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TB/X fanfic: Family Matters - Interregnum 6
Fandom: Tokyo Babylon, X/1999
Story Arch: Decagram
Story: Family Matters
Chap.: Interregnum 6 (between the chapters 17 and 18)
Rating: NC-17 (story in total)


Disclaimer, Warnings, Spoilers, Summary: see Family Matters 00 -- Introduction

Summary: Decisions and declarations, three late night meetings, and an awakening.

Special thanks go to my editor solo for dejumbling, demirroring, and generally cutting through the Mist.
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A. Kniggendorf: Family Matters -- 17: Interregnum 6


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A Tokyo Babylon / X fanfic
based on the homonymous manga books by Clamp.

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Sagano-cho, Kyoto (West)
Sumeragi Family Residence
April 16, 2000 -- 21:48

The small shisa next to Sachiko's and Hokuto's spirit tablets raised its head and growled deep in its throat. A moment later, somebody knocked. Ameru stood, gave the upset guardian spirit a brief pat on the red mane, and opened the door.

"Shiro-san." Sumeragi Hamamatsu stood in the hallway, bowing to him. "If you would follow me. The elders request your presence at the council."

First, that shift of power in the estate wards, and now they were calling him to council?

Hamamatsu was already looking impatient. Ameru frowned. "I'm coming." He took his jacket from the hanger and closed the door behind him.

The great hall was full of people. Fusuma separated the elders from the rest of the clan. Tripods holding shallow bowls of glowing embers and incense warded the dais. Guards sat beside them, watching the open fire as much as protecting the elder council against eavesdroppers. Apparently, the topic wasn't meant for the ears of commoners yet, but the assembled clan hadn't been dismissed. Murmurs arose as Ameru followed Hamamatsu to the screened dais. Murmurs about who he had been.

A guard he didn't know by name moved the fusuma aside and let him enter. The room inside was dimmed, lit mostly by the fire within an iron tea stove around which the elders had formed a half circle. A cushion was laid out before them. For him.

Ameru bowed low and then sat down, feeling the cloth of his suit pants strain against his knees. He waited silently. He knew better than to rush her.

"Ameru-san," she acknowledged him, avoiding the matter of the family name with the joviality of old people. "It's been a long time since you were here."

He bowed slightly. It was plain truth. In 1979, a month after his father's death, he'd sat in front of a similar council to be stripped of his identity and sent away to father a child prophesied to save the world on the final day of 1999.

The woman destined to bear that child had turned out to be a 15-year-old girl who had wanted him no more than he had wanted to leave Sachiko. Ameru clamped his jaws tight at the memory. He'd felt like a pedophile touching that awkward girl. And Tohru-san hadn't conceived easily.

"I think you do know why we summoned you, nephew," Tomoaki stated. "Your son--"

"Kamui's in Tokyo, Tomoaki-san," Ameru said softly.

His mother's hand twitched. "We are speaking of Subaru-san," she clarified stiffly. "And his public indecency with the Sakurazukamori."

~:~:~:~:~

Sakura Enterprises, Osaka
April 16, 2000 -- 21:56

Fujiwara Michiko, Chief of Operations of Sakura Enterprises Osaka Division, closed the door of her office behind her and locked it. She sat down behind her desk and for a moment, just buried her face in her hands. For twenty years now she'd worked for the Mori. And Seishiro had been the Sakurazukamori. She'd met him the first time a few weeks before her sister gave birth. The Osaka office had sent her to assist him, but he hadn't wanted assistance; just a driver.

"You're Mariko's sister," had been the first thing he'd said to her and for a long time that had been his only comment. No question. No inquiry. It had been a statement of fact, not interest, while her non-descript compact car sped towards Kobe harbor's freight terminal on Port Island. She'd been taught that the Sakurazukamori was the last, the final line of spiritual defense for Japan when all else failed. There'd be no second chance should he fall. And the Sakurazukamori next to her on the passenger seat was barely nineteen years old.

