Chapter 1: Torn
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Author: Jun-I
Pairing(s): Yukino/Shichiroji, Shichiroji x female Heihachi (implied at this point)
Warnings:
- Spoilers within. Written with the assumption that readers have already seen the anime.
- Characters change gender. Heihachi and Kyuuzou are female.
Disclaimers: Don't own Shichiroji, Heihachi, or any of the S7 charas. For fun, not for profit.
Yukino removed the lid of the bento box that Shichiroji had brought back from Kanna. There was no food inside. What lay within was a small fair weather doll. She had seen that doll before - twice it had walked into the House of the Fireflies. But then, the doll was not as it was now, torn and stained with the dirt of the battlefield
The torn doll was not the only thing in the box. Beside it lay a lock of flame-colored hair, tied with a dark blue string. The innkeeper felt a stab of surprise, followed by a twinge of hurt.
Yukino had loved the young soldier she found in the river, but she always knew they were from different castes. Different worlds. There was a part of him that she could never reach or understand. It was probably inevitable that one day his heart would find its home with a woman from his world – the world of warriors.
The dark-haired beauty always told the samurai she laid no claim on him, that he was free to leave and love another. All these years together, Shichiroji and Yukino could have married, but they chose not to. They never even mentioned the idea to each other. But somehow, as the years passed in each other's company, Yukino had almost come to take for granted that a transient dream shared by two very different people could continue indefinitely. Now that she saw that there was indeed another woman, it pained her.
The owner of the House of the Fireflies heard a familiar step behind her. She turned to face the samurai. The blond man stared at the open box in her hands, and then he looked at her shamefaced.
"I'm sorry," Yukino said, "I did not know it was something… private. I thought the box contained food that might need to be refrigerated or tossed out."
Shichiroji looked down at the floor. The air between them was heavy with silent awkwardness.
The lady innkeeper came over to her partner and placed the box in his hands. "Was it the mechanic girl?" she asked when their eyes slowly met.
There was guilt in his eyes as he answered, "Nothing happened between me and her."
"I never bound you to me." Yukino replied. "I always said you were free to come and go as you please. My only request was that you inform me if and when you choose to leave or love another, just so that I would know where I stand in the scheme of things."
"I won't leave you." He said guiltily, "I owe you so much."
"I don't want a man to stay with me out of a sense of debt," she replied. "That would not be true love."
"You know I love you," Shichiroji said even as he turned his face away from her.
"I know. Yet it is still possible to love someone else," she smiled sadly.
"Loved." he admitted. "She is dead."
"But you love her still, or you would not have brought these keepsakes back with you," she pointed out gently.
He said nothing. But Yukino noticed the samurai shudder, just for a moment.
"Do not reproach yourself," the hotel manager said as she laid a hand on the samurai's shoulder. "The heart cannot always choose where it would go. Would Kirara have loved Kanbei if she had a choice?"
This time, Shichiroji turned to face his long time benefactor. Grief and guilt were written on the blond warrior's usually smiling features. He felt torn between two women. One living, one dead. The living one was standing right before him, then why was it that the dead one felt closer?
"I never demanded to be the only one in your heart, Shichiroji." Yukino said firmly as she looked him in the eye, "And I will not complain of having to share my lovers with others, as long as they are completely honest with me from the beginning to the end."
Then she added more gently, "Will you not tell me what happened, as a friend, at least? Perhaps you will feel better if you do."