Way of the Sword
folder
Gravitation › Crossovers
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
22
Views:
4,085
Reviews:
9
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Gravitation › Crossovers
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
22
Views:
4,085
Reviews:
9
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own this anime/manga, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 2
A soft, white hand ran absentmindedly through strands of pink hair. The hand wiped away the beads of sweat that had collected on the forehead. The job done, the hand closed over the mouth in an attempt to stifle any crying that may come out.
Shuichi tried to control his breathing, tried to forget his nightmare. It had been sixteen years since his parents died. Even with the time passing, the nightmares continued the haunt him, although not as frequently as when he was younger. However, even though quantity of the nightmares decreased, the vividness of them never seemed to fade away.
The nineteen year old laid back down, his yukata damp with his sweat and sticking to him as if had been glued to his body. He tried to go back to sleep, but he could not. The hard floor gave little comfort to him and the blankets failed to make his bed any softer.
Shuichi stared at the ceiling, feeling frustrated that his parents\' killer was never caught. He was sure it was Kimura. Haruki, Shuichi\'s uncle, held extreme bitterness towards Kimura. In the past year, Shuichi had taken up the goal of trying to bring his parents’ murderer to justice. A couple months ago, Haruki had told Shuichi the rumors regarding Kimura that floated around right before Junichiro and Ikuko\'s death.
It was hard, trying to uncover the unsolved mystery that happened such a long time ago. People moved away, memories were forgotten, and on top of everything, no one took the boy seriously.
But a few days ago, Shuichi heard a new rumor. That the attack had been so efficient because there was inside help. Shuichi was so excited about this piece of information and had told his uncle about it a couple days ago, hoping to get a list of names of the people that used to work under his father. Haruki seemed excited and have given Shuichi all the information that he could. However, Shuichi found out that many of them had moved away after the incident or that they already passed away. But the energetic 19 year old refused to give up. Shuichi was sure that his hard work would pay off in one way or another.
Despite his parents’ murder, Shuichi had grown up to be quite a happy boy, largely thanks to his uncle. Haruki had tired his best to raise Shuichi and the older man had become a second father figure to Shuichi. At times, Shuichi himself forgot the horrific events that took place so long time ago. But no matter how happy Shuichi was during the day, the nights were haunted by the death of his parents. Shuichi closed his eyes and willed himself to sleep, scared that he would have another nightmare. After much tossing and turning, he fell into an uneasy sleep.
When the violet eyes opened, it was finally morning. Shuichi got up and changed into a soft blue kimono, which only made his pink hair stand out even more. He made his way out into the inside room, knowing that breakfast would already be set.
\"Morning, Shuichi-kun,\" Haruki greeted his nephew.
\"Good morning, Ojisan (1),\" Shuichi replied. He sat down across the table from his uncle.
Haruki took a sip of his water. He never drank tea, always preferring water or sake. \"How did your investigation go yesterday, Shuichi?\"
\"Not very well, I\'m afraid,\" replied Shuichi. He poked at his bowl of rice with his chopsticks. \"But I\'m feeling hopeful, because I am going to visit someone today, the only person at that time who still lives in the area. His name is Eguchi, I believe.\"
\"Ahh! I remember him. He was a very honest man, very trustworthy. He also had a very pretty wife if I remember correctly,\" said Haruki with a faint smile on his lips.
\"Ojisan!\" Shuichi shook his head at his bachelor uncle. \"I will take my leave now. I have to visit a friend before going over to Eguchi-san\'s place. Itekimasu (2).\" Shuichi smiled and bowed before he headed outside.
\"Be careful,\" called out Haruki. He watched his nephew walk out, hoping that everything will go well today.
***
Shuichi waved to his friend good-bye. The visit took longer than he expected and he had hoped to reach Eguchi-san\'s before noon. Now, it seemed as though this would be a little hard to accomplish. He hurried down the road that was leading to the town square. A throng of people greeted him and he wove his way through the crowd. He continued to walk and finally the square was behind him. He followed a lone dirt path that he knew to lead to Eguchi-san\'s home.
When Shuichi finally reached his destination, he stopped abruptly. The front gate was wide open. I wonder why the gates are open, wondered Shuichi. He approached the entrance cautiously.
