藤堂 平助 ❀ Heisuke "the IRresponsible adult" Toudou (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
wolfthatbarkstheloudest) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
estoria2014-11-02 01:41 am
wolfthatbarkstheloudest) wrote in estoria2014-11-02 01:41 am
[closed]
Who: wolfthatbarkstheloudest & nostatus & ohspearme
When: During the event at some point. I suck at dates.
Where: A lovely street to kick it off... and then elsewhere.
What: Sano and Shinpachi learn the hard way why they need to keep their buddy on a leash and within sight at all times.
Rating/Warning: Things of the stabby and deathly variety. Also sads.
[ It was all because of a crocodile.
He'd awoken to find his CYbuddy non-functional and at first he'd thought it just sleeping. Surely that was a thing robots did, right? After all, they seemed to function a lot like people, therefore sleep had to happen as well. When it didn't wake up or even move, he'd grown worried and had tried to rouse the little robot to no avail. Robots weren't something he'd ever had experience with before Cerealia, but death was something he'd seen plenty of, so his immediate concern was that he'd somehow killed it -that it had died during the night and it was all his fault. Ruby Rose had fixed it before, though, so maybe if he found a way to do what she had done, he'd be able to revive it.
Despite the warnings that were horribly evident -the music, the announcement, the freaking clowns everywhere- Heisuke set out to see if he could find some tools like what she had used to repair the crocodile after its head had been dented. It never occurred to him to try and contact Ruby instead.
Going too far from 'home' was a mistake. At home in Kyoto, he knew the streets and the surroundings. Here, he hadn't been around long enough to really commit the districts to memory and have a clear map in his head.
It didn't take him long to find what he wanted, but on the way back, he made a wrong turn and wound up on an unfamiliar street in an unfamiliar area... and had gone a little too deep. The figures that crept out from the shadows were anything but friendly, their brightly painted masks frozen in grotesque smiles that were a bit of a distraction him from the bodies they adorned and the weapons they carried. He'd been in worse situations before, though. He didn't get his position in the Shinsengumi for nothing, after all.
When the first lunged, his blade came up instinctively to block, the impact of metal pipe against sword reverberating through the blade to his hands. No sooner did that first strike come than a second feinted, followed immediately by a seemingly unarmed third, but the moment their fist connected with his arm, a hard blow to a weak spot while he was still holding back the first, he realized his mistake -brass knuckles were something easily concealed and with the force of the blow, could be devastating. His arm buckled and went limp, his blade wavering as he struggled to keep hold of it one-handed. After a moment of pain and panic, he retreated a few paces and struggled to untie the red sash at his waist to have something with which to bind his hand to the sword to keep it steady.
Unfortunately, he'd backed right up alongside an alley...and while struggling with the sash at his waist, failed to see the wooden bat that arced through the air, connecting with his head and taking him off his feet, katana clattering to the ground. They drew closer, circling like vultures, one leaning in every now and again to taunt him with mocking laughter, and even let him shake it off, attempting to get to his feet. The pipe connected hard with his ribs, the sharp pain accompanied by a sickening crunch, like the sound of eggs breaking, and he hit the ground again, curling into a fetal position and trying to catch his breath. Another blow to the same spot and he could taste blood in his mouth, eyes squeezed shut as he silently hoped they'd grow bored and leave.
Blow after blow rained down on him, finally stopping when he felt a sharp tug at his neck, the lantern he'd woken with breaking free as one of his assailants held it up, a declaration of their victory. It was all over. Footsteps began to retreat, the crunch of boots across the ground slowly fading one by one.
He didn't wait long enough before making an effort to uncurl himself from where he lay on the ground, battered, bruised, and bloodied. He didn't play dead long enough before trying to reach out and blindly feel around for the katana he'd dropped.