She hadn't thought he could win against a fully-fledged demonar until she saw what he was capable of. And what he could take, if need be. One of the fire demon's claws had opened his belly, had torn his stomach, and still he chanted, channeling the Sakura. That was when she'd learned that the Tree could heal -- at a price. Port Island had lost a wharf that day, but the demonar had been contained and Seishiro...

She remembered him virtually unconscious in her car afterwards, reeking of blood and intestines; remembered his refusal to be brought to a place registered with the organization. They'd ended up parking the car in a deserted industrial lane. She remembered his groaning, his hisses of agony... and something else she hadn't dared ask about.

Seishiro was a force to be reckoned with. She knew he'd kill her without a thought should his position demand it, as she had voted to destroy him when he'd been caught with the Sumeragi. She hadn't been worried then -- but she should have been. With Honshu out of commission, she was the section leader nearest to Tokyo. She'd be the one called to serve the tree -- something Seishiro had no doubt counted. If he lost his position, she would go to Tokyo and somebody else would be sent to rule Shikoku section. She'd have to make sure Mariko and the children were gone by then. However, it would be a lot better for them all if he just remained the Sakurazukamori...

Her hand fell to the intercom. "Contact Hokkaido, Korea, and Kyushu. Tell them Shikoku as working section closest to Honshu is calling for a section leader meeting in fifteen minutes."

~:~:~:~:~

Sagano-cho, Kyoto (West)
Sumeragi Family Residence
April 16, 2000 -- 22:02

Public indecency. With the Sakurazukamori.

Ameru knew he should pay attention to what the elders were saying. The shisa had warned him of them, but it hadn't warned of the Sakurazukamori, who had slept with his son. No, with whom his son slept--

Did that distinction really matter? Would it have mattered between him and Sachiko? His head swirled while he forced himself to follow their words. Today, Subaru had ended a thirteen-hundred-years old feud and called his lover to his side, defying the elders. He tried to reconcile that with the photograph of the resigned, grey-eyed man he'd taken in Tokyo almost a year ago--

"Ameru-san," his mother addressed him. "You are born Sumeragi. Certainly you see that Subaru cannot remain head of the house when he involves us in bloodshed. You had to forgo the headship in order to fulfil the prophecy your father penned on his deathbed. It is within the law for you to reclaim it, now that the year of decision has passed. As your son, Subaru-san is subject to your decisions."

Ameru said nothing. The man who'd casually traced the fuda of the gecko shiki back to him hadn't cared for the intricacies of Sumeragi law. But because of him Subaru had stood up against the council -- something Ameru should have done when they’d taken the twins twenty-three years ago. He balled his fists. He wouldn't fail Subaru again. "With all due respect, honored elders," he said. "I cannot see your point. Certainly, Subaru-sama can expect privacy in his own rooms."

"For sleeping with the Sakurazukamori?" Tomoaki inquired.

"If he chooses to do so," Ameru shrugged. "Yes."

"Ameru-san. The Sakurazukamori is also the murderer of your daughter." Elder Makoto took the word for the first time. "Can you forgive that?"

Ameru closed his eyes briefly. "No. I cannot forgive that. But I can see why my son needs him." He faced his mother in midst of the elders. "I refuse the position. The thirteenth head of the Sumeragi is Subaru."

~:~:~:~:~

Sakura Enterprises, Osaka
April 16, 2000 -- 22:16

Three of the four monitors on the wall were lit when Michiko entered, checked the security, and locked the room. Blurred frames behind desks similar to the one here were waiting for her; the fourth -- Honshu -- remained dark.

Michiko squared her shoulders and straightened her suit before sitting down and activating her line.

"Ladies and gentlemen. Three days ago, in the afternoon of April 13, we all were witnesses to the Sumeragi head entering our Tokyo offices and destroying the section's Chief of Operations. Since then, Honshu section has been inactive and Shikoku, as the closest functional section, is handling the Sakurazukamori until Honshu is fully restored. This is the matter requiring your attention."

