Author's Notes: This chapter makes me wish Hijikata had a girl. But then again, not really. Enjoy the third and final installment of this little love story~ :D
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the official Rurouni Kenshin/Samurai X characters. I do reserve the rights to all OCs.
THREE: Unbreakable Lovers
It wasn't long after the kiss they had shared that Masa began to find any reason to be with him. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, errands, prayer, free time- it didn't matter. If she could make an excuse to be away from the shop at the same time Harada could be away from the dojo, she would.
It was new to her, and very exciting, this feeling of infatuation, of romantic notions. She had always happily anticipated his daily visits, but when she ran to meet him, her heart raced in time with her feet and she found herself leaping happily into his arms. When he picked her up, she felt weightless. When he spun her around, her heart danced, and each feathery kiss along her jawline was a moment of bliss.
At first she had been cautious of his physical affection, constantly alert and checking her surroundings for people she may know, but as time wore on, she began to care less and less what people thought of her. What did it matter if they were to make a scandal of themselves? He wanted to marry her anyway, and despite her evasiveness of his question, she was more than ready to become Harada Masa herself.
Being with her was something new for him as well. Where he had always been the type of man who had an easy way with women, he found it surprising that he didn't want to ravish her.
Well, that wasn't entirely true. He did very much want to ravish her. He did want her naked, and he did want her beneath him, with her fingers pulling at his hair and her hips rising to meet his, but for the first time in his adult life, it was not at the front of his mind. In fact, the only time it crossed his mind at all was when he laid himself down to sleep-alone-each night.
What he wanted was simply her. He wanted her to look up at him with her giant, curious black eyes. He wanted her to laugh, so he could see the tiny wrinkle in her nose, and hear the well-bred giggle that bubbled up from her throat. He wanted her naivety and her apprehension, her coyness, and her fumbling propriety. That was all, and that was enough.
While they spent more than their fair share of time alone together, Harada never failed to arrive exactly at his usual time to make his purchase and to flirt with her in the presence of her overbearing grandparent. As far as they knew, she didn't know about their meetings, save the first, and she was just as disapproving as always, never moving from her newly appointed spot by Masa's side, forever staring Harada down as if he were a demon who might whisk the young maiden away forever.
Then one day, everything changed.
Masa was not outside that spring day. A head cold, the old woman said. Then the next day she was suffering from too much sun. The day after that, a stomach bug had plagued the house. In the days that followed that, it seemed that she was in quite a bit of pain from her monthly cycle.
On the ninth day, Harada had had enough.
"I want to see Masa," he told the old woman fiercely. She wasn't sick, she had said herself that she was not prone to illnesses.
"You can't," came her grandmother's bitter reply, "She is not accepting visitors."
"Bullshit!" he shouted, slamming his fist onto the table. Several passersby stopped and stared and he muttered a hesitant apology. That outburst wouldn't reflect well on the Shinsengumi, he imagined, as many of the onlookers would most likely see him as bullying the elderly.
He bit back a curse as he lowered his voice, forcing himself to remain calm. "I will see her," he growled. "now."
For the tiny and frail wisp of a thing she was, the old woman remained firm.
"You don't seem to get it, do you, young man? I warned her that you were no good. I knew what your intentions were. I thought my excuses would ward you off, but you're much too thickheaded."
Harada glared ahead. "Don't be cryptic with me, grandma. I'm in no mood."
"Fine," she snapped, "I have forbidden her from ever coming into contact with you again. By your shameless public acts, you have destroyed her reputation and therefore any chances that she might find a decent husband!"
I am a decent husband,he growled inwardly, but knowing it was no use.
"I appreciate your patronage, but kindly request that you take your business elsewhere."
Had he been a few years younger, he might have lashed out in anger, destroying the shelves that were on display along with all the pottery on them. He may have stood there, bellowing orders at her and causing a horrific scene of petulance. Because he was not so young anymore, and his friendship with Hijikata had eased his rash nature, if only slightly, he did none of those things.
Instead, he walked away.
He did not return to the woods, or to the pottery shop. After several days of misery and anger, it was Saitou Hajime who finally intervened.
"You're beginning to look like Okita," the golden eyed man said with distaste, "mourning with your broken heart on your sleeve."
It was lunch time and Saitou and Harada were enjoying some beef hot pot with Hijikata and Okita. Or rather, Saitou and Hijikata were enjoying it. Okita had little appetite and Harada was too busy concentrating on his furious chewing to do much else.
"I am not mourning," Okita protested quietly, though no one paid any much attention to his weak rebuttal.
"My heart's not broken," Harada said fiercely, stabbing at his empty plate with his chopsticks for emphasis, "I am frustrated."
"And why is this, Sanosuke?" Hijikata asked calmly, eyes sliding over to his irritated friend.
Saitou blew on a bite lazily, "He's been banned from the potter's shop," he answered.
Hijikata looked up. "Really now?"
"I don't want to talk about it," Harada said, a slight pout in his voice, "I'll figure something out."
"So it comes down to a woman then."
"I said I don't wanna talk about it!"
