Diem Perdidi Sorry about the first chapter... it seems kind of awkward to me. Anyway, fun stuff ahead: Subaru and a few other characters make their appearances. Still no Seishirou though... you'll have to wait 'till chapter three. Disclaimer: I do not own Subaru, Seishirou, or any other CLAMP characters appearing in here. They are the property of CLAMP; this should be obvious. I simply toy with them for a brief while because it amuses me. Part 2: Returning Sorata casually slouched against the nearest wall, hands in pockets, waiting for Arashi to finish whatever she was doing with the businessmen in the bookshop. He hadn't actually caught the part of the conversation where she told him the purpose of this venture, but he had heard the words "Hinoto," "Seals," and "protection" so he figured it was official. He sighed into his collar and desperately wished that he understood women. Why was she taking so long? Why did they have to go to a restaurant? And... what the hell was that?! His eyes had lighted on a woman, fairly tall and in her twenties, with short, dark hair and an absolutely outrageous suit. The black jacket and skirt were normal, but the outfit sported thigh-high black pantyhose, a frilly shirt that spilled out of the jacket's neck and sleeves like a waterfall and a huge black top hat with a red band around it a similarly lacy bow pinned to it that must have been a foot wide. Sorata couldn't help it... he stared. He wasn't the only one; people looked at the woman curiously and some of them giggled nervously as she passed them. The woman seemed completely unaware of the looks she was getting and simply strode past the crowd with a confidant gait and a smile on her face. It wasn't until she neared Sorata that he was sincerely caught off guard. Her face... it looked exactly like Subaru. The onmyouji had never mentioned any siblings to him... but this woman was unmistakably a look-alike, if not a relative. Sorata made a mental note to ask Subaru when he got back to the mansion six of the seven seals lived in, but he was distracted as he saw Arashi leaving the restaurant, walking in her usual brisk style. Sorata turned around quickly, but the woman had already disappeared. Shaking his head, he turned to Arashi, wondering dazedly if he was seeing things. Sorata bowed as she approached him and offered the Ise shrine maiden his arm. Arashi glared. Sorata shrugged it off, resolving to tell the Sumeragi Head of his encounter as soon as they got back. * * * * Subaru had not expected the knock on the door. The seals generally left him alone, wary of his quiet demeanor and emotionless responses. Kamui was the only person who entered frequently and knocking was a skill Kamui seemed to have not quite gotten the hang of. Therefore, when he glanced up and saw Sorata's profile in the doorway he was almost taken by surprise. "Another barrier, I suppose?" Subaru's words fell deadened from his lips. He knew it wasn't true, he hadn't felt any kekkai fall, but it seemed to be the most efficient response. Sorata frowned. "No, I wanted to ask if you had any siblings, Subaru... san." He mentally cursed himself. Why was he so nervous? "...Siblings?" Subaru's tone became guarded and icy, "I had one. Why?" "I-I just saw... in the shopping district... a girl who looked like you. Exactly like you and so I thought you might have a sister or...." Sorata flinched at Subaru's sudden movement. "What was she wearing?" Subaru demanded, standing up abruptly. "Some sort of weird... costume, I think. It was a suit that had been modified into this crazy design, with a matching hat and..." Sorata answered, hesitantly. He never got time to finish. He spun around as Subaru ran past him, rushing down the hall and taking the stairs in jumps. "Hey! Where are you going?" The young onmyouji never heard him. Subaru's heart pounded against his ribcage as he continued his mad dash across Tokyo's skyline. His thoughts came as fast and as urgent as the beats of his heart. Hokuto had died. He knew she had. Her soul had been fed to the tree and she was never coming back. The rational part of his mind told him all these things, but a part of him persisted. Even if it was only a manifestation of her spirit, he had to see her. As he neared Ginza he slowed and began to scan the crowds below him for a telltale sign of fashion sense gone wrong. He berated himself for not listening to Sorata more carefully. What had the monk said she was wearing? Within a minute he noticed a flash of silver and green to his right and he leapt to the pavement with trepidation. It wasn't Hokuto. The hair, the eyes, the face were all wrong, although the dress resembled some of his twin's tamer creations. He turned, defeated, and began to walk in the direction he had come. He should have known. It was stupid and naive of him to ever think that Hokuto was alive. It was foolish to wish for things that