Tokyo Babylon Fan Fiction / X/1999 Fan Fiction ❯ Paradigm Shift ❯ Dreams of Darkness ( Chapter 6 )

Xandra and Aishuu, the Writing Team of AXQA presents: Paradigm Shift

Disclaimer: The characters in X and Tokyo Babylon belong to Clamp. We're just very happy to have the chance to try them out in alternative scenarios.

Chapter 6 - Dreams of Darkness

Sumeragi Hokuto was sleeping. It was her favorite thing to do, and she did it whenever possible. Hokuto loved to sleep, not because she was lazy, but because it was her only chance to see the person she loved.

Had she been an ordinary girl, she might have been thought insane, giving up ten years of her life to literally chase "the man of her dreams." But she wasn't. She may not have been anywhere near as powerful as her younger brother, but that didn't mean she was any slouch where onmyoujitsu was concerned. She knew that Kakyou was real, and she felt his power.

She knew he was a yumemi. Around him, sometimes, if she concentrated, she could see the slight swirls of energy whirling, darkness and light converging and opening portals before him that no mortal man should see. He saw things that he shouldn't have, but that was okay… without his power, they never would have met.

She recalled that fateful day. She only thought of taking a nap, an unusual occurrence given her boundless energy and her need to fill all her time by doing something, anything. More often than not, she was engaged in taking care of Subaru, but on that day, her brother had gone back to Kyoto and she was at loose ends. She had ended up falling asleep out of sheer boredom. Amazingly, she found herself in a most bizarre dream.

A beautiful young man, with looks to rival her brother's, had been astonished to see her. She remembered sensing an immense loneliness in him and the power that flowed around him. Accurately guessing him to be a yumemi, Hokuto had set about trying to cheer him up, the way she always did when she met anyone in need. She had not figured on him falling in love with her, nor she eventually coming to care for him to the exclusion of all others, save Subaru.

That was one of her two major regrets about Kakyou - not telling Subaru. It was the first secret between them, though she was sure that he was keeping a few tidbits of his relationship with Seishirou from her. It stung a bit to realize that her twin, her other half, couldn't know everything about her; but some things were too personal to share.

The other thing she regretted was never finding him in real life, and thus never having the chance to hold him. Dreams were wonderful things, but they lacked substance. She wanted to truly know him, wake up beside him, and make him smile all the time, rather than in just the stolen moments they had together.

As she fell deeper into REM sleep, she left the world of her dreams and entered his. She wasn't a dreamwalker, but she had enough of the Sumeragi power to make the journey, and Kakyou beckoned her each night, or during her now ritual afternoon siestas.

Today, Kakyou presented her with the very beautiful vista of Mount Fuji. She was in a flowering garden in the shadow of the snowcapped mountain.

"Kakyou!" Hokuto squealed with her usual cheerfulness.

The answering smile of welcome from her boyfriend brought a renewed surge of gladness to her heart. Sometimes she wondered if she deserved the sort of almost worshipful treatment that Kakyou gave her. He spread his arms open and she raced forward to give him a hug. She'd knew that he appreciated every little bit of human contact she ever gave him.

She felt his heartbeat and knew that it was only an echo of his sleeping body. Still, in the Dreamscape, he was always the most real thing there. Everything else was too perfect, and while his beauty was stunning, the sadness in his eyes took it to sublime levels and marred it, a dichotomy that injured her soul.

Kakyou clung to her for a long moment before pushing her back slightly so he could study her clothing. He was always enchanted by the way she dressed. One of the things Hokuto loved most about him was that he understood more than anyone, except her brother, why she did it.

Then his golden eyes widened in surprised and… fear?

"Hokuto, have you been raiding your brother's closet again?" he asked, and though she knew he was trying to be playful, she sensed an urgency to his question.

"I don't need to! I dress him myself…" she began, but trailed off as she glanced down at her clothes to see what he meant. Strange, she thought. She had meant to dress in her formal kimono, the one with green and gold printed on black satin, but for some reason she was wearing her brother's shikifuku. She raised a fine-boned hand, touching the pristine white material in contemplation. "How very weird," she remarked.

A frown creased Kakyou's fair brow. He bent his head down as he thought about the situation. He whispered to himself, "Is it time already?"

"Kakyou! What are you not telling me?" Hokuto demanded. Something was up with her beloved.

Kakyou lifted his golden eyes, startled. For a moment, he had forgotten she was there with him. His eyes turned serious and he shook his head. "It's nothing to do with you, Hokuto," he said firmly.

