Notes: Okay, so. My new TB fic. Not happy and fluffy. Despite the prologue, Subaru *will* be playing a major role in this fic. You’ll all just have to wait and see how. Eheh. The title is from the prayer “As I lay me down to sleep” et cetera.
Warnings: Yaoi, S/S. Obviously. Hokuto being shrill. Major AU. Major angst. And sex, most likely at some point.
Rating: R.... I don’t know if there will be any sex scenes, but if there are I’ll warn specifically later.
Disclaimer: I somehow doubt CLAMP would have any interest in my story.
Before I Wake
Prologue
If there was one thing that Seishirou regretted about not seeing the Sumeragi twins anymore, it was that his life seemed to have gotten quite boring. Of course, he had been well aware that this would happen. It wasn’t as if he’d had an exciting life before he’d met them. Get up, find some way to entertain himself for the day, kill people, sleep.
Maybe not the most exotic of schedules, but it had always worked for him.
The Sumeragi twins had certainly changed that; in addition to taking the job as a veterinarian to interest Subaru, they had come to visit him at lunch, given him places to go on the weekends and in the evening, told him interesting stories. In a way, he supposed that he would miss them.
But a bet was a bet, and never let it be said that the Sakurazukamori didn’t keep his word.
He was surprised, walking to the store, to see Hokuto crossing the street. He had thought that she had gone back to Kyoto after Subaru’s death, but apparently she was back. He wondered briefly who was Clan Head now. Well, an easy way to find out.
He fell into step beside her. “Hokuto-chan, it’s good to see you.”
Hokuto blinked up at him for a second before letting out a small shriek. “Get away from me!”
Seishirou gave her his best smile. “You don’t want to make a scene, do you, Hokuto-chan?”
“What do you want?” she hissed.
“Did you just get back to Tokyo?” he asked conversationally. “I haven’t seen you for a few months.”
“Yes,” she snapped. “I was in Kyoto for the funeral,” she added, putting special stress on that last word. “Now get the hell away from me before I put my new spike heels to good use.”
“I had a question for you,” Seishirou said, still smiling. “Who’s the new Clan Head?”
“My cousin. Irishido.”
Seishirou considered this. “Neither you nor Subaru ever mentioned him.”
“I know,” she said, through gritted teeth. “Amazing, isn’t it, that Subaru showed so much more concern that his cousin might get hurt than himself. No, we made sure you never knew about Irishido, and you’re not going to find out anything about him now. Leave me alone.”
“You’re so cold, Hokuto-chan,” Seishirou said, and laughed.
She spun on her heel and glared at him. The crowd parted around them and continued on, like a rock in a river. “I told you that if you hurt my brother, I’d kill you,” she said.
Seishirou looked at her, and the smile vanished. Just as if someone had flipped a switch, his eyes went cold. Hokuto thought she could smell sakura. “And are you going to?” he asked. There was no menace in his voice, just a vague sense of curiosity.
“No,” she said bitterly. “I know better than to think I can.”
She turned and started walking again. Seishirou followed her. This was making his day far more amusing than he had originally intended. “Did your brother . . . move on properly?”
“Afraid for your safety?” Hokuto snapped.
“Just trying to plan my day,” Seishirou said calmly.
“Yes, he did,” she said wearily. “As far as we know. I think I probably would have realized if he hadn’t, don’t you?”
He laughed, back to being the charming veterinarian. “Hokuto-chan, I must admit that you’re not as much fun to be around anymore. It’s too bad.”
“Maybe you should’ve thought of that before you murdered my brother,” she said, her voice choking. “I’m sure I’d still be cheerful and naive if you hadn’t done that.”
“I’m sure,” Seishirou said. “Well, I have to be going. Will I see you again?”
“Not if I can help it,” Hokuto snapped, turned the corner, and stomped off. Seishirou leaned against the wall and laughed, and he laughed for a long time.
~~~~
Uh, yeah. There'll be plot in chapter one, I promise.
Chapter One
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