between forced breaths as she struggled to tone down her giggles, "I'm fine. I almost thought I was... sick... yesterday... but I'm fine." Smiling reassuringly, she stood up and got out of bed to hold her brother momentarily in a small embrace.

This caused Subaru only to blush more, almost flinching at Hokuto's touch; Seishirou had done the same to him last night, but it certainly wasn't as "small"...

Fondly smirking at Subaru's behavior, she whisked him off. Upon leaving, Subaru managed to stammer, "Br-breakfast's soon to be ready in the kitchen if you need it..." Nodding in return, Hokuto finally let out a long sigh as Subaru departed.

I wonder if what happened last night was real,

she wondered in amusement. She abruptly shook it off, telling herself it was folly, and pranced to her closet, picking out a bunny outfit-- complete with ears and tail-- for the day. It was going to be another normal day, everything was fine. She was going to hang out with Seishirou-chan and Subaru today, just like every other normal day, just like usual, just like always., for some reason or another, she had a very bad feeling about it...

Kakyou allowed himself a small sigh. He had finally stopped his own depressing sequence of tearing and sulking and feeling absolutely hopeless. There was nothing else he could do, nothing at all for the girl, for Hokuto. He knew what was going to happen, it would only come true in a matter of time, and he could do nothing but stand and watch his only "friend" be killed by someone who was supposedly one of her best friends.

There were all the emotions again, and he whimpered pathetically, reaching out in cold, empty air for nothing. All he could do now... was wait. Continue waiting, for the end of the world, for Hokuto's death, for more dreams... for Hokuto to go to sleep. Maybe he could see her again. At least a few more times, before she...

Suddenly, there was a loud, alarming banging noise from afar. A girl had appeared, flinching as she realized she had fallen from thin air down to the cold floor of Kakyou's dreamscape.

"Hokuto," he said softly with a sigh of relief.

Hokuto smiled, looking around curiously just as she had the first time she'd ended up in Kakyou's dream. "So it was real, wasn't it?" she thought, smiling at Kakyou. "Are you... Kakyou?"

He sighed contently and nodded. "I'm able to see you again..."

"Yes, that's true," she replied delicately, looking a bit depressed. "For some reason... I had a bad feeling this morning when I woke up. Was that... you?"

Kakyou looked at her in alarm, then shook his head fiercely. He couldn't reveal to her what would happen to her brother, and her best friend... that would be like meddling with fate, with the thin strands of destiny. "No, I just... a dream of the future suddenly appeared to me, and you were kicked out of my dreamscape..." She nodded, as if to say, "and...?" He smiled, trying to conceal the sorrow he felt inside. "It was a silly dream. I barely remember it now. It was something about a tree, or something."

"Oh!" Hokuto brightened, seeming relieved. "Then it's nothing bad, or anything, right?" She giggled. "So I was all worried about nothing!" She appeared as her hyper self once again. "So, Kakyou, how have you been? Have you been lonely without me?" Teasingly, she grinned.

"Of course," Kakyou answered, smiling slightly. There was a hint of a smirk on Hokuto's face as she tilted her head thoughtfully.

"Where would you like to go today?" she asked brightly, conjuring a fake map from her hands. As she pretended to study it intently, Kakyou whispered something barely audible.

"What? What was that?" Hokuto inquired curiously, giggling. Kakyou's face reddened. He repeated it, but it was as imperceptible as his last request. "I can't hear you! Speak louder!" she demanded, smirking. His face bright red, Kakyou finally coughed and annunciated,

"...Karaoke."

Giggling, Hokuto shifted the view to that of a karaoke club. "Well, here we are! A karaoke club. Do you like it?" she asked cheerfully, glancing at Kakyou. He managed a slight grin and agreed. "Subaru doesn't like these, though... he says he can't sing," she added, snickering softly at her brother's shyness. "But anyway, can you sing?"

Kakyou blushed carnation pink. "I've never tried," he admitted slowly, looking sheepish. Hokuto giggled.

"Ohohohoho, then! If you don't know how to sing... we'll just have to teach you how to sing!" Hokuto announced, shaking her fist in the air triumphantly. Kakyou seemed a bit embarrassed at this proclamation. Along with the visualized karaoke scene, flocks of pseudo people had gathered around him, and even though they were fake, he couldn't help but feel hesitant.

