it's going to happen when it's got to happen
I have succumbed to CLAMP, to my eternal and undying shame. I am also in the process of downloading Tsubasa Reservoir Tokyo Revelations even though just a few hours ago, I told El I would not patronize anything written by Nanase Ohkawa until she and the rest of the crew decide to get their asses in gear and tell me WHAT KAMUI AND FUUMA'S REAL WISH IS and finish godforsaken X.
And speaking of X, I have theories, people.
How We Are Going to Extrapolate on Kamui and Fuuma's Real Wishes:
(Vol:Chapter)
ex. (19:1) = Volume 19, Chapter 1
And for the sake of clarity, Dark Kamui will be referred to here as Fuuma, even though technically, Fuuma has ceased to be Fuuma Monou the moment he awoke as the Dragon of Earth.
First, what exactly is a Wish?
“Humans only see what they want to see, and believe what they want to believe… If you think I killed that girl, if that is the truth to you. Then that is your Wish.” (19:3)
So a Wish is the truth a person wants to believe in, or something they Wish to happen with all their might (as in the instances of Fuuma granting Subaru's lesser Wish and Seishirou's, Nataku's and Saiki's Wishes to die for/at the hands of the persons they most want to protect).
If this is so, what then does Kamui desire more than bringing the old Fuuma back?
I don't really think it's a question of desire, because Kamui really does want things to go back to the way they were before Fuuma awakened and became the Dark Kamui. My guess is because deep in his heart, he knows it's impossible for this Wish to ever be realized, even with all the fancy powers bestowed upon him and the other Dragons, (I doubt Fuuma can turn back time; the only things he grants other people is death) and this prevents him from totally committing to it. Fuuma knows about this doubt, hence he isn't compelled to grant Kamui's Wish, unlike that one time in Ebisu with the nine year old girl and her mother.
Does Fuuma really Wish to kill Kamui?
No. Because of the nature of Fuuma's personality and character as the main Dragon of Earth, I am under the impression that Fuuma is a sort of genie, who's sole purpose in life is to grant the Wishes of the people around him. He does not have the full capacity to decide and act on his desires; he can only bend the rules a little but he cannot steer away from his primary directive of granting another person's Wish. That is his nature.
So who's Wish is Fuuma acting upon when he tries to kill Kamui?
Earth's. Because Earth wants to kill all human beings in order to heal herself. Kamui is the guardian of all humankind, therefore, the greatest obstacle towards fulfilling Earth's Wish. Hence, Fuuma is compelled to try and kill Kamui.
What is Kamui's Real Wish Then?
Sine Kamui is a Dragon of Heaven, I think it would be safe to assume that all their Wishes stem from their desire to protect their most special person (Subaru to Seishirou, Karen to Aoki, Aoki to his wife and child, Sorata to Arashi, Arashi to Sorata, Yuzuriha to Kusanagi) and hence their unique ability to create kekkai. Kamui is the only one who cannot produce a barrier field, and I think this is because he does not really want to protect Fuuma. He wants to destroy the new character that Fuuma has transformed into and bring back the old Fuuma. Fuuma's parting words to Karen lend to this:
“If nobody ever killed anyone, then why would we lose sight of the most important things?... The more you care about someone, the more you lose sight of things! And maybe while you don’t even notice it, you’re hurting a person close to you.” (18:8)
It might be that Fuuma is trying to say that Kamui is being selfish in his crusade to bring his past life back, and that he's lost sight of the most important thing, which is to ask Fuuma whether he really wants to be returned to his former self. I think Fuuma wants Kamui to ask him what his Wish is.
So during the events of 19:5, pinned to the ground and about to be stabbed by Fuuma's Shinken, Kamui realizes something, and if it isn't his True Wish, we can safely say that he's as dead as a dodo and X will stop at 19 volumes instead of the projected 21.
