#eighthdivisioncaptain

Traumatic

Memories were a strange and fickle thing. Chizuru could not remember what kind of woman her mother was. Not her face or her voice or the smile she brought to father's face when they were together. Yet she could vividly remember the first time she held Shotsuren in her hands.

The way the cold metal hilt bit into her small palms and the way the weight of it all dragged her skinny arms. A kodachi was smaller than a katana and a six year old girl was even smaller than that kodachi. She remembered thinking the expectations her father imposed on her that day were even heavier.

"This is a blade that has been passed down within our family for generations," her father gravely told her. "You must treat it with the utmost care."

The sheath was so finely made that she had wondered if it was truly a tool meant to kill. But it was soon made clear to her that it was indeed more than just some ancestral decoration when she had cut her hand on its blade. A careless accident born from the curiosity of a child who didn't know any better.

The cut vanished quickly like it always did.

She didn’t think much of it back then.

Like why her wounds would heal faster than the patients who visited her father or why a man would give his six year old daughter a sword and teach her how to use it.

But the time came, soon enough, when she would understand a little bit.

It's fine. It'll be fine.

She chanted those words over and over in her head but it just felt so... hollow... when the reality of it all was right in her face. Blood dripped from its blade back down into the darkness of the streets, bodies were strewn across the ground like broken dolls, and among them is a lone survivor — a woman with tears running down her face. But the real horror of it all was that the cause of this nightmare was wearing Heisuke's face.

His lips were curled into a cruel smile and at his feet was a man’s severed head. His red eyes looked down at the other man’s eyes for a moment... and then he stepped on them. A sickening squish and the monster let out a laugh that sent chills down her spine.

Father... just what in the world were you thinking?

"Stop this! Heisuke-kun!"

But she wouldn't let that monster do what it wanted. She was going to do whatever it takes to get back the Heisuke that used to crack jokes or sneak over some snacks behind Hijikata’s back to cheer her up. 

Chizuru stepped between him and the woman, arms stretched out.

“Ggk!”

The blade in her shoulder was cold at first but her wounds burned with fiery intensity as she bled. The wounds were starting to close up, like always, but the cut deep in her chest continued to ache. She had hoped her presence would quell the madness but all she could see in those those red eyes was a predator’s thirst for violence.

That's... not Heisuke-kun.

The last thing he would've wanted was to hurt the citizens he was sworn to protect. The last thing he would've wanted was to betray the ideals that lead him to wear his Shinsengumi uniform even now, despite everything they had gone through.

If he was not going to listen to reason, then she would just have to forcefully stop him. She could take him to Matsumoto-sensei. There may not be a cure to the destructive effects of the ochimizu, but he may have some drugs they could use to pacify Heisuke. It would buy time for her to look for her father’s notes and then they could look for a cure. And then things could go back to how they used to be.

Chizuru unsheathed her sword. In the moonlight she can see the pale reflection of what was once a girl a inside that blade.

“...Nngh!”

While she managed to meet his blade with hers, the force behind the monster’s swing sent her a few inches back. Still, she managed to stay her ground and lift her blade to parry another attack. Her teeth clenched. Parrying his attacks and moving out of the way was not enough if she wanted to bring Heisuke back home. 

But it was all she could do if she wanted to stay alive.

Chizuru cursed her weakness. If only she had taken those sword lessons more seriously. If only she had paid more attention to her father’s medical notes and picked up on the formulas that would lead to the creation of the ochimizu. 

But it was odd...

Now that she thought about it... her father was a doctor.

Why was a man who dedicated himself to the healing arts also knowledgeable in the ways of the sword?

Chizuru didn’t have time to ponder. She ducked down under the swing of his blade but it wasn’t enough. 

“Agh!”

His kick connected and she slammed into the side of a building. 

Chizuru coughed. Her arms were shaking as she pushed herself off the ground. His blade struck the ground as she barely managed to roll out of the way. 

This is serious... She thought to herself numbly. If I hadn’t dodged out of the way just then, I would have a sword in my chest right now.

Perhaps the injury to her head was more severe than she had thought. She swore she could feel the lights all around them start to burn and burst and dance.

“Heisuke-kun...” Her voice was strained as she watched the monster plucked his sword out of the ground. “Heisuke-kun, please...”

He didn’t stop.

He was going to kill her if she didn’t do something now.

The ringing in her head grew louder.

Louder...

LOUDER...

L O U D E R...

Suddenly, there were flames all around them. She was a child once more and the woman lying on top of her was a silhouette — blurry colors and faded lines. But the words she spoke were so crisp and so clear in her ears. She didn’t know why, but she knew it belonged to her mother. 

The sound of a footstep snapped her back into the moment. A dark and dimly lit street and a monster making his way towards her, blade gleaming in the moonlight.

“Heisuke....”

One step.

“Please don’t make me do this.”

Another step.

Chizuru, her mother’s voice whispered into her ear. 

“Please, snap out of it!”

Another step and the blade was raised.

