#ibashi

His soft green eyes couldn’t get enough of looking at her face, at the curve of her face, her nose, her lashes, her cheeks, her forehead. He couldn’t close his eyes for fear that she would just vanish from his arms like she had when he woke up. His long, slender fingers lightly caressed her cheek as his lips softly peppered kisses along her forehead, cheeks, jaw and shoulders. He kissed the new bullet wound scars on her shoulder. Those scars were the only thing that kept him believing that this wasn’t a dream. She didn’t have those before. Iba nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck, lightly taking in her scent…she still smelled of morning glories.

He never stopped mourning her, but he had been able to return to some kind of normalcy many months after he’d come to terms with her death. He had always kept morning glories in his apartment to have a small piece of her with him. He thought he’d have to let go of her completely someday, but he didn’t know if he could’ve.

Shiori’s eyes fluttered open when she felt her neck grow wet. “Babe,”

“Call my name, Shiori.” Iba murmured softly.

“Hachirō,” She called softly, weaving her fingers in his brown hair. “Are you crying again? Did you even sleep?”

He lightly shook his head, continuing to bury his face into her neck. “I couldn’t. What if this is a dream…and I wake up to an empty bed again? What if I wake up and you’re not here?”

“I’m so…sorry, Hachirō, for all this shit I put you through.” She kissed his cheek and pressed herself closer, but she still felt it wasn’t enough. She could never make up for all the pain she put him through, all the grief, the mourning…everything he faced alone while she went with Okita to kill off the Dragons to finally be able to show her face to him again.

“No…It’s okay, you’re here…I think…” He lifted his head, his eyes still full of tears. “I love you so much, Darling.”  

Shiori crushed her lips to his and rolled on top of him, softly kissing along his jaw. “I’ll do anything to make it up to you, ‘Ro. Just tell me what you want.” She could feel his hot breaths against her skin, making her shiver in pleasure.

“...Don’t ever leave me again, Darling. That’s all I could ever ask of you.” His hand cupped her cheek as he looked up at her as his eyes softened. “I love you, Shiori. I love you.” He murmured against her lips.

“I love you too.” Shiori’s heart fluttered. She’d never be able to get enough of him and his love. Sighing, she sat up, still straddling him.“I won’t ever leave you, Hachirō. I’m done with all that shit. I took care of it.”

Iba’s brows furrowed, and as he sat up the sheets slid off of them. “What do you mean, Shiori?”

She shut her eyes. “I know. I know what your job is. I know, I know what I did was wrong, but I didn’t have any other choice if I wanted to come back to you. They caught me when we were trying to get away the first time, and I knew they’d never stop until they saw me dead, ‘Ro. You and and me. We’d never be able to be together.”

“Are…did you…kill them?”

“I know you don’t agree with it, what I used to do, but I swear to you, Hachirō,” Shiori’s cyan blue eyes finally met his. “I’m never going back to that. I helped the Shinsengumi take over the city. They’re running things now, the Dragons are history.”

Iba’s eyes flickered away before he closed them for a moment. He couldn’t care anymore. It had been those same people that had ripped her away from him, and she’d gotten rid of them now. They wouldn’t be coming back for her, for them. “Shiori, dearest, I…don’t care. I sound like a terrible person, but whatever you had to do, it’s in the past now. I want us,” He brushed their noses together. “to think and face only our bright future.”

She brushed her lips against his. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted. A future with you.” She rolled off of him and snuggled into his arms. “Now, get some sleep. Your eyes are all red.”

Iba chuckled and buried his face into her soft violet locks. “Very well. You’ve convinced me.”

Shiori watched him slip into a peaceful sleep, and she stared at his face this time. How she’d missed his soft green eyes, his handsome face, the way he made her feel loved. There was no way she was going to let anyone or anything get in their way ever again. She stared at him for a little while before she closed her own eyes and fell asleep.

--

Shiori buried her face into his back and he chuckled lightly as he washed their dishes. “I’m not leaving your side, ‘Ro.”

“You’ll hear no complaints from me, Dearest.” He hummed as he scrubbed the plates clean.