Michiko drew a deep breath. "Colleagues. After reviewing the footage from Honshu section in detail, I have come to the conclusion that we made a grave mistake. When we decided to remove Sakurazuka Seishiro from office, we ignored the Sakura itself. It is evident that the Sakura does not consider Sakurazuka's involvement with the Sumeragi transgression. Therefore, Shikoku considers his removal from office invalid."

Silence. Michiko held her breath. If she had miscalculated, she was dead. They wouldn't let her live if they doubted her loyalty to the organization. She--

=Seconded,"= Korea said calmly.

=Ditto.= Hokkaido chuckled. =It is easier to replace an unfit COO than a fit Sakurazukamori.=

=Accepted,= Kyushu signalled grudgingly, =But that doesn't change the fact that the Sumeragi invaded our Tokyo offices to avenge the assault on his lover. We can't leave such a challenge unanswered. The Sumeragi--=

"Indeed, Kyushu-san," Michiko cut in sharply. "Hokkaido-san. And that is our second point tonight. We do not have to replace Honshu's COO and Sumeragi did not invade our offices."

=We all saw him killing Honshu-san!= Korea exclaimed.

"The former Honshu-san," Michiko specified coolly. "As you can see--" She displayed a still frame showing Sakurazuka Romiro being ground to death by sakura petals in front of Sumeragi's booted feet. "The current Honshu-san is Sumeragi."

~:~:~:~:~

Sagano-cho, Kyoto (West)
Sumeragi Family Residence - Westwing
April 16, 2000 -- 22:26

Akiko bowed again to her small home shrine, dedicated to Inari. The recently lit reverence candles in vermillion colored stands flickered. Inari, her former family's kami, had always given her comfort in the cold glory of the Sumeragi's sun.

But now it seemed as if the god's dutiful fox spirits were laughing at her, laughing and heckling while leaping after sakura petals dancing on the wind. How could Subaru-san allow that the Sakurazukamori--

Akiko shivered. She knew she was being unfair. The bargain among their families hadn't been kept and he'd been kind enough not to pressure her about it. Most other men -- certainly most of his elders -- would have sent her away, not caring what became of her. A woman without child never became wife, but even the thought of trying was terrifying after... that night.

But she honestly hadn't wanted him to suffer. She--

"It's about time you stopped living off Subaru-kun's guilt."

Subaru-kun.

Maybe... Maybe, she hadn't taken as much away from him as she thought. Maybe, she'd freed him to--

Stop lying to yourself, A-chan, she berated herself. The situation couldn't go on like this. And not because--

"You have fourteen days."

No. Not at all. She closed her hand hard around the paper charm, crumpling it. A fox wailed outside. She had made her decision.

~:~:~:~:~

Clamp Campus, Tokyo
University Hospital
April 16, 2000 -- 23:55

Akechi Shigetaka shielded his eyes with his hand as the dark, unmarked helicopter swept in to hover barely a meter off the ground, low enough for an agile, black-clad man to jump down and run towards him, ducked against the whirling rotor blades overhead. Ijyuin Shigetoshi was still surprisingly fit, given that he'd turned fifty three years ago and was a grandfather of two.

Akechi smiled as he closed his hand around his older half-brother's lower arm, receiving the same close wordless welcome in return. It had been years since they'd seen each other in person. The price of fame... so to speak.

He indicated the door leading from the roof down into the hospital. They rode the elevators to sub level one and used the backdoor near the morgue. It was only a short way through the unlit gardens to Imonoyama's residence.

The mansion itself was equally dark. Imonoyama opened the door in an unlit hallway. "Welcome," he said.

The lights didn't come on until the door was firmly closed behind them. Akechi blinked in the sudden brightness.

"I'm sorry that I can't offer you the front door," Imonoyama continued. "But--"

"Better safe than sorry," Shigetoshi completed quietly. "Not all statutes of limitation have expired. We may have been born later, but we're still reaping the benefits."

"Indeed. The library?" Imonoyama indicated a narrow staircase, then led the way. "And let's hope Suoh never learns about this meeting. He's somewhat paranoid about late night guests he's not supposed to pat down."

