Of all of the characters that I like, Seishiro is probably the one that I can most easily identify with as why I like him. And that is a rather scary fact, because there is one simple reason why Seishiro is my favorite CLAMP character ever.

If I were evil, this would be me.

I'm sure that statement alone is enough to elicit a double take from all of you. Seishiro has always struck a chord with me, deep down in that dark, twisted portion of your psyche that you don't normally let out to play. But it is always there, watching and waiting. And it is that portion of the mind that is the epitome of what Seishiro is.

Cold, aloof, amoral - all of these words are perfect descriptions of Seishiro. Born of the Sakurazaku clan - a cabal of dark mystics and mediums - Seishiro was marked to one day rise to the head of the family. Behind all of the dark workings and schemes that are the hallmark of the Sakurazaku clan there lies a hidden power, one that has existed in Japan since time immemorable. Located in Ueno Park is an unassuming sakura tree, one that harbors a sinister secret. The Sakura Barrow is part of the true power behind the Sakurazaku clan, and its protector is the most powerful member of this dark group - the Sakurazakumori.

Taken from their parents at birth, the Sakurazakumori is trained in the black arts and martial skills - raised to be the perfect assassin. It is their job to fill the insatiable hunger that the Sakura Barrow possesses for human souls, killing again and again until death has become such a crucial part of their lives that they do not fear even their own deaths. And in the end each Sakurazakumori dies at the hands of his or her successor - for there can only be one, and the old must eventually become the nourishment of the Barrow which they have served for so long...

Strangely enough, Seishiro is different from the rest of these cold hearted killers. His mother, the previous Sakurazakumori, remained in contact with him during his training, and this may have contributed to his behavior later on. But in the end destiny called to him, and Seishiro killed his own mother in order to ascent to the coveted post. It is around this point that we are first introduced to Seishiro in Tokyo Babylon, where he works as a veterinarian in order to cover his darker, more sinister life.

Seishiro is proof that even demons may have hearts - however twisted and blackened they may be. One has to respect him for this. Despite all of the training for Seishiro to become a cold, emotionless killer, he defies all that the Sakurazakumori is by refusing to kill the young Sumeragi Subaru - heir to the Sumeragi clan who oppose the Sakurazaku - and instead marking him with the star of his family. To a man that sees all human beings as mere objects, to a man who sees killing only as a pale, necessary act, the young Sumeragi brings a measure of light and warmth to his cold heart.

The expression of his love is given in death - perhaps unable to bear the thought of another possessing a place in Subaru's heart, Seishiro kills the young Sumeragi's twin sister Houkto and gives her soul to the Sakura Barrow. But before she dies, Houkto curses him to die at the hand of the one he loves the most.

The next time we see the dark Sakurazakumori again is in X, where we discover that both Subaru and Seishiro have joined the nightmarish battle for the destiny of the Earth. His left eye closed to the light forever by events that took place earlier in Tokyo Babylon, Seishiro is revealed as among the most powerful of the Chi no Ryu, the Dragons of Earth, while his young love Subaru becomes one of the Ten no Ryu, the Dragons of Heaven. Once again it seems that the lines are drawn for the two of them to clash, this time with the whole of the world drawn into their battle.

While the Chi no Ryu are not exactly a strong team to begin with, Seishiro remains aloof even from them, carrying his battle to the Dragons of Heaven and nearly destroying several of them on many occasions. He exists with a slight smile on his face, complimenting Kamui for his valor even as he attempts to crush him beneath massive spears of conjured rock. Only when Fuma interrupts his attack does Seishiro show even the slightest hint of any emotion other than amusement...

Later, once Kamui as joined the Ten no Ryu and Fuma has transformed into the Kamui of the Chi no Ryu, we see Seishiro bonding his new 'leader' over ice cream...

I won't reveal anymore, but none the less Seishiro does not change much in his translation between the two series. Perhaps it is the cold, menacing air of something that you know is dangerous that makes Seishiro so attractive - the undeniable thrill of tempting death, knowing that if you dare approach you court only your own destruction. Or perhaps it is the disdain that he has for all of humanity - almost as if he believes that he can elevate himself beyond the sprawling masses by his deeds. Regardless, I will always have a very dark fascination with this character - an empathy that I for some strange reason I enjoy. While I in no small way condone what he does, Seishiro still manages to awaken in me that small bit of disdain for fools that all of us possess. The realization that everything around us is but glass - and it takes very little effort to break it.