Disclaimer: I do not own Peacemaker Kurogane. I do, however own the stupid girl and the plot, so back off buddy~!

I hope you enjoy the story, thank you~

A Nagakura Shinpachi Story

Bittersweet Love

Sometimes she wished she didn't have to know the sound of shamisen. Sometimes she wished she didn't have to ever recognize the softness of the silk that hugged her petite frame tightly. Sometimes she wished she didn't have to wear her hair up high with so many accessories in it. Sometimes she wished for a pale make up-less face. Sometimes she wished she's not a prostitute.

She loathed this job so much. She hated it when she had to apply thick make ups or when she had to do her troublesome hair. She hated when nighttime came and those old ugly perverted man would come to the brothel. She despised their thick fat fingers, moving around on her body, but luckily, none was interested to take her to bed.

Though she kept a smile on her face, but her mind, running wild with thoughts of how she would loved to kill every and each one of them, or at least, just make them disappear. But of course this was only a mere thought that will never be realized.

But this thought, this BAD BAD thought would be drains away. Would leak from the little hole on her head when she saw him came. That certain someone with flaming red hair and a lazy yet smug grin plastered on his face. And she would greet him with smile that was not of a Joker's, a smile truly from her heart.

He often asked for her for a reason she would never know. Maybe it's because she's as short as him, she once thought. Not daring to ever think that he might do that because he liked her. Because she LOVED him. And she knew better than to think that he might loved liked her back because once she did, her hopes would fly up high until it hit a ceiling called 'realization' with 'rejection' as its middle name. Then she would be crushed, along with her heart, along with that tiny tiny little hope she kept on holding.

He was the on reason she kept on living; her love for him. And to think that he loved liked her back is impossible. She was nothing. Her job was to be molested by perverts. Her job was to 'sleep' with them, although in her mind, she only wanted to 'sleep' with him, to be touched by him, kissed by him, hugged by him. Only him. But again, that couldn't be happening for she is a prostitute. A woman without shame, or pride. A woman with nothing but good look... Thus making her worthless.

She sighed heavily at this thought 'It would be nice though, to love him...to have him for my ow-'

Her thought was cut short as she felt something rubbed against her thigh. She titled her head down and saw a familiar scarred hand on her bare skinned for he had slipped his hand under her kimono.

Then she felt his head nuzzled on the crook of her neck, his mouth biting, licking and nibbling on her sensitive spot which made her moan his name; earning odd stares from her friends which clearly said 'get a room already girl, we'll soon get our own too…' and wolf whistles from his.

"Shiina-chan, let's get ourselves a room" he said when his throat began to close, he didn't bother clearing it, the resulting sound was husky, just the way he wanted it. It always succeeded in making the girl in his arms blush a thousand shades of red.

"O-okay...." she murmured, feeling her knees weakened by his voice, she could almost felt him smirk against her skin.

xXx

"What's wrong with you today??" The red haired man whined as soon as they arrived to their room "I came here to have fun with Ruri-chan, but it seems that she's somewhere else today...." he sighed.

"Hu-huh? What do you mean, Nagakura-san? I am here, right?"

"Yep, but you're mind's not, and what's with 'Nagakura-san' ?" he mimicked the way she said his name with mock innocent expression. "I told you already, it's 'Shinpachi', 'Shinpachi-kun', or the way Todo said it, 'Shinpach-san'" he pointed one finger and waved it in the air

She let out an airy giggle at this "Okay, okay, I'm sorry, Shinpachi-kun"

"That's better. Sooo……what's wrong with you?" he asked, clearly concerned

"Nothing…just thinking about you…" she smiled mischievously, which caused his smirk to get even bigger.

"Me, huh?"

"Yes, well, I'll just get ready"

"What for?"

"Well, um, if a customer-"

"Well I don't want to do that today." he cut her short. Felling a little insulted she asked timidly, "Why?"

"Oh, no need to cry, love, I just don't want to. I came here to talk to you today."

"Talk?" she asked incredulously, raising a brow. Never had Shiina Tsururi met a guy who asked for a room and just want to talk.

"Yes, talk, I'm very tired today, I want an alone time with you, so I decided not to have sex with you and just talk. Or is Tsururi here wants to see me naked?" he taunted as he smirked smugly at her.

Feeling her face heat, she knew that once again, Nagakura Shinpachi had succeeded in making her blush.

"N-no., of course not. I don't. Why would I want to? It's just, very unusual…"

"Well, there's always a first time for everything. So, anyway, today is such a hard day…" he whined again, not acting his age as he laid his head on her lap.

"Hijikata-san wouldn't let me and Sano and Heisuke play pranks on koinu-kun. He scolded us once he caught us." And with that he went on about his so called 'hard day' which was actually a really hard day. Well that is, if you are Nagakura Shinpachi. His hand stroked her face as he complained. Sometimes kissed her rosy lips while his hand roamed around her body

Tsururi just want time to stopped right now and just revolving in this moment, the moment where he entered the brothel until the moment where the sun has awoken from its deep sleep, then back to the moment when he entered the brothel again, and the cycle would never ends,

'How I wish to be his and his only…' Tsururi thought as she smiled softly while stroking the older man's hair and face, listening to every single word that left his lips and forever keep it in her heart.

The light was dim and there were only the two of them. It was a beautiful picture.

Oh, how she wished this moment would never end. Because only in moments like this, can she feel like she's Nagakura Shinpachi's only girl. She loved him, very very much…. Unknowingly to her, so did he, that's the reason why he kept asking for her.

And yet she couldn't be his and he couldn't be hers. And yet, they couldn't be together.

Because fate is cruel. Because fate is too cruel.

They loved each other but they could never be as one.

Because they could never be as one. It was just a form of the bittersweet of love.