Love at first sight (Heisuke x OC)

Chapter 70: The "true" fury falls

We must have checked over a dozen doors and empty rooms before we found what we were looking for. It was a beautiful, extravagant door, but when we opened it a wave of darkness poured out. Beyond the door was a hall and at the far end of the room hung a cloud of death and malevolence. In that cloud I could see Sen-chan and Sanan.

He was kissing her, just as he'd done on the night we had last seen her. Before I could say anything, Kimigiku-chan began shouting angrily; "My lady! Get away from her you filthy peasant!"
"Peasant? That's rather harsh. I'll be in control of your master soon enough. You ought to pay me the proper respect" As he drew back from Sen-chan, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. He wiped it away casually and bowed.
"Mind your tongue, fake. No demon bows down to any of your kind" Chikage scoffed.
"How many times must I explain? 'Fake' is such a harsh word. I am a demon now, like those in the West" Sanan irritably sighed. "...Iie, I have become even more than that. A true fury"
"What do you mean, a 'true' fury? All furies are the same. Just a cursed body that will hunt for blood until it's killed, simple as that"
"Ah, such a simplistic view. Hai, not everyone can become a true fury...Most become little more than mindless, thirsty mouths. But Chiyeko here, has the potential to become a true fury. The two of you, perhaps, could also become true furies. With my help, I could unlock your potentials. What say you? Do you accept my offer to hold this world for our kind, a kingdom for us to rule?"
"Me, a demon, become a fury? What a ludicrous proposition" Chikage flat-out refused Sanan's offer. "You are a snake of the highest order. You might as well ask a tiger if it would prefer to be a housecat" Chikage appeared fed up with Sanan's behaviour, immediately reaching for the hilt of his blade.
"...You can spout all the nonsense you like, just return my lady to me" Kimigiku-chan also refused his offer, naturally. Unfazed by this, Sanan averted his gaze cooly over to Heisuke.
"We've spoken about this already, but I'll ask you again...Would you consider my offer Toudou-kun? You're much like me. We've seen the same things. If you continue to drink blood, I've no doubt you could become a true fury as well"
"Heisuke isn't anything like you!"
"Oh? And how so? If he hadn't been drinking blood then perhaps that statement might have some merit...But you would never have lasted this long without drinking at least a little blood, would you Toudou-kun?"
"I..." He nervously looked at me and I looked at him and gave him a small nod. It's clear that if Heisuke hadn't accepted his hunger for blood, his mind would slowly go insane and the Heisuke I know and love would disintegrate beyond recognition. But even so..."All right. You got me. I...I've drank blood" He then unsheathed his sword and rose his voice at Sanan. "But you've got me all wrong! I don't kill people for their blood, I never have and I never will! If I have to give in to these cravings then there's only one person I trust whose blood I will drink! And only if they offer it! That's all I'll ever do! So yeah, I'm not anything like you!"
"Heisuke..." I could see in Sanan's eyes the moment he realised that the time for talk was over.
"That's unfortunate. I had so much promise for you, but in the end you're as naive as ever. Very well then. I will continue to kill for my blood. Declining my offer sadly means that this is the end for you, given that I've no use for weak furies" Sanan drew his sword as he transformed. The blood of so many victims had given Sanan a dark aura, more frightening than any other fury. Indeed, he was nearly even more terrifying than Chikage. Is this the aura of a true fury...? It's pretty damn terrifying...Just then, Heisuke kicked at the floor. Rushing forward to attack Sanan. "Take this!" His twirled his blade in a beautiful, shining arc that looked like the last waning quarter of a silver moon, before striking.
"My, you've improved Toudou-kun. Your speed and power are both quite impressive. Just what one would expect from the captain of the Shinsengumi's 8th Division...Sadly, however, you still fight like a ningen" Sanan reached up one hand to grab Heisuke's sword.
"Na-Nani?!" Heisuke exclaimed in disbelief. What is he crazy?! Heisuke's blade dove into the flesh of Sanan's hand and continued up his arm until at last it came to rest at the elbow. "D-Damnit! I can't pull it out!"
"Nani...?" Does that mean Sanan planned to have Heisuke's sword slice into him...? With his opponent's sword still lodged in the bone, Sanan's arm began to heal, more rapidly than I'd ever seen a fury heal before. He even healed faster than me and I healed pretty fast for a fury.
"A wound is only temporary. This is how a fury fights. You were reborn as something much more than ningen, but you make no effort to cultivate that power! To study it; to understand it! You have shunned it and that is why you will lose!"
"Gah!"