"Oh, no, that's okay, I'm fine, I'll just watch you-- "

Hokuto didn't allow him to finish, forcefully pushing him up onto the stage. At this point, Kakyou's face was blazing scarlet as she forced a microphone into his hands.

"Here, sing some Ayumi," Hokuto whispered fiercely, forcing a small sheet of lyrics into his palm.

He blushed again, quickly skimming the piece of paper. "B-but isn't Hamasaki Ayumi-chan... a girl...!" he protested weakly, looking overwhelmed by the fact that he did not know how to sing, nor had he heard the song he was about to sing, nor did he possess a set of female vocal cords.

Hokuto giggled and clapped as the song began to start. Flustered, Kakyou attempted to sing along, unaware of the tune or beat and just trying to play along. "Suki na... mono dake wo... erande... kuno ga... musekinin datte... wake janai..." he managed, choking.

"Suki na... mono sae wo mitsuke... rarezu ni... Sekinin... nante tori you... mo nai... Seou kakugo no bundake... kanousei wo... te ni shiteru..." Kakyou stammered, turning red act the fact that Hokuto was cheering (quite loudly) for him amidst the large crowd of people that had gathered.

"Iranai mono... nara sono doujoujin... marude yakuni mo... tatanai ne... daiji na mono... nara soko ni kanarazu... itami tomou... hazu... dayo ne... Hitoribocchi de kanjiru kodoku yori... futari de itemo kanjiru kodoku no hou ga... Tsurai... koto no you ni... Donna... kodoku ga otozure you to..."

"You're getting the hang of it!" Hokuto shouted at him from among the masses, smiling encouragingly at him. He began to grin a little as he continued to sing.

"Donna itami wo uke you to... Kankaku dake wa tozashi chaikenai... Tatoe kotoba wo nakushitemo... Ikura dou demo ii... nante ittatte... Michi ni tsumazuke ba ryoute tsuiteru mamotteru... Sonna mono dakara... Yubikiri wo shita ano hi no yakusoku wa... Hitori ja mamori... you ga nai... katari akashita itsuka no yume datte... Hitori ja kanae you mo nai... Dare ni mo ienai dareka ni iitai... Ano hito ga dare yori taisetsutte... Dokoni mo nai basho de... Watashi wa watashi no mama de tatteru yo... Nee kimi wa kimi no mama de ite ne... Sono mama no kimi de ite hoshii... dokoni mo nai basho de... Watashi wa watashi no mama de tatteru yo... Nee kimi wa kimi no mama de ite ne..." He took a deep breath; he had been singing the whole thing almost nonstop since he'd started.

"Itsumade mo kimi de ite hoshii..." he finished, breathing heavily but grinning a bit more than usual.

"So, that wasn't that bad, was it?" Hokuto asked as Kakyou jumped down from the stage, blushing and looking daintily flustered.

"N-no, it wasn't, it was actually sort of fun," he admitted, smiling. "But now... it's your turn!" he said whimsically, pushing Hokuto towards the platform and grinning.

Hokuto showed the faintest sign of blushing on her face as she grabbed the microphone and tried to appear energetic and fearless, her usual cheery self, while shrouding her small yet slowly growing apprehension. "O-okay, then... Umm..." She made a selection on the machine and coughed as the song was starting. "Atarashiku, watashi rashiku... anata rashiku..."

"Itsuka futari ga mada... koibito to yobiaeta..."

She continued ceaselessly and uninterrupted until the ending, when she bowed, sweating madly.

"Wonderful," Kakyou commented softly.

Hokuto skipped down the flight of stairs cheerfully and smiled. "That wasn't so bad either! After all, a cute girl like me also has some talent you know!" she said triumphantly, looking proud.

Kakyou smiled and said contently, "It was beautiful!"

Hokuto beamed, then looked at her watch. The neon green digital numbers read 9:04AM. "Oh, oops, it's almost time for me to wake up!" She grinned at Kakyou and unexpectedly gave him a small kiss on the cheek. Immediately, Kakyou blushed a blazing shade of color. "Don't miss me too much," she whispered seductively, and ran out the door.

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