X/1999 Fan Fiction ❯ Après ❯ Hokuto ( Chapter 4 )

Warnings: Nothing really to warn you about…

Part Four

The doorbell to the apartment rang. Subaru looked up from the book he was reading. He set the book down and walked over to the door. He opened the door and was utterly surprised to see a cousin of his standing there.

"Akito-san?" he asked, letting his cousin in. "What are you doing here? I thought you lived in Kyoto."

"Long time, no see, Subaru-san," the older man smiled.

Subaru noticed a small child hiding behind Akito. The older Sumeragi laughed.

"Kuto-chan," he said. "Come out and say hello."

The young girl stepped out from behind Akito. She smiled brightly, her emerald eyes sparkling.

"Hi!" she beamed.

"Subaru, this is my daughter, Hokuto."

Subaru looked at his cousin. "You named her Hokuto?"

Akito nodded. "She looked so much like your sister, I felt it appropriate."

Subaru looked at the young girl. Akito was correct. His daughter had a striking resemblance to Subaru's murdered elder twin. Silky, black hair, shimmering emerald green eyes, even the same air to her as the original Hokuto Sumeragi.

"Do you want any tea, Akito-san?" Subaru asked, heading for the kitchen.

"Tea would be nice," Akito replied.

Subaru reached into a cupboard and pulled down some mugs.

"Does Hokuto want anything?"

Hokutp appeared at the entryway to the kitchen. "Milk, if you have it."

Subaru gave the eight-year-old a soft smile. He pulled down a glass and opened the refrigerator. He took a gallon of milk out, poured some into the cup and handed it to the girl.

"Thanks!" Hokuto smiled. She bounded back to her father without spilling a drop of the milk.

Subaru laughed. Akito's daughter seemed to have his sister's boundless energy as well. Subaru fixed the tea and went back into the living room. He handed the second mug to Akito then sat down.

"So, what's the occasion?" Subaru asked. "Why the visit?"

Akito took a sip of his tea. "Well, I've been meaning to visit you and introduce you to Hokuto-chan."

"There's more than that," Subaru said. "I can tell."

Akito drank some more tea.

"Well?" Subaru pressed.

"Lady Sumeragi sent me," Akito sighed. She says that you need an heir."

"An heir, huh?" Subaru muttered.

"Otherwise you'll lose your place as Clan Head."

Subaru was silent. The silence filled the apartment. A few minutes passed. In the silence, the door was heard opening.

"I'm home, Subaru-kun," Seishirou's voice called from the front door.

"Welcome home," Subaru called back.

Akito looked at his cousin. Hokuto stood and bounded towards the front door.

"You didn't tell me you were living with someone," Akito said.

"You didn't ask," Subaru shrugged.

Seishirou came into the sitting room with Ayame and Hokuto behind him. Subaru stood up and walked over to Seishirou.

"We have visitors?" Seishirou asked.

"Yeah," Subaru said, kissing Seishirou quickly.

Seishirou took off his jacket, throwing it over the chair, then sat down. He gave Akito a smile.

"Seishirou, this is my cousin, Sumeragi Akito," Subaru said. "Akito, this is Sakurazuka Seishirou."

"Nice to meet you, Akito-san," Seishirou said.

Akito nodded. "Same here."

Ayame just stood in the entryway. Seishirou looked at his niece, then introduced her to both Akito and Subaru.

Ayame bowed. "Hello."

Subaru smiled. "Hello, Ayame-chan. I'm glad to finally meet someone from Seishirou-san's family."

Ayame gave a soft smile.

Akito said hello to the younger Sakurazuka. Hokuto went over to her father and sat next to him. She took a drink of the milk Subaru had poured for her.

Akito smiled. "This is my daughter, Hokuto. Named after Subaru-san's sister."

Seishirou looked at the young Hokuto. The resemblance to the original Hokuto Sumeragi, the girl he had killed in place of Subaru, was uncanny.

"Uncle Seishirou, may I use your phone? Ayame asked, setting her bookbag down on the floor.

"Yeah, go ahead," Seishirou said.

"Thanks."

With that, Ayame went off into another room, grabbing the phone as she walked away. Subaru stood up and went into the kitchen to pour a cup of tea for Seishirou. Hokuto turned to Seishirou.

"Are you in love with Subaru?" she asked.

Seishirou looked surprised at the girl's question. He hadn't expected her to ask something like that. And she sounded so much like his dear Subaru's sister.

"Well, do you?" Hokuto pressed. "I mean, you did kiss him and you live with him and you always smile at him."

Seishirou sat there as Subaru came back into the sitting room. The younger man looked at Seishirou.

"What's going on?" he asked, handing a mug of tea to Seishirou.

"Subaru?" Hokuto asked. "Do you and Seishirou love each other?"

Subaru blushed. "I should hope that he loves me the way I love him."

