A/N Been
long since I wrote a story. Hahas, so this should be my come-back piece. Hahas
This
one-shot was presented to my head after watching how Shiranui saved Sano in
episode 15. I wondered why no one wrote anything about that encounter and
decided ‘why not be the first?’ Hahas Then they met once again in episode 17,
and I was certain they had chemistry.
SPOILER** I
read on deviantart that Sano was going to die in episode 18 (but seeing how the
subbed version ain’t out yet…), but I like him, so I ain’t gonna kill him off..
T_T
Disclaimer:
I owe nobody from this awesome anime/game/manga. They belong to Idea Factory!
Although the plot is entirely made up of my own fantasy. Enjoy and review!!
*~*
His grip on the reinforced metal tightened as he watched the purpure headed man
walk away. Although he could not see his face, Sanosuke was certain that a
smirk would be evident on those lips.
“I will
repay my debt.” Sano announced as he watch the other waved his hand in
acknowledgement.
Having been
assisted by that man, no scratch that, by that demon Shiranui Kyou, Sano found
himself respecting that man a little more than before. He turned and looked
down the street he had been spying on before, but somehow his mind was already
wrapped around that gun-wielding demon.
Cursing
inwardly, Sano gave up spying – having his head full of nonsense at a time like
this was going to get him killed no less. He decided to end his patrol
prematurely and return to the temporary headquarters he and Shinpachi now
owned.
He still
had to figure out how on earth he was going to repay the demon for saving him
and his comrades that day when the Rasetsu had completely surrounded them.
The chance
came sooner than he had expected it, and in the most ridiculous manner.
It was in
the dead of the night when the Rasetsu, created by Koudou ran amok in Edo.
Mindless blood-thirsty zombies slaughtering whoever that was in their path;
innocent blood covered the alleys and roads, the river that ran through Edo was
now a sea of red.
Sano led
his squad of thirteen men into the fray where a group of citizens were being
devoured. His spear slashed through skin and clothes drawing blood, but
nevertheless, the vampiric enemies still rose every time. Etched upon their
faces were cruel sadistic smiles as they tore through skin and bone to reach
the warm crimson life-giving liquid beneath.
Left, behind, right, upfront.
His
instincts were probably the one thing that was keeping him alive at times like
these. Even before he heard or saw anything, his mind told him to dodge, the
silver sword slashed the air where his neck was at mere moments ago; adjusting
his spear quickly he forced it deep into the body of the Rasetsu, his right
hand reaching for his sword and severing the head from the body. The head did a
few somersaults before hitting the ground with a sick thud. Blood spurted out
from the severed neck and the body fell limply against the length of the spear.
Sano
released the body from the spear and turned towards another Rasetsu. If the
situation wasn’t as dire as it was now, Sano knew that he would be rolling over
the ground laughing at the sight. The Rasetsu before him was drooling, his eyes
unfocused and he was missing his nose. Alas, this was not the time for
merry-making, and so Sano engaged this undead in a fierce battle where one was
destined to perish, and Sano knew it would not be him.
“CAPTAIN!”
Sano winced
at the bloodcurdling scream of his comrade. From his peripheral vision he could
see the man struggling to get rid of the mouth attached to his neck as other
Rasetsu approached him. Another pulled hard on his arm and ripped it from its
socket; slurping up the blood that was gushing out from the open wound.
“Keisuke.”
Sano muttered as he stabbed the Rasetsu before him.
There was
nothing Sano could do but watch as the Rasetsu devoured him. Sano wondered if
Shinpachi was facing the same situation as he was in the West of Edo. And if he
were, Sano hoped that he was doing better than he was. From the looks of
things, it would be a matter of time before he would be out numbered. There
were too many of them, and the odds were against him. They were able to stand
even after getting stabbed. The only way to take them down was to either stab
them directly in the heart or cause a wound so drastic that it was impossible
for them to recover.
However,
with the armor they were wearing, it was difficult for knives and swords to
penetrate deep enough, at least not without using a hell load of strength. Decapitating them was a better choice, but
that meant getting close to them, and if he were not careful, it might just be
the last thing he might ever do.
Sano ran
his sword across the abdomen of the Rasetsu before him, and watched in
amazement as organs trailed after his sword and hung loosely over the wound.
