Disclaimer: Yami no Matsuei and characters are copyrighted to Matsushita Yoko. This work does not in any way claim possession of the said intellectual property.

Waltz

hitokiri_tomoe

I looked down at her, so beautiful, so frail, lying on the couch like that.

Her breath came in agonizing gasps, and I could do nothing, nothing to stop the pain. I forced a smile on my face for her, so that her last moments may not be sad. I wanted her last moments to be sweet, to be beautiful.

She smiled back at me, a smile made even more beautiful by her weakness, made more serene by the shadow now threatening to hold her.

I begged for her life to be extended, and it has been so—her life was extended for her grand moment, the moment when she fulfills all her dreams and the dreams of her deceased brother. The hourglass slowly empty. We have this moment alone. This last moment to be together.

"Tsuzuki," she whispered, her eyes smiling, unshed tears making them bright, and something else.

"Shh, Hisae-san, you must not speak."

"But I, but I…" she paused, coughing, putting her hand over her mouth. When she was through, I saw red liquid seeping through her clenched knuckles.

"I want to know… if we won…" she said in a voice barely audible.

At this, my smile lost its forced gaiety, and became real. Always, until the end, dancing. Dancing was her life, and now, after completing her promise, that life was about to be snatched away from her.

"The announcer is just getting into it."

She held out her hands to me and tried to sit up from the couch on which she had been napping.

"I want to hear clearly. Carry me to the sound, Tsuzuki."

I took her in my arms, her sweet, frail body making contact with the skin on my hands, her white dress ever resplendent on her. I noticed blood on it, marring its innocent perfection. I carried her over to the balcony, where we can both see the announcer.

"Now announcing the Waltz competition results…"

"Tsuzuki—"

"Shhh… you'll only get weaker by talking."

"Your body… is so warm… how could you be dead?"

I was quiet. Her skin was cold to me, its life force nearly fading. I held on to her tighter, tighter, as if my hold could drive off that invisible force slowly overcoming her.

"When I… when I die… will I see you?"

I smiled at her wanly.

"Don't you want to see Suoh first?"

She breathed heavily. "No."

"He… he'll understand… if I want to see you first…"

"The judging results are out…"

"Hisae-san…"

She grimaced. "Don't '-san' me…"

"Hisae."

"That's better." She pulled closer to me, burying her face on my shoulders. She coughed.

"The First Place is…"

"It is… almost… time," she said through ragged breaths, and she turned my face to face her. She snuggled closer to me. Slowly, slowly, she put her lips gently on mine. Her lips were sweet, and I tasted blood in it. I gave in to her kiss, feeling the soft pressure of it in my mouth, and feeling the pleasing electric signals that coursed through my body like wildfire.

"Asato Tsuzuki and Toujou Hisae!!!"

Deafening applause, as we broke off from the kiss.

She stroked my hair.

"Oh Tsuzuki… you're such a little boy… remember that time at the mall?"

I chuckled. I remember. Holding on to the corner of her coat because she said I was too slow. It was at that moment that I felt the strings on my heart pulling harder, more persistently, telling me not to deny anything. And I didn't deny anything. Hisoka felt it. And I wasn't ashamed of it.

Her hand fell limply on her side. She coughed and more blood dripped from her beautiful mouth. She rested her head on my arm.

"When I'm gone…"

A pause as she drew in her last breath.

"Who will take care of you?" .

----------end----------

Author's Note: This fanfiction is based on the beginning of Book Two of the manga. The woman in this story is Toujou Hisae, a woman who should have been dead for three months, and assigned to Tsuzuki and Hisoka to be brought back. Tsuzuki ended up being Hisae's dance partner, and the two of them ended up having feelings for each other. I don't know if Toujou Hisae is present in the anime, for I have only been able to watch two episodes of the anime, and the episodes I was able to watch dealt with the Nagasaki arc. Oh, this is also my first Yami no Matsuei fanfic, so I haven't had much experience with the characters and they still seem unwieldy. This isn't an excuse for people not to criticize me. Feel free to point out this story's faults, and I shall do what I can to improve as a budding Yami no Matsuei fanfic writer. Thank you.