Story Four: Your Gaze

A young girl with burns on her face and hands looked out from a hill overlooking a flaming city, her magenta eyes wide with impending tears. Her left hand clenched in trauma over her little obi as the small girl bit her lower lip with disbelief that her family, friends, and future were burning to a crisp before her very eyes.

Megumi:

The calm sea on the borderline

Of your eyes, wash me away…

The tall, proud waves swirl around my feet

Stirring shells and memories

Of you, my lost one…

Choking back sobs, a little boy slumped against the metal fence, looking through it with unmasked horror. Reflected in his wide chocolate orbs, is the severed head of a man with sleek black hair and thick eyelashes. Snow steadily cascaded around the boy, the flakes fusing with the hot tears racing down the child's face; causing a clear, bittersweet residue to freeze on his cheeks.

Sanosuke:

Can't you see

The way I look out through my hair

To the far sunset?

Do you know, of how much I miss you?

And your smile?

With a shudder, a young woman with long, sleek black hair covered her face as tears dance with slender footsteps down her white cheeks. A handsome redhead and a pretty young raven-haired woman looked with sympathy at the crying doctor, as her confessions of her career as a drug-making slave spilt from her scarlet lips with bitter regret and chilling sorrow.

Megumi:

In attempt to replace the longing,

I've hidden, and I'm hiding…

And only you can see me now, but you choose to turn

How much it hurts

A young man looked out at the open sea, taking a deep breath of the salty ocean atmosphere. A pack slung over his shoulder, it swayed as the spiky-haired youth turned to look back just once, at the scruffy city behind him.

Sudden regret entered his eyes, and his knuckles turn white as they grip the string of his bag with unusual tightness. Smothering threatening tears with the back of his hand, the man huffed a sigh and turns to walk off towards a nearby ship.

Sanosuke:

Like the river I am running

Waiting for you, the wind, to follow…

And yet, you turn; leave me on my own inescapable road

The current carries me far too fast.

With a crash, a cup collided with the tatami floor, and shattered into a thousand shards. A woman looked up with utter shock at the man standing in the doorway, sopping wet from the pouring rain outside. His hair long and unkempt even compared to its old ruffled style, hanging down his back. The marks of an auburn stubble trailed the man's grinning jaw, and bright brown eyes smiled out at the woman as he bid her good evening, for the first time in four years.

Megumi:

And I wonder

Is this truly to be, when I cannot even hold your gaze?

Dragonflies dance and fireflies soar, a unity all on their own

Tomorrow is just a word to me

But it comes true anyways, in hope that you'll just look at me…

Covering her mouth with her hands, her eyes filled with bitter, blazing liquid that fell down her face in hesitating droplets. Strong hands grasped her back and pulled her against the man, holding her tightly in his warm embrace.

Never before seeing her cry like this, the man whispered softly into her ear, murmuring memories of happiness, inquiring of why she has to cry. The woman sobbed again, burying her hands in the long, thick white cloak about the man's broad shoulders, not bothering to reply with words. Instead, with another whimper, the woman pulled him into a kiss, portraying her heartache and loneliness.

Sanosuke:

Why speak of sorrow? When you

Have me, though I yet to have you…

The tears of sorrow, the borderline of the sea

Shattered like mirrors, so strong it seemed to be, but no

I'm here now; you're alone, because my presence never mattered

And yet you come running to me…

A nice song, but poorly sang

My heart hurts as much as yours, but

Why won't you look at me?

Smiling widely, the man helped the woman as they unsteadily clambered up the slope of the roof, eventually sitting on the eaves beneath the stars and moon. His hand covered hers, and his warm eyes floated to meet hers; shattering the wintry feel of the night.

After a brief meeting of their lips, the man rummaged in his pants' pocket to pull out a small blue box. Hands shaking, a self-conscious grin on his lips; the man's fingers curled about the sachet and pulled it open. The moonlight revealed a silver ring with a small diamond embedded into the band, glimmering like some enchanted thing in the moon's white sunlight. The woman put her fingers to her surprised lips, as the man blushed furiously, the redness of his face shadowed by the shadow the moonlight did not clear.

Megumi:

My heart is aching, in distress

My gaze is burning to your face, but you've yet to feel it

Like ice

Tomorrow will never come until I finally see your eyes

Maybe then, you'll speak and I will hear you

In attempt to replace the longing,

I've hidden, and I'm hiding…

And only you can see me, but you choose to turn

How much it hurts

A small, wild-haired boy scampered across a grassy yard, shrieking with laughter as his father chased him desperately around, attempting to catch the boy. He failed, and the man ended up freeing the other youngster in his opposite arm; the little girl fled in the opposite direction, striking the poor man with panic as he attempted to round up both children at once.

Out of his reach, the siblings met up, laughing hysterically at their father's puzzlement. The fun was spoiled when the sister suddenly socked the young boy in the arm with surprising force, sending the boy howling to his mother, who was sitting on the porch.

Hugging the boy to pacify his snivels, the mother looked up to find her husband standing beside the porch, with the squirming daughter upon his shoulder. Scratching the back of his head sheepishly, the man muttered something, his embarrassed tone turned to a yell when his trapped little girl suddenly and viciously bit his ear.

Yowling at his daughter, the man's face twisted in irritation when the girl paid no attention; and instead shouted right back in his face, shaking her fist menacingly. Looking to the woman for assistance, the father was disappointed when he found her only snickering foxily at the amusing similarity between the man and his daughter. The little boy in her arms sniffled, looking at his father with large, brown-red eyes.

The man sighed, glancing at his impudent daughter, then his bashful son; and then into his wife's laughing eyes.

Megumi and Sanosuke:

I turn to see the fire in your eyes

But instead I find a sort of sadness

Was it I who brought this to you?

It can't be,

So look at me and hold my face

And tell me that you can finally see me

As I am

OWARI.

MadiSano: Er...yeah...this is a lot different, ne? I mean, this is in a sense a songfic; and I've heard some nonsense that ff net has banned songfics (WHY?). But then again, technically songfics are those in which you use a disclaimer as permission to use a song that you yourself have not made, right? And I made up the lyrics by myself...ah well, what the heck. :) Lol!

But this oneshot was a lot more serious than some of the others (it depends on which part of the other oneshots you think about), but I really liked Sano's obnoxious little girl. LOL can't you just see him constantly bickering and scolding his daughter, while she yells right back in his face? Megumi in the background, holding the son, and rolling her eyes like: "I'm surrounded by Chicken-Heads..." Lol, I think that's rather cute. Maybe I'll write a fic one day about Sano becoming a daddy... what do you think?

As said before, requests are welcomed and will be answered ASAP (I just had to post this one before my next, because I'm not finished yet!). Please review, and I hope to hear from you all!