Tear.

Reader

His name was engraved permanently on the dark, cold stone. My fingertips brushed over it as I knelt, not caring about the mud touching the expensive white dress I wore at the moment.

"I miss you..."

A soft smile curved my lips as I recalled the smug expressions he would give me if he were still here. His dull golden eyes would spark briefly whenever our eyes met or he saw me.

I noticed how the bell of his earring rang softly whenever he tilted his head to ask me questions. Unconsciously, I found myself doing the same thing, and the bell in my right ear would ring in response. Hearing it chime now and then brought me a sense of comfort.

My hand moved to my neck, gently rubbing the tattoo on my skin. I remember how proud he was when he got his tattoo done, he showed it to me as if it were a treasure. It was a tiger, just like his name, tattooed in black.

"Tora..."

My smile faltered as I called out to him, but he didn't respond, he couldn't respond. The bouquet in my hand felt heavier with each passing second as the cold air surrounded me. A chill ran down my bare shoulder as the breeze brushed against me.

"I messed up. I fucking messed up… He just only got worse and Toman… Toman is not the same anymore"

As Toman expanded, everything became more complicated. Manjiro went insane, dragging us down into darkness alongside him, and subsequently eliminated us, the founders, one by one.

"You and Keisuke died. Pah is now dead too. Draken is in a death sentence and Takashi is missing"

What about me? I'm alive but trapped. I have no one to ask for help and no hope. Manjiro won't kill me, but won't let me go either. My last chance to escape from him has just vanished, Draken and Takashi, my final two saviors, are now gone.

I'm not sure what exactly happened to Takashi, but considering everything that has been going on, the only possibilities I can think of are that he's either dead or in a life-threatening situation. I know Takashi wouldn't abandon me.

I can't stop thinking whether he's alive or dead. I've been making plans, but searching for him is impossible. Manjiro has been watching my every move, and I can't go anywhere without him or one of his men around.

"I can't do it anymore... I can't live like this..."

Is there any way to go back to those simpler times? Go back to the time when we all still smiling and having fun, before the darkness consume and took us down slowly one by one.

"I know that I would find you here" A cold voice flowing to me along with the cold breeze.

"Go to hell, Manjiro" My eyes never falter from the engravement on the stone.

"Is that how you talk to your soon-to-be husband, (y/n)?"

He chuckled darkly afterward. I didn't answer him, just kept silent. Slowly, his footsteps carried him closer and closer until he stood over me, still kneeling in front of the grave. He clicked his tongue after seeing the ruined dress.

"Get up, you're ruining your dress. We have to go and get a new one"

"I'm not going anywhere with you"

He gripped my arm tightly and forced me to stand up. When he was about to drag me with him, I stood my ground, ripping my arm away as I threw the flower bouquet to his face.

"Don't touch me!"

At that moment I felt pain in my left cheek, and my head snapped to the right. My ears ringing but I can hear the bell ringing as my head moves, grounding me back down to earth.

He gripped my chin between his thumb and index finger tightly as he snapped my head back to face him. Forcing me to look at his eyes that glared at me coldly.

"I asked you once again. Is that how you talk to me?!!"

"And I tell you once again. Go to hell!!"

I knocked my head against his jaw, he stood still but his grip loosened from my jaw. Stepping away from him my feet touched the edge of the gravestone, making me stopped my feet because I couldn't get further.

Manjiro let out a deep breath as he brought down his head, he looked at me with annoyance in his eyes. When he was about to step closer, he faltered when I pulled a gun from the slit on my dress.

"Don't come any closer"

"We both know that you won't kill me. You can't"

He's right, I can't. No matter how much I resent him. My vision started getting blurry, tears pouring out reflecting the frustration that I felt in my chest.

Why can't I kill him? He killed them all.

Pah.

Takashi.

Draken.

Kazutora.

They are all gone. I had no one left.

"Come on, (y/n). Stop joking around, we're going to be late for our wedding"

I pulled the safety off, showing him that I was not joking around. The response that I got from him was an ignorant scoff that came out from the back of his throat. He definitely saw the hesitation that was painted on my face.

Why can't I do it? Why can't I pull the trigger? The old Mikey is gone, he's nowhere to be found. The person that stood in front of me is Manjiro, the cold blooded leader of the new Toman.

Is it because I promised them that I would take care of him and Toman?

Keisuke.

Emma.

Draken.

I'm sorry to break my promise, but I can't do it anymore. I can't stand seeing him keep falling into the endless darkness. Plus the fact that I couldn't do anything to help him makes me frustrated.

"You're right, I can't do it. I can't kill you"

"See? Now give me the gun and let's go"

Maybe I can't kill him.

Maybe I can't stop him.

But one thing I know for sure.

I can't keep going, there's no reason for me to stay anymore.

"I'll see you soon, Tora." As I whispered, the chime from the bell answered me back.

"Huh?"

With my shaking hand, I brought the gun towards my temple.

If he won't set me free.

If I can't kill him.

Then I will do it in my own way.

To set myself free.

To meet them again.

To be in his arm again.

My hand stopped trembling.

I didn't feel afraid anymore.

We were born to die anyway.

"(y/n)!"

"Goodbye, Mikey"

He launched himself forward to grab the gun, preventing me from taking my life away. My finger moved and pulled the trigger before he could reach me.

Manjiro Sano

I caught her body in my arms before she hit the ground. Cradling her limp body in my embrace. The crimson liquid dripped down onto my suit from the open wound on her temple.

"(y/n)! Oi!! (n/n)!!"

Somehow I'm hoping me screaming her name over and over again can make her open her eyes. I want to see those ocean in her eyes again, even if it's storming with hate or rage towards me.