"Heisuke!" The impact of Sanan's blow knocked Heisuke's hand from his sword and sent him tumbling across the floor. Iie, I can't let him hurt Heisuke! As Sanan took a step towards his former companion, I unsheathed Aka Tatsu. "Leave him alone!" I charged towards Sanan with my blade raised high. He quickly turned around and raised his own blade to block it.
"Really Kazama-chan? You hope to fight against me?"
"I'll do anything to protect the man I love!" Our swords clashed repeatedly and though I was managing to hold my own, it was clear who had the upper hand.
"I was hoping a demon turned fury would provide more of a challenge" I gritted my teeth, but didn't respond to his attempts to aggravate me. I know there's no way I'm winning this fight, but hopefully I can buy the others time to come up with an actual plan! Sanan's heavy and precise blows were wearing me down big time. I can't give up now!
"Raargh!!" I swung my sword with all my strength and managed to nick Sanan's cheek, leaving a shallow red cut upon his face.
"It seems I should start being serious now..." Nani?! That wasn't him being serious, are you kidding me?! He unleashed relentless blows upon my blade and I was forced back into a corner. I gasped as my back hit the wall and that momentary lack of focus was all Sanan needed to finish me. He swiftly reached out and wrapped a too-tight hand around my neck. I started gasping for air.
"Chiyeko!!!" Sanan drove his sword forward, but a voice echoed out behind him, stopping him with his sword just inches away from my chest;
"Allow me to show you how underestimating a demon will ensure your defeat" Chikage let out a short chuckle. In his arms was the limp body of Sen-chan. He got her, Chikage did it!
"I see...You took advantage of my distraction during their attack to save the princess. Excellent teamwork" He didn't loosen his grip around my neck and I continued to gasp for air.
"Teamwork? Ha. He made himself a nuisance to you and I took advantage of his pigheadedness. As for her, if you don't let her go I won't hesitate to slit your throat open"
"Ah, right" Sanan acted as if he had forgotten he was strangling me. "I'll do as you say, don't want you slitting my throat, now do I?" Sanan willingly let me go and I collapsed to the floor, coughing.
"Chiyeko!" Heisuke ran up to me and swiftly moved me a safe distance away from Sanan. "Daijōbu...?"
"H-Hai..." I stated in between breaths.
"My lady! I'm glad to see you're safe..." Kimigiku-chan smiled and moved towards Sen-chan and Chikage. Thank god Sen-chan's okay...
"...Wait..." Something seemed odd. Why didn't Sanan look panicked by Chikage's possession of Sen-chan?
"He he he he..." Could it-Oh no!
"Chikage, get away from Sen-chan right now!" I yelled in an attempt to warm him, but...
"What do you-?!" Sen-chan's eyes snapped open and blood splattered across her face...my warning was too late. "Urngh!" The sound of Chikage's painful moan was immediately followed by Sen-chan's malicious grin, her cheeks now dripping with fresh blood. My...brother's blood.
"Chikage, iie!!!" With a sickening wet scrape, Sen-chan drew her sword from Chikage's stomach and he collapsed into a rapidly-growing pool of his own blood. Sen-chan...In her hand was an ornate blade, stained with a film of crimson along its sharp edge. Her golden eyes turned to Sanan as she smiled.
"Oh my, it looks as if the princess is a fury at last. Then...that must mean that the blood of a fury is superior to that of a demon"
"Urgh..."
"Chikage!" I ran over to him and quickly laid his head in my lap, but when I saw his wound I froze up. The area where he'd been stabbed was disconcertingly deep and it targeted some of his vital organs. "C-Chikage, y-you...i-it..." S-Snap, out of it Chiyeko! You've gotta help him! I swiftly pressed my hands against his wound, trying desperately to slow down the blood flow.
"Please Kazama-kun, what is it like to be such a base creature? If demons are so superior, how did I bend the princess to my will? And why are you dying?"
"Y-You...bastard...!" Chikage's wound was too large and too dire for even a demon to heal quickly or easily. He screamed with anger and frustration.
"Just ignore him Chikage! You have bigger things to be worrying about!" His blood wouldn't slow down, it just spilled through my fingers. My vision became blurry and I realised there were tears in my eyes.
"T-There is...no reason...to cry...This w-will not...kill me" Blood began to clot through Chikage's clothing, which made it particularly hard to believe him.
"Chiyeko, look out!" Kimigiku-chan warned.
"Huh!?" I whipped around to see a blurry figure, who I assumed to be Sanan, preparing to strike. With mine and Chikage's guard lowered, he had found the perfect opportunity to attack. What do I do!? I couldn't move my hands because even if they weren't stopping much, they were slowing down the rate at which Chikage lost blood. If I moved my hands, his blood would spill out at a much faster rate and I would...lose him. Iie! I can't let that happen! I refuse to lose any more family!