\"Hello? Eguchi-san?\" called out Shuichi, as he walked through the gate. He looked around and noticed an old man on the porch. He was sitting down, eyes closed, his back supported by the post. The tips of his long white hair that rested on his chest was tinged with blood. A pool of the red liquid had formed beneath foot of the man and more dripped from the various gashes on the man\'s chest. Shuichi made his way toward the man. \"Eguchi-san?\" he whispered.
As Shuichi came closer, he could make out the man\'s chest moving up and down. Shuichi breathed a sigh of relief.
When Shuichi was right next to the man, he gasped and grasped Shuichi\'s arm. “Are you Shuichi?”
Shuichi jumped from the sudden motion from the old man. “Yes. Are you Eguchi-san? What happened?”
\"I know something that has to do with your parents’ death.\" The old man\'s breath came out in a wheeze and Shuichi had difficulty making out the words.
“I knew too much...,\" continued the man, \"too much...it\'s ...ki...\" The old man let out one last shuddering breath and his head rolled towards the side, failing to finish his sentence.
\"No!\" Shuichi grabbed the old man’s shoulder and shook him in a wild effort to bring back the old man. \"No! Don\'t die! Please hold on!\" Shuichi felt cold and shivered, despite the warm sunlight. The old man had said he knew too much. The hands that had grasped the old man\'s shoulders quickly released their grip. He slowly took one step back, then another one. Shuichi realized his breathing had quickened. He needed to get out of here, call the police, go to his uncle. Shuichi swung around quickly and was about to break out into a run towards the gate. \"I knew too much.\" Those words still rung in Shuichi\'s ears.
\"Watch out!\" screamed a voice behind him.
Shuichi stopped halfway towards the open gate turned around to see a young man with long reddish brown hair stumbling around the corner of the house. One side of his kimono was stained with what looked like blood. That was the last thing he saw as he felt numerous stings on his body followed by immense pain. His brain shut down, unable to handle the flooding waves of pain. Shuichi fell to ground in a crumpled heap, blood seeking through his kimono, the red liquid slowly spreading through the blue fabric.
The owner of warning gasped and tried to run towards Shuichi, but the injury on his leg finally gave way, causing him to stumble. He tried to get up but a handle of a katana came out of nowhere, striking him at the temple. The boy fell back down.
\"Looks like our work is done. Assassination of Eguchi and Shindou completed, mission accomplished.\" The owner of the voice and his partner left the horrific scene.
***
A tall blonde man walked along a tiny path, surrounded by trees on either side of him. Yuki Eiri was thirsty and tired from his walking. He hoped to reach his friend\'s house by nightfall, but felt the need to stop at the next house for some water. He could have stopped by at the little restaurant awhile ago, but he did not want to be mixed up in the company of stupid people that would surely be attracted to sake. But now, he did not care if he had to even engage in a conversation with stupid people as long as he could get some water. Yuki silently cursed himself for forgetting to fill his water jug. Up ahead, he saw a house. Motivated by the sight, he walked faster.
A few yards from the entrance of the home, the blonde stopped. He smelled blood. His hand reached for his katana. He slowly approached the gate and sensing no one there, he went ahead and entered.
His experienced eyes automatically took note of the dead body present. He also took notice of two people not dead yet.
\"Help,\" a brown haired boy said. He struggled to get up. Yuki walked over towards him.
\"No,\" said the boy. \"I\'m ok. Help him.\" He nodded towards Shuichi.
Yuki crouched down by the boy. He reached out for the boy and gently pushed away the kimono to observe the wounds. Yuki\'s eyes slightly widened, as he took note of the numerous needles that managed to penetrate the skin. The boy needed help and fast. The bleeding seemed to stop, but the boy had lost too much blood already.
\"Can you walk?\" Yuki asked the brown haired man. He received a nod. \"What\'s your name?\"
\"Nakano Hiroshi.\"
\"Ok. You are going to follow me. We need to get away from here and this boy needs to be treated. You understand?\"
\"Yes.\"
\"Good.\" Yuki carefully wrapped the bloody kimono back around the pink haired boy and gently picked him up on his arms and headed out towards the gate.
Shuichi eyelashes fluttered in an attempted to open themselves. Someone was touching him and it hurt. So much pain. Please let it go away. He caught a glimpse of the person who woke him up. A blond, so beautiful. Surely he was being carried by an angle. But before Shuichi had a chance to steal a second look, he passed out once more.