But that was still not enough, the thing continued to swing its sword
dangerously close to Sano although its movements were slowed. Sano took this chance
to side-step it and swing his sword down onto the back of the neck, satisfied
to hear a dull crack and the head falling limply over the shoulder facing him.
It smirked
and its body turned to face Sano again. Even with its guts hanging from the
side and its neck broken, it still fought back. Its head kept lolling around in
sick imitation of a pendulum.
Just as he
was about to deliver the final blow (or what he thought was the final blow), he
felt sharp incisors pierce through his skin just above his collar bone.
Powerful arms wrapped around his torso like how the many women he visited at
the different brothels had done so before; but he knew this was horrifyingly
different.
“ARGHHHH!”
He felt his
vocal cord burn with the ferocity of his voice. The pain that coursed through
his entire body was excruciating, a type of pain he had never felt before. It
was very different from the type of pain you might feel when a sword sliced
you, or when a bullet hit you.
It felt as
though he was on fire internally, like acid was being poured over every inch of
his body. His fingers and toes were curling up painfully as he tried to pull
away from the monster leeched upon his neck, draining the very life-force out
of him.
Just when
he thought that was the worse, another Rasetsu came up from the front and sank
its incisors down on the other side of his neck. Pain exploded within every
molecule of his body, it felt as though it might explode from within,
destroying his body in the process. Immobilized by pain, Sano wondered numbly
if this was it.
Shinpachi. Heisuke. Chizuru. Saitou. Taichou.
Futaicho.
It became a
mantra in his head as he felt his body giving up slowly. He could no longer
register the pain and it all felt numb. He felt his knees give way and he
collapsed onto the blood-soaked ground, pulling the two Rasetsu with him. Loud
thumps rang through the air, and Sano wondered if that was the last few beats
of his heart.
He felt
those arms around his torso release and his limp body collapsed; his mind
shutting down blocking out all the sounds of fighting.
OoooOoooO
“Drink.”
The warm
viscous substance entered his mouth and slid down his throat. It felt like he
was drinking down thick concentrated tea. He could not taste anything, but he
knew he was thirsty, because once he started drinking the liquid, he kept
wanting more.
Sano
inclined his head to reach the source of the liquid; he was so very thirsty. His
mouth automatically enclosed around the source of the liquid and he started to
suck on it, because he realized that more would enter his mouth by doing that. He
tried to open his eyes, but they were heavy – his mind just kept asking him to
drink whatever he was sucking in now.
“Can you
open your eyes?” muttered the same voice.
The voice
was awfully familiar, but Sano could not place a finger on it. He could not
remember where he heard it - all he wanted to do now was to continue drinking
the liquid. Quite abruptly, the source of the liquid was removed from his
reach, Sano hissed at its absence and his eyes snapped open to glare at the
person for taking away his drink.
“Give it
back.” Sano growled as he glared into amethyst coloured irises.
The man
before him smirked, cocking his head.
“Is this
how you treat your benefactor?”
“I don’t
care who you are to me. Give it back.” Sano growled angrily.
Whatever
that drink was, it was invigorating. He yearned more of it. So what if he owe
this man before him a favor, he was not going to forgive him for taking away
something that was giving him strength, especially after the attacks from those
Rasetsu.
Then it hit
him.
His hands
rose to either sides of his neck and he felt barely healed wounds. The memory
of being tackled down by two Rasetsu and the battle flooded his mind. He closed
his eyes to try and piece everything together.
“Remember
everything now eh?”
Sano opened
his eyes and glanced around. Bodies of his comrades and Rasetsu littered the
ground. He himself was soaked in blood, he reached up and wiped his mouth with
the back of his hand and was surprised to see red covering the length of his
arm.
“Wa-was I
drinking b-blood?!” Sano yelled in surprise.
He looked
over to the man before him; his right wrist showed evidence of a half-healed
wound covered in blood.
“Tcch. Took
you long to notice.” Shiranui smirked.
“You kept
drinking and wouldn’t stop. If you had continued, I would have been drained of
my own life-force.”
Sano
struggled to sit upright but succumbed to the wave of nausea. An arm circled
around his waist and he was pulled up.
“Two of
your soldiers managed to escape. I bet they went to inform that hot-headed
friend of yours of your defeat.” Shiranui chuckled.
