Tokyo Babylon: Song Part 12: Burn Subaru opened his eyes slowly. Next to him, Midori breathed softly in her sleep, her warm body nestled up to him. he realized. Midori shifted, turning over onto her side, and Subaru looked at her. Outside, the sky was clear, and moonlight poured softly into the room, illuminating her gentle features. She wasn't beautiful in the classic sense, Subaru mused, but she had a beautiful heart that made her merely-pretty features seem like so much more. What Midori had told him earlier--that she loved him--had shocked Subaru nearly to his roots. He had been fairly sure that he was unlovable by anyone, even by a girl who despaired over breaking relationship ties to Sakurazukamori. It wasn't that it was a bad thing, it just made the circumstances in which he had to act more difficult. Subaru sighed softly and began to break things down in his own mind. He knew he could be happy with Midori if he let himself be. She had healed him enough that it was possible. He didn't feel the absolute joy with her that he had felt with Seishirou, but he never wanted to feel that again. Too much happiness meant too much possible hurt. The only problem coming between making himself peaceful at last and Midori happy was... ... Sakurazuka Seishirou. Subaru tried his best to still the anger and pain that the name conjured to him. he asked himself. He looked at Midori again and gently touched his hand to her shoulder. Soft fabric dented under his touch. Midori had borrowed one of his his shirts to sleep in. Subaru wondered for half a second why it looked so much better on her than it did on him, then gave it up. She was female; that was it. Although he was not used to looking, Subaru's years of living with a twin sister had lent him the general notion that clothing was something better left to the female half of the species, most especially in the choosing thereof. Hokuto had enjoyed dragging him along on her shopping trips, and, once they became too old to dress alike, she had specialized both of their wardrobes to be equally unusual. Since she had died.... Subaru swallowed. he told himself. "Subaru..." Midori murmured, turning over in her sleep again. Subaru flushed with guilt. Even in her dreams, she was in love with him, when he didn't feel that way in return. Midori's hand brushed across his arm, and loosely held him. "Oniisan..." she whispered. "Seishirou-san..." Subaru whispered in return. He gently moved away from her and off the bed. He let the covers fall back into place and quietly left the room, closing the door behind him. What course of action would be best? They could run away, forget Seishirou, the Minions, the Seals, everything, and start over... but that wasn't an option. Subaru knew neither of them would be able to start fresh without some closure to their lives. And his role in the End of the World had to be played out to its conclusion. So... the only option he could see was to do what he had intended all along, and kill Sakurazuka Seishirou. Subaru stood looking out the double doors that guarded the balcony. He looked out over all of Tokyo, seeing the lights and the structures. This was his city. It had always been his city. "Anata wa 'Tokyo' ga kirai desu ka?" he asked himself. He remembered that phrase from somewhen or somewhere. "Iie, boku wa 'Tokyo' ga daisuki desu," he answered himself. "I love Tokyo. I will protect it. It is my home." Subaru felt a curtain of peace fall over him at the decision. It was time to grow up. It was time to stop hating, and time to start living his own life. Perhaps that was Midori's gift to him. Perhaps that was what her healing meant. Subaru closed his eyes for a second and leaned his head forward against the cool glass. "Forgive me, Hokuto-chan," he murmured to himself. "I will let go of it... but not until it's too late and I've destroyed him. I know this isn't what you wanted of me, but I need to finish this. I need to see it through. For Midori's sake, and for my own, I have to sever everything that would tie us to him. Seishirou-san must be dead, or he will haunt both of us forever. I'm sorry." Subaru took a deep breath and reached out with his senses, reversing the flow of power that had been between him and Sakurazukamori since he was nine. The stars on his hands flared in a shifting array of colors as he sent his power through them to their creator. :Can you hear me, Seishirou-san?: The whisper in his mind woke Seishirou from his sleep. :Are you there?: Seishirou wondered. :I'm tired of fighting, Seishirou-san. Let's get this over with. One last fight. Whoever wins gets the other out of his life permanently,: Subaru offered to him. :This is what we've been building up to the entire time we've known each other, and I'm sick of it. I don't like who I've become, and I need this finished. Whether I live or die, this has to be finished.: "You've finally grown up, Subaru-kun," Seishirou said, slowly sitting up and turning on the light that sat by his bed. "What brings this change?" Subaru hesitated before replying :Nothing that need concern you. Will you fight with me or not?: "Subaru-kun, the next time you challenge someone, you might wish to be so curteous as to pick a time when they are awake," Seishirou criticized. "Nonetheless, as I am now awake, I will agree to fight you." Subaru listened inwardly as Seishirou instructed him on where they were to meet, then closed the flow of energy down. So it had finally come to this. Subaru returned to the bedroom and dressed himself silently, not wishing to wake Midori. He intended this entire thing to be over with by the time she awoke. She would have to face that either her brother or her lover had killed the other. If he killed Seishirou, she would mourn her brother, but probably survive. If Seishirou killed him... Midori would be left alone, with no one.... Subaru shook his head. That wouldn't happen. He would win. It was the only chance either of them had. He pulled on a jacket and moved to the bed. he thought to himself. A single tear spilled from his eye and splashed onto the coverlet. Silently, Sumeragi Subaru left the suite and went to meet Sakurazukamori. Midori stirred from her sleep and woke, looking around the room. "Subaru?" she asked softly. ********* "Anata wa 'Tokyo' ga kirai desu ka?" means "Do you dislike/hate Tokyo?" Used extensively as a theme of Tokyo Babylon, especially in the first tankouban "Iie, boku wa 'Tokyo' ga daisuki desu." means "No, I love Tokyo." It's what I've always thought Subaru's answer (which was never stated) would be.