Even the Wind Cries Your Name

Hello and welcome to the updated version of Windward, my Aoki Seiichirou tribute. After considerable thought, I've decided to downgrade this site a little bit and revive it as a one--page tribute. I am still a fan of this character, but I don't think this site will ever be as comprehensive as my other three X tributes. Still, there are very few X fan sites left, and less are active in any meaningful sense. In any case, I do not want to close this site, so I hope everyone can enjoy what is presently here. This site is based on the manga version and has a lot of spoilers.

Seiichirou's Destiny

The world will end in 1999--it has been preordained. Tokyo will crumble, bodies of the dead will pile up, and all life will end. This is the wish of the earth which has being suffering the painful ramifications of human destruction. Still, there is another possible future and a hope to prevent the end of the world. Fourteen people, each with their own special powers, will take their place on the two sides of the battle--The Ten no Ryuu protecting the world as it is and the Chi no Ryuu who seek to fulfill the wish of the earth.

Japan is the location of this battle because the Earth's seven Kekkai (or shields) are all located there as important buildings like the Diet Building or Tokyo Tower. If these Kekkai fall, the earth's last line of defense will be gone and it too will fall. There is no need for the Chi no Ryuu to spread their destructive efforts to anywhere else. These Kekkai are different from the kekkai each of the Seals possesses.

The Ten no Ryuu (or the Dragons of Heaven and also called the Seals) have someone they wish to protect, and so they fight to preserve the world in which that special person lives. To do this, he or she is able to create a kekkai--a barrier shield only people involved in the end of the world can enter. Each person's kekkai has a different shape though they are all about three square kilometers. When a kekkai is set up, the people are taken to a different plane so that any damage done to the surrounding area does not affect the real world. Should the Seal die or get heavily injured, the kekkai breaks down and all the damage which happened in the shield appears in the real world.

The other side is the Chi no Ryuu (or the Dragons of Earth and also called the Angels). For various reasons, they choose to destroy the world of man to allow the earth to rest and heal itself. Their personalities range from misanthropic computer genius to suicidal dreamseer. When mankind is wiped out, they too will die, but they either don't care or welcome oblivion. They are more likely to work alone than the Seals, and their loyalties vary as much as their personalities.

At the center of this battle are two boys. The first is Kamui--a boy kind, fragile soul, hurt and isolated by fate until the promised day. The other is Fuuma--Kamui's best friend and twin star. Kamui chooses which side he wants to fight for, and Fuuma takes the opposite side. At first Kamui seems to disinterested to choose, but eventually he decides that he wants to preserve the world where Fuuma and Kotori (Fuuma's sister and Kamui's other best friend) live. Unfortunately, by choosing, Fuuma took the other side and killed his sister.

Seiichirou's destiny pulls him into this battle for the fate of earth. He fights as a Ten no Ryuu to protect the world in which his family lives. Although he may die in this battle, he will do his best to live for the sake of his family.

About Seiichirou

Many of the characters in X are extraordinary people living extraordinary lives. Aoki Seiichirou lives a very normal life as a husband, father, and editor despite being directly involved in the end of the world. In the midst of an epic battle for the future of the human race, Seiichirou remains surprisingly normal.

Seiichirou is very kind and cheerful. He is as optimistic as anybody can be when he or she is involved in the end of the world. Considering the cynicism about humans inherent in X's narrative, he believes in the goodness of people despite their flaws. A people person, Seiichirou seems to put people at ease even under trying circumstances. Perhaps one of the most remarkable things about Seiichirou is his sense of chivalry. He treats woman with respect and consideration, yet he manages to avoid appearing condescending. His sensitivity towards people is completely effortless because he is not trying to convince anyone. He simply does what he thinks is right and is probably surprised that others do not do the same.

Seiichirou's appearance highlights his normality. His features are handsome but mature, unlike his younger comrades who are cute in their adolescence. His brown hair is stylish but professional and gives him a lighter appearance than more angsty, black--haired Dragons on both sides. Glasses cover his adorable, brown eyes. He smiles a lot which makes others feel comfortable in his presence. Usually he wears professional, brown suits which accent his broad shoulders and brown hair. On occasion he wears slightly more casual outfits--usually jeans with a belt and a nice shirt. Whatever he wears, he looks nice and neat.

He works as an editor at Asuka Magazine (which is the publication X use to run in). His job requires many hours spent in front of a computer, though he does go out and research topics for his writers. He met Karen during such a research session when he interviewed her at her bathhouse for one of his writers. He seems to enjoy his job even though it keeps him quite busy. It is a normal job with fairly regular hours, which allows him to go home to his precious family.

His family consists of his wife and daughter, and he would do anything for them. He constantly talks about them with great affection. They make him happier than anything else on earth. His desire to protect them gives him the strength to create a kekkai (or spirit shield) which protects the real world from being damaged when one is engaged in battle. In addition, he has a nephew named Daisuke who shares his power as a windmaster. Daisuke is dedicated to the dreamseer Hinoto and has sworn to protect her with his life.

