Keiko and Heisuke sped through the streets of Kyoto. They had lost sight of Ryunosuke after he had run away, so now their only option was to beat him to the gates and cut him off.
It did not take them very long to get there, as both of them were very swift on their feet. Waiting for them at the gates was Harada. Upon seeing the two of them rushing towards the gates, a look of utter confusion crossed his face.
"Ayama-san? Heisuke? What are you two doing here?" He asked with a panicked undertone to his voice. Keiko hurriedly looked around for any sign of their blue-haired friend.
"Sano-san, has Ryunosuke come by here?" Heisuke asked urgently. Harada shook his head in response. "No, I haven't seen him."
Keiko continued scanning the area for any signs of Ryunosuke. She had a feeling that if they had beat him here, he wasn't far behind. From the corner of her eye she caught a flash of long, dark blue hair, and her head snapped up just in time to see Ryunosuke climbing over the wall a few metres away from them.
"Ryunosuke!" She yelled out, rushing past Harada and into the compound. Heisuke followed closely behind her. A sudden thought exploded into her head, bringing her to an abrupt stop. She hadn't been able to stop him, there was no doubt he would see the act. Her eyes widened and she turned to Heisuke, grabbing his shoulders in desperation. "Heisuke, you need to go after Ryu. I have to go get something, so you have to go. Quickly!" She gave him a light shove in the direction of Serizawa's room, and he wasted no time in running after his friend.
Keiko turned on her heel and sped towards her own room. She needed her glaive, if she were going to save Ryunosuke. She couldn't skirt around the fact that there would be an order for Ryunosuke's death, and that if she wanted to save him, she would have to fight at least one of her comrades.
Skidding to a stop in front of her room, she ran in and snatched her glaive from its stand. She turned and bolted back towards Serizawa's room, not bothering to close her door as she left. She sped through the compound, and as she neared her destination she could hear the commotion. She heard Ryunosuke screaming, then she could hear Serizawa's loud, aggressive laughter. To her horror, it sounded distorted. Memories of Niimi rushed through Keiko's mind and she forced herself to go faster.
She arrived to see Serizawa grab Ryunosuke by the throat and lift him into the air. Her eyes widened in terror. "The idea of a wretch like you saving my life…" Serizawa spat out to the blue-haired boy, his distorted voice full of distaste. "Makes me sick with disgust!"
Keiko wasted no more time as she rushed towards the overbearing man, brandishing her glaive. She swung the weapon around her body before thrusting it forwards towards Serizawa's throat, a bitter hatred present in her eyes. Serizawa instantly threw Ryunosuke and caught her attack with his sword, pushing her back slightly. Keiko grunted and she dug her heel into the ground for support. She turned her eyes to Ryunosuke, an urgent look upon her face.
"Ryu! You have to run!" She ordered, but she was only met with a scared expression on his face. Keiko dipped under Serizawa's sword and swung her glaive again, knocking him back, if only a little bit. She ran to where Ryunosuke had landed, crouching down beside him. "Ryu. You aren't safe here." She whispered, grabbing his arm as she spoke. "You need to run if you want to live." Ryunosuke's eyes widened at her statement, and he glanced over her shoulder at Serizawa. Keiko turned her head as well, narrowing her eyes at the man. They watched as Harada tried to attack him but was easily dismissed, followed by Okita who was violently thrown off to the side. Ryunosuke stood suddenly, tears in his eyes.
"Why..?" He whispered, and Keiko looked up at him with apologetic eyes. "Why did it have to come to this? I don't understand any of you at all!" Keiko stood, reaching out to place a hand on his shoulder. From behind her she heard Serizawa sigh, and she turned her head.
"Live, cur." He said softly. Keiko's eyes widened in confusion before he continued. "If you fight with all your might to live, even you… Will come to understand us one day." He spoke the words with finality and with a smile on his face. Keiko stared at the man before her, her fist tightening around her glaive, but she stayed where she was. She turned back to Ryunosuke, a determined look in her eyes.