My theory is that he finally realizes that his heart's desire is to protect this new, even if changed, Fuuma and he brings up a kekkai which not only protects Tokyo Tower but has a unique property unique only to the Dragon of Heaven, which probably restrains Fuuma from killing him. CLAMP can spin it however they want; in order to protect Fuuma from his nature as Wish-granter he has to be physically restrained, or in order to protect Fuuma from doing something that will ultimately destroy him, he must be restrained.
Whatever.
So what is Kamui's Real Wish? That is to protect Fuuma, not to bring him back, and probably to accept, may be love him, despite the other having turned into a sociopath.
What is Fuuma's Wish?
Subaru was the only person to ever ask Fuuma directly what his Wish might be. Fuuma answers with a cryptic:
“My wish can only be realized by Kamui.” (18:6)
Right before the events of the Final Battle, Fuuma tells Kakyou that things are moving according to how he dreamt it. Before he leaves, Kakyou asks him whether he has realized his Wish, and he answers back with a sad/bittersweet smile. I take this to mean that despite everything, despite his knowledge of what is to come in the future, Fuuma still hopes that some way Kamui can still grant his Wish. He's hoping but not expecting.
So what is it that Fuuma Wishes for?
As of now, there are only two things that Kamui can possibly grant him. One is death (only those two can kill each other) and two is protection (the kekkai). I think it is safe to assume that Fuuma wishes for either of the two unless Nanase Ohkawa decides to pull a deus ex machina out of her ass and puts Kamui into God Mode. All bets are off if that particular scenario happens.
What is the probability that Fuuma Wishes for death?
Actually, very high. It might be possible that he does not want to lead the life he is living right now because it's a life that he has never actively chosen. Before and after he was awakened, he always reminds the person who is looking at him of the one they hold dearest (he reminds Subaru of Seishirou, Yuzuriha of Kusanagi, Karen of Aoki, Nataku of his father, etc.). Nobody ever sees Fuuma for himself except Kamui, and even he has a distorted view because he only sees what he wants to see.
// I just had a scary thought. What if during the Final Battle, Kamui Wishes to see Fuuma for who he really is, and what he sees beneath is actually... nothing? It would mean that the moment he chose his seat as the Dragon of Heaven, he had already effectively killed Fuuma, and the only thing that remains is a corpse animated by Destiny? It would COMPLETELY DESTROY HIM, since all this time, he's been living to bring Fuuma back, and it would mean that the two Monou siblings had died for and because of him.
FUCK YEAH.
And he'd continue to live in Tokyo because he decided to protect humanity but every day Subaru's words will haunt him ("You can't make everybody happy"). Because the ultimate kicker is that in Post-Apocalyptic Tokyo, the only person who is not happy to be alive is Kamui, the savior of the human race.
HMMM.
It's also very possible that his is the face he sees, since Fuuma is the Dark Kamui, but at the moment, that idea seems less attractive to me than the former one. Also, with this particular scenario, I think there is a very strong possibility that the moment Kamui realizes that he's been battling himself all along, he'll wake up and realize that everything was just a dream.
Please. Let's just not go there. //
It isn't far-fetched to assume that Fuuma is desperately unhappy, and unlike everybody else in the manga, he can't do anything about it. His nature prevents him from making any choices (he must fulfill his Destiny before anything else) and to Wish to end this kind of existence, doesn't seem strange. Actually, it seems like the most likely course of action.
“You won’t win while just thinking that hurting me will work.” (15:6)
So Fuuma Wishes ultimately to be killed by Kamui, in order to end his existence without internal agency. It's poetic and ironic, but it's too much of a parallel to what happened between Subaru and Seishirou at Rainbow Bridge. But I think that's what CLAMP has been driving at all along. Not only are Subaru and Kamui similar (someone they both loved was killed by another person they both loved), but they're both obsessed with childhood friends who turn out to be sociopaths. Also:
"Maybe I… will do the same thing. To Kamui? Yeah." (17:9)
Now whether Fuuma is referring to Seishirou's left eye or Seishirou's death is unclear, but there you have it. Fuuma might want to parallel what happened between the two other Dragons.