In spite of his common job and family situation, he is a windmaster--the most powerful in his family. He controls the wind and can form sharp currents that cut and tear, but he can also use the currents to protect. Although no where near as powerful as Kamui (can be), Seiichirou has proved himself to be very valuable in battle. Another power he possess is the ability to create a kekkai--an ability belonging exclusively to the Ten no Ryuu (Dragons of Heaven). He is one of the chosen seven who fight to protect the world from destruction on the Promised Day. Not only must he use his power to protect the earth, but he also protects Kamui--the boy chosen to decide the fate of the world.

Seiichirou is the primary father figure in the story. He is balanced, confidant, and moral--he possesses a stability the younger dragons lack. He brings both optimism and maturity to the Dragons of Heaven ensemble.

His Family

Nothing is more important to Seiichirou than his family. He protects the earth in order to keep them safe from harm. Seiichirou's father died when he was young so, besides Daisuke, they are his only family. He is able to be strong because he desires to protect them no matter what. Not only does their presence keep him physically strong, but they also keep him emotionally stable as well.

Shimako is his beloved wife. They met when they were both students in college. Even though he spent many nights awake studying, he still found time to spend time with his girl friend. While they were dating, she told him that her happiness was her own responsibility and she wanted to be with him more than anything. In a sense, she was the one who proposed to him. They spent their honeymoon in Atami and he promised that they would go there for their 10--year anniversary, which he hopes they will be able to do once the fate of the world is decided.

Yuka, his precious daughter, is in her first year of kindergarten. Seiichirou hates to be away from her because she is afraid of ghosts, just like her mother is afraid of cockroaches. She likes her cousin Daisuke, but her father teases her saying that she is too young to marry. She most likely knows nothing of her father's duty, since such knowledge would only scare her. She clearly adores her father and he loves her more than anything in the world.

Daisuke is a serious young man who decided at a young age that he wanted to die for the sake of protecting someone who was important to him--the dream seer Hinoto. Seiichirou encourages him to follow his heart, even if it means that he will die one day. At some point Daisuke made Seiichirou promise not to cry if he was to die, so when Fuuma kills him, according to his wish, Seiichirou tries very hard not to cry. Although Daisuke is very serious, he is also very emotional, which meant that when he and Kamui (when Kamui first gets back to Tokyo), things did not go very well and they usually tried to kill each other whenever they met. In many ways, Daisuke is very unlike his uncle, who is playful, silly, and very open. In fact, his uncle sometimes seems to embarrass him, but that might be just what the young man needs.

One time he and Daisuke were discussing the end of the world and Seiichirou's role as a Seal. In the midst of a very serious conversation, he gets excited when he sees a soda machine with a drink his wife loves. He buys her and Daisuke one, but his nephew cannot understand why he is so exited about a drink when they were discussing a very serious topic. Seiichirou explains that he cares more about the drink than any philosophical or spiritual issue. If he can make his wife happy by finding her something she likes, that is the most important thing in the world. Daisuke seems to understand that.

Seiichirou has promised his family to always come home safe and happy. In turn, they made the same promise to him. With the end of the world drawing near, it may be a difficult promise to keep, but hopefully he will survive to return home to his family who love him dearly.

Kasumi Karen

If there is a single member of the Ten No Ryuu with whom Seiichirou is the closest, it is Kasumi Karen. They are very close friends, though his marriage prevents them from being anything more. Even if he can not give Karen his heart, he can give her the one thing she really wants--he has promised to cry for her when she dies.

While his career is mundane and average, she works in a bath house, wearing negligee while washing her male clients. Despite the nature of her work, she regards it dispassionately as a service job. The two originally met when he came to her bathhouse while doing research for a writer and interviewed her. They had an immediate rapport even before knowing that they would be working together to save the world. During the course of their interview, he refers to her "precious life"--a remark which has a major impact on her. She goes home and writes a letter saying she hopes to meet him again.

Like Seiichirou, Karen embraces her destiny to protect the Earth. Despite the pain and unkindness Karen has encountered, she still believes that the world is worth protecting, and is willing to give her life for her cause. She finds comfort in knowing that her powers, which seem so useless to her in the modern world, have some value in the long run. Unlike Seiichirou, who comes from a clan of Windmasters, Karen has spent most of her life as an outcast because of her fire power.

There is no doubt that Karen had a damaging childhood. Her religiously fanatic mother beat her for her fire powers, calling her a monster and saying that no one would cry for her when she died. When her mother died, Karen believed that she had lost the only person who would ever care about her. Not only that, but she had to contend with cults which pursued her for her powers. Still, she is a relatively happy person who escaped into the world of the Pleasure District to avoid inquiries into her past.

Destiny and the fate of the Earth bring them together again. The two become a fighting team, working together against the increasingly powerful Chi no Ryuu. At one point, Karen decides that she will fight alone because her life is not as valuable as those of her fellow Ten no Ryuu. Knowing that Seiichirou would never let her go alone willingly, she puts something in his tea to put him to sleep while she goes off to battle. To fight off the effects of the drug, he stabs himself with a small knife and comes to her aid. Despite his calm nature, he tells her never to go off alone again or he will get very angry. His concern for her really touches Karen. From that point on they fight as a team.

