Disclaimer: Don't own.
Author's Note: I know this doesn't precisely follow the manga but... well, I just don't care. So there. -sticks out tongue-
He didn't know how much time had passed since he'd last been conscious, or relatively conscious to say the least but he knew he didn't have must time left. He could feel the threads that bound his soul to his body starting to loosen and unwind as he drifted in an out of awareness. Everything throbbed in time with his slowly weakening pulse, the blood in his veins all but run out.
The voices had all grown quiet, only the ninja and the witch speaking now, their words quick and whispered in muted desperation.
Silence fell again in a moment of contemplation before Kurogane gave the final command. "I don't are about the price. Just do it."
'Price?!' A small bead of awareness trickled through just in time for him to catch the ninja's plan and he struggled to open his eye. "Stop, I..."
"Shut up!" He ordered. "If you want to die so badly then I'll kill you myself. Until then..." His voice wavered for a fading heartbeat. "... live."
Whatever words he'd been about to speak died in his throat at the rare but genuine display of emotion. He felt his heart seize one last time before giving up, he closed his eye again. If he'd had the energy he would have groaned, struggled, or begged but he knew it was of no use. It didn't matter. No one could deny him his fate not even a determined Kurogane.
The twins, nearly forgotten from his own fuzzy mind crept forward, their words so soft and smooth he could make out no more than the silk of their voices alone. Something was happening.
Something touched his lips as a cool hand gently but firmly pinched his jaw open. 'Wha...?' Liquid slowly dripped into his mouth and trickled down the back of his sore and abused throat, a distinct coppery taste following soon after. 'Blood? But wh-'
His thoughts were stopped suddenly as a white hot pain assaulted him, a scream tearing from unbidden from someplace deep within. His body jerked and writhed of its own accord as he tried to rid himself of this terrible poison. He screamed again, the sound haunting even in his own ears but still the blood flowed, faster now.