Disclaimer - I don't own Yoroiden Samurai Troopers... ::lip quivers a bit
before she breaks out into a fit of tears::
Wufei - ::hmphs:: Weak Onna
Author's Note - Okay guys, this is it! The final chapter of Child of
Saberstryke, I wanna thank you guys for your great reviews (however
few they were). Now that Kiyone is free from Sadia's hold, who will
she finally open her heart to? Read on and find out!
Chapter 23 - Epilogue
"It's over, Touma! She's too far gone. Give it up already!"
Never had he seen the blue-haired trooper - usually the calmest and most
mature of the group - exhibit such frustration, desparation, and downright
obstinance all at one time; even when it was his life that was at stake.
He was bruised and bleeding, but he still persisted as if nothing had
changed. He behaved as though more than his life was at stake, which
was true. It seemed he was willing to give it all up...
"No!" There was suddenly a bright look in Touma's eyes,
as if a heavy weight was suddenly being lifted off of his shoulders. He
turned on his friends with newfound energy. "I love her!"
And Seiji suddenly believed his words to be true. Touma did in fact love
Kiyone; possibly with more passion than he had loved anything. He knew
how much that admission was costing him; he was standing against his
friends to protect a woman who possessed the strength and ability to
take over or destroy the world. And he didn't care, all that mattered to him
was that she was safe.
The warrior of courtesy admitted defeat. There was no doubt in his mind
that his feelings for the young woman were deep - deeper than he was
accustomed to feeling for a woman - but they were nothing compared to
Touma's love. He had been willing to give up everything for her and losing
her - any in way - would have surely destroyed him.
Seiji could not, would not do that to him; Touma was his friend after all.
"That was noble of you," Seiji looked up to see Ryo standing next to him.
Seiji offered his friend and leader a small smile. "Yeah well, it was the
right thing to do." he replied. "They were made for each other. It's just too
bad it took me so long to realize it..."
Ryo gave him a sympathetic look, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Seiji..."
Straightening up, the blonde haired trooper gave him a reassuring grin. "Hey,
don't worry about me." he replied. "I'll be all right. Besides, this is me we're
talkin' about."
Ryo nodded. "Yeah," he agreed. "There are other fish in the sea."
'True,' Seiji nodded and smiled, though unnoticed by the Troopers' leader, the
smile did not quite reach his eyes. 'But no other Kiyone's...'
~*~*~*~
The back porch behind the Yagyuu mansion was eerily quiet. Allowing
silence to invade all of his senses, and probe past moments back to the
surface of his subconscious mind.
~"I can't beat her… the only way is to destroy us both."~
Touma flinched, the memory of the past events still fresh in his mind. She
had asked him to kill her - the only woman he… Did she even know what it
was she was asking of him?
~"Touma, please!"~ Touma had never seen such desperation in her eyes.
~"You have to do it! There's no other way!"~
He didn't want her to have to suffer any more than she was at that moment,
but he didn't want to lose her either. He had experienced life without her,
how could he manage knowing he had caused her demise?
~"Touma!!"~ The sword threatening to pierce his throat was nothing compared
to the pain Touma was feeling on the inside. They were linked somehow,
Touma hadn't realized how or when it happened, but he felt as if he could
feel every bit of pain Kiyone was experiencing at that moment. ~"Kill me!"~
Didn't she know how he felt about her? Didn't he know what it would do to
him if he couldn't see her smiling face anymore? Couldn't she see how
much he lo…
~"Please!! I'm begging you!"~
Touma closed his eyes, blocking out the voices in his head. The worst was
over, they had succeeded, hadn't they? He let out an exasperated breath,
trying to focus on the scenery around him. He had left the room the
moment the others had starting fussing over Kiyone to seek refuge on the
back porch.
'This is the first place I actually got to talk to her,' he thought remembering
how graceful her movements had been as her hand had flown across her
sketchbook page. He could think of nothing but her at that moment, and he
could think of nothing but her now.
'It's my fault she was hurt…' he kept telling himself. He let out another sigh.
"If only I had told her…!"
"Told me what?" Touma blinked and jumped up, turning to face Kiyone
standing at the back porch door. He blushed slightly before turning away
and sitting back down on the step.
"Shouldn't you be resting still?" he asked softly.
Kiyone smirked, closing the door behind her as she approached him. "Isn't
two weeks enough?" she asked jokingly. "Actually, I'm kinda tired of being
tired."
"Yeah, I guess." Touma turned towards the lake and started to laugh.
