Disclaimer: I do not own Peacemaker Kurogane or the song "Blurry" by Puddle of Mudd. Period.
Summary: Two lovers, bound to their respective duties, converse within the crimson glow of Shimabara.
Authors note: This story was written as a sort of filler while I continue "Reunions and Redemption". I had originally wanted to use the song "Broken", but I thought "Blurry" was closer to the kind of theme I was going for. Akesato and Yamanami have an interesting relationship, especially in the manga, and I wanted to take this chance to shed some light on their inner conflicts and such. I hope you enjoy, and I welcome constructive criticism.
Fray
Everything's
so blurry
and everyone's so fake
and everybody's empty
Twin pools reflecting a summer sky, dead black suns at their centers, directed their gaze onto the emotional burden of their master.
and
everything is so messed up
pre-occupied without you
I cannot
live at all
Placing a hand on his cheek, she smiled. Slumber always took him into her soft open arms before the moon reached its place among the sea of stars.
My
whole world surrounds you
I stumble then I crawl
She almost jumped when a calloused hand joined hers, eclipsing its thin delicate frame completely, reassuringly.
You
could be my someone
you could be my scene
you know that i'll
protect you
Eyes foreign to the world she had come from, yet lovingly familiar to her, opened slowly. She couldn't help but cluck in good humor as he pulled away from her comforting presence.
from
all of the obscene
I wonder what you're doing
imagine where you
are
He grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his head, unsure of what to say. Nights like these, when awkwardness fogged their senses, were few and far between.
there's
oceans in between us
but that's not very far
She knew the sadness hiding behind his lips all too well. It was a disease shared between them, contracted when they forgot their loyalties in the midst of their love.
Can you
take it all away
can you take it all away
well ya shoved it in
my face
He was staring at the moon, deep in thought. She placed her lips against the lobe of an ear.
"Wolves got your tongue tonight?"
He turned in her direction, his expression unreadable. She thought she saw a flash of guilt. The mask had been shattered.
this
pain you gave to me
Can you take it all away
A sigh escaped his weary form. Eyes now clouded by a storm of emotion closed to a night of doubt, worry.
"Why do you ask?"
He felt her mouth twitch against his skin. If it was a frown or smile, he couldn't tell. She pulled away, her beautiful face now expressionless in the glow of the lantern.
can you
take it all away
well ya shoved it my face
"Whenever you're like this, it's 'cause of something involving the Shinsengumi. Am I right?"
He smirked ruefully, eyes still closed, but less doubtful. They knew each other so well, it was almost pointless to voice any worries; auditory confirmation was an unneeded nuisance.
Everyone
is changing
there's noone left that's real
to make up your own
ending
"Mm. I suppose you are."
His openness…unnerved her. It was the man's duty to be strong; to put her in her place and keep his own through simple verbal reiteration of his strength and resilience. Not to allow her the benefit of the doubt.
and let
me know just how you feel
cause I am lost without you
"But then again, were you not conditioned to notice these sorts of things…?"
Her eyes widened considerably, and her hands seemed to gain a life of their own, fidgeting with the hem of her kimono. If he knew…
I
cannot live at all
my whole world surrounds you
I stumble then
I crawl
"I really can't say I know what you mean, Yamanami-sama."
His hand once more enveloped hers, the callousness of his skin, like the weapons he used, more obvious on the surface. He nipped at her pale neck affectionately, possessively almost. His lips brushed her bare collarbone, eliciting an almost invisible shiver.
You
could be my someone
you could be my scene
you know that i will
save you
"I'm surprised then. A…profession like yours requires some understanding of the male psyche, I would think."
from
all of the unclean
I wonder what you're doing
She allowed herself to relax in his rather unorthodox embrace, smirking to herself. Ivory fingers directed the wondering orifice to a mask equally as delicate and emotionless, save for a fleeting hint of lust and desperation. Of course, weren't they the same thing seen beneath the light of the moon in Shimabara?
I
wonder where you are
There's oceans in between us
but that's
not very far
"Running a tea house does require that, but it don't take a genius to know what men who visit the red light district want. Of course, wolves are always a different story. The blood on their fur has a scent even a night with one of us can't cover."
Nobody
told me what you thought
nobody told me what to say
everyone
showed you where to turn
He stopped his welcomed invasion to look into her eyes. They were distant, isolated. As he held her face with one hand, the other holding one of hers, he wondered if his own eyes were the same. Were they so different?
told
you when to runaway
nobody told you where to hide
She didn't wish to look at him. Her words, spoken in defense of her own duties, had bothered him. The truth of the statement troubled her. What difference was there between wolves and dogs, save for domestication?
nobody
told you what to say
everyone showed you where to turn
showed
you when to runaway
"Akesato-chan…you are right. And it is that scent which will always bring us together, even if only under the cover of night."
"Do you speak of regret, or blood?"
He paused before answering, his thumb running tracing delicate bones barely hidden under a sheet of pale silk. His other hand had found its way to a cup of sake forgotten early on. He took a small sip, hoping it would bring a conclusion to the night outside, heralding a new darkness within.
This
pain you gave to me
You take it all
You take it all away...
"They are both strands woven in the rope that binds you and me. But there is love as well, for duty and for us."
This
pain you gave to me
You take it all away
She was still contemplating what he had just said when a tired snore reached ears sensitive to more than one would think. Placing a chaste kiss on his seldom unwrinkled forehead, she frowned at his words.
This pain you gave to me
How long will it be before that rope begins to fray?
Take it
all away
This pain you gave to me