What is the probability that Fuuma Wishes for protection?
Basing on the type of person that Fuuma has turned out, I think it's more likely that he'd Wish to die rather than live. But if ever Fuuma does wish to be protected, it would be from his Destiny to grant other people's Wishes. Can Kamui grant that Wish? Unless he does produce a special kind of kekkai that can shield Fuuma from Destiny, then I doubt it. So what if he creates a dimensional barrier and sends the other into an alternate material plane? Fuuma will still try to bring about the End of the World, the Dragons of Earth will still wreak havoc, and essentially nothing will have changed.
And to bring this essay to an end
It seems that the most likely outcome for the X manga is that Fuuma will die. He wants to die, and unless Kamui kills him for real, then the End of the World will happen (which I doubt Monthly Asuka will serialize). Now this scenario can both be heart-breaking or an epic failure. The best ending ever would be that it would kill Kamui to go through with the act of killing Fuuma for the sake of the other's happiness, and effectively shatter himself beyond repair. The only happy ending left then is if both of them are reincarnated along with Kotori and they all get to live out the lives they were unable to finish normally.
Fail ending would be if he does kill Fuuma because he realizes that Fuuma is beyond his capacity to help, that there is nothing worth saving in him anymore, or he must kill his bestfriend for the sake of the people on Earth. I'd rank that kind of ending on parr with how Light went crazy at the end of Death Note, because it does not respect any of Kamui's previous choices and stinks of a major cop-out.
If one considers the more unlikely outcome, that Fuuma lives, it will turn out somehow like the XTV ending. Fuuma lives because Kamui Wishes that he live. This won't stop him from killing the other though, and because he is driven to do just that, well. You get where I'm going at. It would be funny if he became the only survivor on Earth after the Apocalypse because of Kamui's Wish.
You know what would be an awesome ending? If somehow, Fuuma and Kamui both kick Destiny to the curve and BOTH live after the Final Battle. This would mean that CLAMP thinks of a Wish that would not only stay Fuuma's hand from delivering the final blow on Kamui, but also protect the citizens of Earth at the same time.
And speaking of X, I have theories, people.
How We Are Going to Extrapolate on Kamui and Fuuma's Real Wishes:
(Vol:Chapter)
ex. (19:1) = Volume 19, Chapter 1
And for the sake of clarity, Dark Kamui will be referred to here as Fuuma, even though technically, Fuuma has ceased to be Fuuma Monou the moment he awoke as the Dragon of Earth.
First, what exactly is a Wish?
“Humans only see what they want to see, and believe what they want to believe… If you think I killed that girl, if that is the truth to you. Then that is your Wish.” (19:3)
So a Wish is the truth a person wants to believe in, or something they Wish to happen with all their might (as in the instances of Fuuma granting Subaru's lesser Wish and Seishirou's, Nataku's and Saiki's Wishes to die for/at the hands of the persons they most want to protect).
If this is so, what then does Kamui desire more than bringing the old Fuuma back?
I don't really think it's a question of desire, because Kamui really does want things to go back to the way they were before Fuuma awakened and became the Dark Kamui. My guess is because deep in his heart, he knows it's impossible for this Wish to ever be realized, even with all the fancy powers bestowed upon him and the other Dragons, (I doubt Fuuma can turn back time; the only things he grants other people is death) and this prevents him from totally committing to it. Fuuma knows about this doubt, hence he isn't compelled to grant Kamui's Wish, unlike that one time in Ebisu with the nine year old girl and her mother.
Does Fuuma really Wish to kill Kamui?
No. Because of the nature of Fuuma's personality and character as the main Dragon of Earth, I am under the impression that Fuuma is a sort of genie, who's sole purpose in life is to grant the Wishes of the people around him. He does not have the full capacity to decide and act on his desires; he can only bend the rules a little but he cannot steer away from his primary directive of granting another person's Wish. That is his nature.