Kiyone blinked, staring at his back as he shook from laughter. But after
hearing him take in a shaky breath, she became worried, and stooped down
next to him. Tears were running down his face as he laughed. "Touma…"
she began.
Touma continued to laugh as tears streaked down his face. "You shouldn't
be worried about me…" he breathed.
"And just why not?" she asked, trying to sound indignant, although she was
still worried. Touma quieted a moment. "Touma?"
Touma looked up at her. "It's all my fault!" he exclaimed. "You were hurt
because of me!"
Kiyone's face softened as she touched his shoulder gently; he flinched
before relaxing a bit. She could feel the guilt coming off him in waves and
was a bit startled by it. Didn't he realize how grateful she was to him?
"You did what you had to do… I asked to you free me…" she told him. "I
wouldn't be here now if it weren't for you."
Touma shook his head. "I could've killed you!"
Kiyone glared at him. "But I'm still here!" She grasped his shoulders,
startling him. "I'm still here, Touma… you saved me."
Touma flushed slightly, looking away. "You don't understand…" he replied
softly. "It would've been bad enough if you just left," He clenched his fists
tightly. "I couldn't handle the thought of not being able to see you again
because I… I…"
Kiyone was floored. "You mean you were that worried?" she asked,
bewildered. Touma didn't respond. "If you didn't want me to go, why didn't
you say anything?"
Touma gave her a hesitant, sideways glance. "Would you have stayed if I
did?"
It was Kiyone's turn to look flustered. "I don't really know…" she admitted.
"I did have a lot of stuff to deal with then…" She paused and shook her
head. "Everything in my head is so unclear now… but, I do remember what
you told me during the fight," She noticed Touma's body tense up slightly.
"You were right about me; I was afraid… of letting people in." She looked up
at him. "I thought that if I let anyone get close to me like you managed to
do, I'd lose them just like I did my parents."
"I'd never do that to you, Kiyone," Touma said suddenly. "I didn't want to
hurt you in any way - that's why I couldn't bring myself to do what you asked
me."
"But you did shoot the arrow--"
"That's not what I meant," Kiyone looked confused. Touma looked down at
the ground. "Before you left, you asked me how I felt about you. And I,
being a coward, was unable to answer you wanted… because it wasn't the
truth…"
Kiyone felt her heart beginning to constrict, but she waited for him to finish.
Touma took a deep breath, mustering up all of his courage. "Kiyone, I don't
like you…" he replied. "I love you."
There was a deafening silence in the forest surrounding the house, quickly
followed by Kiyone's hand rounding over the back of Touma's head.
"OWWwwww!" Touma clutched his head in surprise, staring up at Kiyone in
bewilderment. "What'd you do that for?"
Kiyone fought the urge not to laugh, keeping the look of mock anger on her
face. "I go like the wind goes, remember?" Touma fought the urge not to
face fault. Kiyone continued on, "Why didn't you say anything before?"
Stilling rubbing his head gingerly, Touma looked up at her abashed. "I didn't
think you'd feel the same," he answered. "I mean, you and Seiji seemed to
hit it off so well, so I…"
"Oh, come on, Touma," Kiyone mocked scolded. "With a 250 IQ you still
couldn't figure it out?" Touma blinked. "Seiji was the one who told me where
you were."
"So you and Seiji aren't…? I mean, you…" The message still wasn't getting
across.
Kiyone shook her head, remembering the words she had spoken at her
father's tombstone. "I like Seiji," she replied. "But what I feel for him is
strictly platonic." She smiled, sensing his relief; it looked as though the
warrior of courtesy would be getting a thank you and an apology in the near
future. "It took me a while to realize, because I was so stubborn, that there
was only one guy for me…"
Touma quirked an eyebrow at this.
"I soon came to realize that this guy had always been there for me in his
own discreet little ways. He's smart, a little shy, but he's gentle, and he
somehow always knows what I need to feel better. He was sad at the
thought of me being with someone else, but he never said a word, thinking
that if I was happy, that was enough." She paused, massaging his
shoulder gently. She could feel the tension ebbing away from him as quickly
as it left her own body. "But when I was in danger, he stood up against his
closest friends to assure my safety; he was even willing to put his life on the
line to protect me. We're alike in some ways, and somehow he's been
bound to me since the very beginning because our powers are so similar. I'm
surprised it took me this long to realize it."
Touma's eyes widened slightly. Was that why he had felt so connected to
her; because Tenku and Haruka drew upon similar elements - wind and sky?
He soon found that it didn't matter as Kiyone continued.