Hokuto was so surprised by his sudden resolute manner, that she gaped at him. She had always been able to cajole him into telling her everything. The knowledge that he was keeping something from her left her dumbstruck.

She spun away from him, striding over to where he had set tea out. Kakyou was very fond of tea, and he and Hokuto and shared numerous tea rituals. "Hai, Kakyou-sama," she murmured, sinking to the ground, demurely lowering her eyes and folding her hands beneath the long sleeves of the her clothes. She watched him through her long black lashes, carefully concealing her sparking eyes.

"Hokuto?" he asked nervously. The formal way she addressed his name caught him by surprise, for they had long since discarded the use of honorifics with each other.

"Yes, Kakyou-sama?" she said. "Can I get you some tea?"

He watched her, confused, unable to make sense of her sudden turnabout, and why she wasn't shrieking at him for an answer. Then, her uncharacteristic behavior made sense: Hokuto was angrier than she'd ever been with him before. He'd never kept anything from her and this was the first time her formidable temper was about to be turned on him.

Kakyou quaked inwardly. For a moment, he was tempted to relent and tell her everything. But he couldn't. The burden of the knowledge of the future was his alone. Telling Hokuto would change nothing and only upset her. Kakyou had been trying to avoid the whole issue of the upcoming battle for fate of the world, but it seemed that now he could no longer ignore it. Still, he was glad for any knowledge of the future that he held. He was determined to change some of it if he could, though he had never known his dreams to be wrong before.

This was all for Hokuto, he told himself grimly and forced himself to sit before her as she went through the motions of the tea ceremony. In spite of himself, he was impressed at how well she did it, but then Hokuto did many things well.

"Here," she said, handing him the tea gracefully. She sank back down and went silent.

"Hokuto…" he said, setting aside the ceremony. He simply couldn't stand to have the one person he loved angry with him. "Hokuto… you are the thing I cherish most, you know that? You are my special person."

She raised her eyes, dropping her modest pretense. The way he emphasized the last two words made her realize that he was about to tell her something profound, even if it wasn't what she wanted to know from him. "And you're one of the most important people to me, Kakyou. You hold the half of my heart which isn't tied to my destiny as a twin."

He smiled slightly. "I know… and I love you even more for that. But there's something coming, and I can't tell you about it. If you knew, you might try to do something, and it…" He glanced away, unable to meet her clear, unhesitant gaze. "It might get you killed."

A rustle of cloth alerted him that she was no longer opposite him. Kakyou suddenly found himself enfolded in Hokuto's embrace. He leaned into her shoulder, relishing the little time he had with her for what it was worth.

"Silly Kakyou," Hokuto said gently. "I wish you would trust me more, but I shall do my best to understand and not pester you about it anymore. Just know you can tell me anything." Her temper had faded away in the face of his misery.

Kakyou nodded, and wrapped his arms around her waist. It was amazing, really. He may have been the one destined to fight for the fate of the world, but she was the one with all the power. Straightening slightly, he smiled down into her eyes, and cupped her chin. "I know… and one day, I hope there is nothing I have to keep secret from you."

She gave him an impish grin. "Well, just don't tell me what I'm getting for my birthday!"

"That's tomorrow, right?" he asked politely, even though he knew the answer.

"Yup!" she chirped.

His smile turned mysterious. "I'll have a special dream in store for you, then, tomorrow night."

The look on her face softened. "Every dream with you is special, Kakyou," she answered softly. "I just wish we could meet in person…"

He shook his head. "That would endanger you. If we meet as things are, you will die," he replied grimly. "Neither your power nor mine can protect you from those who want to control me."

"I know," Hokuto said sadly. "You're just like my brother, trapped by your positions. I wish I wasn't a useless girl sometimes. "

Kakyou clutched her tighter. "No! You're not a useless girl! You're the most wonderful, most extraordinary, most capable person I have ever met!"

Hokuto laughed and tapped Kakyou's nose playfully. "You do wonders for my ego, Kakyou."

Kakyou looked at her, thinking about how fortunate both he and her twin were to have her love. He was not jealous of sharing her with Subaru, though his heart chilled at the foreknowledge that they would be placed on opposite sides of the predestined struggle for the earth. How would Hokuto react if she knew this? Kakyou smiled to himself. She would probably want to reform him.

"What are you smiling at?" Hokuto asked.

