~Eternal Wish~
by Narushi

~Chapter 1~

A lone figure sat beneath a sakura tree in the woods. The night
breeze whipped at his hair and his gi, the sleeves flapping somewhat.
He stared off into the distance, eyes softening as he recalled a
person from his past. He drew out a katana and held it before his
face. After a while, he thrust it into the soft earth at his feet.

"ne… nii-chan. How are doing on the other side? Don't have too much
fun without me, ok? It's been what… eight years?" Toshiya scrunched
up his face a little, ticking off the years on his fingers.

"Sou desu ne. It's been eight years since you left for the other
side. I haven't forgotten his name, don't worry. After he… after he
killed you, he disappeared. No one knew where he had gone. It was as
if he had vanished from this earth… I spent these eight years hunting
him down and learning how to use the katana. It wasn't too difficult
to find someone to teach me… you taught me well. You know him too!
That Ando Daisuke person… uh-huh, the goofy one," Toshiya paused and
grinned, thinking of Die's antics.

"I think he took me in out of respect for you too. Aren't you
flattered? We've grown pretty close these past years. Honestly, I
wouldn't mind being his lover. I know he would protect me with his
life. Too bad he already has one. His lover is the most beautiful man
in Edo. Really. I'll bet your jaw would drop right to the ground if
you saw him. His name is Shinya. Maybe when you have the time, you
can drop in on them to sneak a peek."

Toshiya paused and looked up at the sky, mesmerized by the
constellations. He touched the hilt of the katana lovingly. //Your
katana, nii-chan… I will bring honour to your katana…//

Toshiya's eyes hardened as he was reminded of his duty. "He is close
by, I can feel it. Niikura Kaoru will die by my hand. His blood will
cleanse this blade and his soul shall be yours to judge. I will not
forget my duty. Your death will be avenged. Soon I will leave Die and
Shinya. I dare not stay. I fear that my staying will bring death to
their house. I will be ready when he comes. And I will strike first.
Rest easy now. It will not be long." He knelt in front of the katana
and bowed deeply. "His life is mine."

Standing in one graceful and fluid motion, Toshiya sheathed his
katana and walked through the woods. He walked slowly, savouring the
peace and quiet that came with the night. The only sounds that could
be heard were that of crickets chirping, and the soft rustle of
leaves caused by his feet. Soon the flickering light from a house
could be seen.

"Toshiya!"

"Shinya? Is something wrong?" Toshiya frowned at the slight
undercurrents of fear he picked up from Shinya's voice.

"No.. I mean yes.. I mean no, not anymore…" Shinya smiled in relief.

"…?"

At the look of confusion on Toshiya's face, Shinya continued. "I was
worried when you went out after dinner and didn't come back for so
long. Are you okay?"

Toshiya smiled at Shinya. "I'm fine. I just had a nice conversation
with hide. A bit one-sided I must admit, but I knew he was there. And
probably making all sorts of weird faces at me, and feeling real
proud because I couldn't see you, weren't you?" The last was
addressed to the woods.

Shinya laughed, pulling Toshiya back into the house. Toshiya placed
his katana on the table and poured sake for the both of them. They
sat there together, enjoying each other's company and sipping sake
while telling stories and jokes.

"Shinya? Where's Die?" Toshiya finally got around to noticing that
the red-head was nowhere to be seen.

"Ah… Yoshiki-san from next door fell down in the bathhouse and
sprained just about every part of his body there is to sprain. Die
went over with some ointment." Shinya explained, a small smile
tugging at the corners of his lips.

Toshiya blinked twice in rapid succession and fell over, laughing his
head off.

"Yoshiki… falling in the bathhouse!!?? Oh that is too good… TOO
GOOD!!!! Bwahahahahahahahahahahaha!!"

(Shinya: ^^;;;)

"Shh… not so loud.. he might hear you." Shinya hissed.

"hahaha…hic… oh my… " Toshiya wiped tears of mirth from his
eyes. "That was quite rude of me, wasn't it?" He asked Shinya
sheepishly.

Shinya nodded, relieved that Toshiya had stopped his racket.

"But you do have to admit… the great Yoshiki falling in the
bathhouse… oh… I can just imagine... imagine him on his back groaning
with his legs up in the air...BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" Toshiya burst out
laughing again, unable to control himself.

Shinya sighed in resignation.

"ne Shinya? Hic.."

"Hai..?"

"Tell me… how did you come to be Die's lover?" Toshiya blushed
slightly, wondering if he had overstepped the boundaries of his
friendship with Shinya. "If you don't mind telling me, that is," he
hastily added.

Shinya felt his face redden at the sudden question. "no no.. I don't
mind… There's nothing much to tell, actually." Shinya paused
slightly. "It was about 3 years ago… I was fourteen then, when I
first met Die." He lowered his gaze to the cup in front of him, eyes
softening as he recalled the events that had led to his meeting with
Die.