One was still there, waiting and watching, and as Heisuke slowly pulled himself up, using his saya to lean on, they bent to retrieve the fallen blade. The faint sound of the sword being hefted made him stop, his good arm lifting to wipe at the blood on his face, trying to clear his vision as quickly as possible. It wasn't quick enough to afford him time to react, the masked man reaching out to grab him by the hair and pull him forward roughly, tilting his head back and pressing the blade against Heisuke's throat, his gruff voice a mocking singsong. ]
Right now I'm looking at you and I can't believe you don't know... [ The blade slid neatly along the side of his neck as he slid it back, splitting the skin in a thin, shallow line. ] You don't know you're beautiful.
[ He swallowed hard, fear written all over his face. Hijikata's wrath and seppuku suddenly seemed less frightening than this. At least those were controlled. This? ]
And that's, [ he cooed, plunging the blade into Heisuke's stomach on the word, ] what makes you beautiful.
[ This was anything but.
The man released him, letting him curl in on himself, his own katana impaled through his stomach, and disappeared into the night, sharp laughter ringing in Heisuke's ears. As soon as the man was gone, the slow, agonizing trek back began, step after shaky step leaving a trail of blood in his wake. ]
wolfthatbarkstheloudest & nostatus & ohspearmeWhen: During the event at some point. I suck at dates.
Where: A lovely street to kick it off... and then elsewhere.
What: Sano and Shinpachi learn the hard way why they need to keep their buddy on a leash and within sight at all times.
Rating/Warning: Things of the stabby and deathly variety. Also sads.
[ It was all because of a crocodile.
He'd awoken to find his CYbuddy non-functional and at first he'd thought it just sleeping. Surely that was a thing robots did, right? After all, they seemed to function a lot like people, therefore sleep had to happen as well. When it didn't wake up or even move, he'd grown worried and had tried to rouse the little robot to no avail. Robots weren't something he'd ever had experience with before Cerealia, but death was something he'd seen plenty of, so his immediate concern was that he'd somehow killed it -that it had died during the night and it was all his fault. Ruby Rose had fixed it before, though, so maybe if he found a way to do what she had done, he'd be able to revive it.
Despite the warnings that were horribly evident -the music, the announcement, the freaking clowns everywhere- Heisuke set out to see if he could find some tools like what she had used to repair the crocodile after its head had been dented. It never occurred to him to try and contact Ruby instead.
Going too far from 'home' was a mistake. At home in Kyoto, he knew the streets and the surroundings. Here, he hadn't been around long enough to really commit the districts to memory and have a clear map in his head.
It didn't take him long to find what he wanted, but on the way back, he made a wrong turn and wound up on an unfamiliar street in an unfamiliar area... and had gone a little too deep. The figures that crept out from the shadows were anything but friendly, their brightly painted masks frozen in grotesque smiles that were a bit of a distraction him from the bodies they adorned and the weapons they carried. He'd been in worse situations before, though. He didn't get his position in the Shinsengumi for nothing, after all.
When the first lunged, his blade came up instinctively to block, the impact of metal pipe against sword reverberating through the blade to his hands. No sooner did that first strike come than a second feinted, followed immediately by a seemingly unarmed third, but the moment their fist connected with his arm, a hard blow to a weak spot while he was still holding back the first, he realized his mistake -brass knuckles were something easily concealed and with the force of the blow, could be devastating. His arm buckled and went limp, his blade wavering as he struggled to keep hold of it one-handed. After a moment of pain and panic, he retreated a few paces and struggled to untie the red sash at his waist to have something with which to bind his hand to the sword to keep it steady.
Unfortunately, he'd backed right up alongside an alley...and while struggling with the sash at his waist, failed to see the wooden bat that arced through the air, connecting with his head and taking him off his feet, katana clattering to the ground. They drew closer, circling like vultures, one leaning in every now and again to taunt him with mocking laughter, and even let him shake it off, attempting to get to his feet. The pipe connected hard with his ribs, the sharp pain accompanied by a sickening crunch, like the sound of eggs breaking, and he hit the ground again, curling into a fetal position and trying to catch his breath. Another blow to the same spot and he could taste blood in his mouth, eyes squeezed shut as he silently hoped they'd grow bored and leave.