"I want him to know that I want to share this bond with him forever and
always," She leaned forward and hugged him. "Because I love him just as
much as he loves me."
Touma didn't know what to say; his happiness wouldn't allow him coherent
thought. He could feel Kiyone's love and her arms around him, and that was
enough. "So... are you gonna tell him what you just told me?"
Her hold on him tightened a little as she let out a small chuckle. "Baka..."
A small smile graced Touma's lips. "Kiyone…" he replied softly, wrapping
his arms around her.
"I'll stay as long as you want me to stay, Touma." she replied. "If you want
me to, I'll stay by your side forever."
Touma nodded, nuzzling his head in her hair. How long he had wanted
this. "And if the wind calls to you again, I'll stay by your side where ever
you want to go. I'd travel to the ends of the Earth if you wanted me to."
Kiyone looked up at him, smiling brightly. "Touma, thank you so much…
for everything. You saved my life, and my soul. I can never begin to repay
you."
Touma flushed slightly like a little boy, realizing how close their lips where
to each other. He hadn't felt this elated since Arago had been defeated for
good. "You already have."
Catching his meaning, Kiyone leaned forward towards him preparing to kiss
him…
~WHUMP~ The back porch door flew up as Nasuti and the other troopers
fell outwards in a neat little pile, completely spoiling the moment.
"Well, this is awkward…" Shin said bashfully.
"We really weren't spying," Nasuti stammered. "We were just checking to
see how dark it was outside…"
"Lame, Nasuti… Really lame…"
"Hey, you guys weren't doing anything you weren't supposed to, were
you?" Ryo's tiger blue eyes twinkled knowingly with amusement.
"No!" "Maybe." The couple exchanged glances before turning back towards
the others.
Shin laughed. "Touma, are you blushing?"
"No… no, I'm not," Touma stammered, his face reddening a few more
shades. He could only gawk as Ryo grinned and handed Shin a ten-dollar
bill. These guys were impossible!
Kiyone giggled in a girlish fashion. "Aw, poor Touma," she cooed. "You're
as red as a tomato--" Her face lit up as an idea struck her. "Toma-chan!"
Touma didn't know whether to feel elated or embarrassed. Everyone fell
silent.
Shuu could no longer contain his laughter. "Now you've got a nickname, too!"
~ The End ~
before she breaks out into a fit of tears::
Wufei - ::hmphs:: Weak Onna
Author's Note - Okay guys, this is it! The final chapter of Child of
Saberstryke, I wanna thank you guys for your great reviews (however
few they were). Now that Kiyone is free from Sadia's hold, who will
she finally open her heart to? Read on and find out!
Chapter 23 - Epilogue
"It's over, Touma! She's too far gone. Give it up already!"
Never had he seen the blue-haired trooper - usually the calmest and most
mature of the group - exhibit such frustration, desparation, and downright
obstinance all at one time; even when it was his life that was at stake.
He was bruised and bleeding, but he still persisted as if nothing had
changed. He behaved as though more than his life was at stake, which
was true. It seemed he was willing to give it all up...
"No!" There was suddenly a bright look in Touma's eyes,
as if a heavy weight was suddenly being lifted off of his shoulders. He
turned on his friends with newfound energy. "I love her!"
And Seiji suddenly believed his words to be true. Touma did in fact love
Kiyone; possibly with more passion than he had loved anything. He knew
how much that admission was costing him; he was standing against his
friends to protect a woman who possessed the strength and ability to
take over or destroy the world. And he didn't care, all that mattered to him
was that she was safe.
The warrior of courtesy admitted defeat. There was no doubt in his mind
that his feelings for the young woman were deep - deeper than he was
accustomed to feeling for a woman - but they were nothing compared to
Touma's love. He had been willing to give up everything for her and losing
her - any in way - would have surely destroyed him.
Seiji could not, would not do that to him; Touma was his friend after all.
"That was noble of you," Seiji looked up to see Ryo standing next to him.
Seiji offered his friend and leader a small smile. "Yeah well, it was the
right thing to do." he replied. "They were made for each other. It's just too
bad it took me so long to realize it..."
Ryo gave him a sympathetic look, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Seiji..."
Straightening up, the blonde haired trooper gave him a reassuring grin. "Hey,
don't worry about me." he replied. "I'll be all right. Besides, this is me we're
talkin' about."
Ryo nodded. "Yeah," he agreed. "There are other fish in the sea."
'True,' Seiji nodded and smiled, though unnoticed by the Troopers' leader, the
smile did not quite reach his eyes. 'But no other Kiyone's...'
