I Feel You - Gyomei Himejima

Chapter 5

Gyomei reaches out and as soon as he feels her body, he pulls her against his body, "Hamito... is it really you?" His voice shook as he asked, the scent of her hair entering his mind, reminding him of Hamito's scent. Tears streamed down his face falling onto my left shoulder, but this time, it wasn't sadness nor despair, for the first time in so long, it was tears of joy. He laughs excitedly, "It's you, it's really you?!"

I wrap my arms around his torso, letting my guard down as I nuzzle my face against his shoulder, "Yes... it's me... I suppressed my presence because I knew we were going to meet when Master Ubuyashiki recruited me... I didn't... I was too scared to face you.... so I hid myself."

I didn't suppress my presence anymore and once again he heard my heartbeat. The heartbeat that's exactly the same as Hamito's, confirmed that Kuza and Hamito are the same people.

"How long have I waited for this moment... but..." He pulls away, setting a short distance between them but his hand still caressing her face and his other hand on her hips.

"What happened to you? Did you really become an ex-convict? Did you really... kill people?" His thumb rubs softly against her cheek. He wanted to stay that way, to have his hands on his body.

"Would you hate me if I did?"

"No matter what the reason may be, I could never bring myself to hate you."

I sighed, "I'll tell you what happened after I left..."

A few days after they parted, Hamito arrived in a new city, going around each store asking for a job until she was accepted to work in a bakery. The bakery had an attic that wasn't used, so the owners let her siblings stay there during her shift. Life was becoming stable after a few weeks until I received a letter. A letter from 'home'. Her father and mother weren't sitting idly at their disappearance, and have been searching for them, finding her quickly now that she lived in a city full of people.

They told her that if she didn't come back, on her knees, begging for forgiveness they would take her siblings back. Because under the law, children under the age of 13 were still under their parents. Hamito doesn't fall to that law as she was 18.

She did return home, doing what they wanted her to do, to get on her knees and apologize. In the end, all she got was a slap and a harsh beating by her father. Something sparked in her, it started as anger now turning into an explosion of hatred. So in the middle of their fight, she did something, she grabbed one of his alcoholic drinks and broke it in half, using it to kill her parents in a fit of rage, when she had returned to her normal state she realized what she had done and the memory was engraved into her mind. She returned to her siblings as soon as possible, planning on going to the other side of the country before the police found them.

Yet when she returned to the town, a strong lower ranked demon had run rampant in the town and killed everyone silently yet brutally. He was able to mask his presence completely, Hamito panicked and ran up to the attic where her siblings' bodies lay missing in the pool of their own blood. Rage consumed her once more and led her to battle against the demon with nothing but a butcher knife, stabbing its head over and over until the sun rose.

Because she murdered her parents, she was also accused of the murder of the entire town of almost 300 people. However, due to the lack of evidence and the fact that people didn't believe a "woman" could do that, the Court decided that instead of an execution she was sentenced to 50 years in prison until further notice.

It was in that prison where she copied the demons' ability to mask one's presence and lurk in the dark, unlocking a breathing technique called Shadow Breathing, and spent time perfecting it in that small cell.

"However I spent only 6 years in jail until Master Ubuyashiki got me out. Only if I was willing to serve under him. So that's what happened."

Tears began to swell in his eyes, "I can't believe you went through all that..." He takes her hand, "Hami... Mito... they're gone as well."

"I heard what happened to you and the orphanage..." I say, "You didn't deserve to go through that as well... Maybe if I didn't--" I shake my head slightly, "Well, there's nothing we can do now, Gyomei." I pull back my hands from his, turning my body away as I rub my arm.

"There is one thing we can do."

I look up at him, humming.

"Live." He says, "We live for those who died."

A soft smile makes its way to my face, "You're right... man, it's been so long since we last met. You've changed a lot by appearance, but you're still the same Gyomei I know."

He laughs shyly, a small blush brightens up his cheek, "I hope I didn't change for the worse..."

"No, I like the Gyomei in any form, whether you be a skinny or a muscular man."

"Is that so?" He giggles, he reaches out, and caresses my face with both hands, "How about you?"

"How about me?"

"Tell me what you look like, dove."

I chuckled, "I look...... rough. I've grown some muscle, and I've earned scars all over my body and face. Here I have a scar across my nose as well," I held his hand, guiding his fingertips to feel my scar. He rubs his index finger over it gently, treating it like it is still an open wound.

"I still need to go get my hair cut because my hair is too long for my liking." I say, "It might get in the way when I'm fighting demons."

His face softens even more as he smiles brightly, "You sound beautiful."

A blush spreads across my cheeks as I chuckle lightly. No matter how long or how far we've been apart, my feelings for him still stayed the same. I initiated and moved closer, resting my head on his chest with my arms wrapped around his body.

"Oh, Gyomei... you're the only one I have left," I mutter.

He rests his hand on the back of my head while rubbing my back with his other hand in a smooth relaxing rhythm.

"I'm always here for you."

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QuickFact: Even when they've separated for long, during her time serving in prison Hamito would request for wisteria incense every night and lit it up in her cell. It helps her relax as the scent reminds her of her time spent with Gyomei and the orphans.