"He could try." Shigetoshi smiled on their way up. "But he might find more than he was looking for."

"That's what I'd like to prevent," Imonoyama returned, pushing the library door wide. The room inside was cozy, heavy velvet curtains drawn, fireplace lit. Dark bookshelves lined the walls up to the high ceiling. A thick, light-golden patterned carpet with a stark red crest that looked like blood in the firelight cushioned their steps.

"The jammers are on in this and the adjacent rooms," Imonoyama said, "but I can’t prevent them from affecting the neighboring buildings. Let's try to keep this to a minimum."

Shigetoshi nodded. "Give him the file, 'Taka." He headed for the small bar in a corner and poured himself a drink, unasked, offering one to Akechi as well, while Imonoyama sat in one of the upholstered armchairs and read.

"Does Akira know this already?" Shigetoshi asked after a moment.

"No, not yet." Akechi shook his head. "Speaking of Akira, have you seen him recently?"

Shigetoshi sighed. "No. It's become difficult since he's got a family of his own to worry about."

"You could play Santa for his sons as well," Akechi suggested.

"No." His brother laughed. "That's his duty and privilege alone." He swayed the golden liquid in his glass briefly and downed it in a single gulp. "I'm glad his wife made him give up the family business. It's better to see him healing children and being tormented by his own. The risks of being a thief these days --"

"I don't believe it," Imonoyama said, looking up at last. "That's--" He ran a hand through his hair and laughed uneasily. "I'm sorry. I'm just trying to wrap my mind around the fact that the forbidden number in my phone book is actually Akira's... uncle?" He shook his head.

"Do you know how to contact him?" Shigetoshi asked.

"He might know something about father," Akechi added. "If nothing else, he is a brother we didn’t know we had."

"It's not that simple. Seishiro... isn't an easy character. You have to be careful with him. Very careful." Imonoyama's quiet words held a strange emphasis. His eyes wandered from Akechi to Shigetoshi, considering them. "Speak with Sumeragi-san first," he said finally. "He knows him better than I do these days. I can arrange for a meeting, but it might take a while."

~:~:~:~:~

Ueno-Sakuragi-cho, Tokyo,
April 17, 2000 -- 01:17

It was well past midnight when Yue felt his temporary ward approaching the house. The Sakura hadn't told him about Sei-chan's return, so he assumed they hadn't come by the park. The spirit soldiers remained quiet. There was no obvious need to hurry.

Lady ginkgo rustled above him. Sumeragi-san's ferns, growing thick around her roots, whispered with delicate fronds already reaching above his knees. He looked up into the ragged, dark crown and bowed earnestly over his folded hands at her. The female tree carried the seal he had cut into her trunk over eighty years ago with obvious pride.

The pentagram ornament on the garden wall outside the gate creaked. A moment later, the gate fell into its lock. Faint footsteps followed by dull thuds; a wheeled suitcase being pulled over the stone tiles of Sei-chan's haphazard garden path. The sound of the front door being opened and closed. The rustle of discarded coats. A yawn--

"You've got to eat something."

"I had chocolates on the train."

Sumeragi replied nothing. The bedroom door closed quietly.

Yue sighed. "Fools," he said to the guarding tree and the ginkgo rustled again in agreement. He gave her a wicked smile and another bow and went in search for Sumeragi.

He found him sitting on the couch, lean face buried silently in his hands. Yue squatted down before him. "We still have to talk, Second-source-of-the-Dao."

It made Sumeragi look up. There was pain in those green eyes. Green eyes that even after fourteen hundred years were painfully familiar. "There is nothing to talk about," he said flatly.

As was the pain.

"It was necessary," Yue reminded him softly.

"I committed murder." Sumeragi raised his hand as if to stop the expected reply. "And no, I can't take the Sakura's involvement as justification for my crime or for forcing my people to follow me into ostracism. I--" He closed his mouth abruptly, as if he had just now realized he was revealing all that to a ghost whom he was supposed to exorcise.

