Aishuu Offers:
Just Someone I Used to Know
mbsilvana@yahoo.com
A 1999 Word Challenge Fic
X:1999 is property of CLAMP.  This contains spoilers
for Tokyo Babylon OAVS, and late-teens X.





When I was a young woman, I almost died. I was cursed
with the ability to see the past, and it was a
terrible burden. I was dying inside, inch by precious
inch, and no one could hear me screaming. 

Then I met a young man, and he changed my life.  He
didn�t heal me intentionally, but his concern saved
me� It is not a story of love� it is a story of hope-
at least in my case. 

It sounds like a cliche- a beautiful woman rescued by
a man whose own beauty was surpassed only by the
kindness of his heart; and to a certain extent it is
true. But were it truly to be a that fairytale, it
would have ended differently. He wouldn't have been in
love with Seishirou... 

How odd, that the fairytale prince that freed me from
my misery was in love with another man... especially
Seishirou. Sakurazuka Seishirou... he seemed so kind,
that one time I met him. But he never touched me,
never offered to shake my hand. I thought it was out
of consideration, but now I know it was out of
cunning. 

And cruelty. How could anyone want to break someone
like Subaru? But he did... and I hated him for that. I
never experienced such a pure and terrifying feeling. 

Subaru lost his sister to Seishirou's hands... and
then they both disappeared. 

We moved in similar circles, Subaru and I, but no one
spoke his name openly. There were always undercurrents
whenever the Sumeragis were mentioned, for tragedy had
touched them. There is a fear that by mentioning it,
it will take you away as well.  Subaru had become a
shadow, rather than the ray of light he should have
been, and those who had seen him spoke of darkness
clinging to a soul that had been pristine. 

I worried for him. Even the birth of my twins, Natsu
and Fuyu, didn't completely allay that small nagging
doubt in my heart, whenever my mind wandered to him.
It seemed unfair to me that he didn't know the
happiness he had helped me find. Still, it was a small
concern. 

Time passes, as time does, and Subaru faded away from
my thoughts, a wistful wish. Something unfinished. I
went on, and lived a happy life, with my husband by my
side. I helped the police as they needed me, for my
gift was a rare one. 

Then the earthquakes came, and I was called to site
after site, trying to make sense of what was
happening. And for the first time, I lied to the
police. I claimed that I didn't understand what was
going.  

I did- the afterimages of battles nearly overwhelmed
me, and I saw the shadows of the kekkai that were
raised.  I saw discussions of destiny, and felt the
anguish and sorrow of the Earth as the chosen ones
battled for our destiny.  It almost overwhelmed me,
and it was only my through my husband�s support that I
didn�t go mad.

Finally came the day that I was called to Rainbow
Bridge� and it led me to meet Subaru again.

Rainbow Bridge had fallen in another of the strange
earthquakes that was rocking the area� and I was
called there.  A man had been found dead, and I was
supposed to see if I could follow the traces.  There
had been signs of battle, and eyewitnesses claimed
that to see him enter the area before the bridge area
before it fell.

I arrived late evening, wearing my husband�s trench
coat.  My neighbor had agreed to watch the twins, but
I still didn�t want to be out.  They were getting old
enough to question what Okaasan was doing� and I
didn�t want to answer those questions.

The body was that of a man, I could tell from the
sheet, and from the way it clung, it had been in the
river.  I looked up at the remains of the bridge, and
realized another of those places, the ones the chosen
ones� the dragons, as they called themselves, had
fallen.

Tokyo was dying around me, and all I could do was
watch.  I couldn�t tell anyone the truth I saw.  The
battles were beyond those of mortal man.

The policemen pulled the sheet back as I removed my
gloves to get the dying impression, and I gasped. 
�Seishirou!�  

I had seen him, before.  All of us who moved in the
mystic circles knew him, after Sumeragi Hokuto died. 
The warning of whom the current Sakurazukamori had
gone out, and I knew never to approach him.  I had
only seen him, fleetingly, with Subaru, but now�

�Do you know him?� the policeman asked.

�Sakurazuka Seishirou,� I answered, and forced myself
to place my hands on his head.  I needed to know. 
This was for Subaru� I promised�

Blood.  Death.  Falling� and a feeling that shouldn�t
have been there.  Subaru�s face, aged and sorrowful�
and dark.  Surrounded by cherry blossoms, I saw the
innocent young Subaru being swept away, replaced by a
darker version with a single burning eye, filled with
obsession. Then Subaru smiled, and pushed his hand
through a phantom Seishirou�s chest.

I gasped, and jerked away, and dropped my gloves. 
Slowly I rose to my feet, and walked away.  I heard
the police call my name, but I ignored them.  Perhaps�
now I could save the one who had saved me.

My feet guided me, for I knew where the sakura bloomed
at this time of year.  The only place... Ueno Park was
nearby, and though it was crazy on my behalf, I hoped
I could find him there.

The walk took a better part of an hour, and I was
tired by the time I got there.  Sure enough, there was
a male silhouette curled up at the foot of the sakura
tree.  �Subaru-san?� 

The figure sat up slowly, before turning its white
face to me.  One bright green eye stared at me, but
the other was dulled with blindness� someone had
stolen his sight, and I wondered who could ever injure
the beautiful person he was.  He blinked slowly. 
�Mirei-san?� he whispered.  Then he laughed, sounding
a touch mad.  �Tonight is the night for the ghosts of
my pasts to haunt me��

I cautiously approached him, and placed a hand on his
shoulder, to try to offer comfort- but I had forgotten
I had taken my gloves off to view Seishirou.  Images
of Subaru�s life whirled by me, and I screamed,
clutching my head as I was overwhelmed.