"You, of course. You're beautiful," he replied, neatly avoiding the question.

"I should be the one saying that to you," Hokuto said cheerfully. It was always nice to be complimented. People tended to overlook her for the more stunning beauty that was Subaru. It was as if it were odd for a man to look so beautiful, so he got all the attention.

However, Kakyou knew her gaiety was feigned. Seeking to distract her, Kakyou leaned closer and pressed his lips to hers.

She tasted liked cherries and sunshine, something he found intoxicating. Hokuto's soft lips were pliant under his, and as he parted her mouth with his own, her arms came around him, dragging him into sweet, intoxicating kisses that drugged his senses. For him, this dream was more perfect than reality.

Hokuto sighed and gave herself to him, tangling her fingers into his long, golden hair…

…only to find them around the full-length body pillow on her bed.

She sat up slowly, feeling the now-familiar warmth of tears spilling down her smooth cheeks. It was rare that she didn't wake up crying lately. Beside her, her alarm clock rang annoyingly, and she grabbed it roughly, throwing it violently across the room where it shattered against the opposite wall. "Damn you, Kakyou… why won't you let me help you?" she whispered.

*

Ding Dong!

The sound rang out in Subaru's apartment, prompting Sakurazuka Seishirou to dash out of the kitchen, waving a hand at the younger man to remain where he was on the couch.

"Stay!" he ordered sternly. "I don't want you getting up and stressing that ankle."

"Su-ba-ru!" Hokuto's voice sounded over the intercom even as Seishirou opened the door. The sight of him standing there with his shirtsleeves rolled up, ladle in hand brought a cheeky smirk to her face. "Sei-chan, you're looking very domestic. But don't you know it's customary to get married before you move in?"

"Sometimes people like to try things on a trial basis, Hokuto-chan," Seishirou replied wittily with a pleasant smile. "Though I've yet to get Subaru to agree…"

"Sei-Seishirou-san!" Subaru stammered.

Hokuto laughed and bounced in. Today she was dressed in a tailored black men's business suit, with black sunglasses perched on her head. The double-breasted jacket was relatively sedate, except for an extremely ruffled white collar, and white cuffs that trailed the entire length of her hand. "Happy birthday, baby brother!" she said cheerfully, skidding to a stop, in front of the couch.

"Happy birthday, big sister!" he caroled back at her. Like her, he was dressed almost normally, wearing green Capri pants and a green turtleneck, and white gloves, which she recognized from the day before. Apparently, he either forgot to change them (not unheard of because he was something of a flake, sometimes, according to her thinking) or he had been around Seishirou too long to remove them privately. The only touch of oddness (aside from a man in Capris) was the black-leather shoulder harness he wore over his shirt. Considering he'd never held a gun in his life, not to mention the fact that guns were illegal in Japan, Hokuto had always considered it an ironic fashion statement… but there was something truly appealing about a man with a gun....

Seishirou perked up in surprise. "Is it your birthday, Subaru-kun? Why didn't you tell me?" he asked in mock disappointment.

"Oh, sorry, I really didn't remember it. I don't really mark this day because..." Subaru trailed off. The Sumeragi had always kept the birthday of their clan head a secret for fear of it being used against him, but Subaru didn't consider Seishirou someone to keep a secret from. Instead, he thought more of not wanting to trouble him. Subaru blushed when he thought of how Seishirou had been taking care of him. Ever since last night when he fell asleep in Seishirou's bed...

"I shall try my best to cook you something special. It's too bad I can't bring you somewhere nice, but with your ankle like this, I don't think you'll be going anywhere for a while," Seishirou said glumly. He turned to Hokuto. "I hope you weren't thinking of bringing your brother out, Hokuto-chan?"

Hokuto took a good look at Subaru. The sight of the bandaged ankle struck her. "WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?" she shrieked.

Subaru met her eyes, and opened his mouth to lie but decided not to. Instead, he shook his head, dropped his eyes to his fingers and crossed them. She nodded, recognizing the sign they had used when they were children. It was the sign that it was confidential clan business, even to her. "I fell," he said honestly enough and then went silent.

Hokuto went grim, her own eyes distant for a second as she reflected on something. "Make sure you don't fall again," she said softly. She knelt down beside him and enfolded him in a protective embrace, gathering his head against her chest. "You're bigger than I am now, and I can't pick you up…" she stated, the undertones sorrowful and pained.

