"Subaru-kun no Tanjoubi Desu"

        A glowing birthday cake, white with yellow and green trim, sat upon 
the table and lit the room.
        Subaru sat alone at the table, watching the candles flicker.
        "What are you doing here, all alone?" Hokuto asked, slipping her 
arms around Subaru.
        "Thinking," Subaru replied softly.  "Happy birthday, Hokuto-chan."
        "It's your birthday, too, Subaru," Hokuto reproved him, kissing 
Subaru on the cheek and moving to sit down in another chair, one pulled 
back from the table for her.  "How old are you now?  Twenty-two?"
        "Too old," Subaru said quietly.  "Too tired...."
        "You've been tracking him for too long," said Hokuto softly, 
resting a ghostly hand on top of Subaru's.  "Let it go for a while, 
Subaru.  I'm dead and that's that.  Stop trying to kill yourself."
        "No," Subaru said abruptly.  "Seishirou-san is Sakurazukamori, and 
it's my duty to stop him.  Besides, he's one of the Minions, and I'm a 
Seal.  I cannot just *stop*."
        "You sound like a junkie," Hokuto said sourly.
        "I'm sorry," Subaru softly replied.
        Hokuto pouted cutely for a minute, then moved to curl up in 
Subaru's lap.  "Why can't you just let it go?" she whispered, resting her 
head on his chest.  "He'll kill you, too, if you keep up with this.  Don't 
let him do that, Subaru.  You're the last of the Sumeragis...."
        "He can't kill me if I kill him first."
        "Can you kill him?"
        "I...."  Subaru fell silent.
        "Subaru...."  Hokuto closed her eyes and considered her words for a 
second.  "You still care for him.  Don't you?"
        "I don't _want_ to!"  Subaru's whisper was harsh and 
self-recriminating.  "I want to hate him.  I want to kill him.  I don't 
want to be feeling this!"
        "I want you to live, Subaru," Hokuto's whisper answered him.  "I 
want my little brother back."
        "I know...."  Subaru's arms drifted around the ghostly form that 
almost seemed solid to his touch.  "I know, Hokuto-chan."
        Long minutes drifted past the brother and sister before the bells 
on the clock started to chime.
        One....
        "Time's almost up," Hokuto whispered.
        Two....
        "Blow the candles out for me?" she asked Subaru.
        Three....
        "Of course," he replied.  He leaned forward.
        Four....
        Subaru took a breath and blew hard.
        Five....
        The candles guttered out, one by one.
        Six....
        "I wish..." Hokuto began.
        Seven....
        "For this..." Subaru continued.
        Eight....
        "To all be over," they said together.
        Nine....
        "Happy birthday, Hokuto-chan."
        Ten....
        "Happy birthday, Subaru."
        Eleven....
        "I'll always be here if you need me.  Just look inside, Subaru.  
I'm a part of you, now and always."
        Twelve.
        Silence.  Alone, Subaru sat in the darkness.  Tears glimmered 
behind his closed eyelids.  "Happy birthday, Hokuto-chan," he whispered 
into the empty apartment.

        From the darkness, a wisp of smoke curled up and curled around into 
the loose form of a falcon.
        "Happy birthday, Subaru-kun."

*********
Author's Ramblings: BRAHAHAHAHAHAAHAH!!!  I've managed to actually find 
time to WRITE!!!  Another of my famous short short stories.  Subaru as seen 
in X.  And I am another one of those weird people who actually (for no 
apparent reason other than insanity) LIKES the design of the older Subaru.  
Such sad, hurt eyes... what was that phrase, Eagle...?  "Something damaged 
in the back of his eyes"?  Subaru has been through hell, and is still 
there.  He _wants_ to die, if only to end it.  Anyhow, I have another story 
set in X between Subaru and Seishirou, but it's radically different and 
needs to actually be _written_.  And I have work tomorrow, and homework to 
catch up on, so it'll be done slowly.  BUT, fear not, dear readers, I SHALL 
return!