"He's right." She whispered. "If you fight for it… But you must run." She was very nearly pleading at this point. Ryunosuke looked at her with sadness in his amber orbs, but nodded his agreeance nonetheless. He backed up slowly at first, then turned to run out of the complex. Keiko watched him go, then turned back to Serizawa.
He was facing Hijikata.
"What's keeping you Hijikata?" Serizawa asked, his voice laced with mirth. "Is this the best you've got? Weren't you going to surpass me?!" Serizawa lunged as he spoke, his movements large and intimidating. Keiko eyed Hijikata, prepared to lunge forward and end the violent man's life herself. But, the look in Hijikata's eyes stopped her.
She could see every ounce of determination, and all the fire that was raging in his violet eyes. This was the battle that Hijikata had been waiting for. In this moment, she did not belong in their fight. It was a battle between Hijikata and Serizawa, and those two alone.
Serizawa brought his sword down with a powerful blow, but Hijikata caught it with his own. After taking the Ochimizu, Serizawa not only seemed to have grown in strength but also in stature, as he towered over Hijikata. Still, Hijikata held his own against the monstrous man. A grotesque grin spread across Serizawa's face as he looked down at Hijikata. "You have a long way to go before you become a true demon." He said in a mocking tone. Hijikata grit his teeth.
"Shut up!" He spit, his eyes narrowed with hatred. "It isn't a matter of whether I can or not. I will become one. I've made up my mind!" He shouted as he pushed Serizawa back. He assaulted the larger man with blow after blow, not relenting for a second. Serizawa caught one particularly powerful blow with his own sword and the two stood pushing against each other.
Keiko saw Sannan and Okita nod to each other from the corner of her eye, and she noticed the two of them rush towards Serizawa. Serizawa's malicious grin only spread wider as they did so. Sannan struck first, but Serizawa deflected his attack quickly using his iron fan. Okita followed quickly, thrusting out his sword at Serizawa's throat. The larger man raised his arm to shield his neck from the attack, and grunted as Okita's sword was driven deep into his forearm.
Hijikata took his chance immediately. He lunged forward, driving his sword deep into Serizawa's heart.
Keiko sighed in relief, her grip loosening from her glaive significantly. She watched as Serizawa whispered something to Hijikata, and saw Hijikata's eyes widen in confusion. She idly wondered what the man might have said to him.
Hijikata withdrew his sword from the larger man's chest, whipping it in the air to rid it of blood. He sheathed his sword elegantly. Everyone but Keiko had run up to him for orders.
"We have to search for Ibuki-kun, don't we?" Sannan said, his voice soft and velvety. Hijikata nodded curtly. Keiko saw a villainous smile creep across Okita's face, and she grimaced as he spoke.
"That mean's 'go kill him' doesn't it?" He said nonchalantly. Keiko nearly growled, her eyes narrowing. She saw murderous intent in Okita's eyes, and she knew that if he found Ryunosuke then surely the boy would not survive. She supposed her work wasn't finished yet.
As everyone rushed out of the compound, speeding through the streets, she leapt across the rooftops. She could hear Heisuke and Harada shouting for Ryunosuke, desperate to find him in Okita's place. Her eyes scanned the streets as she leapt across the rooftops, searching for any sign of the blue-haired boy.
Suddenly, she heard laughter. Okita's laughter.
She dropped down from the roof she was on and sped towards the sound. She bolted around a corner and spotted Okita and Ryunosuke in front of the bridge leading out of town.
"Of all of us, I had to be the one to find you." Okita said with a malicious smile on his face as he slowly walked towards Ryunosuke. Keiko saw the panic dawn on Ryunosuke's face as he turned to run, but slipped and fell. Okita was in front of him them, murmuring something that Keiko couldn't make out from where she was. She rushed forward, but she wasn't close enough.