Although she is in love with him, she knows that he loves his family and does not act on her feelings. Although she confesses that she is a little jealous, she is far too moral to do anything to jeopardize his situation. She loves him from afar, and is content to be his friend. He, in turn, loves her as a dear friend and would do anything to protect her. His friendship is enough for Karen, who has been alone for most of her life.

Dragons

Although Karen is his Ten no Ryuu companion, he interacts with the rest of the Dragons as well, although only in a limited way.

Shirou Kamui is the one destined to decide the fate of Earth. Following the death of his mother, he returned to Tokyo, only to find himself and everyone he loved involved in the end of the world. He can either protect life as it is, or destroy the human race so the Earth can heal. At first he rebels against his fate, but his love for his two childhood friends (Fuuma and his sister Kotori) causes him to decide to protect life on Earth. The tragedy is that Fuuma turns out to be his twin star--the person who will take the opposite side of whatever Kamui chooses. He kills his own sister and casts away his former identity as Fuuma and takes on the title of "Kamui". Kamui is brokenhearted, but decides he will still protect the world where his friend lives.

Kamui is reluctant to make friends, but Seiichirou doesn't appear to be put off by his attitude. He seems to sympathize with the young man's situation and is supportive without being domineering. His kindness eventually wins Kamui over and he comes to see Seiichirou as a father figure.

Arisugawa Sorata is an upbeat young man who has embraced his destiny. When he was a young boy, the Stargazer Chuu determined that Sorata would be one of the Ten no Ryuu and took him from his parents so that he could be trained in the monastery. Years later, Sorata forgot the faces of his parents, but he remembered that his mother was crying as he was taken away. As a result, he hated to see women cry. He was pleased when the Stargazer made another prediction--he would fight to protect Kamui, but he would die for the woman he loved. He decided that she would be someone beautiful. Upon meeting a fellow Ten no Ryuu named Arashi, he declared that she was the one for whom he would give his life. Sorata isn't terribly close to Seiichirou, but they have a lot in common. Even though their destinies are rather dark, they remain light. While both can be serious when needed, they also have a sense of humor. Both appreciate the "normal" things in life. They like each other and get along well.

Kishuu Arashi is the Hidden Priestess Ise Shrine and the barer of a sacred sword which she summons out of her hand. Her mother left the shrine to give birth to her, but died leaving her daughter on the street. By the time Arashi's grandmother found her, the young girl was half starved and indifferent to her own life Eventually her grandmother convinced her to eat and live, but Arashi was still distant and cold, until she met Sorata. At first she kept him at arm's length and seemed to be annoyed by his attention. As time went by it became clear that she was falling in love, and when Sorata got seriously injured she finally confessed her feelings. Seiichirou met Arashi while she was in a battle with a bunch of shiki. He walked right into her kekkai (which only those involved in the end of the world can enter) and helped her defeat the shiki with his wind powers. He gave her his business card and an umbrella to protect her from the rain. The two are friendly, but not very close.

Nekoi Yuzariha, the youngest member of the Ten no Ryuu, hails from the Mitsumine tribe. Cheerful and friendly, Yuzariha seems like a fairly typical teenager. Her companion is a dog spirit named Inuki which can transform into a sword. As a child, she was sad to learn that other children could not see Inuki, and she decided that she could only love someone who could see her friend. Before meeting the other Ten no Ryuu, she met an older man who patted Inuki on the head and she was so happy that she embraced him. Unfortunately the man, Shiyuu Kusanagi, was one of the Chi no Ryuu. Still, she can't help loving him and he seems to care about her as well. While she is closer with the younger Dragons, she likes Seiichirou and met him at some point before joining the Ten no Ryuu.

Sumeragi Subaru is the thirteenth head of the Sumeragi Clan and a very powerful onmyougi. The tragic story of his past is told in Tokyo Babylon. He fell in love with a man named Sakurazuka Seshirou, a kind hearted, but very flirtatious, vet. Even Subaru's beloved sister Hokuto encouraged the relationship. In reality, Seshirou was dark onmyouji who had made a bet with Subaru when they were young. Sometime in the future, he would spend a year with Subaru and if he could feel anything for him at all, he would stay by his side forever, but if not, he would kill him. Before locking away the memory in Subaru's mind, he marked him as prey of the Sakurazukamori. After the year was over, he declared that he felt nothing for Subaru and planned to kill him. Subaru went into a state of shock and could not be revived. To save him, Hokuto took his place and died. Having lost his sister to the man he loves, he joins the Ten no Ryuu with one dream left, but will it ever come true? Subaru is far too busy being Emo to have much of a relationship with Seiichirou. Still, they have met and interacted a bit.

Network

Links
Atropos / Criminal Grace / Ephemeral Love / Genesis / Porcelain / Ridi Pagliacci / Strength / Symphony of Dreams / Venus Gospel

Listed at: Amassment / CLAMP Linkage / Toxicity

God's Decay / Redhead Dancing Girl / Masochist / Alexiel.net



X/1999, Seiichiro, and all related characters are © CLAMP, Asuka, and others. This is only a fan tribute. Support the series by buying the manga which can be found on Amazon.com.