More mindless rambling about the 'I... you...' thing...
Long, long ago in 2003-10-03 ariseishirou wrote something interesting about how the current interpretation of Seishiro's last word is wrong.
To make short a long story the current interpretation says that he said:
"Now that I think about it, you couldn't kill anyone because you are kind. ... I... you..."
According to her instead it should be:
"Now that I think about it, you couldn't kill anyone. Because you are kind, I... you."
In short, Subaru's kindness is the reason due to which Seishiro is 'I... you...-ing'. It's not telling you much, is it? You still want to know what's after the 'I... you...' thing, don't you?
Well, popular opinion says 'love' (they favour 'Aishiteru' but CLAMP are fond of 'Suki' and anyway both options work to mean the same concept) but I always thought it was going to be a little too easy if it was just 'love'. I thought it HAD to have some ties with TB and since, short after the end of the bet, there was the whole transplant thing and Seishiro afterward left his eye to Subaru I thought it could be something like 'I'll live within you'.
Then tonight... THE REVELATION.
I mean... authors like to repeat patterns but each time Seishiro were to say in TB 'I love you' he would say:
僕は昴流くんが好きですよ
Boku wa Subaru-kun ga suki desu yo
"I really like Subaru-kun."
Do you notice that horrible 'ga' that doesn't match at all with the 'wo' he used in his last sentence? And there wasn't a single 'I love you' in his life that had a 'wo' apart that last one. I checked. I don't know Japanese enough to tell if the wo/ga thing matter that much in grammar but I think there should be a reason for this change.
So something else. Something else that surprised Subaru, something else that made him understand that maybe he mistook Seishiro. But would CLAMP go for a completely new sentence? Come on, following ariseishirou's suggestion cut the 'I have never prepared myself to be killed by you… or by anyone else…' part and keep only 'because you… are very kind… Subaru-kun… I… you…'. Doesn't sound familiar to you what Seishiro said to Subaru before dying? TBesque? Think again... where have you heard something like that?
貴方は... 優しいから... ...昴流君... 僕は... 君を...
'Anata ha... yasashii kara... ...Subaru-kun... Boku ha... Kimi wo...'
"Because... you are gentle... .... Subaru-kun... I... you..."
Okay, I'll help you, that time Seishiro had talked a little more but he wasn't dying, no he had to keep himself short but really... haven't you heard it already? Yes, with a lot more words but you know Seishiro likes to ramble...
君は僕と正反対の「心」を対つている... 優しくて純粋で誠実で......
Kimi ha boku to seihantai no "kokoro" wo tsui tsuteiru... yasashikute junsui de seijitsu de......
Your spirit is the opposite of mine, you are gentle, pure and sincere.
きつと君はをまま大人になるでしようをの「綺麗」な「心」のまま
Kitsuto kimi ha wo mama otona ni narude shiyou wo no 'kirei' na 'kokoro' no mama
When you become an adult, you will look as you are now, your 'spirit' will always be 'beautiful'
だからもし君とまた出会えた......
Dakara moshi kimi to mata deaeta......
So on our next meeting...
Or, in more short, pregnant words:
BECAUSE YOU ARE KIND
僕は「君」を「好き」こなるよう「努力」してみますよ
Boku ha "Kimi" wo "suki" konaruyou "doryoku" shitemimasu yo
I will try to put 'great effort' so that I will 'love' 'you'.
(... and please notice how he caresses his cheek as he had done before dying.)
So yes, now I think there's a 'suki' after the 'Boku ha kimi wo'. Not too sure of what will come after it, I have no knowledge of Japanese grammar but I think that IDIOT is trying to make Subaru remember that scene, to tell him that since Subaru hadn't changed, since he's still kind as he was before despite what Subaru had said (Subaru had stated 'he had changed' early in that meeting) and won't change no matter what Seishiro will do, even if he beats him up, even if he kills his sister, even if he tries to kill him, Subaru will always feel guilty for the fact Seishiro had lost the eye, will never be able to try and get revenge from him, to kill him, since his heart his still beautiful, he loves him and will do his best for him. In short, Subaru had won the bet and, as Setsuka predicted, he had become Seishiro's murderer.
Subaru, who had thought to change, who had tried to become unkind, cold, dangerous, vengeful, murderous, to catch his attention, in fact hadn't needed at all to do it.
And if Seishiro thought that Subaru's heart was beautiful and that his own was the exact opposite... then the Sakurazukamori had a ugly heart and, according to him, he was always alone. And his disgusted expression when Subaru didn't react to the beating at the end of the bet wasn't aimed at Subaru but at himself.
And I think... all that time that IDIOT had expected Subaru's soul would become less beautiful. Because there's a contraddiction, you see? Seishiro loved a beautiful soul but a beautiful soul wouldn't kill but Seishiro would be killed by the one he loved. And since Seishiro's vengeful and 'since he's not kind like Subaru-kun, he won't just passively accept attacks' (TB Vol. 3) Subaru would need to be better at Seishiro to manage to strike him. And so in Vol 7 he wonders if Subaru's better than him, if he can top him, if he can kill him. But Subaru doesn't even try. Even though Seishiro's maboroshi is not so strong, even so Seishiro too said Subaru, with a broken arm, could still free himself from it (and Seishiro can put up Maboroshi from which not even Kamui with two healthy arms can free himself from) Subaru doesn't try to strike him.
And in the end Hokuto had done the trick. Seishiro had probably killed her because he wanted to trigger Subaru to try and kill him. When Subaru says 'he'll kill him' we know Seishiro probably was too far to hear him and yet we see him turning and smiling as if that was what he'd been aiming to. But this also hadn't been enough.
In the end Subaru still doesn't want to kill him. Subaru won't strike him not even when Seishiro will aim for a killing blow.
Subaru is still the beautiful soul Seishiro had been charmed with.
And that IDIOT instead than realizing how dense he had been, hug Subaru and escape with him in Las Vegas (the one in Nevada, Fuma) or even better Netherlands, wait a couple of years and get married just... had himself killed.
And now I feel like I've re-read Rainbow bridge all over and I need to go and cry in a corner (which means I won't end the new chap of 'Because We Are' this evening... -_-).
Probably more rambling will follow when I'll stop crying...