Hokuto dressed in a shikifuku�. Seishirou�s hand
piercing her chest�. Obsessively searching for
Seishirou� what is your dream?� A boy with the power
of the heavens�. Losing an eye� hand through
seishrou�s chest� YOU ARE MY MASTER!�. embrace the
sakura�.

The images blurred and made my head throb, and
suddenly Subaru was slipping gloved over my hands,
though the were not the white ones I had dropped at
Rainbow Bridge.  They were the black ones I remembered
him wearing, and for some reason, they numbed my
hands.  

He saw my confused expression.  �They�re warded.  I
carry they� but I won�t be needed them anymore.�  His
expression was dark, and didn�t encourage questions.

�Subaru� I� I was called to Rainbow Bridge�� I twisted
my hands nervously, and the leather with wards felt
smooth, but curiously distant.  

Subaru looked at me, and there was a deadness in his
face, and his body language was that of someone who
had been defeated once too often.  �I killed him. 
Tell the police- I don�t care.  They won�t be able to
hold me.�  There was no smugness in his statement,
just fact.

I blinked.  �You� killed� him?� I echoed, and just
stared at him, kneeling beside where he sat.

There was a curious absent of expression.  �It was
foreordained.  Some things are.  Do you know what
destiny is, Mirei?�

I nodded slowly.  I had met my destiny, and though it
had been trying, I was a better person for it. 

�My destiny is to take Seishirou�s place��  He looked
up at the faint pink petals and seemed entranced for a
moment.  �Soon� we will understand what the world�s
destiny is, but for that to happen, I must first meet
my destiny.�

I reached over to touch him again, protected by the
gloves, but he evaded my touched.  �You�ve changed,
Subaru��

�I�ve grown up,� he replied.  �The Subaru you knew
believed in the goodness of humanity- now I know that
there�s no such thing.�  He rose to his feet, and I
was forced to crane my head to stare up at him.  �Do
you think this tree is pretty?� he asked abruptly.

I smiled as the petals snowed down around us.  �Yes,
Subaru.  I love sakura blossoms�.�  I knew that he was
about to drop a bombshell, but it was against my
nature to lie.

�It�s one of the wickedest things in existence.  It
feeds on souls,� he informed me in a flat voice.  I
pulled away from the tree, never realizing the title
Sakurazukamori was so literal.  �Be careful of the way
things look, Mirei��

�I-�  I rose to my feet quickly, and grabbed the
sleeve of his shirt.  �Subaru� once long ago you gave
me hope, merely by caring.  Isn�t there anything I can
do?�

He looked at me, and seemed to be slightly aback.  �Do
you know� everyone has a Wish?� he asked softly.  �I�m
not the one who can see them� and I can�t grant them��

I let my hands fall away.  �I think Wishes change,� I
said softly.  �But at this instant, the only thing I
Wish is for you to be happy�.�

He looked at me.  �It�s nice to know I�m not the only
one with an impossible wish.�  He started to pull
away, and I let him go, feeling a that small part of
me that had always dreamt of him break inside.  Then
he paused.  �Do you love Tokyo?�

�I� I love the people in it.  Tokyo is just a city. 
Cities come and go, Subaru; it�s the people who are
important,� I said after a moment of thought.

Subaru blinked at me, and then a bitter smile lit his
face.  �What do you do when the people you love are
taken away from you?�

�You live,� I answered.

He seemed to consider this.  �Mirei� if you really
believe that cities can be rebuilt� leave Tokyo.  
It�s coming� and it will spare no one.�  He made
another attempt to leave, and this time, he put a fair
amount of distance between us before I could react.

�What is!� I demanded at his back.  He didn�t answer
me, but I wasn�t surprised. He vanished into the
shadows that had overtaken his life, and I mourned for
him, and the sweet youth I had known.

I had failed him.  The darkness in his eyes was
terrifying to me� and his talk of taking Seishirou�s
place�

Sakurazukamori� the tree seemed to whisper to me,
laughing in triumph.  The corruption of the innocent
boy I had so cherished was complete, and I was too
late.  I made another Wish that moment: a Wish that he
would find peace.

I knew that would be that last time I ever saw
Sumeragi Subaru alive.  The next time I see him, it
will be when the police call me to investigate his
murder scene, and I will place my hands on his body,
and see his final moment.  I will relive those
terrifying moments of helplessness� and for him, it
will be combined with joy.  When Subaru dies, I will
be there for him, and that will be my repayment. 

He gave me life with the gift of his smile and
concern.  I will give him a peaceful death with the
gift of truth I bring.

I�m not a clairvoyant- that was my mother�s gift. 
Still, I know this in my heart.  Subaru was right
about that.

Some things are foreordained.


~(~(~(~(~(~)~)~)~)~)~

Notes: Here�s the Challenge Rules, Courtesy of Vul (of
CLAMPesque, though it probably was posted elsewhere)

You must write a fic. 
It must be an X fic. 
And (here's the kicker) 
It must be 1999 words long. 
 





=====
Don�t ask of me to tell you where I�m from. 
Don�t bury me in the lost yesterdays. 
Don�t stop me any further. 
Even now in my heart sleeps, my dream that like a storm is still raging. 
I Want to Become the Wind
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Quicksilver/
http://www.midnightrevolution.org/quicksilver/

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