"No crime," Yue said firmly. "If spilling blood to defend what's important stains you, then all samurai were eta. It is the duty of a clan head to make his people see reason, to force it upon them if necessary. You acted as what you are, based on what you know and they don't understand. Yet. Do not belittle that." Sumeragi glanced at him shocked. "I was forced to make the same decision in life," Yue reminded him. "I can't say I regret the results. And neither should you. You defended what you were supposed to defend and eliminated the threat to your loved one afterwards."

Silence.

"You were there," Sumeragi said at last. "Under the tree. Did... did I hurt him?"

Yue contemplated his answer for a moment.

"No," he said finally. "Kali took Shiva. She gave life where it was almost lost. No child remembers the pain of birth." He forced Sumeragi to meet his eyes, felt goose bumps on the warm skin where his spirit fingers rested on it. Yet Sumeragi didn't shiver, didn't break away from his touch. "The goddess of creation approved of your choice, or neither he nor you would be here now."

"Then why are you still here?"

Breaking the contact with regret, Yue sat back on his heels and laughed. "Do you still want to exorcise me? I suggest you reconsider. The Sakura would not approve."

"I don't care about the Sakura's approval. I'm supposed to exorcise you. But I'm also supposed not to kill anybody, not to live with the Sakurazukamori, not to love--" he broke off. "I don't do much of what I'm supposed to do these days," he finished quietly. "I'm not even sure I should. Why do you help him?" He nodded towards the dark bedroom. There was an unsaid 'Why do you help me?', but Yue was sure Sumeragi wouldn't like the answer to that.

"Sei-chan's a special one," he said instead. Sumeragi coughed at the diminutive. "Few have affected the Sakura as much as he has. Fewer yet have changed the structures at the very core of what we are." He smiled wistfully, allowing his substance to become translucent as he continued. "I was forced to open a chasm between Amaterasu's children and the Sakura. He closed it." He allowed his spiritual essence to brush against Sumeragi's lips as he dissipated fully. "In a most pleasurable manner."

~:~:~:~:~

Edogawa-ku, Tokyo,
April 17, 2000 -- 06:06

The one who once hunted the power of god allowed himself a deep, satisfied smile. He'd awoken to consciousness almost twelve hours ago and was still lucid, still in control of this body. He could have done countless things, but right now, he preferred sitting here and watching the night creep over and out of the shrine yard. Wishes had whispered past him all through the night, though they were becoming tangled these days, blurred and convoluted. At first, he'd thought it was because of the shrine and the constant interference of the one who wielded the power of god -- and played depressed brat instead -- but by now he was sure it was something inside himself.

For the first time in this year that hadn't been meant to happen, his fingertips didn't come away bloody when he trailed them down his cheek. When he looked into a mirror as Fuma, he saw a pale white scar in his skin.

He growled. His powers were fading. Kamui's powers were fading as well.

Fulfilling Kamui's wish had become impossible, and regarding his own wish...

"And what is your wish?" The Sumeragi had asked him in the old reality.

"Only Kamui can fulfil my wish," he had replied, and he had been wrong.

They all had new wishes now, and while Kamui's remained impossible, fulfilling Sumeragi's was going to be the perfect way of getting back at Sakurazuka for betraying their purpose.

He who once hunted the power of god leaned back, staring at the sun slowly rising behind the old trees lining the shrine compound. Another dawn in the year that hadn't been meant to happen.

"Fuma?" Kamui, sleep-drunk, asked behind him. "What are you--?"

"No... not solely." He brushed over his cheek, felt scab under his fingertips, threw back his head and laughed. He watched Kamui gulp at the gesture and there was that impulse to pin him to the floor, slam-- He shook it off. A swarm of birds took to the sky, their wings beating the air loudly.

The earth grumbled. A minor quake. Probably a three on the Shindo scale.


to be continued in
Family Matters - chapter 18: Lunar Eclipse

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Notes:

(1) Eta is a highly derogatory name (literally "filthy mass") for the outcasts in feudal Japan, who worked in occupations related to death. Their descendants form a large group among contemporary burakumin in Japan.


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