So who's Wish is Fuuma acting upon when he tries to kill Kamui?
Earth's. Because Earth wants to kill all human beings in order to heal herself. Kamui is the guardian of all humankind, therefore, the greatest obstacle towards fulfilling Earth's Wish. Hence, Fuuma is compelled to try and kill Kamui.
What is Kamui's Real Wish Then?
Sine Kamui is a Dragon of Heaven, I think it would be safe to assume that all their Wishes stem from their desire to protect their most special person (Subaru to Seishirou, Karen to Aoki, Aoki to his wife and child, Sorata to Arashi, Arashi to Sorata, Yuzuriha to Kusanagi) and hence their unique ability to create kekkai. Kamui is the only one who cannot produce a barrier field, and I think this is because he does not really want to protect Fuuma. He wants to destroy the new character that Fuuma has transformed into and bring back the old Fuuma. Fuuma's parting words to Karen lend to this:
“If nobody ever killed anyone, then why would we lose sight of the most important things?... The more you care about someone, the more you lose sight of things! And maybe while you don’t even notice it, you’re hurting a person close to you.” (18:8)
It might be that Fuuma is trying to say that Kamui is being selfish in his crusade to bring his past life back, and that he's lost sight of the most important thing, which is to ask Fuuma whether he really wants to be returned to his former self. I think Fuuma wants Kamui to ask him what his Wish is.
So during the events of 19:5, pinned to the ground and about to be stabbed by Fuuma's Shinken, Kamui realizes something, and if it isn't his True Wish, we can safely say that he's as dead as a dodo and X will stop at 19 volumes instead of the projected 21.
My theory is that he finally realizes that his heart's desire is to protect this new, even if changed, Fuuma and he brings up a kekkai which not only protects Tokyo Tower but has a unique property unique only to the Dragon of Heaven, which probably restrains Fuuma from killing him. CLAMP can spin it however they want; in order to protect Fuuma from his nature as Wish-granter he has to be physically restrained, or in order to protect Fuuma from doing something that will ultimately destroy him, he must be restrained.
Whatever.
So what is Kamui's Real Wish? That is to protect Fuuma, not to bring him back, and probably to accept, may be love him, despite the other having turned into a sociopath.
What is Fuuma's Wish?
Subaru was the only person to ever ask Fuuma directly what his Wish might be. Fuuma answers with a cryptic:
“My wish can only be realized by Kamui.” (18:6)
Right before the events of the Final Battle, Fuuma tells Kakyou that things are moving according to how he dreamt it. Before he leaves, Kakyou asks him whether he has realized his Wish, and he answers back with a sad/bittersweet smile. I take this to mean that despite everything, despite his knowledge of what is to come in the future, Fuuma still hopes that some way Kamui can still grant his Wish. He's hoping but not expecting.
So what is it that Fuuma Wishes for?
As of now, there are only two things that Kamui can possibly grant him. One is death (only those two can kill each other) and two is protection (the kekkai). I think it is safe to assume that Fuuma wishes for either of the two unless Nanase Ohkawa decides to pull a deus ex machina out of her ass and puts Kamui into God Mode. All bets are off if that particular scenario happens.
What is the probability that Fuuma Wishes for death?
Actually, very high. It might be possible that he does not want to lead the life he is living right now because it's a life that he has never actively chosen. Before and after he was awakened, he always reminds the person who is looking at him of the one they hold dearest (he reminds Subaru of Seishirou, Yuzuriha of Kusanagi, Karen of Aoki, Nataku of his father, etc.). Nobody ever sees Fuuma for himself except Kamui, and even he has a distorted view because he only sees what he wants to see.
// I just had a scary thought. What if during the Final Battle, Kamui Wishes to see Fuuma for who he really is, and what he sees beneath is actually... nothing? It would mean that the moment he chose his seat as the Dragon of Heaven, he had already effectively killed Fuuma, and the only thing that remains is a corpse animated by Destiny? It would COMPLETELY DESTROY HIM, since all this time, he's been living to bring Fuuma back, and it would mean that the two Monou siblings had died for and because of him.
