Sacrifice

Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer attached.

Rating: PG-13 (old rating) or T (new rating) for blood and death

Genre: Tragedy, drama

Pairing: Mild Haruka x Kantaro

Warnings or note: Continuous of an episode in anime, a 'what if' fiction, one shot, character death, blood, slight shonen-ai, mild confusion, mild suspense, OOC-ness, minor spoilers for anime, grammar or other errors, around 900 words.

Please take note that hints of homosexual relationship exists in this one shot story. Kindly leave if this offences you. Readers that might have known me for my other Tactics fictions would find this story is rather different from my usual.

To those who are confused, this fiction is actually an alternate ending for the Tactics's anime. It takes place when Raiko is forcing Kantaro to break Haruka's seal and when the lost control Haruka comes, Kantaro asks him to kill him. This is where my fiction will continue the story. I hope you will review after reading. Thank you.

: Ready…Go:

"To me, you are the most important person in my life…," a certain red-eyed exorcist said while walking in a calm pace towards the best demon of all, the Soul Eater tengu with the name of Haruka, given by the youth. When he reached a few steps in front of Haruka, he stopped. "So, if you want to kill me, then do it," he simply stated. His face showed guilty and somehow sadness, yet also determination and courage. Then, he closed his eyes and waited for the attack.

The already lost control tengu in front of him looked at him with his vicious eyes for a moment, registering what he had said. After that, he raised his weapon as a sign to strike its prey without any mercy. There were yells and wails to beg of him to stop this reckless act, but he could not register them. He could hear them very well, yet his mind was not accepting the pleas. His only goal at the moment was to kill this man. His strong instinct ordered him so.

Before he could strike his master, a bright light surrounded both of them, making him stunned for a second. The light was warm and soft, as if asking him to accept it and go along with it. However, his body reacted differently. It rejected the warmth of the light. Before his mind could think, his weapon was on its way to stab the youth in front of him. Everything was in slow motion at that time. He could see what he was trying to do and the peaceful face of his young master. However, it was too late. His weapon was already stabbed into Kantaro's body. Blood splashed out from his small form profusely.

Yoko screamed hysterically at the scene displaying in front of her and Rozali's eyes widened in ultimate shock. The 'wife' of the God named Sugino, Moo almost jumped between both of the men. Minamoto Raiko and his companions were too bewildered to mutter even a gasp. Everyone on the spot was simply too shocked to do anything, except watched in horror at the cruel incident taking place.

Only the lost control tengu reacted when he pulled out the stained weapon of Kantaro's body and he moved to catch the falling form of his master. "Kantaro!" somehow, something had triggered his own old self and he was back to the Haruka that they all used to know.

Kantaro slowly and painfully brought himself to open those eyes just to look at his reawakened slave. He had not regret over his choice to be killed by his own slave. In fact, Haruka had yet to kill him. He was still alive, but he felt very tired as the blood was flowing out of his small frame profusely. His crimson eyes traveled down to his bleeding wound. It was near where his heart should have been; only a mere inch from his heart. Haruka managed to control himself before delivering the fatal attack.

He had stopped himself to kill his master. Maybe it was not enough to kill the youth in one shot, but surely it was enough to kill him slowly. Kantaro could feel his weak body being lifted up by strong arms. He could hear mutterings and hurtful wails like banshees'. He could see the worried and crying faces in a blurry state. He could feel himself smiling weakly at someone that would likely be his male slave. He could hear his own voice saying his male slave's name despite the pain he was having.

He could know what was happening around him, but he could never know what was happening to him. He felt very numb, very weak, and very painful. Painful for being coward, painful for being unable to help Haruka, painful for hurting his slave, painful for seeing Haruka almost in tears at that moment. "Why…?" he found himself asking although he was beginning to unable to see the surrounding as darkness was swallowing him slowly.

"I am sorry…I am sorry…," was what he heard before he let the Angel of Death welcomed him. Ichinomiya Kantaro was announced dead to the world soon after that faithful day. Since that day, no one had ever heard of a certain once famous tengu or a certain pretty demon fox. Every story would meet its end, and their story met its end with such cruelty and oddness.

People said sacrificing is one way of living. And so the crimson eyed youth did for the sake of his beloved slave. His sacrifice, however, was one of the biggest sacrifices ever that it had left a deep scar on each and every person that he had known. Certainly, that would make an eternal wound on a certain tengu with the nick of Soul Eater tengu…

"Are you the one in legend; Onikui tengu?" a voice asked him suddenly. It made him turned in surprise at the question. It was so familiar…After so many years, his vivid image still haunted the black haired tengu. And when Haruka turned to look at the owner of the voice, he was dumbfounded.

The person in front of him had the same figure as his late master. And the most important thing…he had a pair of crimson gem-like eyes that resembled to the dead Kantaro.

'After almost a decade, I still can't wash your image out of my mind…Kantaro…'

:The end:

This is short, in my opinion. Anyway, I would like to apologize for the ending…actually for the whole story. This story doesn't seem to have a real plot; just something crossed my mind when I was sleepy. :sweats: It probably sounds crappy, and it sounds creepy to me. :mega sweatdrops: And please don't kill me for letting Kantaro dies in this story:runs away from any furious readers: Sorry for my evil mind is getting the best of me right now.