Thirteen Ways to Mess With the X Storyline

Way #2

Subaru checked the note detailing the location of his next job. He was anxious to get it over with. It sounded like a simple task - exorcising a spirit that had been causing trouble at a minor Tokyo train station - but it was the last of three appointments he'd had that day, and he was tired. When he got home, he was sure that Hokuto would tell him off for not taking good enough care of himself.

"Subaru!" Hokuto had said just a day ago, "You need to eat more. You're only fifteen, you know. A growing boy like you needs lots of food. Besides..." she grinned wickedly, "...how am I ever going to find you a boyfriend if you're too thin?"

"Hokuto-chan!"

The outfit he was wearing today was a high-collared black-and-white checked tunic over black velvet trousers. He wore shiny black boots with white straps, white gloves, and a black velvet-and-lace peaked cap with a cross embroidered on it. He felt like a giant chessboard, but Hokuto had assured him that he looked stunningly handsome, and that it was merely his terrible dress sense that led him to believe that he looked like a total idiot. The tunic included a long built-in cape made of fine black lace, which was deliberately frayed at one edge. The end of the cape snaked back and forth across the ground as he walked.

The train station was just ahead. The station manager had been forced to close it down temporarily, since none of the station's staff were currently willing to work there. The trains were still running through the station, but they weren't stopping there.

Subaru wondered why train stations were often the sites of hauntings. People usually didn't spend much time in stations, so why would their spirits linger there after death? Maybe a spirit that seeked attention would stay there. Its actions would be difficult to ignore in such a busy place.

The road was lined with delicate blossoming cherry trees. Subaru paused under one tree for a moment, looking up at the branches. It reminded him of a strange dream he'd had last night. There had been a cherry tree in that dream...


A dark-haired young man wearing a school uniform stood in front of him. Subaru couldn't see his face.

"Do you like these flowers?" said the young man. His voice was slightly muffled.

"Yes!" said Subaru enthusiastically.

The young man seemed somewhat...displeased to hear that. "Hmmm." He frowned.

"Do you like cherry blossoms too?" Subaru asked.

"No." The young man sounded bored. "Do you know that bodies are buried under this cherry tree? This tree blooms like this because of the bodies beneath it. Cherry blossoms were originally pure white, but these ones are slightly pink. Do you know why?"

Subaru shook his head.

"It's because they suck the blood of the corpses buried under the tree." The young man looked straight at Subaru. His statement would have been far more threatening had he not been wearing a partial face mask, of the sort worn by people with hayfever.

"The people buried under the tree...don't they suffer?" Subaru said, with tears in his eyes. They must be in so much pain, he thought.

There was a pause.

The young man's eyes widened. His eyes were a beautiful shade of golden brown, but as Subaru could see, they were a bit bloodshot and wince-inducingly watery. "Tell me, do you still like these flowers?"

"No. Even though they are very beautiful."

The young man looked pleased. As far as Subaru could tell, anyway. Perhaps he was even smiling. "Then...let's make a bet..."

Subaru wondered why that dream was stuck in his mind so firmly. It was almost as if that conversation had actually taken place. Maybe it had, and that was why he could never look at a cherry tree, however beautiful, without feeling uneasy.

"Ah! I'm going to be late for my appointment!" He panicked when he saw that five minutes had passed with him just staring at the cherry blossom trees, and hastily ran towards the station. He couldn't believe he'd just lost concentration like that, when he had a job to get to. His grandmother would not approve.

"Sumeragi-sama?" said a worried-looking plump woman with thick glasses. She was waiting outside the entrance. "Excuse me, but are you Sumeragi-sama?"

Subaru nodded, and introduced himself politely. It turned out that the woman was Tsukikage Keiko, the station manager. He could tell Keiko was initially a little surprised and disappointed that the onmyouji sent by the Sumeragi clan was so young, but that was quickly over-ridden by her need to get her station functioning again. Even a haunted train station couldn't be deserted for long in a city like Tokyo. This had to be dealt with quickly.

"For the past week or so, people have been hearing strange noises on the platforms. I can't quite explain it, but it sounds as if someone is talking nearby, right next to you, yet no-one's there, and you can't understand what they're saying. Things have been moving around, too. The first few times it happened we thought it was caused by a mild earthquake...Eventually we realised that this station was the only place affected. These events have been increasing, and now I'm the only staff member who's willing to go inside the building. That's why I thought it was best to get an exorcist to help." Keiko explained.

"Have there been any deaths here recently?" asked Subaru.

"No, not that I know of. I was transferred to work here starting just over a week ago, so I don't know that first-hand, but I'm sure someone would have told me if it were otherwise." Keiko sniffed into a hanky, clearly upset. "I'm sorry," she said, "it's just that...this is my first week of my new job. Please excuse me."

"Ah, don't worry about that, Tsukikage-san." said Subaru as kindly as he could. "I should go and take a look inside, and I'll sort this out as soon as possible."

Keiko unlocked the station's door, and let Subaru in. "I'd probably get in the way if I went with you." she said. "W-wait a moment. I forgot. You should probably know that the previous station manager died last week. From old age, I heard. But he died at his home, not here. He worked here for a long time. Maybe it's his ghost."

"It could be."

The station was unnervingly silent. The sound of Subaru's boots tapping on the tiled floor echoed around the building, and his cape rustled as it dragged lightly on the ground. Nothing moved apart from him. And yet...

There was a presence. Subaru hoped, as he always did, to be able to resolve this situation without harming the lingering spirit, but even so he fingered the ofuda in his pocket.