"C-Chiyeko, move...!"
"Iie! I'm not leaving you to die!" I closed my eyes tightly and waited for the pain to befall me. Instead, I heard the sound of steel hitting steel. Huh...?
"Well, this is an interesting development" I opened my eyes to see the back of Kimigiku-chan. Her blade was battling for control against Sanan's.
"Kimigiku-chan, w-what are you doing?!" It was clear that she was struggling to hold her ground.
"The princess would reprimand me harshly if I were to let you die"
"But she's..."
"Iie. My lady is still in there and I will rescue her if it kills me"
"Kimigiku-chan..." Suddenly, she kneed Sanan in the stomach before kicking him in the side and sending him back.
"Focus on your brother, I will keep you safe for now"
"A-Arigato...!" I turned back to Chikage and saw him staring angrily back at me.
"A-Are you...an idiot...!?"
"N-Nani?"
"You...could've...been killed...!"
"I-If I moved my hands, you would've died!"
"Iie...I wouldn't...have..."
"H-How do you know that!? You've lost so much blood already and I-I...!"
"L-Listen to...me Yeko...I-I will not...die" His use of our childhood nicknames made me smile softly. He'd never broken a childhood promise so using our childhood nicknames made me believe that he'd survive.
"I'll believe you Kage...but if you're lying then I'll follow you into the afterlife to give you a right beating!"
"I wouldn't...e-expect...any...thing...less" Chikage chuckled. "Now go...Help that...baka idiot...w-win...this fight"
"Are you sure you'll be okay?"
"Do you...r-remember...who you're...t-talking to...?"
"I remember" I rolled my eyes as I giggled. I carefully laid him down and helped him place his hands over his wound. Although, I hesitated when it came to leaving him.
"Go...He can't win...without you..."
"R-Right!" All of a sudden, I heard Kimigiku-chan yell and turned to see her on the ground with Sanan and his blade looming over her. "Kimigiku-chan!" Just then, a short blade was flung at Sanan from behind him. Unfortunately, his reflexes allowed him to catch it in mid-air. The person who had thrown the wakizashi was none other than;
"Hey, a little early to start your victory parade, isn't it Sanan?!" He smiled provocatively. "It ain't over until one of us is dead!" Heisuke laughed before pointing his sword in Sen-chan's direction. He then looked at me before nodding, as if giving me the go ahead to try and save my friend. I nodded back before quickly rushing towards her.
"Sen-chan!"
"...Oh...?"
"Princess, please hold yourself together!" Kimigiku-chan hurriedly joined me.
"...Kimi...?...Chiyeko...?" She heard us! Sen-chan absently licked up some of the blood covering her palm then twitched before turning to stare at us, surprised. I saw sanity in her eyes as their gaze traveled between Kimigiku-chan and myself. Although I wasn't sure if Kimigiku-chan and I calling out to her was the reason, or whether tasting Chikage's blood had brought her back to her senses. Sen-chan's eyes went wide and she touched her cheeks in surprise. "W-What's happened here? I thought Sanan-Urngh!" She collapsed to her knees and her fingers rubbed her temple, indicating that the pain was in her head.
"Daijōbu!?" I began to approach her to try and support her, but she threw up her hands and shouted in a authoritative tone;
"Iie! Stay away from me! If you take another step...t-there's no telling if I may try to kill you! Both of you!" Her words made me stop. What should I do? I was conflicted as I looked at Sen-chan. Chikage would definitely kill her, better dead than a slave, in his mind. But what would Heisuke do? I looked to him for advice and he grinned.
"Do whatever you think's right Chiyeko" His trust in me gave me strength. "If she kills ya though, I'll hate her forever. Just don't give me a reason to do that, all right?"
"Hai!" I stepped forward, encouraged by his words, but Kimigiku-chan stopped me.
"You can't! She cannot control herself! If you get too close, she would no doubt kill even you! I will deal with the princess"
"What are you going to do...?"
"My duty. If she has, in fact, turned into a fury, then I must perform what is necessary, preventing any further crimes against our people..."
"I don't think I like where you're going with this..."
"...I will take her life with my own hands, even though it may cost me my own. This way, her dignity will remain intact and she will die an honourable princess of demons"
"Iie Kimigiku-chan. Gomenasai, but I won't let you do that. Sen-chan may be a demon princess, but first and foremost, she's my nakama. I will never let a nakama die" Kimigiku-chan's eyes flew wide open as she let out a loud gasp. Well, she's right about one thing: I may very well end up getting killed. As Sen-chan watched me draw closer to her, she began to shake.