NOTES:
1. Ojisan - Uncle
2. Itekimasu - A phrase said when leaving.
A soft, white hand ran absentmindedly through strands of pink hair. The hand wiped away the beads of sweat that had collected on the forehead. The job done, the hand closed over the mouth in an attempt to stifle any crying that may come out.
Shuichi tried to control his breathing, tried to forget his nightmare. It had been sixteen years since his parents died. Even with the time passing, the nightmares continued the haunt him, although not as frequently as when he was younger. However, even though quantity of the nightmares decreased, the vividness of them never seemed to fade away.
The nineteen year old laid back down, his yukata damp with his sweat and sticking to him as if had been glued to his body. He tried to go back to sleep, but he could not. The hard floor gave little comfort to him and the blankets failed to make his bed any softer.
Shuichi stared at the ceiling, feeling frustrated that his parents\' killer was never caught. He was sure it was Kimura. Haruki, Shuichi\'s uncle, held extreme bitterness towards Kimura. In the past year, Shuichi had taken up the goal of trying to bring his parents’ murderer to justice. A couple months ago, Haruki had told Shuichi the rumors regarding Kimura that floated around right before Junichiro and Ikuko\'s death.
It was hard, trying to uncover the unsolved mystery that happened such a long time ago. People moved away, memories were forgotten, and on top of everything, no one took the boy seriously.
But a few days ago, Shuichi heard a new rumor. That the attack had been so efficient because there was inside help. Shuichi was so excited about this piece of information and had told his uncle about it a couple days ago, hoping to get a list of names of the people that used to work under his father. Haruki seemed excited and have given Shuichi all the information that he could. However, Shuichi found out that many of them had moved away after the incident or that they already passed away. But the energetic 19 year old refused to give up. Shuichi was sure that his hard work would pay off in one way or another.
Despite his parents’ murder, Shuichi had grown up to be quite a happy boy, largely thanks to his uncle. Haruki had tired his best to raise Shuichi and the older man had become a second father figure to Shuichi. At times, Shuichi himself forgot the horrific events that took place so long time ago. But no matter how happy Shuichi was during the day, the nights were haunted by the death of his parents. Shuichi closed his eyes and willed himself to sleep, scared that he would have another nightmare. After much tossing and turning, he fell into an uneasy sleep.
When the violet eyes opened, it was finally morning. Shuichi got up and changed into a soft blue kimono, which only made his pink hair stand out even more. He made his way out into the inside room, knowing that breakfast would already be set.
\"Morning, Shuichi-kun,\" Haruki greeted his nephew.
\"Good morning, Ojisan (1),\" Shuichi replied. He sat down across the table from his uncle.
Haruki took a sip of his water. He never drank tea, always preferring water or sake. \"How did your investigation go yesterday, Shuichi?\"
\"Not very well, I\'m afraid,\" replied Shuichi. He poked at his bowl of rice with his chopsticks. \"But I\'m feeling hopeful, because I am going to visit someone today, the only person at that time who still lives in the area. His name is Eguchi, I believe.\"
\"Ahh! I remember him. He was a very honest man, very trustworthy. He also had a very pretty wife if I remember correctly,\" said Haruki with a faint smile on his lips.
\"Ojisan!\" Shuichi shook his head at his bachelor uncle. \"I will take my leave now. I have to visit a friend before going over to Eguchi-san\'s place. Itekimasu (2).\" Shuichi smiled and bowed before he headed outside.
\"Be careful,\" called out Haruki. He watched his nephew walk out, hoping that everything will go well today.
***
Shuichi waved to his friend good-bye. The visit took longer than he expected and he had hoped to reach Eguchi-san\'s before noon. Now, it seemed as though this would be a little hard to accomplish. He hurried down the road that was leading to the town square. A throng of people greeted him and he wove his way through the crowd. He continued to walk and finally the square was behind him. He followed a lone dirt path that he knew to lead to Eguchi-san\'s home.
When Shuichi finally reached his destination, he stopped abruptly. The front gate was wide open. I wonder why the gates are open, wondered Shuichi. He approached the entrance cautiously.
\"Hello? Eguchi-san?\" called out Shuichi, as he walked through the gate. He looked around and noticed an old man on the porch. He was sitting down, eyes closed, his back supported by the post. The tips of his long white hair that rested on his chest was tinged with blood. A pool of the red liquid had formed beneath foot of the man and more dripped from the various gashes on the man\'s chest. Shuichi made his way toward the man. \"Eguchi-san?\" he whispered.
