A Recca no Honoo fic
By: Tenshi no Ai
(Yeah, still don't own it.)
(Can you believe that this is the epilogue...as in the real ending? Sorry if I tricked any of y'all there...but I did repeat it several times, if I recall. After this is the {self insertion} extremely long authoress notes!)
(Um, if you liked the way angsty ending in ch. 15...you probably shouldn't read this then...)
As he held her limp body in his arms, he still kept that smile of hope on his face. He knew that his hime could pull out of this, that she would suddenly open those beautifully large brandy eyes of hers. He wouldn't accept it any other way.
They were Hime and ninja. They could never be separated.
The thin shell of silver that plated Yanagi's delicate skin began to pulsate faster, then suddenly pulled itself out of her skin and poured down her body. When each drop touched the ground, they simply dissolved. In a matter of minutes, there was only pink flesh, slightly puckered up with blotches of red from the madougu's treatment of her body.
I knew you could do it, Hime... Recca hugged her closer to him. I knew it...
A shudder ran through Yanagi's half-clothed body. The flame caster looked at her in slight alarm, but his hopeful smile still lingered.
Everything will be okay...
Her body relaxed, peace touching up the sides of her mouth up into a sort of smile. There was no more slight movement from her chest.
You can't leave me, Hime...
The warmth was still there from her body, but it seemed less.
Hime...?
Suddenly he knew.
But that hopeful smile was still there.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Epilogue: 5 Years Later...
(Recca's POV)
Yanagi-hime,
Tomorrow will be the 5 year anniversary of your death.
I can't put it in any other way than that. You died that day...I remember it all too clearly. How could I forget when your body was in my arms? When I felt your last breath run out of your body, when I saw that look of peace on your face?
How could you be at peace when you were leaving your ninja behind for good?
I wanted to join you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The boy with the wild black hair whispered to the girl in his arms, you should be okay by now...c'mon, open your eyes. I know that you can do it. He shook her gently.
Yanagi-chan did what? A light, feminine voice bristled at his ears, you...you're lying!
Did what? She didn't *do* anything...she's just taking her rest right now. She deserves it...but soon enough she'll be awake and everything will be back to normal again...
I don't care about what you believe, but I know what to believe, another voice, masculine with low tones, softly spoke.
I believe...I *know* that everything's going to be all right. There's just no other ending.
...He's right, Fuuko-san. I wish it were different, but...we have to accept it, another female voice, husky with unshed tears, uttered into the night.
Even Kaachan's lost hope...why? Doesn't anyone have hope for Hime?
Do you think...that Recca knows? A hesitant male voice dared to ask.
Know what? What is there to know? Everything's fine!
We should just give him the time he needs with...her, a sob accompanied the last word, my son...I can understand how hard he's taking it.
Why is everyone talking about her like she's dead or something? Hime isn't...Hime isn't...
His storm-blue eyes took in all the features of his hime's face. Everything, from the closed lids to how her lips were slightly opened, gave the appearance of a sleeping girl.
She's only just sleeping...she's tired, y'know, cause she went and brought all of us back to life and all...she needs the rest...
Recca brought his left hand up to the girl's face, softly sweeping away some loose strands of hair that fell into her features. It reminded him of their first kiss, about a year ago. She asked him to touch her hair that time...
I wonder how you keep your hair so soft and shiny all the time...how you keep on being so beautiful all the time...even at a time like this...
He couldn't deny it any longer.
His hime was dead.
It was completely unnecessary.
It was his fault.
Why, Hime... his left hand fell from her face, resting against her bare shoulder, why did you allow this to happen...you should've just not brought me back...
Then we could be together.
Even if we were dead...we could've been together.
Hot tears began to sting in his eyes. He swallowed thickly, trying his best not to unleash those physical emanations of his emotions.
You cried so many tears for me, Hime...why did you bother to care? I made you cry so many times...
The salty water rolled down his cheeks while he stared at the body of the girl that meant so much to him...that would continue to mean so much to him.
I want to join you, even if it's just to say sorry...
Mechanically, he turned around to look at his friends and kaachan a ways behind him.
Domon turned away, unable to withstand the sight of the friend who he had failed to protect. Fuuko was kneeling on the ground, her face in her hands, openly sobbing. Kagerou was on the ground as well, holding the distraught girl, tears running down her face. Mikagami stared openly at the girl in Recca's arms.
the desolate ninja tried to give voice to his request, the promise...
I have failed Hime...kill me so I can join her...