Keiko filled with pride when she saw Ryunosuke grab a fistful of dirt and chuck it at Okita's face. Okita lifted his hand to shield his eyes, and in that moment Ryunosuke sped past him and up the bridge. Keiko saw an amused grin on Okita's face right before he turned and whipped a tiny throwing dagger into Ryunosuke's calf. Keiko pushed herself one last time, and finally she was close enough.
She leapt in front of Okita, using the momentum of her body to swing the glaive around her torso. She steadied herself, bracing her legs, as she slammed the pole end of her weapon into Okita's gut, sending him flying to the bottom of the bridge. She saw the shock on his face as he was thrown, and she looked down at him with distaste.
"Your bloodlust is worse than those damned furies." She accused, sending the man one of her frozen glares. He glared back up at her, clutching his stomach as he tried to push himself back up. Keiko paid him no mind as she turned to the injured boy behind her.
She rushed to his side, dropping her glaive beside her as she examined his wound. He looked up at her, his amber eyes filled with terror, and she pulled him into a hug.
"It's okay Ryu. I'm not going to hurt you." She said gently as she released him. He nodded, wincing when he tried to move his leg. She stared at it, sighing as she closed her eyes. "Please don't be alarmed. I'm going to heal this." She said as she looked back up at him. His eyes widened in terror as he looked past her, and she turned just in time to see Okita bringing his sword down towards her head.
Keiko gasped, quickly bringing her hands up to catch the blade with her palms. She grit her teeth as she felt the blade cut her flesh, then glared up at her attacker. She swiftly kicked his legs out from under him, but did not release his sword.
Okita fell, hard, and as he did Keiko was quick to rise to her feet. She held onto his sword and, as she expected, it slipped from his grasp as he fell. Keiko tossed it to the side before leaning down in front of Okita.
"I won't let you kill him. It will be up to him if he lives or dies." She stated with finality, and her eyes averted towards the river beneath them. Okita looked at it, then back at Keiko, his eyes widening with realisation. He smirked. "You aren't as kind as you seem." He stated, and she snorted. "I'm far kinder than you. Now stay down." She commanded, rising to go back to Ryunosuke.
She looked down at the boy and her gut filled with pity. But, she would do her best to help him.
"Give me your leg." She instructed. Ryunosuke did so without hesitation. "This may hurt a bit." She said quietly, before pulling the small dagger out of his leg in one swift motion. Ryunosuke grit his teeth, wincing at the pain. He looked up at Keiko, and his breath caught in his lunges at what he saw.
Keiko's eyes, normally a beautiful shade of icy-blue, were glowing. He saw her open her mouth to speak, but was too distracted to listen to her words, and he saw that her teeth had sharpened into small fangs. A light-blue glow had emitted from around her, almost like a living smoke was circling around her form, focusing on her hands. He saw the cuts on her palms slowly being mended, returning her hands to their perfect smoothness. Yet, none of this scared him. He felt calm, and above all, he trusted Keiko. And when he saw the blue-smoke encircling his leg, he didn't feel any fear. Not even when he felt a slight burn on the wound, and the smoke surged and glowed even brighter, did he feel an ounce of panic.
When the glowing smoke finally lifted from his leg and evaporated into the air around them, Ryunosuke looked down at his leg to find the wound completely healed. Not even a scar was left.
Keiko turned her head away as her eyes lost their other-worldly glow. Ryunosuke stared at her in disbelief for a moment, before he smiled at her.
"Thank you, Ayama-san." He whispered. She looked at him, but she couldn't bring herself to smile back. They both rose from the ground, and from the corner of her eye she saw Okita pulling himself up as well.
"Well, Ayama-san? Are you going to do it or shall I?" Okita grunted, leaning on the railing of the bridge for support. Keiko stared at him for a moment, then sighed as she turned back to Ryunosuke, who was looking at her with wide, confused eyes of amber.
