Headstrong - Saiki Daisuke
Rational, no-nonsense, practical, easily annoyed and somewhat temperamental is Daisuke. But also loyal, dedicated, and under that veneer of killjoy seriousness a kind and pretty nice guy. Although not a member of the Ten no Ryuu himself, as the protector of Hinoto, the blind and mute yumemi (dream-seer) who aids them from her sanctuary beneath the Diet Building, he interacts closely with them, even before Kamui returns to Tokyo. In fact, we first meet Daisuke confronting Kamui before any of the other Ten no Ryuu show themselves (Arashi is not far behind). His position among the Seals is not completely random; he Seiichirou’s only nephew and, outside of Seiichirou’s nuclear family, his only living relative.

Their relationship is kind of cute. Being that father of a little girl, one would expect Seiichirou to comment on how much she’s grown over a couple of weeks and promise to bring toddler pictures to show the family friends. But when he acts the same way towards Daisuke, it just grates his nephew’s nerves. With no serious malice, of course. Though he can’t be much older than 17, Daisuke takes his Fate and Earth’s Fate very seriously and doesn’t like being treated like a child. And Seiichirou doesn’t see Daisuke as a child, either; this is simply the way he is. Their relationship is like that of any close relative: to the older, the younger will always be the little kid that he or she watched grow. To the younger, the older will never treat the younger like the mature adult that the younger knows he is.

Like Seiichirou, Daisuke has power over the wind. He isn’t as strong as his uncle, having none of the other’s level or intensity of control. Even as a little kid he idolized Seiichirou’s skill, and was determined to become stronger himself, in order to protect the people he loves. One person, in particular.

Daisuke’s wish is to protect Hinoto. Why Daisuke desires so strongly to be her guardian isn’t told. That he is in love with her is entirely a possibility with supporting evidence, but how they came to meet all of those years ago – Daisuke has known about Hinoto and desired to protect her since he was small – is up to the imagination. Perhaps it was his Fate to be her eyes and ears in the real world where her dreams couldn’t take her. She does have Souhi and Hien to guard her, and before them their parents; but Souhi and Hien’s loyalty is the Confucian kind, while Daisuke’s is something with roots that run deeper. While Hinoto does not seem to love Daisuke, he is nevertheless very dear to her heart. Ultimately, in a sick twist of circumstances, Daisuke’s wish leads to his demise at Fuuma’s hands. It is a trauma that Hinoto never really recovers from, awakening within her a sinister side that none of the Ten no Ryuu could possibly have conceived of existing. The result, for the Seals, could be devastating.

In the grand scheme of things, Daisuke’s role is minimal but important. Fate seems to have picked him out to be the first to go before everyone else follows. He is the first to know Hinoto. He is the first to seriously irritate Kamui, and subsequently the first to get an ass-kicking from him. And he is the first important character to have his wish granted by Fuuma, in turn setting up the first real confrontation between the two kamui. Most importantly, his death causes something to crack within Hinoto, allowing the first vestiges of Hinoto’s dark half to quietly slither its way into her conscious undetected and unstoppable.

Hajime - Uchi