She was my last treasure. The last person who keeps the little bit of sanity that I have left from going down the drain. I do anything just to keep her by my side, including getting rid of them.

Why isn't she happy? I gave her everything that every human would kill for. Safety, luxuries, power. I'll give her the world if it means that I can have her by my side. But why? Why did she do this?

Those questions kept running through my mind until I looked up from her face. That's when it hits me as I read the name on the stone, I never had her in the first place. She wasn't my treasure to begin with.

I should've known, that her heart only beating for him and only him. He might be gone from this world, but never in her heart. He still lived there until the last breath she took.

She was his, always and forever she was Hanemiya Kazutora's treasure.

???

"Took you long enough, (n/n)" A soft smirk appeared on my lips as I approached her.

She stood there in the middle of the field, the white fabric that she was wearing moving along as she turned to face me. I never admit this to anyone, but the way her eyes light up and her lips curl into a soft smile always brings peace to me.

"I've waited long enough, you know?" The smirk was long gone as I softly smiled back at her.

"You did wait for me, huh?" She tilted her head as a teasing smile took over her lips.

"Don't get too cocky" I huffed out a laugh at her expression.

She slowly approached me, her bare feet moving across the green grass. The soft smiles came back as her eyes only focused on mine. If I didn't know better, I would've thought that she was an angel.

Her feet stopped moving when she was only a few centimeters away from me.

"I'm home, Tora..."

The tightness of his grip around my wrist made me winch, I'm sure that it would be bruised the next morning. If he put in a bit more strength to it, probably my wrist would be broken under the pressure. Reluctantly, I followed him as he dragged me out of the building.

"Tora!"

The only reply I received was the heavy weight of silence. Tripping over my own feet, I struggle to keep up with his brisk strides. Fighting against his hold felt futile, no matter how I struggled or how much energy I poured into my efforts, his grip remained unyielding.

"Tora you're hurting me!"

He halted his movement unexpectedly, and I collided with him, my front crashing against his back with a sudden jolt. A heavy sigh escaped him, and I could feel the tension in his back gradually loosen before tightening again.

As I pulled my hand away from his grasp, his body turned suddenly, and his arms extended to seize both of my wrists. Not as tight as before but enough to keep me in place.

"What the fuck are you thinking?"

To my surprise, he didn’t scream in my face as I had anticipated. His voice is deep and low, reflecting the seriousness in his eyes, which I can only meet for a second before looking away.

"I-"

"You. A girl from Toman. Sneaking into Valhalla by yourself-"

"I just want to see you!"

"Did you have a dead wish?!"

"No! But-"

He releases my hand, his fingers slipping away as he turns to walk back the way we came. Our shoulders brush against each other as he passes by, the warmth of his presence lingering on my skin.

"Leave. Just leave"

Did he really expect me to just leave? Instead of listening to him, I walked toward him and tugged the back of his uniform, causing him to stop.

"Two weeks..."

His head turned, and I felt his gaze on me while I kept mine focused on his back. I swear, if I looked into those golden eyes again, I would break. But I can't predict whether I'd break down in tears or break his jaw.

"No, two years! I waited for you for two fucking years! I thought after you're free... You would come to me! Or at least call me... I kept waiting and waiting like a fool!"

Once again, he remained silent in response, but his intense gaze continued to burn into me. My hands dropped to my sides as I felt them starting to shake. Was it due to my anger or my sadness? I'm not quite sure.

His body gradually shifted to face me, I could see his chest expand and contract with each breath. As he emitted a rich chuckle, the corners of his mouth curled up, making it clear that he found something amusing at the moment.

I snapped my head up and finally looked at his face. Our eyes met again, and this time I didn't look away. The sparkles that used to fill his golden eyes were nowhere to be found. It’s not that he had many, to begin with, but he used to have some, and now they were all gone.

"You're such a fool"

He sneered, his mocking words slicing through the air. I stood frozen but then everything spiraled into chaos. My fist flew up, connecting squarely with his cheek. It didn’t send him staggering back or crumpling to the ground, but it was enough to send his head snapping to the side.

Blood and saliva hit the ground beside us as he spat it out to the side. The deep chuckle returned as he turned his head toward me, revealing a cut on the corner of his lip and his bloody gum while he grinned.

"You haven't changed at all, aren't you?"

His hands moved up and I closed my eyes, expecting a slap. I braced for impact, but the pain never came.

"Who the hell crying after throwing a fist at people, huh?"

I didn't realize I was crying until his warm fingers brushed against my wet cheeks as he wiped away my tears. When I opened my eyes again, I found myself meeting his amused gaze. Although his eyes still looked dull, they were not as cold and mean as they had been before.

"Shouldn't I be the one crying? I'm the one in pain, after all. I think you almost broke my jaw"

A chuckle escaped me despite the tears streaming down my face. Soon, his chuckle mingled with mine, but it quickly vanished as he lifted my chin. His eyes once again mesmerized me, holding me captive under his spell.

"Tora..."

"Still a crybaby, aren't you?"

"I'm not!"

"Liar..."

"I should've broken your jaw so you could shut up"

"Are you holding back? I thought you were getting weaker."

We chuckled once again, and with that, my tears subsided. His hands moved to cradle the one I had used to punch him. Redness covered my knuckles, and I knew they would be bruised the next day. He gently caressed my knuckles and wrist with his thumb, sending shivers across my skin.

"But I meant it"

"What?"

"You can't just walk into Valhalla territory alone. What if I'm not there? Or Baji?"

"I can take care of myself"

“I know you can. If you couldn't, you wouldn't have been my vice-captain back then.”