“I was not
defeated.” Sano muttered. His limps were still not cooperating with him; they
were still numb and refused to stand on their own.
“This is the second time I’ve saved your ass.
How are you going to repay your debt this time?” Shiranui asked as he helped
the injured man away from the bloody area.
“So, you were the one who fired those shots.”
Sano said as he recalled hearing loud shots thinking it was the beating of his
heart then, but it made sense now.
“Tcch. Why is your body taking so long to
react? My blood is as powerful as that Chizuru’s.”
Hearing Chizuru’s name, Sano looked up and
stared hard at the demon.
“What have you done to me?” He inquired, unable
to keep the quiver of apprehension out of his voice.
“Why, you were the one who kept on drinking. If
I hadn’t saved you, you wouldn’t be able to see your dear Shinsengumi again.
Shouldn’t you thank me?” Shiranui taunted.
“You’re a half demon now Sanosuke Harada. Like
it or hate it, you’ll just have to accept it.”
Sano stumbled away from the demon and caught a
glimpse of himself in a bucket of water nearby. Blood was splattered all over
his face, over his new western uniform, even in his hair. His golden irises had
a tinge of red, something that was never there until tonight. From the
reflection, he saw Shiranui’s face appear just above his left shoulder.
“There’s nothing wrong with being a demon. On
contrary, your senses are heightened, your skills increased.” His arm snaked
across Sano’s shoulders and rested there. “Shouldn’t you be happy?”
“SANO!” Shinpachi’s scream erupted from nearby.
Sano jerked his head in the direction from
where it came from. His heart swelled as he noticed the worry-tinged voice.
Shinpachi rarely showed his concern for him and now it was evident even in his
voice.
“Ah, here comes your hot-headed friend. I’d
better be off then; I’ve had enough trouble for one night. However,” Shiranui
leaned forward and captured Sano’s lips quickly, allowing his tongue to dart
into the cavity and tease the other.
“I know how you can repay your debt now, my
pet.” Shiranui stepped back from the startled young man presenting his infamous
smirk.
Licking his lips, Shiranui disappeared into the
shadows and out of Edo in less than a split second. Sano overcame his initial
surprise felt his cheeks burn. Never had he ever felt so violated, especially
by a man!
And what did he call him? His pet?!
Stumbling out of the alleyway, Sano found
Shinpachi, covered in blood himself but luckily it looked like he had only
suffered minor injuries. His friend rushed over to him, mothering him over,
checking to make sure he was alright, no gaping wounds, no broken bones before
punching Sano in the jaw, hard.
“What the fuck did you think you were doing? As
a captain what made you think you could die so easily?” Shinpachi bellowed
angrily glaring daggers at Sano.
“Those two idiots said you were- you were…
ARGH! Don’t you EVER dare do this ever again you hear me!”
Sano couldn’t help but smile. His idiot of a
best friend looked like he was on the verge of crying, although he knew he
would never do that. Rubbing his bruised jaw, Sano gave Shinpachi his best
smile, to tell his friend that he was fine and that he was sorry.
“Let’s get back, we’re not done for tonight!”
Sano laughed as he picked up his spear and his sword.
As they ran towards the West of Edo, Sano
thought of the kiss he just shared (unwillingly) with the demon. He was rescued
from Death’s door thanks to the blood flowing within his veins now, but because
of that he was in the same league as the Rasetsu unit in the Shinsengumi.
As they closed in on the screams and
metal-against-metal sound, Sano made a mental note, to get his revenge on the
demon, for stealing his first kiss.
*~*
A/N Hey hey heys!! Well, here’s the end of the
one-shot! Woah, this must be the longest one-shot I ever wrote. =D But oh
wells, that’s what you get when plot bunnies decide to invade your head. Hahas,
I hope you guys like it! Don’t hesitate to review! I know Sano would be happy
to read them! LOL.
Just to make sure you guys don’t get it wrong;
although Sano has visited brothels a lot, in my story, he has never kissed
anyone of the girls on the lips, they just pour him wine and everything. So
yeah =D Our dear Sano’s first kiss was stolen by Shiranui. Hehe
See ya! Review kays? =)
BTW. Purpure is actual word. Haha, it’s a form
of purple. Hahas