“Even if you had them, I wouldn’t let go.” Shiori stuck her tongue out at him and sighed when the doorbell rang. “I’ll get it.” She hesitantly peeled herself away from him to answer the door. “Nagakura?!”

“Yo, love birds? Mind lettin’ me in for a moment?” He waved to Iba when he came to the door as Nagakura stepped inside.

“What’re you doing here?” Shiori raised an eyebrow and looked back at Iba.

Nagakura handed her a manila folder and motioned for her to open it. She spilled the contents onto the counter nearby and she looked back at him. A passport, an ID, a birth certificate and even a marriage certificate with her new name, Iba Shiori.

“Nagakura-san! I didn’t have a chance to propose to her properly!” Iba sighed and cracked a small smile, seeing Shiori’s face light up while she continued looking at the falsified documents.

“’Ro, my name…it looks better with your last name.” Iba’s cheeks flushed at her comment, and he nodded, he couldn’t agree with it more. She looked back at Nagakura. “But why…?”

“We wanted to give you a small thank you, since now we’re in charge of this turf. We’re gonna clean things up, get rid of the remaining Dragons on our own. You’re free, Kaneko.”

---

Six years later.

“Shiori~,” Iba mumbled sleepily as he pulled her into his arms, and she sighed contently, her lashes fluttering open as her nose brushed against his.

“Yeah, Babe?” She rolled on top of him and kissed him.

“You’re off today, right? Or does the magazine need you?” He kissed her forehead and slipped a hand under her shirt.

“Fuck ‘em, I did my part. What about you? Lots of cases? Are you going into the office today?” Shiori slipped her own hands under his his shirt.

After the couple had moved away and gotten married, Iba went back to school to become a lawyer, and Shiori went on to become a magazine editor. They had formed new lives together just as they had envisioned. “Nothing pressing, Dearest. They can wait until Monday.” Iba let out a small gasp as he felt her hands go lower.

“Mama! Papa!”

Shiori immediately rolled off of him before their door opened and their four-year old son jumped into their bed. “Haruto, isn’t it a bit early for you to be awake on a Saturday?”

Iba chuckled and pulled their son underneath the sheets with them and tickled his tummy. “He’s just excited about the picnic we’re going on today, right, Haruto?”

“A picnic?!” His cyan blue eyes widened as he sat up excitedly. “Really!?” The young boy resembled his father more and more with each day that passed.

Shiori ruffled his brown hair and kissed his cheek. “Guess we’re goin’ on a picnic then. Go get your toys ready. Papa and I will pack the bento.”

“Yes, Mama!” He kissed her cheek and bounced off the bed, running out of their room.

“I think Haruto needs a sister, Dearest.” Iba nudged her and chuckled when she rolled her eyes.

“Yeah, I think so too, Babe. It’d be nice to have a girl too.”

“She’d be beautiful as her mother.”

“Nah, beautiful like her father.” Shiori laughed when Iba pulled her into his arms. “Hachirō, I couldn’t be happier.” She’d forgotten her old life, left it all behind, and she couldn’t have been happier with the decision. The struggles they’d faced were forgotten, and were replaced by happy and blissful memories of their family. Every day, she was wrapped up in so much love, she didn’t know what to do with it. Her son and her husband were her whole world now, her future.

Iba brushed his lips against hers. “I love you, Darling.”

Two nights in a row updated...that’s a record! I love this slow burn Casino AU, it’s so much fun to write! 

Casino Mafia AU!  Shiori's a mafia leader with the entire city under her thumb, he's a poor medical student that found a job to pay for school. The Dragon Princess takes a liking to the little bunny working in her casino, this could mean more trouble for Iba.

CH 3

She rather enjoyed the flustered look on his handsome features. That rosy blush, those pretty soft green eyes shifting from her to the floor. She couldn’t help but want to fluster him further. She grabbed the chain of his shackles and pinned them above his head.

“A-Ah, wait!” He leaned his head back, but she used her other hand to keep his chin in place.

“What is it, my Treasure?”