Seishirou watched the exchange, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. Twins were fascinating, interacting on so many levels other people couldn't understand. "Yes, Subaru-kun is surprisingly clumsy for someone with so much natural grace," Seishirou inserted. "He needs to stop walking around with his head in the clouds."

The indignant "Seishirou-san!" brought a wide grin to Seishirou's lips. Really, Subaru was so easy to tease.

"Well, I'm going to see about getting dinner done. Are you joining us, Hokuto-chan?" Seishirou inquired.

"Please, Hokuto-chan, stay?" Subaru asked plaintively. He was grateful for the heart-warming presence of two of the most important people in his life this evening. Subaru knew if he were left alone, he would simply stew over his faults again and sink into depression. Hokuto was wonderful at pulling him out of a morass of self-doubt.

Hokuto perceptively picked up the need in his voice and nodded. "Of course! What better way for me to spend my evening than with two handsome gentlemen!" she proclaimed dramatically.

Subaru smiled at the two of them. "I wish I could help…"

"It's a good thing you can't!" Hokuto announced. "Your cooking seriously leaves something to be desired." She pulled her sunglasses off her head and plopped them onto Subaru's face, positioning them so they rode low on his nose. Then she winked at Seishirou. "When you two get married, you'd better consider hiring a cook or doing all the cooking yourself. It's the head in the clouds thing again," she announced. "Subaru can burn water."

"Hokuto-chan!"

"Well, you can!"

"It was only that once!" Subaru protested, sinking deeper into the couch.

Seishirou looked at them curiously. "How can you burn water?"

Hokuto cackled. "You leave the most expensive pot in the house over the burner and forget about it… and when you come back, not only have you burned all the water off, but you've also burned the bottom of the pot! The smell took a week to air out!"

Seishirou's delighted laugh brought a flush to Subaru's cheeks. Strangely enough, he did not mind Seishirou laughing at him. On some level, he liked the teasing, though he was never able to control his blushes.

Seishirou leaned over Subaru and tucked a blanket around him. "Make yourself comfortable and take a nap. You're tired out. A special dinner will be ready soon."

Subaru smiled gratefully and stretched out on the sofa, letting his eyes slide close. He had spent a restless night, tossing and turning in Seishirou's bed, afflicted by self-doubt. Seishirou had finally come back in and held him before he finally could rest peacefully.

A slight twinge of envy pricked Hokuto as she observed the ease with which the two men behaved around each other. She wished for a day when she could be with Kakyou that same way. She shook off the sudden melancholy and ran after Seishirou. "Sei-chan! I want to help!"

"It's your birthday, too, Hokuto-chan… I can cook for all of us," Seishirou said gently. "How about you go take a nap as well?"

"I don't want to sleep anymore," Hokuto said firmly. There was a firm set to her jaw, and her eyes flashed briefly before returning to normal. Most people would have dismissed it, but Seishirou was not most people. He filed the moment away in his memory to reflect on later, and nodded down at her.

"If you're sure- I mean, I don't have a gift for you, so I'd like to do something special…" he offered, in his most pleasant vet persona.

She gave him a chipper nod, bouncing into the kitchen ahead of him. "Positive! How about you and I spend some quality time together? We've never really talked without Subaru around, and I've been meaning to!" She raced over to the pantry, swinging the door open and bending down to burrow through a low drawer.

Seishirou watched her, clinically reflecting that she had a lovely figure. She and Subaru were yin and yang, and he wondered why he didn't feel the urge to hunt her as well. She had power; not as much as Subaru, but she would most likely be able to put up a decent struggle… and she was undeniably beautiful.

He stared at her, trying to work up the need to kill…

…and felt nothing.

"Here!" Hokuto called, springing up like a jack-in-the-box. She threw an apron at him, and he caught it reflexively as she placed a maid's hat on her head and tied on overly frilly white apron of her own. "Put it on!" she commanded.

He obeyed, glancing down in amusement as he noticed that "Kiss the Cook" had been stitched in golden thread into the otherwise plain white apron. "Not my style," he said.

"I think it's cute… it brings out the amber in your eyes. Besides, it'll embarrass Subaru," she laughed. Then in her usual over-energized state, she bounced onto another topic. "I think I shall bake a cake! What's a birthday celebration without cake?" Hokuto exclaimed enthusiastically.

"Hokuto-chan is so talented!" Seishirou commented, his eyes wrinkled close in arcs of good humor.