His mouth set it a firm line, the only indication of irritation, the only sign of emotion, the vice commander set down his plate.
"Since we are all gathered here together, I have to ask: Is there any man in this dojo that is not currently ruled by the thoughts of a female?"
Each of the three captains before him tried to place themselves in that bracket, but Hijikata silenced them all with the raise of his hand.
"You," he said to Okita, "have thought of nothing but your girl for twenty years."
He pointed next to Harada. "You're trying to gain yourself a bride."
Saitou steeled his jaw. "I pray you will not lump me in with these romantic fools," he said cooly.
To this, Hijikata raised a brow. "You are a newlywed. I doubt much more than that has to be said."
Saitou frowned considerably as Okita and Harada began to snicker.
"Yanno, I think you're just jealous, Toshi," Harada said, relaxing and crossing his arms, "I think you just want a woman of your own."
Hijikata let out a small laugh, pulling out a bundle from the inside of his kimono. "I could have any woman, should I so desire."
"More love letters, Hijikata-san?" Okita asked, reaching over the table as the bundle was passed to him.
"It is tiring," he replied.
"Oh yes," Saitou drawled. "It must be most unfortunate to be the most attractive man in Kyoto."
"It is most unfortunate," Hijikata told him, "when the most attractive woman in Kyoto is already married."
Saitou bristled. "You step on dangerous ground, Hijikata-san."
"I do not covet your wife," he said plainly, "I was simply stating a fact."
Flipping through the messages of adoration, Okita laughed. "Do you respond to these, Hijikata-san- oh look, this one is from a young gentleman!"
Harada leaned over, snatching a few missives from his small friend's hands. "Yeah, seriously. How do you find the time?"
"I don't acknowledge them at all. I don't even read them."
Okita looked up, frowning. "You don't even read them? These poor girls-"
"And boy," Harada interrupted.
"-and boy," he added, "take the time to pour their souls out to you and you don't even read them?"
"I am responsible for enough souls as it is," Hijikata replied, "I can not add the words of lovesick women to my burdens."
"Love isn't so bad," Okita said, chuckling.
"I imagine it isn't," he agreed, "after all the good it's done you."
For a moment, the room went silent. Even Saitou was shocked at the words that had escaped his vice commander's lips.
"My apologies," Hijikata said, closing his eyes as he watched the hurt rise up in the first captain's chest, "that was uncalled for."
Harada cleared his throat and stood. "Well now that Toshizo's got his foot in his mouth, I'm gonna go get my girl."
Saitou looked doubtful, "I thought you were forbidden to see her."
"Yeah well," he looked towards Okita who was covering up the insult with a terrifyingly hollow grin, "I suddenly don't care."
xxxx
"Don't look at me that way."
Masa sighed, folding the laundry that she had just taken in. "I'm sorry, grandmother. I miss him."
The old woman looked away. She didn't like to see her only grandchild in pain, despite the girl's honest attempts to hide her true emotions. Still, that man had ruined her. Kissing her in the streets like she was some harlot. Unbelievable!
Word had spread quickly that Sugawara Masa had taken on a lover. For all her protests that she was still pure, the mothers of potential suitors had not believed her. When the rumors finally reached the ears of her grandparents, she had been cut off from Harada entirely.
It's for your own good, she had been told. After time, the rumors would die down and she might just have a chance at a husband.
Truth be told, she didn't care what the mothers of potential suitors thought of her. In her eyes, there were no potential suitors. Sanosuke was the only man she wanted to spend her life with. As he had already been appointed her lover by society, she didn't see much of a problem. It was only unfortunate for her that her grandmother was standing firm on her no soldier rule.
"I love him, grandmother," she said softly, bracing herself for the smack of the cane.
But it never came.
When she looked up, the old woman had a strange faraway look in her eyes and if Masa's eyesight was still good (and it was), tears began to gather in the corners of her eyes.
"I told you not to give your heart to a warrior," she said, shaking off the emotion, "nothing good will come of it."
"But why?"
It was the first time she had ever tried to get a decent reasoning. She had worked so hard at trying to change her grandmother's mind, she hadn't bothered to get to the root of the problem.
Just as the woman opened her mouth to cut off the inquiry, there was a loud thud from the entrance of the house.
"MASA!"
Eyes wide, Masa froze, her grandfather's yukata held up in front of her, ready to be folded. He was here.
"MASA!"
"Oh gods," she whispered. This would not end well.
When Harada flung open the door to the living area, she dropped the clothing in her hands, as well as her jaw. Fully equipped with his daisho and spear, he looked far more like a member of a brute squad than a lover come to rescue his woman. Were Shinsengumi always this prepared for battle? Even against the elderly?
Catching his breath, he pointed his spear at her and she let out a small squeak of surprise.
"Masa," he huffed, catching his breath, "I've come for you."
"So I noticed," she replied, eyeing the weapon nervously. He didn't intend to use it, did he?
"Get out of my house!" came the shriek of the old woman, raising her cane against him, "You monster! It's no wonder they call you wolves!"