~*~*~*~
The back porch behind the Yagyuu mansion was eerily quiet. Allowing
silence to invade all of his senses, and probe past moments back to the
surface of his subconscious mind.
~"I can't beat her… the only way is to destroy us both."~
Touma flinched, the memory of the past events still fresh in his mind. She
had asked him to kill her - the only woman he… Did she even know what it
was she was asking of him?
~"Touma, please!"~ Touma had never seen such desperation in her eyes.
~"You have to do it! There's no other way!"~
He didn't want her to have to suffer any more than she was at that moment,
but he didn't want to lose her either. He had experienced life without her,
how could he manage knowing he had caused her demise?
~"Touma!!"~ The sword threatening to pierce his throat was nothing compared
to the pain Touma was feeling on the inside. They were linked somehow,
Touma hadn't realized how or when it happened, but he felt as if he could
feel every bit of pain Kiyone was experiencing at that moment. ~"Kill me!"~
Didn't she know how he felt about her? Didn't he know what it would do to
him if he couldn't see her smiling face anymore? Couldn't she see how
much he lo…
~"Please!! I'm begging you!"~
Touma closed his eyes, blocking out the voices in his head. The worst was
over, they had succeeded, hadn't they? He let out an exasperated breath,
trying to focus on the scenery around him. He had left the room the
moment the others had starting fussing over Kiyone to seek refuge on the
back porch.
'This is the first place I actually got to talk to her,' he thought remembering
how graceful her movements had been as her hand had flown across her
sketchbook page. He could think of nothing but her at that moment, and he
could think of nothing but her now.
'It's my fault she was hurt…' he kept telling himself. He let out another sigh.
"If only I had told her…!"
"Told me what?" Touma blinked and jumped up, turning to face Kiyone
standing at the back porch door. He blushed slightly before turning away
and sitting back down on the step.
"Shouldn't you be resting still?" he asked softly.
Kiyone smirked, closing the door behind her as she approached him. "Isn't
two weeks enough?" she asked jokingly. "Actually, I'm kinda tired of being
tired."
"Yeah, I guess." Touma turned towards the lake and started to laugh.
Kiyone blinked, staring at his back as he shook from laughter. But after
hearing him take in a shaky breath, she became worried, and stooped down
next to him. Tears were running down his face as he laughed. "Touma…"
she began.
Touma continued to laugh as tears streaked down his face. "You shouldn't
be worried about me…" he breathed.
"And just why not?" she asked, trying to sound indignant, although she was
still worried. Touma quieted a moment. "Touma?"
Touma looked up at her. "It's all my fault!" he exclaimed. "You were hurt
because of me!"
Kiyone's face softened as she touched his shoulder gently; he flinched
before relaxing a bit. She could feel the guilt coming off him in waves and
was a bit startled by it. Didn't he realize how grateful she was to him?
"You did what you had to do… I asked to you free me…" she told him. "I
wouldn't be here now if it weren't for you."
Touma shook his head. "I could've killed you!"
Kiyone glared at him. "But I'm still here!" She grasped his shoulders,
startling him. "I'm still here, Touma… you saved me."
Touma flushed slightly, looking away. "You don't understand…" he replied
softly. "It would've been bad enough if you just left," He clenched his fists
tightly. "I couldn't handle the thought of not being able to see you again
because I… I…"
Kiyone was floored. "You mean you were that worried?" she asked,
bewildered. Touma didn't respond. "If you didn't want me to go, why didn't
you say anything?"
Touma gave her a hesitant, sideways glance. "Would you have stayed if I
did?"
It was Kiyone's turn to look flustered. "I don't really know…" she admitted.
"I did have a lot of stuff to deal with then…" She paused and shook her
head. "Everything in my head is so unclear now… but, I do remember what
you told me during the fight," She noticed Touma's body tense up slightly.
"You were right about me; I was afraid… of letting people in." She looked up
at him. "I thought that if I let anyone get close to me like you managed to
do, I'd lose them just like I did my parents."
"I'd never do that to you, Kiyone," Touma said suddenly. "I didn't want to
hurt you in any way - that's why I couldn't bring myself to do what you asked
me."
"But you did shoot the arrow--"
"That's not what I meant," Kiyone looked confused. Touma looked down at
the ground. "Before you left, you asked me how I felt about you. And I,
being a coward, was unable to answer you wanted… because it wasn't the
truth…"
Kiyone felt her heart beginning to constrict, but she waited for him to finish.