Blow after blow rained down on him, finally stopping when he felt a sharp tug at his neck, the lantern he'd woken with breaking free as one of his assailants held it up, a declaration of their victory. It was all over. Footsteps began to retreat, the crunch of boots across the ground slowly fading one by one.
He didn't wait long enough before making an effort to uncurl himself from where he lay on the ground, battered, bruised, and bloodied. He didn't play dead long enough before trying to reach out and blindly feel around for the katana he'd dropped.
One was still there, waiting and watching, and as Heisuke slowly pulled himself up, using his saya to lean on, they bent to retrieve the fallen blade. The faint sound of the sword being hefted made him stop, his good arm lifting to wipe at the blood on his face, trying to clear his vision as quickly as possible. It wasn't quick enough to afford him time to react, the masked man reaching out to grab him by the hair and pull him forward roughly, tilting his head back and pressing the blade against Heisuke's throat, his gruff voice a mocking singsong. ]
Right now I'm looking at you and I can't believe you don't know... [ The blade slid neatly along the side of his neck as he slid it back, splitting the skin in a thin, shallow line. ] You don't know you're beautiful.
[ He swallowed hard, fear written all over his face. Hijikata's wrath and seppuku suddenly seemed less frightening than this. At least those were controlled. This? ]
And that's, [ he cooed, plunging the blade into Heisuke's stomach on the word, ] what makes you beautiful.
[ This was anything but.
The man released him, letting him curl in on himself, his own katana impaled through his stomach, and disappeared into the night, sharp laughter ringing in Heisuke's ears. As soon as the man was gone, the slow, agonizing trek back began, step after shaky step leaving a trail of blood in his wake. ]
i had to rewrite this tag like three times since i kept upsetting myself why this
.. it's not like he - they - ever wanted Heisuke to get hurt. Especially not like this. Especially not with Shinpachi having to see and hear and feel one of his best friends dying for the third time already. It never gets any easier, anyway. It feels just as terrible as it did the other times, and the more he can feel the heat disappearing from Heisuke's skin and the more he has to actually hold onto Heisuke to keep him from plainly collapsing onto the ground with that sword still in him, the more his stomach starts to turn at the idea that he's just really going to be gone. Maybe without return this time.
And he wants to react to what Heisuke is saying, really, at least if not just to try and smooth his worries in these last moments.. but with how cold he feels Heisuke getting, and with how the grip on his hand is fading, Shinpachi already knows it's too late. Even if they say something, Heisuke won't hear it anymore, and after another moment he realises Heisuke's body is really only still upright because he's still clinging it to his side and refusing to let go.
Especially when that realisation hits, honestly. Especially when his chest starts to feel awfully tight, and his vision a little blurry near the corners of his eyes, and his only response is to furiously shut them, as if that's going to help anything. ]
Heisuke..!
[ Goddamnit. This just isn't right. It isn't fair. For what reason is Heisuke even gone again now, because whoever these jackasses are decided to play a stupid game without meaning?! How the hell is that supposed to make sense?
Honestly, although it might seem like he has his guard down right now since he's so distracted, Shinpachi's actually not afraid of whatever it is that got Heisuke and is lurking out there attacking them.. he'll gladly welcome them to do so, in fact, he'll shove his sword straight through the throat of the first one that shows up while they're still preoccupied with the loss of Heisuke. Even if it won't make any of this better, it sure as hell feels like the only useful thing he can do right now. ]
none of these icons are remotely upset enough and this saddens me
But Sano, like Shinpachi, refuses to let go just yet. He remains still, however, offering up seemingly no reaction to their friend's death.
Death. And a meaningless one, at that. It's disgusting. It's infuriating. But what can they do about it now? Nothing.