To the surprise of both women, he caught the cane with ease before the wood cracked against his shoulder. He had never before defended himself against her attacks. Masa had always thought it was because he feared her grandmother, but she now realized that he had endured the beatings out of affection for the hag. He had been humoring her, allowing her to have control.
But now he stood tall and powerful in their home and the dark haired maiden was not sure what she should do. She should have been happy to see him, but there was an edge to his voice today, one that she had never heard before.
"If you will not let me have her," he began slowly, easing the elderly woman into a sitting position with his grip on her cane, "you will explain why."
When her expression softened, Masa let out a breath and pushed the laundry aside, looking between the two.
"I'm old," she began, "too old for this. Too old to be keeping secrets."
Masa scooted forward questioningly, but Harada stood, arms crossed, eyes baring down on the old woman.
She looked to Masa and shook her head. "I should have told you sooner."
"Told me what?" she asked, laying a gentle hand on her shoulder.
Sighing, she rubbed her face. With an urging look from his lover, Harada took a seat opposite the two women.
"My daughter married a good man," she started, staring down at her wrinkled palms, "A very good man."
Masa swallowed. She had never heard stories of her parents. The topic was completely taboo. All she knew was that they were dead. That was all she needed to know, she had always been told.
"They were happy. Young, and poor, but happy. And very much in love. In this world, it's rare to make a love match."
"Not so rare," Harada interjected, "I can name five at least."
She didn't acknowledge this. "As rare as it is now, back then, it was damn near impossible. They lived a small, but respectable life, and two years after they were married, my daughter conceived.
"At this time, there was a small land war in the north. We didn't pay much attention to it at first, but my son-in-law saw it as an opportunity. He didn't want his wife and child to struggle, so he enlisted, with hopes to send all of his wages home."
Masa sat dumbfounded. "My father went off to war to care for us? How then can you say you disapprove of soldiers?"
Snapping her gaze up to meet her granddaughters, the older woman balled her hands into fists. "A month after he left he died, Masa. One month. Took a sword to the chest."
Lowering her head again, she closed her eyes. She had never spoken of this to anyone, even having kept this information from Masa.
"Penniless and broken hearted, my daughter lost all will to live. My husband and I took Masa out of the decaying putrescence that had become of their household when she was a mere four months old."
"I am sorry for the pain your daughter endured from her husband's death," Harada said earnestly, "but not all circumstances are so dire."
"You don't understand," she said bitterly, looking him fiercely in the eye, "I watched my daughter drive herself to suicide. I will not see that happen to Masa! I will NOT allow it!"
Masa's breath caught, but now she understood. Harada also understood, but understanding did not mean giving up. Without a second though, he pulled open the lapels of his clothing, pushing the garments off his torso, sitting bare chested before the two women.
His gaze was intense and challenging as they observed him. Masa wanted to cry. It seemed that there was no flesh on his body that had not been marred by injury at one point or another. How could it be that someone as beautiful as he was so damaged? Her grandmother, however, expressed nothing.
"The spear may have its disadvantages," Harada began calmly, "but I have yet to meet a man whose steel can kill me." He absently ran one of his large, battered hands over a thick horizontal scar on his abdomen. "Not even my own."
Masa reached a hand out, but upon second thought, withdrew. His scars frightened her, opening her eyes to the business he was in, but her heart didn't waver. She wouldn't be like her mother. She knew he could die at any moment, and if she could, she would marry him with this knowledge. She would prepare herself for the news every day, and each day that he came home to her, she would rejoice.
"I may not be a prince," he said, "but I am a good man, and I will be a good husband. I have a bad temper, but I'll never raise my hand to her. I don't always think before I act, but I take responsibility for what I do. And if ever I happen to meet a man who is skilled enough to take my life, you have my word, on the soul of my father, that your granddaughter will be cared for. I have savings, and I have friends who will take her in and care for her, along with any children we might have."
Still, Masa's grandmother stood strong. "You can beg for my permission-"
"I'm not," he interrupted.
"Excuse me?"
"I'm not asking for your permission," he told her, ruffling the ebon feathers that fell over his forehead and throwing Masa a reassuring grin, "I'm letting you know. I love Masa, and she's gonna be my wife. All I need is for her to accept me. I don't need you, but I don't want you cursing me neither."
Stunned into silence, she turned to Masa. "Persistent bastard, isn't he?"
"Grandmother," she said, black eyes bearing into aged blue, "I understand. Please believe me when I tell you that I know what comes with marriage to a warrior. I'm ready to accept that life. Don't let your heart break for me like it has my mother."
Defeated, an unable to justify keeping her locked away, she nodded hesitantly. "You have a choice to make then, girl."
Masa looked to Harada and he stood, reaching out his hand to her. When she accepted, he lifted her gently to her feet and pulled her against his scarred flesh.
"Sugawara Masa," he whispered into her hair, "please. Answer my question."
She looked up at him, eyes shining as she took his scruffy face in her hands.
"Ask me again every day for the rest of our lives, Sanosuke," she said, lifting her face towards his, "so that each day I can tell you: yes."
xxxx
Author's Note: All done! Hope you liked that one~ :D