***
Shinya leaned wearily against the side of a shop, a teahouse to be
exact, taking in the smells of food wafting under his nose. He
wondered where his next meal would come from. Sadness and anger
filled him as memories of his parents flooded his mind, and he
slumped to the ground.

//Why? How could you kill yourselves and leave me behind? How could
I, a mere fourteen year-old pay off all the debts single-handedly?
They were after my life… kaa-san… tou-san… naze…?//

Shinya drove his fist into the ground, ignoring the pain. He had
spent the last few months working, earning as much as he could to pay
off his parents' debts. He had done everything possible; he had sold
his body to save his life. Each time he had felt more sick and dirty
as strange hands touched him, roaming over his body, defiling him.
Many times, the thought of suicide had crossed his mind, but his will
to live and to emerge victorious from the shambles of his life had
kept him going. Debts finally paid, Shinya was free from
prostitution, and he had taken on a new profession – picking pockets.
He swore never to let another man touch his body.

"Now on to the problem of dinner…" Shinya muttered, all the while
looking at the passersby, scrutinizing them closely. The hunter was
hunting his prey.

Shinya settled back to wait. It was his first foray and he had no
intention of getting caught. He twirled a lock of hair idly, scanning
all who passed for potential victims. His roving eyes flit from one
person to another, not wanting to attract any unwanted attention by
staring. Across the street, Shinya saw a sight that made his heart
clench.

A young girl, not much older than himself had been tossed out onto
the streets. A hastily dressed man was standing over her, kicking at
her sides. He spit into her face and turned on his heel, reentering
the house, without a single look back. The girl's face was bruised,
and as she adjusted her kimono, Shinya saw more bruises on her long
white arms. Tears brimming in her eyes, she combed out her hair with
her fingers and coiled it neatly at the nape of her neck. Wincing in
pain, she picked herself up from the ground and dusted herself off,
all the while holding her head high and ignoring the glances from
curious onlookers and passersby.

//So strong… and dignified, even her present situation… // Shinya
looked at her with profound respect, wondering if he could help her
in any way.

He stood up, and made his way across the street, wanting to offer the
girl comfort and friendship, if nothing else. Just as he was about to
reach her, a tall man with outlandish red hair made his way up to her
and placed a hand on her shoulder. The girl flinched at the contact,
and looked up at the man, a mixture of fear and challenge in her
eyes. He grinned and shoved a box of food and some coins into her
hands.

"Take it," he said softly, his thumb gently erasing the furrows that
had formed on her forehead.

The girl opened her mouth to protest, but the man cut her off. "And
find yourself a proper job. You can repay me then. Treat it as a loan
if you don't want my sympathy. Just ask around for Die when you're
ready to return the money. Take care of yourself…"

With that, the man continued on his way down the street, leaving the
girl with an almost comical look of shock, surprise, confusion and
gratitude on her face.

"Die?" she called out.

"Nande?" the man stopped and looked back.

"I..I… Thank you! I'll never forget your kindness!"

Die coughed embarrassedly, and waved off her thanks. "Ja ne! Don't
forget, get a good job and find a good husband…" he grinned at the
last, before continuing on his way.

//hmm… he seems to have some money… probably enough to tide me over
the next few days at least.// Shinya followed Die down the street,
making sure that the red-head was in his sight at all times. Shinya
was beginning to have doubts about how successful his first foray
would be, but he pushed them down and forced himself onwards.

Suddenly, he walked smack into a barrier of sorts. Surprised, he lost
his balance and fell backwards, only to feel a strong arm wrap around
his waist and steady him. He looked up and saw Die's face in front of
him, blushing as Die pulled him closer. Not wanting to meet Die's
eyes, Shinya turned his head slightly and was surprised to find
themselves a fair distance away from the town.

//Damn! I must have been too absorbed with my thoughts to notice that
we were nearing the woods… what's he going to do to me..?// Shinya
tried to struggle out of Die's hold, but to no avail.

Die gripped Shinya's arm tightly in one hand, and used his free hand
to turn his face to meet his eyes. Shinya lowered his gaze, eyelids
twitching slightly in a sort of nervous anticipation.

//I hope he doesn't do anything to me… I'd rather he kill me than…
than…// Shinya shuddered slightly at the thought, but brought his
gaze up to meet Die's defiantly.


To be continued…


I think Shinya's meeting with Die was kinda icky... writing-wise at
least... >_< *sigh*

Shinya: mou! couldn't he have swept me off my feet like some Prince
Charming?
narushi: i did consider that... but... NO!! *evil laughter*
Shinya: >_<
Die: nevermind Shin-chan *pat pat* it's more fun this way! ^_^
Shinya: *bap* *pause* *BAP* *stalks off*
Die: o_o;;~
narushi: o_O~~~~~~;;;;;

ok.. enough madness!! :)

email narushi

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