No spoilers again, but 16 is after the whole thing around ep 22 or so, and 20 is right before the end of the series.

Spinning on the Edge
For the 30 ANGSTS challenge
By DarkenedSakura
Themes #16-20 (I'm drowning in your vanity)

16. Appropriate; Are you Sure? (against temptation)

"Yukino-san?"

"It's a nice night, isn't it?"

"…Aa."

"…You're still thinking about him and what happened tonight, aren't you?"

"I can't help it, Yukino-san. It's hard not to."

"You knew he was in love with you, didn't you?"

No answer.

"Really, you two would've made such a cute couple."

Pause. "I…wasn't sure what he thought. I don't know why."

A knowing smile. "You don't know what you think about him, do you?"

"…Maybe that's true."

"Sometimes it's hardest to know what you feel yourself, even when everyone else knows it."

"But you and Shichiroji-sama – "

"Him? Ara, that's completely different. He's just a lazy – "

Laughter. "You two are so sweet together. Really."

"You really think so, eh?"

"Yes."

"But as for you…I don't know if you know what I think, but it's never too late. He'll always care for you."

"But I still…for Kambei-sama…"

A sigh of a smile. "The ones that understand the us least really are ourselves, deep inside, eh? Don't worry too much; everything will be all right in the end, okay?"

"I guess…"

"So are you sure about your decision?"

Pause. "Y…Yes. Yes, I have to. Thank you, Yukino-san."

A sigh, long after the girl left. "It's good that the young are so resilient. She'll need to be for what's coming up for her."

17. Eto…; Hmmmm… (engulf by darkness)

It had been a long day hunting for other samurai with his sensei, and Katsushirou was relieved when he finally reached their shelter. Today's unsuccessful search didn't feel particularly encouraging.

Perhaps the others would be back as well. Could they have found anyone? Maybe, just maybe, their luck was better than his.

He stepped into the doorway. "I'm back – "

Something whisked by him, long flowing hair flying by in its wake.

It caused him to spin around, making him reach out his hand. "Ano…"

"Where's Kambei-sama? How did the search today go?" Kirara asked as she continued to run outside, past him.

"Eto…"

The sound of running footsteps faded out of hearing range, as did her voice.

Slowly, he let his hand drop.

18. Photograph (lost you forever)

There were several moments that made him smile, made him remember with a certain fondness some of the times he had with her. They were mostly fleeting images; her smiling, her laughing, her being impressed with something, her with a caring expression.

And then there were those little scenes he remembered, the ones with just him and her, the ones where she cared and worried for him so much, walked with him, made promises to him, really looked at him with that something in her eyes. Small emotions and feelings for him and him alone.

The first time she smiled at him and he could clearly see her brown irises. When they walked through the city and she wore a slight blush. When she had a pained expression, clasping her hands tightly as though she was praying for him. When her eyes held depths deeper than how she cut into his very being. When the light fell on her face in a way that took his breath away and jerked it back into him like a knife.

He held onto them tightly, painfully, like photographs to his heart, because they were all that he really had, would really ever have. Mere bittersweet nothings and empty smiles to his heart.

And they would have to be enough, because she wasn't going to give him anything else.

19. Cry; Sadness (always…)

Smoke rose over the horizon as the samurai and the mikumari maiden walked along the path in the village. "The people of your village suffer greatly because of the Nobuseri, don't they?" Katsushirou said.

"Those bandits keep us alive only to grow and harvest the rice that they take from us because they don't make it themselves," she said acidly. "They take nearly everything and leave us only enough to keep us alive." Katsushirou moved to say something, but she continued, cutting him off. "The times when our young starved, where their parents looked on feeling the agony of not being able to do anything, where the elders didn't know what to do..."

If he closed his eyes, he could imagine the air, heavy with the suffocating weight of helplessness. He could see the villagers' faces as they struggled to survive. He could see the despair in the people's faces, if he tried.

The priestess continued on. "But the villagers are strong. They get by and persevere."

"There are strong people in this village that encourage the others, I think."

"Perhaps so."

A beat. "It's not right, the powerful bullying the weak. We'll stop this."

Kirara looked up at him.

"It's a samurai's duty to do so."

She blinked, looking into his serious, solemn eyes, and smiled.

20. Violence; War (marriage of death)

The night winds seemed to stop blowing as she turned to him and asked, a note of disbelief in her voice, "Will you really leave soon?"

The youngest samurai, the one who had matured and finally grown up, stood stoically. His eyes had changed. Once he was as readable as a book, but now…she wasn't sure what he hid behind his expressions. And she wasn't sure she wanted to think about it.

He started to speak. "My work here is done. There are more people out there that need help or liberation. There are many wars to be fought elsewhere, wars that will inevitably start soon. I must leave in the near future."

Do you know how much it tortures me to be staying here, with you yet not with you?

She looked down. "So there is nothing we can do to stop you," she murmured.

"No." Nothing you can give.

"…Will you ever come back?"

He paused, blinked, then softened slightly. "Maybe."

Maybe not.

The suffix –san is basically the equivalent of Mr. or Mrs. In English. Nobuseri is what the bandits are called…I'm pretty sure the dub and several subs completely translate that, so just in case. And eto is just a sound, like "uhm..." or something like that. Ano, in this, is basically the same. Ara goes along the lines of "oh" or "ah" in certain situations.

I just noticed that this fic might never have had a disclaimer up…oops. Well, it's a given that S7 is most definitely not owned by me.

I suck at updating. These themes are all done and sitting on my hard drive, but yeah. Though, the last 10 are in need of massive revisions, so those might take slightly more time.

Authors like reviews. Take my word for it. :D

Thanks again to all the readers, and the awesome editors. 'Cause without you…well, you can fill in the blank.