TB/X Fanfic: Family Matters (edited) [complete]

[akk]

Title: Family Matters (Sequel to 36°)
Rating: "Family Matters" as a whole is rated NC-17 for violence, crime, occultism, sexual connotations, alternative lifestyles, and a vocal tree having issues. Single chapters may be less restricted.
Characters: Subaru, Seishiro, Tree-san, Lady Sumeragi, (the CCD & X-cast)
Pairings: Sei/Su, (T/Sei)
Genre: drama, history, cont
Words: 148.110
Betaed by: solo
Comments: As a direct sequel it may not make sense unless you know "36°".
Summary: The second story of the Decagram (Sequel to 36°) -- Preventing the End of the World caused some side-effects Subaru is ill-prepared to deal with on his own.
Status: complete

Links:
Family Matters (edited) as PDF [1.64 MB, text-only] on my homepage.
Family Matters (edited) on the AO3 fanfic archive (downloadable in ebook format).

Please note: Family Matters saw some serious editing after it was finished in individual blog posts at the end of December 2010.

Comments

[killthwight]

Can't believe it's taken me this long to come back for the Family Matters final edit. Downloaded 36o and FM for a reread, I can't wait! :)

[akk]

I hope you'll enjoy the final shape it has taken. :)

[killthwight]

Left a review for FM over at AO3. Gosh, I can't thank you enough for sharing this fic with us. I enjoyed myself so much reading it again.

I was left wondering a few things though. This time round I was thinking about how Tree-san mentions that the original succession of the Sakurazukamori was either by death of the previous skzm or a spell to transfer over the responsibilities, but that the Mori changed this ritual. Is it too much to expect that by taking the Mori back in hand Seishiro might one day not have to die by his daughter's or someone else's hands? The thought of Seishiro and Subaru growing old is incredibly comforting after all the pain in the original series, and especially sedimented after Nokoru's "gift" to Subaru at the end. Also, I was wondering what would happen to the Sumeragi without Subaru having an heir. Would a cousin take over as the 14th head eventually? Hmm. And considering that the Ijyuin brothers are going to talk to Seishiro about their family ties, will it eventually come out that Ameru is Subaru and Kamui's father? The Dao requires (and indirectly enforces even after the ritual?) an astounding amount of symmetry. Anyway, these are rhetoric questions that lingered after the end of the story.

Once again thank you so much for this fic! I love it to pieces and never get tired of it. :)

[akk]

Hi & thank you for the great review! :)

Don't worry. I will continue the Dekagram. As you well noticed, the story is far from told, although, Family Matters is an important stop, basically marking the conclusion of Subaru's transformation (as far as something like that can ever be truly finished, that is).
Actually, I already have about a 8.000 words of the next installation on my hard drive, and I will get to it once I've concluded my Galaxy Rangers vacation. (Hey, those guys have been waiting for 15 years for me to edit those works, so...!)

Regarding your questions: the crucial point you already noticed is balance between Subaru and Seishiro, their clans, and what they represent. So that actually answers most of your questions, but I will try to go a little more into detail (although with due caution, because as the story develops, some of this may be subjected to change):

1) SKZM succession (and Subaru's successor, because of... see above)
I'm not sure that I will follow their story as far as the actual "next generation". Personally, I detest multiple generation stories, because I grow fond of one specific set of people and usually don't care much about their off-spring. However, I will at least answer the plans/intentions in the plot.
Right now, there are two options. The first: Seishiro suffers a standard succession, that will require Subaru also to undergo a standard succession for Sumeragi Twins. Since Hokuto's out of the picture, that means his line is cut, except for Kamui of course... In the second option, Seishiro's coup d'etat of the Mori works out and he has enough control of his "wife" and daughter to ensure an old-fashioned transition (hence, yes, old-age becomes an option). However, the Dao then requires that also Subaru manages to get an heir via the standard way (Akiko, perhaps?), and Kamui's more or less left alone with Fuma; there'd be some growing and painful decisions ahead of those two half-brothers in that scenario.

2) the Ijyuins and Ameru
How this turns out is still very much under debate in my head. What is fixed in the nearest plot-future is that Seishiro must learn/figure out, who Ameru is. Why? Because Subaru knows, who the Ijyuins are with respect to Seishiro. However, a happy family reunion is unlikely in my books. Whether or not that means the Ijyuins decide to let their baby brother be for said baby brother's peace of mind in the end, or if it ends in fratricide, I can't say yet. However, Ameru/Subaru's story will depend on what happens with Ijyuin/Seishiro.

:)