After The Fact Chapter 1: Sumeragi Hokuto, a x/1999 fanfic

Disclaimer: The characters here are largely from Tokyo Babylon and X/1999, owned by CLAMP. Any other character is purely created by my imagination. In addition, the explanations here came from my brain and no, I did not copy it off anywhere. Any coincidence is just that—pure coincidence.

After The Fact

Part 1: Sumeragi Hokuto

"Subaru, no! Sei-chan…Sei-chan!"

Throwing up her arms, Sumeragi Hokuto uttered several inarticulate shrieks of pure rage and helplessness as she watched the Rainbow Bridge crumble in a magnificently dramatic setting of thunderous skies, bolts of lightning, crashing waters and swirling winds.

"Sei-chan NO BAAAKAAAAAA!!!!" shrieked Hokuto. "You are not supposed to use my spell like that! Sakurazuka Seishirou, when I get hold of you, I am going to make you suffer!"

::Sumeragi Hokuto::

Hokuto ignored the summons, but continued her railing and ranting. "Nine years I've waited here, nine years! And what, only for this? Ugh, you two are driving me crazy! Sei-chan, how stupid can you get, huh? How?!?! Subaru loves you and you—you—you—Sakurazuka Seishirou, I swear I will get even, even if it takes me eternity and I have to get reincarnated over and over again!!!"

::Sumeragi Hokuto::

The summons was a little more insistent now.

Hokuto whirled around, tears of rage and grief still glittering in her eyes. She did not seem cowered at the Presence standing there. Instead, she pointed a fierce, well-manicured, red-polished, extremely sharp fingernail at it.

"Destiny sucks!" she said furiously. "What did my brother or Sei-chan ever do, to be destined to end like this? Don't tell me Sei-chan never loved Subaru, because I just know he did! And he just about proved it—only in the wrong way! Now you just explain that to me! And just look at Kotori-chan! She's been crying her eyes out, day after day, watching her own brother trying to kill her brother's best friend, the boy who's practically a brother to her, maybe more! What kind of place is this, where souls can't even rest in peace?!"

::This place is Transitory::

The Presence was patient.

Hokuto rolled her eyes.

::And you know that you should not blame it on me::

Hokuto rolled her eyes even more. "Time-sama," she said through gritted teeth, "Destiny-sama, Fate-sama—whoever you are, if you are not responsible for this, then who would be, huh? Who?!"

::You forgot that I'm also Kami-sama::

Hokuto gave an unladylike snort. "Details, details," she snapped, folding her arms. "Sometimes you also sound so much like Sei-chan when we first knew him that I'm not sure if you aren't him, so there. At least I'm not calling you Sei-chan."

The Presence radiated waves of warm, gentle amusement.

::He is one of the most intelligent Sakurazukamori, if not the most intelligent::

Hokuto gave vent to a loud, outraged noise. "HAH! Intelligent? After what that baka just did to himself and to my brother? Ho, I'd just like to see what a stupid Sakurazukamori is, if Sei-chan is intelligent."

::Sumeragi Hokuto::

"What?"

The Presence sounded thoughtful.

::Perhaps it's time a few things are explained::

"Do," said Hokuto between gritted teeth. "For starters, let's begin with all this pre-destined, fore-ordained crap."

::Yes, that's a good idea, although the language used was uncalled for::

Hokuto felt herself being propelled away in another direction.

::You see, most things in life are choices. In fact, almost everything is::

"Everything important, right?" sniffed Hokuto crossly. "Except for the fore-ordained people like my brother and Sei-chan—"

::Actually, that's not correct. The thirteenth Sumeragi and the Sakurazukamori made choices for most of their lives::

Hokuto screeched to a stop. "Are you telling me that those two were not destined to die at Rainbow Bridge? Why—the—the—I swear, when I get hold of them—"

::It all depends on what they choose. Man sees destiny as fate, thinking that destiny means fixed and fore-ordained. That is only half correct. Destiny is not one fixed point; it is a hundred, a thousand, a million different threads and paths, and choices. Thus far, it is fore-ordained and fixed. But the final choice as to which path or thread to take lies in each human's hands, almost every step of the way::

Hokuto gave the Presence a look. "Right. Like my brother could choose whether or not to fall in love with Sei-chan, and he could also choose whether or not to be marked by Sei-chan, and he could choose whether or not to be the thirteenth Sumeragi, and he could choose whether or not to agree to Sei-chan's bet, and he could choose whether I was to die for him or not, and—"

::Patience, little Sumeragi, and listen, for I have not finished::

"I'll bet," muttered Hokuto under her breath.

::There must be a few fixed points in everyone's life, Sumeragi Hokuto, or else there would be chaos. In everything there is a purpose, however small and minor, that ultimately contributes to the whole. There is at least one constant fixed point in every life::

The Presence paused, perhaps waiting for acknowledgement.

"Death," Hokuto said simply.

::Death:: confirmed the Presence ::But it is not the only fixed point, for people are not born with the purpose to die::

Hokuto looked at the Presence. "What were my fixed points?" she asked, although she had already guessed the answer.

The Presence smiled. ::To be the twin sister to Sumeragi Subaru::

"Is that all?"

::Is it enough?::

Hokuto looked away. "It was everything."

::Yes::

"Then—was I also destined to ask Sei-chan to kill me, so that my brother could live?"

::No. That was your own choice::

Hokuto stopped and stared, aghast. "But—but there was no other way! If I hadn't—"

::But now you will never know::

Hokuto clenched her fists. "I asked Sei-chan to take my life in exchange for Subaru's. There couldn't have been any other way…unless…unless I let my brother go…to Sei-chan…"

::He went, anyway::

Hokuto said nothing, thinking rapidly. Then she spoke aloud. "If I had let Subaru go, it would have been Sei-chan's choice to…to kill him…" She caught her breath, beginning to understand.

::It was also the thirteenth Sumeragi's choice to go and ask. He need not have::

"But I still don't understand Sei-chan!" exclaimed Hokuto suddenly. "He must have loved my brother. He couldn't not have! I was so sure—sometimes I was a little afraid—but he really did love Subaru! Oh, why couldn't he stop hurting Subaru over and over again…" Her voice trailed off sadly.

::Perhaps you should ask him::

"Damn right tootin' I will…wait a minute." She paused, staring at the place the Presence had gently propelled her towards. That door…that apartment door, and that number…it was like she was standing on a well-loved doorstep again, waiting for the moment when a tall, handsome veterinarian with a gorgeous smile and warm amber eyes would open his door and welcome her in, together with her furiously blushing brother…

She turned to the Presence. "He's here?"

::Just arrived. These are the surroundings he loved best when he was alive::

Hokuto looked again at the door. When she turned back, the Presence was gone.

"Well." Sumeragi Hokuto's eyes had a dangerous glint in them as she absorbed the sight of the apartment before her. She rapped sharply on the door. "Open up, Sei-chan. I am just so dying to talk to you."