I bought Tactics on DVD last weekend at Fan Expo Canada and I'm almost finished watching it! I was rather disappointed to see that there wasn't a lot of fics about this anime... This fic is a one shot, a romance (a one-sided one, let's say) between Haruka and Yuri Kuramae, the young girl in episode 20 that 'asks' Haruka in marriage. She's not an important character to the show, but she touched my heart! I wrote this fic with the music from the scene in ep.20 where Haruka and Yuri are 'depossessed' from the demons.

Will you remember Me?

"Yuri." A young dark haired man quietly entered the tiny hospital room, careful in his moments. He felt a pressure to make as very little sounds as possible, a respect for the sick ones in this building, so he slid the door gently, before turning back to the reason of his visit. Haruka's lips turned into a sad smile, but the girl didn't make a sound that would have told she noticed him.

Yuri Kuramae sat on her bed, still as her eyes wandered past the window, into a world Haruka could not imagine. A month has passed since the event, however she has showed no signs of recovery. Betrayed by her adoptive mother who insert a demon inside her, Yuri managed to break free from the thing that possessed her, pushed by her love for Haruka. Haruka knew, though, how dangerous and difficult it could be for a human to get rid of the demon possessing them. Yuri probably have some medium powers that helped her do it, but not without harming her. Now, she resembled a lifeless doll. A shell without a ghost... (1).

The demon-eating goblin settled down next to the girl and took one of her hands. As he expected, she didn't react much, but he paid it no attention. That's how she was, now. He understood the sacrifice she did. He respected and admired the power of her will to chase away the demon inside her. He also despised her amnesia, as much as he despised his own. Not to be able to remember, having no idea who you were... He found it to be almost frightening. Especially after having a taste of his old memories...

He so easily turned to his old self, a month ago. The melody that that woman played, the lyrics that escaped her lips appealed him too much to resist. It was what he yearned for deep inside him, a secret that he hid from the others. The song... intoxicated him, made him feel mighty. This strength from the past couldn't be compared to what he possessed today. He wanted more, and more! His old self, the Demon-Eating Goblin, resurfaced at that moment, wild and threatening. He heard voices, both Kantaro's and the enemies', but refused to listen. His instinct guided him now, too strong to be controlled, especially when the demon had no will to control it.

Then a innocent sheep stepped onto the stage.

She was laughable, weak. The Goblin moved towards the easy prey, and foolishly, she stepped forward too. Shouts came from everywhere, but all they both could see was each other, and felt only the drive to fight. One second to decide and in the second one, they launched for the kill.

As the demon was about to cross with the goblin, a simple good luck charm fell from his black blazer. It was like a bright light in the shadow, the revealing of a truth. Sharp pain followed and Haruka began to see more clearly. Struck with guilt and pain, he screamed, unable to move. Yet, he could hear the others now, the worried voice of his master, Raiko Minamoto's swears and Yuri's agonizing screams. He wished he could run by her side, but the same power that hurt Yuri held him hostage too. It was only, after a while, that he was freed.

And to come back to this?

"Yuri!"

Haruka squeezed Yuri closer to him, burying his face into her hair. The hospital shampoo smelled bad, but Yuri had her how unique smell to compensate. With the young girl amnesic, he could act more affectionate with her, be more honest with his feelings. He had been so close to regain his lost memories and from learning the truth that it hurt his heart. It was utterly frustrating, without a doubt.

The goblin jumped slightly when he felt Yuri's hand squeeze his'. "Ha...ru...ka..." She whispered softly, gazing into the horizon. After that, she remained quiet again, as if she had never spoken. Haruka stared at her face with a pained expression. Would he have sacrificed her in order to regain his memories?

When he first saw her, all he could see was an annoying pretty young girl. No, she wasn't annoying. It was that Kantaro had suddenly designed Haruka as her bodyguard without asking him before that bothered him, and the fact that he couldn't disobey his master. He resented a bit being linked to Kantaro that way, master and dog. He couldn't stay mad at the folklorist too much, though. Without really admitting it, he grew to like his new family.

Haruka acted like he was told to. He chased away her 'Number one Fans' and walked her whenever she felt like it. He protected her from the rain without any after-thought. Yuri Kuramae represented only a way to get information, to find the answer in order to get paid and have some food in the table. It was only when she offered that good luck charm for marriages that he became serious about her. What did it mean?

And then, he felt her warm lips on his cheek. Lips that remained a while on his skin, savouring the taste.

"Oh well. Some people can't seem to get a clue." She told him with a smile.

How did he come to care so much for a human? Humans and goblins never mixed well together. A goblin such as himself thought only about fighting and lived long, good lives, if they survived each battle. Humans like Yuri... They aimed for a family, a good job and died so rapidly. They were fragile and weak. Either of them had something to gain by crossing each other.

Why do I care about her?

Hm...

Maybe some part of him wanted to share her world, just as some humans would give anything to become a goblin and use its abilities. Maybe... she was the first one that confessed her feelings outright to him. Maybe, just maybe...

Now that she has forgotten her past, she couldn't feel pain anymore, and Haruka could also hold her like he did right now without fear. He could care for her because there was no danger anymore. She didn't remember. But...

A knock on the door reminded him of the time. A nurse peaked inside and smiled. He nodded back and she left, without a word. Haruka let go of her and started walking toward the door.

She doesn't remember anything, neither bad or good memories. Just like me.

He came back on his steps and knelt before the bed, taking the same hand he had been holding earlier. "Yuri."

She didn't move.

"Yuri, will you remember me?"

Only the silence answered him.

(1) I hope someone recognize this; it's Ghost in the Shell!

End! Wow, I expected giving it a better ending, but... you know, I didn't want to wake up and jump in Haruka's arms or anything like that, so that leaves only one option. I'm not going to start a pairing trend for those two, but when I saw Yuri kissing Haruka, and the way he held her at the end of the episode, I just... a freaky side of me just started making plans! Please review and tell me what you think!