Heisuke's dead.
Sano knows that he had died once before in Zelien, but hearing about such a thing and experiencing it first-hand are two incredibly different things. Yes, he was upset when he heard about the first. And even at Aburano-Koji he had been terrified when it seemed like death would snatch away Heisuke's next breath. Or the next. Or the next. But he hadn't died there, so it was different.
But this...
Still saying nothing, Sano's fingers slowly twine with Heisuke's cold ones, though it's harder than it should have been since those fingers don't cooperate anymore. But he gets the job done regardless, the chill of Heisuke's hand seeping into his own, almost as if it will penetrate his bones.
Even though his hand is wrapped, he can feel the calluses on Heisuke's hand, proof of diligence and skill with the sword. And Heisuke is - ...was - skilled, even if he's not up to Souji's or Saitou's or Shinpachi's level. But is anyone else? In his own right, Heisuke is amazing.
Except he's been needlessly taken from them.
Why?
They all love Heisuke, Sano and Shinpachi especially.
So why...?
Finally making some movement, Sano tentatively reaches toward Heisuke's face in the darkness, his hand shaking as he shuts Heisuke's eyes. Then he whispers - ]
Be at peace, Heisuke.
[But that's when his own peaceful demeanor changes. He's held this in for what seems like centuries, staying calm for Heisuke's sake so as not to give him more to feel guilty about, but Heisuke's dead.
And Sano's furious.
Letting go of Heisuke's hand, Sano storms off for a few steps, his fist clenching and unclenching, aching for something he can hit, someone he can make bleed. But there's nothing. Nothing except walls or windows or the ground and while the idea is tempting to wreak havoc, Sano still realizes it would be detrimental to give in. So instead he shoves his hand into his hair, fingers painfully pulling.]
DAMMIT!
[For a moment the curse seems to hang around them, echoing off the walls. And it would be a miracle if no one heard it, but Sano doesn't care.
Let them come.]
real men don't make excuses rose!!!
But now their friend is gone, the only reminder of him his corpse - which Shinpachi still doesn't quite dare to let go of despite the awkward positioning now, mostly since it almost feels like Heisuke would disappear.
It's a mess. Everything is a mess. Heisuke is dead, Sano is furious. And Shinpachi can't even blame him, really. He's angry too that this all happened, that Heisuke died for no reason at all, that it wasn't even some sort of noble warrior's death. He was stabbed with his own sword in a dark alley, probably outnumbered to begin with. But.. even so.. sure, he's angry. Sure, he's upset as hell in general, but instead it ends up manifesting as a terribly hollow feeling instead rather than the rage displayed by his best friend. They couldn't both fly off the handle anyway, not while they're still out here and with a friend's corpse on their hands. And as good as they usually are at calming each other down in their own ways, Shinpachi doesn't think it's going to help now. Nothing can make this alright again, after all. This isn't something they can just try and smoothe over.
But even so, he has to try and at least keep Sano from running off and punching the first fifty things he sees only for the same shit to happen to him as what happened to Heisuke. ]
... Sano. [ His voice is low, and.. well, oddly without spirit. Especially by Shinpachi standards, since he's usually full of it. But how the hell else is he supposed to feel after being confronted with Heisuke's death again?
He wishes that he could reach out to Sano and have everything be somehow alright again. Isn't that always how it works? Shit happens all the time, especially with the Shinsengumi, but they drink together and laugh together and Sano drapes himself all over him like he's some sort of piece of furniture and everything feels like it'll be okay anyway.
The fact that he has his hands full with Heisuke's corpse is only a cruel reminder that this is one of the few times that it can't just be that easy.
Maybe all he can do this once is being calm with something incredibly hollow about it and hope it's enough to cancel out his best friend's anger a little bit before it explodes. ]
C'mon. .. Get me his saya.