FUCK YEAH.
And he'd continue to live in Tokyo because he decided to protect humanity but every day Subaru's words will haunt him ("You can't make everybody happy"). Because the ultimate kicker is that in Post-Apocalyptic Tokyo, the only person who is not happy to be alive is Kamui, the savior of the human race.
HMMM.
It's also very possible that his is the face he sees, since Fuuma is the Dark Kamui, but at the moment, that idea seems less attractive to me than the former one. Also, with this particular scenario, I think there is a very strong possibility that the moment Kamui realizes that he's been battling himself all along, he'll wake up and realize that everything was just a dream.
Please. Let's just not go there. //
It isn't far-fetched to assume that Fuuma is desperately unhappy, and unlike everybody else in the manga, he can't do anything about it. His nature prevents him from making any choices (he must fulfill his Destiny before anything else) and to Wish to end this kind of existence, doesn't seem strange. Actually, it seems like the most likely course of action.
“You won’t win while just thinking that hurting me will work.” (15:6)
So Fuuma Wishes ultimately to be killed by Kamui, in order to end his existence without internal agency. It's poetic and ironic, but it's too much of a parallel to what happened between Subaru and Seishirou at Rainbow Bridge. But I think that's what CLAMP has been driving at all along. Not only are Subaru and Kamui similar (someone they both loved was killed by another person they both loved), but they're both obsessed with childhood friends who turn out to be sociopaths. Also:
"Maybe I… will do the same thing. To Kamui? Yeah." (17:9)
Now whether Fuuma is referring to Seishirou's left eye or Seishirou's death is unclear, but there you have it. Fuuma might want to parallel what happened between the two other Dragons.
What is the probability that Fuuma Wishes for protection?
Basing on the type of person that Fuuma has turned out, I think it's more likely that he'd Wish to die rather than live. But if ever Fuuma does wish to be protected, it would be from his Destiny to grant other people's Wishes. Can Kamui grant that Wish? Unless he does produce a special kind of kekkai that can shield Fuuma from Destiny, then I doubt it. So what if he creates a dimensional barrier and sends the other into an alternate material plane? Fuuma will still try to bring about the End of the World, the Dragons of Earth will still wreak havoc, and essentially nothing will have changed.
And to bring this essay to an end
It seems that the most likely outcome for the X manga is that Fuuma will die. He wants to die, and unless Kamui kills him for real, then the End of the World will happen (which I doubt Monthly Asuka will serialize). Now this scenario can both be heart-breaking or an epic failure. The best ending ever would be that it would kill Kamui to go through with the act of killing Fuuma for the sake of the other's happiness, and effectively shatter himself beyond repair. The only happy ending left then is if both of them are reincarnated along with Kotori and they all get to live out the lives they were unable to finish normally.
Fail ending would be if he does kill Fuuma because he realizes that Fuuma is beyond his capacity to help, that there is nothing worth saving in him anymore, or he must kill his bestfriend for the sake of the people on Earth. I'd rank that kind of ending on parr with how Light went crazy at the end of Death Note, because it does not respect any of Kamui's previous choices and stinks of a major cop-out.
If one considers the more unlikely outcome, that Fuuma lives, it will turn out somehow like the XTV ending. Fuuma lives because Kamui Wishes that he live. This won't stop him from killing the other though, and because he is driven to do just that, well. You get where I'm going at. It would be funny if he became the only survivor on Earth after the Apocalypse because of Kamui's Wish.
You know what would be an awesome ending? If somehow, Fuuma and Kamui both kick Destiny to the curve and BOTH live after the Final Battle. This would mean that CLAMP thinks of a Wish that would not only stay Fuuma's hand from delivering the final blow on Kamui, but also protect the citizens of Earth at the same time.