weren't possible. He slumped against a building, the tears building up in his eyes despite his attempts to hold them back. He was suddenly angry, at Sorata, at himself, at Seishirou. He was wasting his time. "Subaru! Anou... is that you, Subaru?" He froze. His mind was playing tricks on him. That voice... nothing could have... he stayed still, willing the voice to go away. "Mou! Subaru!" A hand touched his shoulder, warm and solid and real. "Don't you want to see your nee-san?" Subaru turned slowly, dreading the empty street behind him. There was no empty street. Hokuto was standing there beaming at him. She was dressed in the suit Sorata had described (as he belatedly recalled), and was carrying several shopping bags. She promptly dropped them and flung her arms around him. "Subaru! Oh, I missed you! I thought I'd never get to see you grow up!" Hokuto's hug had knocked him back into the wall, but all he could think about was Hokuto, clinging to her as if she might disappear at any moment. "Nee-san... nee-san..." he whispered into her hair, dreading the moment he woke up. This had to be a dream, there was no way... "How...?" She pulled away from him, smiling. "I don't know. I just... woke up and I was here. I thought you might have had something to do with it." Hokuto paused, her hands still around him. "Subaru! You're so skinny! Don't you eat at all?" Subaru started. "Err... you see... I've been..." She didn't wait for his response, pulling him across the street, taking her bags with her in one flurry of motion. "Come on! I have to feed you!" She dragged him to the curb where she hailed a taxi and gave the driver odd, garbled instructions which he seemed to understand, but Subaru did not. They pulled away from the curb sharply, almost giving Subaru the impression that he was being kidnapped. The cab brought them to an old apartment building after many minutes of sharp turns and cab driver road rage. Subaru was tempted to ask if the man actually owned a driver's license. Hokuto bounded up the steps two at a time, leaving Subaru hurrying after here, still fearful of waking and finding himself in bed. As they reached the second floor, Hokuto stopped in front of the fourth door, digging in her pocket. He pulled the keys out after a brief search and inserted them into the lock. The mechanism clicked and she opened the door for Subaru. He walked past, barely trusting himself to speak. The apartment itself was full of the same life that Hokuto herself exuberated. The furniture was brightly colored, and although it was mismatched, it all fit together to make the room vibrant and inviting. The pictures on the walls were similarly fashioned and Subaru found himself wondering where anyone could find such odd things. The apartment was far from being finished, he noted. "Did you move in recently?" he asked cautiously, still petrified of waking up and discovering that the whole thing was a dream. "On Tuesday. Four days ago. Had to..." she admitted an 'oof' as she pulled a particularly heavy pan from under the counter. "...Do everything hastily. Do you like it?" He nodded, well used to her style and flamboyant tastes. "What do you mean, 'hastily?'" Hokuto didn't quite meet his eyes. "I want to ask you something, Subaru. You don't have to say yes, and I know you're grown up and..." "You've grown up as well." As he said it, he realized it was true. He hadn't noticed, but Hokuto had definitely aged. The vigor she had as a sixteen-year-old was still there, but her physical appearance had changed as well. She was very... beautiful. "I suppose so." She hesitated. "Subaru... would you like to live with me again? It'll be just like when we were together last..." She paused, looking for the effect of her words. Subaru smiled. It had been a very long time since one had graced his face, and it felt awkward, but it looked like heaven to Hokuto. "I would like nothing better." His words were soft but they carried with them all her hopes. Her face lit up instantly. "Subaru! I'm so glad! I love you, little brother, do I say that enough?" She hugged him again, fiercely, before remembering the meal on the stove and dived to rescue it. When Hokuto succeeded in coaxing him to sit down to the meal (saved in time) he felt as if he could not stop smiling if he wanted to. There were so many questions to ask, but she kept him busy with questions of her own, and before long he realized that he was very tired. He tried to focus on what she was saying, but the light from the windows must have been affecting his eyes because they were getting blurry. He tried to say something, to ask her, but the words wouldn't come and he slid to the floor, unconscious. End Part 2 NOTE: Ginza is a shopping district in Tokyo. I am assuming that Hokuto would be very familiar with the place since she likes shopping so much. Don't worry, I promise the next chapter will have Sei-chan.