[ Because he's not going to leave Heisuke's corpse stabbed through like this, okay, especially not with his own sword. That's no way for a warrior to look. So without waiting for an answer from the redhead, Shinpachi already more or less carries Heisuke's body to the side of the road so he can prop him up half against a wall. One hand falls on Heisuke's shoulder as Shinpachi squats and bends forward enough that his forehead touches Heisuke's forehead briefly. ]
Thanking us for not leaving you alone.. like hell we'd ever do that anyway. [ It's a mubmle, a whisper - he's not sure if Sano can hear it (it doesn't matter, really, since it's not necessarily aimed at him) and of course Heisuke himself can't hear it anymore (he's dead, after all) but he can't help but say it all the same. It's just - well, like Sano said, huh. He's a big softy.
His hand curls around the handle of Heisuke's katana (it feels so differerent than his own, much heavier - although it's most likely just from the situation) and in one fluid motion he pulls it straight out of the body.
There's no blood flowing from the wound anymore, the final proof that their friend is really dead. ]
good thing I'm not a man, huh
Yes, Sano actually knows that it would be wiser to have his head on straight in this situation, especially when danger lurking around any corner, but it's so much easier to be pissed off. It's so much more satisfying to let his anger course through his veins. If only he could let it drive him for just a few minutes, so he could avenge Heisuke and do whatever part possible to keep his death from being pointless.
Karma can be a bitch...
But it's Shinpachi's uncharacteristic quiet that keeps him in the alley. Normally their roles would be reversed and maybe that's another reason he can't just rush off. Because Sano knows it would be stupid and Sano knows he would tell Shinpachi the same thing. He just needs to listen to Shinpachi this time. And also to himself.
There may be a time soon enough where they can fight and retaliate, but Heisuke comes first. Friends should always come first.
Cursing again, Sano turns around, using the light of his lantern to try and figure out where Heisuke's saya has gotten off to.]
Can't see a damn thing anyway...
[It's mumbled, though Shinpachi can probably hear it as Sano passes by. Of course, it's at that moment that Shinpachi frees Heisuke's blade from his own body, the sound a sickening and grating slurp as it leaves behind bone, flesh, and blood. Heisuke may not be bleeding anymore, but Sano doesn't even have to look closely to know his sword is covered in the crimson stuff.
Trying to ignore it all, he notices a blood trail and follows it a little bit before the wanted sheath appears. He grabs it and returns to Shinpachi, thrusting the saya toward him when he's ready to sheathe the blade.]
no subject
And once the katana is lodged in there once more, he stabs the sheath himself, sticking it where it belongs - right next to Heisuke's other sword. He wouldn't dare to even think of taking the weapon anywhere else even though Heisuke is dead now. It's his sword, after all. Even now.
There's a brief moment where Shinpachi just stares at Heisuke's body, but he knows they can't do this forever. So even though it pains him, he tears his gaze away, instead uprighting himself to be able to face Sano across the dim light. (At least they both look like messes. At least they have each other, but -- whereas that might have felt like enough in any other situation, it feels decidedly more hollow now.)
He tries to not focus on it too much, but it's hard. His expression is obviously troubled as well with the way he frowns. ]
What're we gonna do? We won't have much time. [ Considering that Sano's shouting must have alerted just about everyone out on the streets right now to the fact that they're here - it can't be long before they show up. And while Shinpachi has zero problems with paying those assholes back for what they did, there's the matter of Heisuke's body being there. If they were low enough to stab him with his own sword, then he can't be sure if they won't mess up the body as well. ]
And we can't leave him here like this.
[ But carrying him along is going to be a problem too if they might get confronted by whatever is out there.. not to mention that-- well, what the hell are they even going to do with the corpse in a situation like this, in a place like this? It's like no matter what he thinks of doing in this situation, it just brings up more complications. And that's the last thing he needs after losing his friend. ]
--Dammit, this is just so..! [ Yes, even Shinpachi doesn't have words for it. For once. ]