"I-I..."
"Sen-chan, listen to me! You're still you! Nothing can ever change that! Please try to remember yourself!"
"It matters not whether I am able to remember myself...I have already done something terrible under his control...It is too late for me"
"Don't think like that! It's never too late! You can't let Sanan's blood win!" Her demon self seemed to be battling against the fury blood in her system and her breath was heavy and rough. Yet when Sen-chan spoke, it was with dignity.
"Kimi-iie. Ahem. Kimigiku as a princess of Yase, I order you to...to take my life while you still can" I noticed that Kimigiku-chan had joined my side again at some point. I held my arm out in front of her to block her from reaching Sen-chan as I pleaded with my friend;
"Iie! Sen-chan, you can't mean that!"
"Clear as day, I mean exactly what I say...His fury blood has ensnared me, dominating my every waking move. As a demon, I have failed...At this point, I...I am nothing more than a deadly threat to both of you"
"B-But...just look at you! You're talking to us like your normal self! We can still save you!"
"...Do you really think so...?" The truth was I had no idea if we could get the old Sen-chan back, but I didn't want to lose my friend.
"We'll find a way!" I exclaimed as tears welled up in my eyes.
"I appreciate your optimism, but...it's too late for me..." She walked, sword in hand, and stopped right in front of us. She spread her arms out wide and closed her eyes. "Gomen...I seem to have caused you no end of trouble Kimi" She smiled wryly.
"There's no need for you to apologise. The apology should come from me; there are no words to properly express my grief. I have failed to keep you safe and now I must take your life"
"Kimigiku-chan..." It's not your fault...
"Forgive me Princess...It won't be long until I join you in the next life" Kimigiku-chan ducked under my arm and unsheathed her sword.
"I-I...c-can only...restrain m-myself...for a...second longer. P-Please, you...h-have to...do it...n-now...!" The tears escaped my eyes as I shouted;
"Wait! Kimigiku-chan don't! Sen-chan's still in there! We can-!"
"Iie! Kimi, hurry! You have to...hurry..." The air around Sen-chan suddenly turned malevolent and my eyes widened. "...And l-let me taste your blood!"
"Watch out!"
"Nani!?" I shoved Kimigiku-chan out of the way, before gasping. A flower of blood bloomed on my chest.
"Huh...Wh-What's happening to me?!" Sen-chan looked more shocked than I was as we both stared at the bloody blade in her hand, embedded between my breasts. "I-Iie...I-I..." She had missed my heart, but I knew her next blow would result in my death. I could tell her mind no longer controlled her body as tears welled up and ran down her cheeks, she was devastated by what she had just done. Yet the fury in her was ecstatic, a cruel smile stretched across her face as she looked into my eyes. Her eyes begged for forgiveness as she raised her sword for the final blow. It's okay Sen-chan...I don't blame you, it's not your fault...there's no need to apologise...I hoped that my message got to her. "I-Iie, st-stop! I-I don't want to do this!" I reached out to touch her cheek.
"It's...okay..." The look in her eyes was melancholy and her tone was miserable as she responded;
"Chiyeko, I...!"
"Don't...worry..." I gave her the best smile I could muster, blood began to slowly fill my mouth. I felt some of it dribble down my chin.
"Gomenasai...! I'm so gomenasai...! I...I can't even let myself die..." Sen-chan's teardrops mixed with the blood flowing out of my chest.
"And I...can't kill you..."
"And I definitely can't let you kill Chiyeko!" Heisuke's sword cut through the flesh on Sen-chan's chest before he kicked her in the side which sent her flying into a wall.
"My lady?!"
"She's fine. I didn't cut her that deeply and that impact'll only keep her out for a few minutes"
"Heisuke..." I lost the strength in my legs and collapsed.
"Chiyeko!" Heisuke caught me before I could hit the floor. "Chiyeko, you've got to hang on!"
"I'll try..."
"We can use my scarf as a temporary bandage" Kimigiku-chan rushed over and kneeled down by us. She unwrapped her purple scarf from her neck and tied it around my wound tightly. "...Arigato Chiyeko" Kimigiku-chan looked at me with a sad smile on her face.
"...Don't mention it..."
"Did you forget your reason for coming here?" Sanan's voice brought everyone's attention back to the fight we were supposed to be having. He rushed towards us and Heisuke swiftly pushed him back.
"Kimigiku! You better protect Chiyeko!" Heisuke shouted as he duelled against Sanan.
"Hai, I must repay the kindness she has shown me" We watched as Sanan and Heisuke fought.