|COMPLETED| The Emotion Love - Heisuke x OC

Chapter 35 - A Price

A/N; Huehuehue. You're going to love~ this!

~ Tsukino ~

"...What?" Everything seemed to stop. Time, my heartbeat, the flow of my blood... It couldn't be true. Kazama had to be lying.

"It was the Hirukami - your own family - who nearly killed you."

"You're lying," I said through gritted teeth. It didn't sound convincing to Kazama, nor myself. It couldn't be true. They would have recognised one of their own...right?

"They were after me," he began. "They knew I had you in my possession, but they didn't know you would be out on the battlefield fighting. They thought you were tucked away safely far away from what was happening."

I wanted to scream at him, punch him in the face and kill him. I didn't have my swords on me, I only had a dagger. I wasn't stupid enough to throw it at him, he would catch it before it hit him from this distance.

But it couldn't be true. It couldn't have been the Hirukami, my own family and clansmen. The men that had skinned me that day... They had no dignity or honour and they looked like monsters. Had they fallen so low in the years I had been gone? The years I had known them as a child?

Kazama was in front of me before I could blink. With him this close... I grabbed the dagger in a flash, letting my true form out. I swiped at him while jumping back as far as I could in the folds of silk, watching a small trail of blood appear on his arm.

"It seems you'll use your true form whenever in danger. When you have nothing to protect you."

"Shut up," I snarled. He smirked at me, at the reaction I was giving him. I had become too emotional during my stay with the Shinsengumi.

Some of my hair slipped over my face; my very white hair. I lunged again at Kazama, taking hold of one of his hands tightly. He went to grab me, but I was already out of his reach, with a sword in hand. It was the shorter one of the two, but it didn't matter. At least I hade a blade rather than a piece of metal.

"You're fast."

"Of course I am," I snapped. I lunged for him, the sword in hand locking itself with Kazama's drawn one. The vibrations shot through my arms, making them shake as sparks flew. Pulling back, I thrust forward again and again, meeting him head-on.

I couldn't fight in this. It was too difficult. Quickly in one motion, I stripped myself of the kimono. Under it, I wore clothes that Kazama was very familiar with. His eyes widened in surprise as I lunged again.

My whole entire outfit was black. On my forearms, I wore simple black gauntlets. I then wore a pair of black training pants and then a simple sleeveless black top that wrapped around at the front. When I was younger, I had worn this fighting against this man. It was the only thing that would fit under the kimono.

I ran at him full speed, lightning sparking in the air. He managed to dodge but still gained a deep wound on his side. I tried to skid to a halt but failed. I braced myself as I went flying through the door, grunting as I slammed into the wooden railing outside. Some screamed as I pushed off it.

I would not give up so easily. I appeared different now, and nobody would recognise me. It was time to put an end to his scheming. To...everything.

~ Heisuke ~

Screams echoed outside. I met Sano and Shinpachi's eyes before standing up, a hand on the sword at my side. I was first out of the room, running down the hallways towards the commotion. The two behind me followed close.

What could be going on now? And why here? I skidded to a halt, Shinpachi and Sano stopping quickly as we took in the scene in front of us. A few geisha stood there, horrid looks on their faces. One of the screen doors had been taken off its frame, lying to the side on a mess of wood and rice paper. But that wasn't what scared them the most.

It was the small splatters of blood on the ground and the sound of swords inside clashing. Sano walked coward cautiously as Shinpachi tried to clear the woman away.

"Shit!" Sano jumped back quickly as someone came flying out of the room. Another person met them head-on, bringing their sword down on them. The other one brought their sword up to their chest to parry the blow whole moving to the side, grunting at the impact and sparks that flew.

My eyes widened at the figure holding off Kazama with gritted teeth, his sword neatly embedded in their upper arm. If they gave even a bit to him... White hair covered their faces. I couldn't help it when I whispered, "Tsukino..."

Her eyes snapped to mine, the gold of them flashing so brightly. She was in front of me.

~ Tsukino ~

I passed. Pain flashed through my upper arm. My face whipped back to Kazama as his sword sink into it, blood seeping through slowly. "Bastard!" I pushed back, shoving him with my other shoulder as I swiped again. It was time to stop playing games now.

I increased my attacks, coming from there and everywhere. Kazama could barely keep up from the wounds I was inflicting. And Heisuke was there... I had to finish it quickly so I could speak to him. I had to tell him how I felt. Before it was too late.

"How?!" He growled. I laughed as I replied, "I've been holding back on you, Kazama." The hit I was going to land would come at a price. With all my strength and speed, I charged at him with his own sword and aimed for his heart. It met home.

I let out a puff of breath as a line of blood ran down the side of both mine and Kazama's mouth. My hit had landed. I wanted to laugh at him, at the top of his sword poking out of his back. Finally, I had gotten what I wanted after all these years. At a price.

Kazama laughed. I could feel the sword through my middle. It hurt, a lot. But the pain... I couldn't feel it either. It was a strange, funny feeling. It was...numb. I couldn't feel the blood seeping from the wound. The smell of the blood...

I pulled the sword back, stumbling away. I winced as I pulled away from the blade, dropping Kazama's sword. It clattered to the ground, the sound dining in my ears. 'I won' ringing in my ears. The smell of my blood and Kazama's so strong, mixed together. My footsteps echoed as I staggered back, my hand clutching my stomach.

My name was shouted. The voice was distant, but it made me...warm. Something I hadn't felt in a long time since I was a child.

I collapsed into someone. Their arms circled me, hugging me tightly as they fell to their knees. Blue-green eyes greeted my sight, brown hair everywhere. I tilted my head, touching their face softly. "Heisuke..."

With all my strength (I had used everything, all of my energy, in my last attack), I lifted my head, wrapping a hand around Heisuke's neck for support as I kissed him. It was short, but it was a wonderful feeling. Like the fireworks on the night of my birthday. A feeling I wanted to feel forever.

I loved Heisuke. I had realised that back, long ago. During the festival, when we had been alone on that hill. He had been there and tried, he had tried so hard, to make me open up. To help me feel again. Something I had wanted to do for a long time.

A tear slipped down my face. I would be forever grateful to this boy in front of me, the boy I had met months ago at Ikeda Inn on that dark night. For being a light in the dark. Closing my eyes, I felt myself slipping into darkness.

I, in the next thousands of lives I lived, would always remember that he had been the one who taught me the emotion Love.