Love at first sight (Heisuke x OC)

Chapter 3: Persistent much?

I quickly walked down the street, but a faint cry stopped me in my tracks.
"Hey! Watch it!" Someone who was walking behind me shouted in an annoyed tone.
"Gomen!" I bowed and quickly moved out of his way. He muttered insults as he passed, but I was too focused on trying to locate the source of the sound to care. It came from that alleyway. I stood at the entrance to the alley and heard the sound much better than before. It was clearly a cry of distress. My hand unconsciously placed itself on the hilt of Aka Tatsu as I walked into the alley. I walked cautiously, ensuring that my footfalls made the least amount of noise possible. I followed the muffled cries and eventually reached the end of the alleyway. I gasped at what was in front of me. The mother I had protected when I first arrived in the city was tied up and had a cloth around her mouth. That was surprising, but the more surprising thing was that her son was tied up next to her. I quickly kneeled down in front of them and untied the cloths. "Who did this to you!?"
"It's a trap! Please you have to leave!"
"I'm not leaving without you two" I unsheathed Aka Tatsu and cut through the ropes binding the child. I was in the process of cutting free the mother when;
"Miss look out!" The child suddenly shouted, but whatever he was warning me about was too fast. I was struck heavily in the head and collapsed, Aka Tatsu slipping from my now limp grip. The blow disoriented me and my vision was blurring, but I still managed to hold on to my consciousness. The mother and child cried out as I was struck. "I'll go get help!" The child announced before dashing off.
"He won't get you help in time, because I plan to make sure that you die this time" I recognise that voice...I was lifted off the ground roughly by my hair, causing me to cry out. The mother begged them to leave me alone, but was silenced by one of the ronin knocking her out with their sword.
"That wasn't necessary..." I growled, trying desperately to get out of his grip.
"You're not going anywhere little girl" He picked me up by the neck and slammed me into the wall. I cried out as he smirked. "There's no way you're escaping death this time"
"H-Hai...I will...!" I kicked him in his crotch with all the strength I could muster. He immediately crumpled to the ground, dropping me in the process. I took deep breaths as I slid Aka Tatsu back into its sheath and picked up the unconscious mother. I bolted out from the alleyway and ran right into someone causing me to fall to the ground. I looked up to see Okita-san with the mother's child by his side.
"You sure do attract a lot of trouble, don't you?" He smirked as he picked up the woman, allowing me to stand up. I could see the fear in the boy's eyes as he gazed at his mother. I put my hand on his shoulder and he looked up at me with teary eyes.
"Your mother will be fine. She just got hit in the head is all" He hugged me tightly while thanking me for saving his mother. "It's okay" I stroked his head until he managed to calm down.
"We should get her to Doctor Matsumoto"
"...Yeah" I don't particularly want to talk to that guy again, but she needs help so I'll have to bury my feelings for now. We began walking, the child holding onto his mother's hand as she was carried by Okita-san. I was lagging behind as the blow to my head was starting to weaken my consciousness, but Okita-san was too busy soothing the child to notice. I was about to call out to him that I needed a quick rest when I was suddenly seized from behind. Before I could call for help, my airway was painfully crushed. I was dragged into an alley before he put his mouth next to my ear and whispered;
"This is known as a rear naked choke, the "clasping hands" variation to be exact" My hands clawed at his arm, but he ignored the blood drawn by my nails and continued whispering. "You see, my supporting hand clasps the hand of my choking arm, allowing me to apply more pressure to your neck. This alters the RNC slightly, making it more suitable as an airway-restricting choke. One that results in a very painful and very slow choke-out" Tears ran down my cheeks as I gasped for air and tried to cry out in pain at the same time. "Swords don't seem to keep you down so suffocation is a enjoyable alternative" My vision shifted in and out of focus as I lost the strength in my legs. "Although, you'll most likely faint from pain and shock before you suffocate. While it does decrease the amount of fun, it makes my life easier"
"Let her go" The ronin turned to the entrance of the alley and there stood Saito-san. What's he doing here? His usual stoic composure cracked a little as his eyes widened at my predicament, but he quickly recomposed himself. His hand went to his sword hilt. "I won't ask again"
"I don't think you're in a place to make demands" He tightened his grip and even worse pain assaulted my neck as I struggled to take in oxygen. My surroundings grew blurry due to my tears. "But be my guest. She dies either way so I don't mind"
"That's where you're wrong"
"And how do you figure that?"
"She's not going to die"
"Open your eyes captain of the 3rd Division, she's already struggling to breathe and is being assaulted by pain"
"My eyes are open and what I said is true"
"Really? Let's test that then, shall we?" He tightened his grip once more and the pain became unbearable. I desperately tried to breathe, but his grip was completely crushing my airway. I could draw no air into my lungs. My vision darkened as I lost all my strength. "Looks like she's dying to me. I mean, if I keep crushing her airway then she'll soon suffocate to death"
"Damnit Heisuke, where are you?" I swear I heard Saito-san whisper, but I couldn't be sure as everything suddenly sounded so far away. I blacked out.