Chizuru, you must live.

Murder

The cruel tearing of flesh.

The crunch of bone.

And the fresh blood staining her cheeks and hands.

These images would stay with her for life.

Funny... Even though he was the one with a blade lodged in his chest, she found herself wincing in pain. From the hole where her heart is supposed to be, she could feel a part of herself bleed and die away with him.

Slipping,

slipping,

slipping...

"I-I'm sorry..."

What...?

Why was he the one apologizing when she was the one who-

She looked down to the hand grasping her own — frantic and shaky and weak. Much weaker than it should be. She tightened her hand around his and clenched her teeth.

"Please... don't... l-l-look at me... that way."

It's not like she wanted to deny any of his requests, but it was already so hard for her to fight the tears.

"You were a-always... cutest... when you s-smiled."

"Don't... d-don't say anymore Heisuke. Just... conserve your energy, I... I'll figure something out."

He merely gave her a weak, knowing smile.

She had seen enough people die to know that the light in his eyes is beginning to fade.

No.

No, no, no.

His life can't end, not like this.      

He was still so young and there was so much they needed to do. There were so many things she still hadn’t told him yet. And his family... what about his family?

She desperately gripped his body, mind whirling and ripping through memories for a way to salvage whatever that was left of him. There must be something her father taught her to fix this... this mess.

But his body breaks... and it breaks and breaks and breaks until there's nothing but dust slipping through her fingers.

Reply to “If they had a kid” meme:

Send me a pair name and I’ll tell you what I think it would be like if they had a child.

Name: Hmm… Makoto, maybe. Let’s go with that. It’s a unisex name and I’m sure both parents would hope their child would grow up to be an honest kid.

Gender: Male.

General Appearance: Brown hair (obviously) and his mother’s brown eyes (because genetics).

Personality: As a child, Makoto was always eager to prove his masculinity and as a result got caught up in stupid shenanigans such as the defacing a temple statue (on a dare) or jumping from a waterfall into a lake (also on a dare) without care. However, he was socially awkward and quick to shy away from many social situations (talking in front of people or simply talking about his own feelings). They brought out his nasty habit of overthinking things, often stressing him out as a result. As he grew older, he learned to be more honest about his feelings and expressed himself more fully. He’s still self-conscious about how others view him but now he has a network of friends to care about more.

Special Talents: Book-smart. A skilled writer. And lying (comes with the territory of a writer). King of hiding, not so much seeking. Can easily lick his own elbow.

Who they like better: When he was growing up, he idolized his father and followed him around all the time. Though the age of the warrior was long gone, he wanted to follow in Heisuke’s footstep and emulate his strength. He still loves his father, even after he passed away at an early age, and continues to fill in his shoes by doing everything he can to support his mother. He loves his mother as well, and was quite the Momma’s boy.

Who they take after more: Chizuru. Daddy was a fighter and a lover whereas Makoto is just a lover who is worthless at fighting (demon strength but no sense of balance or coordination). Also, like her he is quite the pacifist and has never fought in his life. He may have attempted to pick up his father’s sword and swing it around as a kid, but what kind of kid wouldn’t want to when they see a sword?

Personal Head Canon:

The only child.

Was super short as a kid and got picked on for it. Main reason why he had an inferiority complex.

Likes small animals, singing when he’s all by himself, and western cakes and candies.

He’s scared of ghosts. Chizuru would be the one he would run to whenever he had nightmares.

Sen and Kazama end up having a kid, also an only child and a girl who is around the same age as Makoto. They spent a lot of time together and got along quite well (diabetically so) even though she was taller and physically stronger than Makoto. He first asked her out by serenading her with a song he wrote. He plans on marrying her someday. Kazama constantly cockblocking the happy pair does not deter him. Sen finds the situation very amusing and is fully supportive. His game plan is to bribe Kazama with food until they become best friends and win over his approval.

May or may not have vomited all over Kazama once when he was an infant.

Has no interest in the field of medicine. Blood freaks him out.

He read a lot of books but didn’t care much for studying. He liked to read about the stories about history, especially stories containing the warriors of the past.

When his father died, he found it hard to fully express himself. All of his true feelings and thoughts were locked away in a journal he kept and that’s how Makoto first got into writing. 

Will eat all of his mother’s cooking and not leave a single crumb behind. And on that note, his girlfriend’s as well even though her cooking is extremely spicy and makes him cry.

"Oi! Aren’t we bros friends?” 

And, once again, he had been forced to stay inside and miss whatever chance at enjoying himself he would have had. Just because he was sick didn't mean he couldn't be out fighting with everyone else, and it really ticked him off when Hijikata said he was useless to them like this. Had to wait until he got better, is what he would say. Which was stupid because he wasn't going to get better.

So yes, Souji was pretty ticked off at this moment. But it was late and hardly anyone was awake, so surely it wouldn't be a problem if he snuck out for a bit, right? It's not like anyone would know, and staying in bed all day was just going to kill him faster, of that he was sure.