Over by a row of potted plants there was a slight movement. The resplendent green leaves of one plant quivered at the touch of an otherworldly hand. The ghost of an old man who appeared to be in his late seventies or early eighties stood there. He did not turn around.

"Excuse me," said Subaru, softly.

Now the ghost turned around. His bushy beard bristled as he spoke. "Who are you?"

"I'm Sumeragi Subaru. What's your name?"

"It's Uchiyama Hideki. You can see me, boy." said the man gruffly. "Why are you here? Everyone has gone. This station has been deserted."

"It's deserted because there have been disturbances here lately. You're the one who caused them, aren't you? Don't worry, I'm here to help you."

Hideki frowned. "You're here to make me leave, aren't you? I'm not going. This is where I belong." He waved an arm at his surroundings. "Even though I'm dead, that doesn't mean I have to leave. I've been doing things my way here for so long, and people should just learn to put up with it. They shouldn't have left this place empty. It should be busy, just like it always was!"

"Even so..." Subaru began to speak.

"I won't leave!" Hideki half ran, half floated, swiftly moving away from Subaru. The station seemed to echo with noise.

"Wait!"

Subaru ran breathlessly after the spirit as it zigzagged around the building. Hideki crossed over the platform. There was a train approaching, but Subaru thought that there was just enough time for him to follow Hideki safely. He would have done so if not for one small detail.

The long, lacy cape of Subaru's lavish Hokuto-designed outfit caught on the edge of a rough tile. He tripped, and fell on to the railway line with a thud.


In a cafe elsewhere in Tokyo, Sakurazuka Seishirou was momentarily startled. Had he been a more easily surprised man, he might have dropped his teacup. Instead, he gently placed it down on its saucer.

It was only a faint magical signal that he felt, but it left no doubt in his mind that the bet he had been looking forward to would not be taking place.

"Such a pity." he murmured.


Lady Sumeragi stood outside the door to Hokuto's bedroom.

"Hokuto-chan. Please come out."

There was no answer.

"Hokuto-chan..."

Lady Sumeragi heard the sound of padding feet on the other side of the door. The door opened a crack.

"Hokuto-chan," Lady Sumeragi tried to smile in a vain attempt to comfort her granddaughter, although she didn't feel like smiling at all. It was likely that she would never feel like smiling ever again, but for the sake of her eldest grandchild she would do her best.

"You." Hokuto practically hissed through the gap between the door and its frame. "Go away."

Lady Sumeragi could see that the girl's eyes were red from crying. She wished that she knew her granddaughter better than she did. Perhaps if she had spent more time with the Hokuto when she was younger then they might have become closer. Maybe then she might have understand the girl well enough to be able to ease her pain in some small way.

"You need to eat something," said the old woman. "I know you are upset, but I am sure that Subaru-san would want you to eat."

Hokuto glared. "I'll eat." she said, opening the door fully. "But...this is...all...your fault. If you hadn't made him take so many appointments and work so hard, then Subaru would still be here now!" She stomped off along the corridor.

Lady Sumeragi watched her go.


Three weeks later, Hokuto realised that she was never going to feel any better. Even knowing that her brother would want her to be happy did nothing for her.

In the dreamscape, she told that to Kakyou. Despite his expression being as sad as always, somehow his presence was a comfort to her. Still, she was far from being happy.

Kakyou knew that Hokuto could not be happy without her twin. It was too long since he had seen Hokuto's dazzling smile, and heard her laugh. The girl was not herself, and he hated to see her like that. Truth be told, he was more than a little worried about her mental state.

So Kakyou looked down at the tatami floor of the dreamscape and quietly told Hokuto about a girl named Kazuki.

"Do you remember what I told you about the battle for the end of the world? This girl was meant to be one of the Dragons of Earth, but she died of illness. I have seen this in my dreams. However, she will be present in 1999...in a way... because soon she will be cloned. They have had some difficulties cloning her due to DNA damage from her illness, but they will find a way around that in a few weeks. It's taken them 20 years to get this far."

"Cloned? I didn't know that such technology existed." Hokuto's eyes gleamed.

She smiled at Kakyou. He found it slightly disturbing, but he smiled back at her anyway.

"I still have some of Subaru's hair from the last time he got a haircut." said Hokuto conversationally, still smiling in an eerie manner. "Kyou-chan, could you tell me the location of these people who know how to clone?"


The phone rang. Hokuto picked it up before it had time to ring twice.

"Moshi-moshi."

"Moshi-moshi," said the man on the other end of the phone. "Are you Sumeragi Hokuto-san?"

"Yes." Her tone of voice was remarkably calm.

"About your brother..." said the man. "As you insisted, we have tried to clone him."

Hokuto grinned widely. "And has it worked? Go on, tell me!"

"Well..." The man was reluctant to speak. "In a way it worked."

"IN A WAY?"

"There was a small accident."

"What sort of accident?"

"I'm not precisely sure how it happened. One of our less experienced lab workers mixed up your brother's data with that of another person we are trying to clone, and...um...in a way it'll be your brother..."

Hokuto fainted. She wasn't prone to fainting, but there's a first time for everything.


Within her dreamscape, Hinoto blinked. In her vision, where she had seen 14 cloaked figures only a few moments ago, now she saw 13. Precisely between the two groups of the Dragons of Earth and the Dragons of Heaven stood one of the figures, who had an extremely confused expression on his (or was it her?) beautiful face.

Hinoto wondered what this might mean.


End of Way #2: Kill off Subaru, have Hokuto get him cloned at the same place as Kazuki, and have there be a little accident...and end up with Sumeragi!Nataku.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. :)