"Ryu. We can't let you leave." She started. Ryunosuke took a step back, so she hastily continued. "As members of the Shinsengumi, we must carry out the orders given to us. You know what those orders are." She walked past him, blocking his path. She smiled gently as she looked at him. "Do you remember what Serizawa said to you? Fight with all your might to live." He looked even more confused now, and a sudden look of fear washed over him as he heard Okita drawing his second sword behind him. Keiko continued. "You have the choice now Ryu. There is only one way for you to go, and it isn't the easy way out. You must fight for yourself, or you will die. It is your choice." She stared at him, her eyes narrowed.
Ryunosuke stared at her, then looked around. He was trapped between two terrifying monsters, both legendary warriors, and he didn't understand what she meant. He could hear his heart beating rapidly in his chest, his panic quickly returning, as he realised that soon he would be lying dead at the bottom of the river.
The river.
Ryunosuke looked frantically down at the river below. It was overflowing from the recent rain, and it seemed the current had picked up from the storm. Still, Ryunosuke knew he was a fair swimmer. He stood more of a chance with the river than he did against Okita's sword. He looked up at Keiko and nodded to her.
Okita rushed at him then, his sword swinging to make contact with Ryunosuke's chest. This time, Keiko did nothing.
Ryunosuke grunted as he swiftly ducked to avoid the hit, shock washing over him as he saw the sword cut through some of his blue locks. He bolted then, rushing across the bridge and over the railing. He plunged into the water, and he was gone from sight.
Keiko stared into the water after him and smiled. She looked over at Okita, who had a sly grin on his face as he watched her.
"You really aren't human, are you?" He uttered. Keiko shook her head and rolled her eyes, turning to walk past him. She quickly scooped her glaive from the ground as she headed back to the compound, Okita quick on her heels. She could sense Ryunosuke's heartbeat, beating fast and strong with adrenaline, and was pleased to know that he hadn't died just yet. She was confident that he would survive now. She smiled contentedly to herself as a thought crossed her mind.
Perhaps I will see him again one day.
Several days later, Ryunosuke walked through the streets of Kyoto, heading out of the bustling city. He had gotten some less conspicuous clothing and cut his hair short, and now he intended to leave the town behind him and finally begin his life anew. As he walked along, he thought of his time with his friends in the Shinsengumi. He would miss Heisuke and the guys, but he was especially sad to be leaving that woman behind.
Keiko. She had acted like an older sister to him, right from the start. She had saved his life, and then given him the chance to save it himself. He didn't care that she wasn't human, or that she acted strangely. She was kind, and he owed her his life. He would never forget what she did for him or how she had been there for him during his time living amongst the wolves of Mibu. He only hoped that he would have the chance to thank her one day.
As he pondered over this, he turned to face the city one final time. He stared down the street, his eyes hastily scanning the croud. He found himself searching for that familiar shade of light blue and quickly shook his head, closing his eyes as he turned to start walking again. Upon opening his eyes, he nearly bumped into a short brown-haired boy wearing a loose salmon coloured shirt. He grunted in surprise and the boy let out a startled noise as well, before bowing profusely.
"I'm terribly sorry, sir. I should have been watching where I was going." He said mid bow. Ryunosuke noticed that the boys voice sounded surprisingly high-pitched and he was acting a little bit too formal, but he shrugged it off.
"Don't worry about it, it was my fault anyway." He said, giving the boy his own small bow in apology. The boy smiled, expressing his gratitude and wishing Ryunosuke a good day before he headed off into town. Ryunosuke stared after the very feminine boy for only a moment before he turned back to his path ahead, his head held high as he finally left the blood stained streets of Kyoto.
A/N: I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter! So Reimeiroku is finished, and Chizuru has finally arrived, so we will finally be moving on with the story! :D I think it's pretty obvious based on my pairings, but fromhere on out I'll be following Heisuke's route in the game, mostly. :)
Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to review! I appreciate it so much and it really motivated me to keep writing. This is shaping up to be a really long story, and sometimes when life gets in the way or when you lose your inspirations, it gets difficult to actually get the words going. Everyone's reviews really help me to find my motivation, so thank you all very much. :)