But Mikagami turned away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I've never asked Mikagami why he didn't kill me that day. It's not the kind of topic you can just bring up. I guess it's just as well.
Everyone was crying for you, Hime, everyone cared so much. I don't know how you could've thought that we didn't care about you. But we must've been really lousy friends anyway, since we didn't show you how much we cared.
I never showed you how much I cared in the way that you wanted me to.
What was that way, Hime? If you had only said something, I would've done anything for you. But, then again, I'm too dense to pick up on things like that. Was it one of those things that I should've known automatically what to do? What you wanted?
Forgive me.
I think that you overestimated me when it comes to that.
But I couldn't tell you all this in person. Only in a letter that you'll never get.
I remember clearly what happened after Mikagami denied my request.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Why...why won't you let me die? I want to be with Hime again.
But Mikagami would not turn back around.
Idly, he shifted the girl in his arms, bringing her body closer to his. She was starting to get cold. Despite the added body heat, she seemed to get colder and colder.
Here Hime, a gift from your ninja.
Carefully, Recca set the girl onto his lap, then unbuttoned his school shirt and covered her with it. It didn't seem to work, so he wrapped her up in his arms once again.
He looked up at the stars glittering in the night sky, but the branches of the willow trees hindered his vision.
Yanagi.
This thought caused the young ninja to blink.
How come I've never called you Yanagi' anyway? It's your name...but I always called you Hime'. Yanagi' is a pretty name...
His gaze lingered over the length of her body. She had a slim figure, just like her name implied. She had had a flexible mind and a gentle, easygoing nature.
Yanagi.
She didn't really have the qualities of a hime, despite her affluence and upbringing. She was as willing to hike up mountains and explore in dank caves as Fuuko. Sure, she had to travel in dresses and skirts, but that was more a matter of style than anything else.
Yanagi...the name fits you...
Recca closed his eyes, from which tears were still flowing out of. He brought his head down and touched her forehead with his lips, then softly kissed her lips.
And then he saw her.
She was standing on a bridge in front of him, dressed in a pink kimono. Her eyes were sad. Her lips twitched. Was she about to say something?
...Sayonara, Recca-kun, she tried her best to smile, then gave up the effort and turned away.
This isn't our final goodbye!
He ran up to the bridge, not caring about anything except the girl on it. A large hand reached out and grasped a tiny wrist. Don't leave me, Yanagi, the flame caster murmured, come back with me, stay with me...I don't want you to go.
her voice was light, her smile shining down all around him, I want to...demo...I don't know if...
He wrapped his arms around her slim frame. It's a ninja's task to overcome all obstacles for his hime...Yanagi...
Yanagi looked up at him, with faint surprise etched on her face, then she nodded and closed her eyes. A faint glow began to emit around her, surrounding the two in a glorious blue light.
It's so easy to say this...when it's my last chance...
He opened his eyes.
But she was still cold.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
That whole thing was so vivid that I thought...I thought it was true. That I had reached you and that you were going to spring up, magically alive because...of the feelings I have for you.
It's hard for me to say these things...you're the first and only girl that I've actually felt this way for. Is it too late now to say this?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Why are dreams so disappointing? Why do they have to show us what we want most of all, then laugh in our face when it fades away?
The tears wouldn't stop any longer. His last hope was mocked cruelly. You can't have the real thing, but here's a dream of what might've been for compensation...
There were no more words left.
There was no more hope left.
There was nothing but Hanabishi Recca, cradling Sakoshita Yanagi's body.
It's another trick of the mind.
But he looked down anyway.
She was fairly glowing with the bluish aura, smiling up at him, eyes still closed. Then they opened, and Recca almost drowned in the vivid spirit barely concealed in her eyes.
I heard you call my name.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yanagi-hime, you've showed me that it's never too late to speak out your feelings. I'm just happy that you heard me. And I'm happy that the dream' was true. Together, we beat out death...pretty cool, huh?
After that moment, everything seems to be in a blur...I can't remember anything except all the celebrating afterward. There was a lot of celebrating. I guess you could say that the last 5 years have been nothing but celebration.
Hey, maybe you will get this letter tomorrow. I just wanted to write down all the things that I felt during that time...I don't know if you're interested in it, but like I wrote earlier, it's not something that we bring up in casual conversation. I'll just get Fuuko to give this to you in the morning, since she'll be seeing you first. I'm really nervous about all of this...but I still can't wait.
Tomorrow is the 5 year anniversary of your death. It's also the 5 year anniversary of your rebirth.
And it's also the day that we're getting married.
Aishiteru itsudemo,
Recca
~Owari~