"Oh course! I have to prepare to be a good wife!" she exclaimed cheekily, but something in her eyes showed a hint of pain at her single state. Turning quickly away, she rummaged through the shelves and began gathering ingredients for a cake. With surprising swiftness, she soon had the confection poured into a tin and stuck in the oven.

"What are you preparing?" Hokuto asked curiously when she was done. Seishirou had been busily chopping away at the other side of the kitchen.

Seishirou set aside the knife and pointed at the counter full of food. "Sukiyaki! Does Subaru-kun like it?"

"If you're the one preparing it, I'm sure he will like it very much," Hokuto said slyly.

"Subaru-kun is so kind I'm sure he'd like it if anyone prepared it for him," Seishirou demurred. "After all, I'm just a humble veterinarian. He's the truly special one." The statement was designed to flatter, and he waited for Hokuto to laugh and try to sell her brother as a bride again.

The woman didn't react that way, though. Instead, she moved over to him, and his hunter's instincts kicked in, warning him that suddenly, without warning, Sumeragi Hokuto had become a threat. Her green eyes turned hard and she leaned in close to him. "I love my brother very much, Seishirou," she said quietly.

"I know you do," he said cheerfully, ignoring the small voice in his head that was telling him to strike at her before she could strike him.

Her hands were almost too fast for his eyes to follow; had he not been the Sakurazukamori, it would have appeared as though she had teleported the knife into her grip. She grinned at him dangerously.

Seishirou was not a fool. Part of being a hunter knew when to stay still and wait. This he did now, schooling his face into an absolute harmless expression. Hokuto apparently had a point to make.

"If you ever make Subaru cry, I will KILL you," she said flatly. The knife was pressed right into Seishirou's jugular, her other hand resting firmly on the back of the handle.

If Seishirou pressed forward, even for a minuscule bit, blood would be drawn. He didn't. Instead, Seishirou looked at Hokuto soberly, almost daring her to do it. The two of them stood frozen in that moment, one fiercely determined, the other blandly calm.

How long they would have stood thus became irrelevant when a smell began to flood the kitchen. The mood changed suddenly. "Hokuto-chan, what's that burning smell?" Seishirou asked puzzled.

"EEEEEHHH!" she yelped, dropping the knife and almost cutting him unintentionally. "I turned the oven on too high!"

Seishirou deftly caught the knife, sparing himself an emergency room visit. "Apparently Subaru isn't the only Sumeragi who can't cook."

"Just shut up," she muttered under her breath. "Or I might just kill you for the fun of it."

No, Hokuto, he thought, that's my job.

~~~~~

Notes:

Aishuu: Least SOMETHING good came from me burning that pan…

Xandra: Yep, that's my Aishuu, *hugs*, the one who can burn water. Okay first view of Kakyou. Lots of foreshadowing to the upcoming fight that is X. And Hokuto in Subaru's shikifuku! Doesn't it just send chills up your spine? Naturally Subaru's birthday was too good an event to pass up, and we HAD to use that wonderful scene in the Tokyo Babylon manga that saw Hokuto threatening Seishirou. This is Paradigm Shift, the fates (yes the two of us) will not let these three deviate too far from their assigned roles. Sigh.

Aishuu: Oh, come now, Xannee. Things aren't THAT bad. We haven't killed anyone… yet. Subaru and Hokuto may look the same, but they're very different personalities. I hope that was conveyed here! This really was Hokuto's chapter… Tokyo Babylon was about the three of them, and Paradigm Shift hasn't forgotten her! As for Kakyou…. Hanyan He's cute, isn't he? More of the Dragons of both Heaven and Earth will be coming! After all, X is noted for its huge cast!

Xandra: *Meep* I love Hokuto. The whole point of this fic is for me to let Hokuto live beyond her 16th year. Whether she survives beyond her 25th, remains to be seen. *evil author cackle* As for Kakyou, you might wonder why he's a Dragon of Earth. Well, he has a very good reason, which will be explained soon enough.

AXQA: All we can say is *shimmer shimmer* at Krystal for being an awesome beta. As always encouraging reviews can only spur us on, so please do leave a note if you're enjoying this fic.

Coming up: The very first view of Kamui! And Subaru meets some of the other Seals.

If you're interested, more of Xandra's fanfiction, the rest of Paradigm Shift and fanart can be found here: http://www.midnightrevolution.org/quicksilver/xandra/xandraindex.htm

And Aishuu's wonderful stories can be found here: http://www.midnightrevolution.org/quicksilver

To contact both authors: (Axqa_1@yahoo.com)