"Of course, I love you, Subaru-kun," Seishirou said. "What reason would you think that I wouldn't?"

"Well, there you go, Hokuto," Subaru said. "Seishirou and I love each other."

"That's so cute!" Hokuto squealed. "Subaru-san, are you married to Seishirou?"

Subaru blinked. Then blushed. "No."

"Well, you should marry him!"

"B-but we're both…"

"Don't argue!" Hokuto exclaimed.

"Hokuto," Akito said. "Do not tell your elders what to do."

Hokuto hung her head. "Yes, Daddy."

Subaru stood with an exasperated look on his face. Seishirou put his arms around Subaru's waist and pulled him into his lap. The younger man made no objection to this.

"Hokuto, why don't you go find Ayame-chan and wait for the phone?" Akito said. "I want you to give your mother a call."

"Okay!" Hokuto smiled.

The girl bounced off the couch and skipped into the room Ayame had disappeared into.

Akito sighed. "Sorry about her outburst."

"Don't worry about it," Subaru said.

"We got the same from Subaru-kun's sister," Seishirou added.

Akito nodded.

The three men sat in silence for a bit.

"Ne, Subaru-san?" Akito said.

"Hmm?"

"Wasn't he the one you were hunting down?"

Subaru nodded.

"Why are you living with him?" Akito asked. "I thought you hated him."

Subaru smiled. "Seishirou's one of those guys, Akito-san. Can't live with him; can't live without him."

"That's why you love me," Seishirou said.

"That's not the only reason," Subaru said, kissing Seishirou's forehead.

"Hokuto's right," Akito said. "You two ARE cute together."

* * *

Kamui looked at the photo that Ayame had returned to him. He missed his childhood friends. Kotori and Fuuma had been his only friends, and now Kotori was dead and Fuuma had changed so much. The older boy still retained some of the Dark Kamui's personality.

Ever since the Final Day, Kamui and Fuuma had tried to reform their friendship, but some things were still too much to forgive and forget. Kotori's death, but Kamui still feared that Fuuma might suddenly try to hurt him again.

Kamui sighed. He had loved Fuuma and had never told him. Not once. He had always kept his feelings hidden; trying to deny it, because he wouldn't have wanted to kill one he loved.

Ironically, things hadn't turned out as he had expected. In some strange twist of fate, Fuuma had spent the entirety of the Final Day is bed with a high fever and a major hangover. Destiny must have taken it as a victory for the Ten no Ryu.

Looking back at those events, Kamui laughed out loud. His laugher woke up Keiichi, who had been sleeping soundly on the bed. The blonde boy sat up rubbing his eyes. He had gone straight to bed after school, as he had stayed up quite late the previous night.

"Kamui?"

"Sorry, Keiichi," Kamui said, still laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"Did I ever tell you how the battle for Earth turned out?"

Keiichi shook his head. Kamui laughed again and told him. Soon, Keiichi was laughing as well.

"I'm just glad both of you survived. Keiichi said.

"Me, too," Kamui said. He kissed his boyfriend, then told him to go back to sleep.

"You need your rest," the violet-eye boy said. "You stayed up way too late last night. I'll wake you up for dinner, okay?"

"Okay."

* * *

"Well," Akito said. "We'd better get going. My wife probably wants us back at the hotel."

"Tell Arisa-san hello for me," Subaru said.

"Will do!" Akito smiled. "Come on, Hokuto-chan!"

"Coming!"

Ayame, Seishirou, and Subaru waved good-bye to the departing Sumeragis. Hokuto waved back.

"Bye-bye, Aya-chan!" she smiled. "Bye, Subaru! Bye, Unkie Sei-chan!"

Seishirou raised and eyebrow. "Unkie…Sei-chan?"

Ayame and Subaru snickered as Akito ushered Hokuto out and closed the door. Seishirou looked at his lover and his niece; the former still snickering and the latter outright laughing.

The doorbell rang for the second time that day just a few minutes later. Seishirou went over and opened the door. The woman who stood there smiled.

"Hi," she said. "I'm here to pick up my daughter."

"Aa, you must be Ayame-chan's mother."

"Hai! Sakurazuka Mitsuko!"

Ayame appeared behind Seishirou. She had her bookbag in her hand and was still smiling from Hokuto's nickname for Seishirou.

"Hi, Mom."

"Ready to go?"

"Yup."

"Okay," Mitsuko said. "Let's go. We'll pick up something for dinner on our way home."

"Okay," Ayame said, slipping her shoes on. She went out the door. "Bye, Uncle Seishirou."

The door closed. Seishirou turned to Subaru. The Sumeragi smiled.

"Hokuto was adorable," Subaru said. "She's so much like my sister. She even used `Sei-chan' just like Nee-san."

"Yeah, yeah, cute."

"'Unkie Sei-chan'."

"Shut up, Subaru-kun."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Okay, I'm ending this chapter here. Please review and tell me what you think!