Touma took a deep breath, mustering up all of his courage. "Kiyone, I don't
like you…" he replied. "I love you."
There was a deafening silence in the forest surrounding the house, quickly
followed by Kiyone's hand rounding over the back of Touma's head.
"OWWwwww!" Touma clutched his head in surprise, staring up at Kiyone in
bewilderment. "What'd you do that for?"
Kiyone fought the urge not to laugh, keeping the look of mock anger on her
face. "I go like the wind goes, remember?" Touma fought the urge not to
face fault. Kiyone continued on, "Why didn't you say anything before?"
Stilling rubbing his head gingerly, Touma looked up at her abashed. "I didn't
think you'd feel the same," he answered. "I mean, you and Seiji seemed to
hit it off so well, so I…"
"Oh, come on, Touma," Kiyone mocked scolded. "With a 250 IQ you still
couldn't figure it out?" Touma blinked. "Seiji was the one who told me where
you were."
"So you and Seiji aren't…? I mean, you…" The message still wasn't getting
across.
Kiyone shook her head, remembering the words she had spoken at her
father's tombstone. "I like Seiji," she replied. "But what I feel for him is
strictly platonic." She smiled, sensing his relief; it looked as though the
warrior of courtesy would be getting a thank you and an apology in the near
future. "It took me a while to realize, because I was so stubborn, that there
was only one guy for me…"
Touma quirked an eyebrow at this.
"I soon came to realize that this guy had always been there for me in his
own discreet little ways. He's smart, a little shy, but he's gentle, and he
somehow always knows what I need to feel better. He was sad at the
thought of me being with someone else, but he never said a word, thinking
that if I was happy, that was enough." She paused, massaging his
shoulder gently. She could feel the tension ebbing away from him as quickly
as it left her own body. "But when I was in danger, he stood up against his
closest friends to assure my safety; he was even willing to put his life on the
line to protect me. We're alike in some ways, and somehow he's been
bound to me since the very beginning because our powers are so similar. I'm
surprised it took me this long to realize it."
Touma's eyes widened slightly. Was that why he had felt so connected to
her; because Tenku and Haruka drew upon similar elements - wind and sky?
He soon found that it didn't matter as Kiyone continued.
"I want him to know that I want to share this bond with him forever and
always," She leaned forward and hugged him. "Because I love him just as
much as he loves me."
Touma didn't know what to say; his happiness wouldn't allow him coherent
thought. He could feel Kiyone's love and her arms around him, and that was
enough. "So... are you gonna tell him what you just told me?"
Her hold on him tightened a little as she let out a small chuckle. "Baka..."
A small smile graced Touma's lips. "Kiyone…" he replied softly, wrapping
his arms around her.
"I'll stay as long as you want me to stay, Touma." she replied. "If you want
me to, I'll stay by your side forever."
Touma nodded, nuzzling his head in her hair. How long he had wanted
this. "And if the wind calls to you again, I'll stay by your side where ever
you want to go. I'd travel to the ends of the Earth if you wanted me to."
Kiyone looked up at him, smiling brightly. "Touma, thank you so much…
for everything. You saved my life, and my soul. I can never begin to repay
you."
Touma flushed slightly like a little boy, realizing how close their lips where
to each other. He hadn't felt this elated since Arago had been defeated for
good. "You already have."
Catching his meaning, Kiyone leaned forward towards him preparing to kiss
him…
~WHUMP~ The back porch door flew up as Nasuti and the other troopers
fell outwards in a neat little pile, completely spoiling the moment.
"Well, this is awkward…" Shin said bashfully.
"We really weren't spying," Nasuti stammered. "We were just checking to
see how dark it was outside…"
"Lame, Nasuti… Really lame…"
"Hey, you guys weren't doing anything you weren't supposed to, were
you?" Ryo's tiger blue eyes twinkled knowingly with amusement.
"No!" "Maybe." The couple exchanged glances before turning back towards
the others.
Shin laughed. "Touma, are you blushing?"
"No… no, I'm not," Touma stammered, his face reddening a few more
shades. He could only gawk as Ryo grinned and handed Shin a ten-dollar
bill. These guys were impossible!
Kiyone giggled in a girlish fashion. "Aw, poor Touma," she cooed. "You're
as red as a tomato--" Her face lit up as an idea struck her. "Toma-chan!"
Touma didn't know whether to feel elated or embarrassed. Everyone fell
silent.
Shuu could no longer contain his laughter. "Now you've got a nickname, too!"
~ The End ~