Succession
Kyoto, Sagano
Midori and Haru were a couple from one of the obscure branches of the Sumeragi clan, Haru being the Sumeragi. Midori was a woman he had met during an advertising job and they had been together ever since. Since neither made a lot of money, they lived on the family compound where they got a substantial discount. After being married for a little over a year, Midori's belly was large with child. The only thing she hated about it was being confined to bed, her small body overwhelmed by the weight of two new lives. To do something productive, she looked through catalogues for toys, technology, cribs, high chairs, writing down numbers and drawing a proper layout for a nursery. She even looked through preschool brochures, comparing her options well in advance. Haru worked as much as he could to make enough money to support his family, coming home to check on Midori on breaks and whenever he could. At night, they talked about what Midori found during the day, whether or not they wanted to buy a larger house on and/or off the Sumeragi clan compound, and other things.
They were often exhausted but they were happy.
February 19, 1974
Two screaming infants were born in the early morning after many hours of labour. Lady Sumeragi was calmly sitting in the corner, being as unintrusive as she could under the circumstances. In the Sumeragi Clan's code of conduct, it was written that all newborns were to be blessed by the current Clan Head. In older times, this was to ensure that all branches of the clan would be able to prove that they have fulfilled their duty to produce children. It also provided the Clan Head with the opportunity to cultivate ties in the lower branches, branches that may have been too far away from the main line to feel welcome in the presence of the master.
The Twelfth Clan Head's face showed none of her exhaustion, none of the pain brought to her by her husband's death. She could feel the couple's joy from where she sat, joy that was making her feel worse. She knew it was unfair to the couple but that did not change the truth. She simply wanted to leave and go on to another aspect of her work, one that would not leave her mind idle. The infant's screams brought back memories of her son, Yukio, dead at the age of nine. The boy had little magical power but he had a good heart and did not deserve to drown. She pushed away the memory of That Day and tried to focus on the present.
Once the oldest was cleaned, she took the boy-child into her arms, supporting his neck with the ease born of practice. Placing the palm of her free hand on the babe's forehead, she was about to start the benediction ceremony when something made her look into the child's brilliant green eyes. For a moment, she could see the child's potential power consuming the whole building, emitting from his forehead like a star-shaped shield.
And so she knew that the child would be her successor.
She brushed the tuft of silky black hair to the side and started to chant the ancient rite, the one her predecessor had taught her. The more she chanted, the more worried the parents became. Midori was exhausted and wanted to hold her children as a mother should, Haru wanted to do the same of his firstborn son. However, the Clan Head was not someone whom they were used to seeing, more of a mythical figure than anyone they knew in the flesh. And so even if they wanted to tear the boy-child away, they did not speak or do anything to attract Lady Sumeragi's attention. If the older woman had looked at them, she could have easily read their desires from their facial expressions.
The baby stared at the chanting woman, silent and curious about the new world. His twin was cooing enthusiastically in the hands of the cleaner, seeming to radiate happiness. Lady Sumeragi sealed the spell with a brief kiss on the babe's forehead. Something transferred between them, confirming Lady Sumeragi's intuition. Her heartbeat sped up slightly as she struggled to keep a calm expression. If Yukio had not died, he would have become the master of the clan, sparing this couple from their fate.
Fate was not that kind.
"What is the child's name?"
"Sumeragi Subaru. What's happening, Sumeragi-sama?"
"I would like you to present you to the thirteenth master of the Sumeragi clan, Sumeragi Subaru. As you both know, all clan heads must be raised by the current master to ensure proper education and understanding of the position."
"What are you saying?" Midori whispered. She was a beautiful woman and it pained Lady Sumeragi to hurt her.
"I am saying that you have a choice to make. I can give you a year with your children. After that year, you must revoke all your rights as biological parents and give the boy-child to me. If you choose to do so, you may keep the girl until the day you die. However, considering how close they are, having shared your womb for the past nine months, I would recommend that they not be separated."
"You want us to give you our babies!" Haru could not believe what he was hearing.
"It is your duty as members of the Sumeragi clan. If you leave them with me now, it might be easier." She added softly.
"But you came for a benediction." Tears ran from Midori's brilliant green eyes. "Subaru-kun and Hokuto-chan are our children."
"I came out of duty." Lady Sumeragi agreed. She thought about telling the young couple that the other reason clan heads inspected newborns, that they were looking for traces of magic necessary to become high officials; but decided not to "And I am saying this because of duty. I shall come back tomorrow, once you have reached a decision."
She gave the child to Midori, taking her leave amongst the babies' cries. She knew there would be many tears shed that night but she had no time to think of it. She had much to do.
As she passed her bodyguard, she paused. "Kishimoto-san, assign someone to watch over them. They might try to run away."
"Of course, Sumeragi-sama."
Kyoto, 1975
When Lady Sumeragi showed up on the 19th of February, nobody was surprised. Handing over Subaru was the hardest thing Midori would ever do, and she did not do it quickly. She had made the mistake of looking at her son and could not look away. Her arms trembled as she held the child out to Lady Sumeragi, wanting with all her heart to keep the child close to her chest. Lady Sumeragi finally took the child from his mother, cooing at him like most adults would. The infant knew the old woman -she had made sure to visit every day for exactly that reason- so he babbled happily when she took him into her arms, grabbing a lock of hair to put in his mouth. Lady Sumeragi gently took it away from him, thinking she might need a new haircut. Hokuto reached out towards the older woman, wanting to be with her brother; not in her father's arms, making Haru feel betrayed. He put his free arm around Midori, taking comfort in her warmth.
"Can't we visit?" Midori pleaded, knowing that her honor was being compromised but she could not help the words from escaping her mouth.
"No." Lady Sumeragi's voice was calm, though her eyes showed her sadness. "Have you made a decision about Hokuto?"
The couple looked at each other. When the twins were newborns, they cried every time they lost sight of each other for more than half an hour and would not sleep if they were not in the same crib. Actually, they still did. The couple had also read about how separating their children could affect their development and it scared them. It was devastating to give Subaru away, but they could not hurt their children by separating them.
"They have to be together." Haru told Lady Sumeragi, knowing that it was the truth and hating it. "They can't survive being apart."
Lady Sumeragi wanted to say that she was sorry, that she wished things could be different; but she did not. Talking about it would only make it harder for the couple and it was already hard enough. So she took the children and their favorite toys and did not speak. She would give the couple enough money to start a new life, she decided.
Haru and Midori moved off the compound a week later.