As Shuichi came closer, he could make out the man\'s chest moving up and down. Shuichi breathed a sigh of relief.
When Shuichi was right next to the man, he gasped and grasped Shuichi\'s arm. “Are you Shuichi?”
Shuichi jumped from the sudden motion from the old man. “Yes. Are you Eguchi-san? What happened?”
\"I know something that has to do with your parents’ death.\" The old man\'s breath came out in a wheeze and Shuichi had difficulty making out the words.
“I knew too much...,\" continued the man, \"too much...it\'s ...ki...\" The old man let out one last shuddering breath and his head rolled towards the side, failing to finish his sentence.
\"No!\" Shuichi grabbed the old man’s shoulder and shook him in a wild effort to bring back the old man. \"No! Don\'t die! Please hold on!\" Shuichi felt cold and shivered, despite the warm sunlight. The old man had said he knew too much. The hands that had grasped the old man\'s shoulders quickly released their grip. He slowly took one step back, then another one. Shuichi realized his breathing had quickened. He needed to get out of here, call the police, go to his uncle. Shuichi swung around quickly and was about to break out into a run towards the gate. \"I knew too much.\" Those words still rung in Shuichi\'s ears.
\"Watch out!\" screamed a voice behind him.
Shuichi stopped halfway towards the open gate turned around to see a young man with long reddish brown hair stumbling around the corner of the house. One side of his kimono was stained with what looked like blood. That was the last thing he saw as he felt numerous stings on his body followed by immense pain. His brain shut down, unable to handle the flooding waves of pain. Shuichi fell to ground in a crumpled heap, blood seeking through his kimono, the red liquid slowly spreading through the blue fabric.
The owner of warning gasped and tried to run towards Shuichi, but the injury on his leg finally gave way, causing him to stumble. He tried to get up but a handle of a katana came out of nowhere, striking him at the temple. The boy fell back down.
\"Looks like our work is done. Assassination of Eguchi and Shindou completed, mission accomplished.\" The owner of the voice and his partner left the horrific scene.
***
A tall blonde man walked along a tiny path, surrounded by trees on either side of him. Yuki Eiri was thirsty and tired from his walking. He hoped to reach his friend\'s house by nightfall, but felt the need to stop at the next house for some water. He could have stopped by at the little restaurant awhile ago, but he did not want to be mixed up in the company of stupid people that would surely be attracted to sake. But now, he did not care if he had to even engage in a conversation with stupid people as long as he could get some water. Yuki silently cursed himself for forgetting to fill his water jug. Up ahead, he saw a house. Motivated by the sight, he walked faster.
A few yards from the entrance of the home, the blonde stopped. He smelled blood. His hand reached for his katana. He slowly approached the gate and sensing no one there, he went ahead and entered.
His experienced eyes automatically took note of the dead body present. He also took notice of two people not dead yet.
\"Help,\" a brown haired boy said. He struggled to get up. Yuki walked over towards him.
\"No,\" said the boy. \"I\'m ok. Help him.\" He nodded towards Shuichi.
Yuki crouched down by the boy. He reached out for the boy and gently pushed away the kimono to observe the wounds. Yuki\'s eyes slightly widened, as he took note of the numerous needles that managed to penetrate the skin. The boy needed help and fast. The bleeding seemed to stop, but the boy had lost too much blood already.
\"Can you walk?\" Yuki asked the brown haired man. He received a nod. \"What\'s your name?\"
\"Nakano Hiroshi.\"
\"Ok. You are going to follow me. We need to get away from here and this boy needs to be treated. You understand?\"
\"Yes.\"
\"Good.\" Yuki carefully wrapped the bloody kimono back around the pink haired boy and gently picked him up on his arms and headed out towards the gate.
Shuichi eyelashes fluttered in an attempted to open themselves. Someone was touching him and it hurt. So much pain. Please let it go away. He caught a glimpse of the person who woke him up. A blond, so beautiful. Surely he was being carried by an angle. But before Shuichi had a chance to steal a second look, he passed out once more.
NOTES:
1. Ojisan - Uncle
2. Itekimasu - A phrase said when leaving.