Okay guys. This is my first pathetic attempt to write a proper fanfic. If it is really awful, please forgive me. C & Cs are welcome, though. 

This story takes place after the anime, with Fuuko and Mikagami married with a daughter. 

Promises
by Yukiko Majokai

The door opened. 

A man with long silvery-gray hair tied up in a high ponytail straggled in. 

He looked around. 

Empty, he thought before hitting the ground face on. At least she would not see me in such a state. 

The rubber band that was used to tie his hair slipped off as he fell, forming a veil to cover his face as he lay there on the floor. 

Cold wind blew into the room through the open door, signaling the arrival of winter. 

He just lay there, waiting. 

Waiting for what? 

Death.

***

Fuuko placed her bookmark between the pages and closed the book. 

Before putting the book back onto her bedside table, she looked at the front cover once more. 

It showed the picture of a handsome man with long silvery-gray hair, engulfed in fire, locked in a passionate embrace with a violet-hair girl. He was kissing her. 

What a searing kiss, literally. 

Fuuko traced her fingers along the words on the front cover. 

A Searing Kiss. That's the title. 

Fuuko gave a soft sigh. 

The male and female leads never lived happily ever after in romance novels. Tokiya would think I'm childish. Who cares about him? Being romantic and childish is a gift. Much better than that cold facade he put on. 

Talking about Tokiya, Why isn't he home yet? 

Fuuko looked at her bedside clock. 

1.38 a.m. And there's a snowfall out there. Will he be alright? 

Fuuko went into the kitchen to make herself a glass of hot milk. 

Calm down, Fuuko said to herself. Tokiya knows how to take care of himself. 

Instinctively, she placed her hand to her left eye. 

But if he's alright, why has my left eye been twitching for the whole night?

A baby's wails could be heard from inside the opposite room. 

Shioko. 

Fuuko smiled. The baby must be hungry again.

***

"From the power of four sides, water snake!" 

Before the water snake could reach the wolves, it froze into ice and crumpled to the ground. 

Mikagami fell, using his Ensui to support him. 

Hopelessness and helplessness danced in his eyes.

He looked at the sword in his hands. The water in the madouga would finish soon. He had to kill those beasts before it was used up. 

He closed his eyes. But will I be able to do that? He thought. 

Images of his wife and his baby daughter flashed in front of him again and again. 

Fuuko. 

Shioko. 

No! I must be able to do it. What is a man if he cannot even protect his own family?

Slowly, Mikagami stood up again. He slashed the Ensui against his left arm, making a deep wound.

I would just use my blood as the blade. This would be my last strike. 

Smelling fresh blood, the wolves bounced again. 

"Ensui! Absolute Zero!" Mikagami shouted as he encaged those beasts in a big block of ice. 

Red-colored ice.  

***

The door opened. 

Mikagami Tokiya straggled in.

He looked around.

Empty, he thought before hitting the ground face on. At least Fuuko would not see me in such a state.

The rubber band that was used to tie his hair slipped off as he fell, forming a veil to cover his face as he lay there on the floor.

He lay there, waiting.

Waiting for what?

Death.

***

Fuuko heard the door open. 

That must be Tokiya! She thought as she put Shioko back into her cot and ran out of the room, holding on to the milk bottle. 

But when she entered the living room, what she saw was nothing she had expected. 

There, lying on the floor, unmoving, was Mikagami Tokiya. 

"TOKIYA!!" She dropped the milk bottle as she rushed forward and helped Mikagami up. 

"Tokiya! What had happened?" 

His torn shirt was already soaked with blood. Fuuko had never seen her husband in such a pathetic state before. 

She looked at the Ensui next to Tokiya. 

A red blade.

"Mikagami Tokiya! Answer me! What happened when you were outside?" Mikagami opened his eyes slowly, and looked into the deep green pools of his wife's eyes. 

There was something glittering at the edge of it. 

Tears. 

She's crying. 

Gone was the strong fighter he saw at the Urabatousatsujin. She's still a woman after all. 

Fuuko felt a gentle touch on her cheek. 

It was Tokiya's hand. He was not dead! 

"Now, now, look at you. This is not the Fuuko that I fell in love with. That Fuuko's much stronger." 

Mikagami tried to laugh at his lame attempt of a joke, but only coughed out more blood. 

"Hang on while I call Yanagi." Fuuko tried to get up but Mikagami grabbed her leg, gentle but firm at the same time.

"No need. I'm dying anyway."

Fuuko pulled Mikagami closer to her and kissed his lips gently. 

"Mikagami Tokiya. I love you."

"NO! I won't allow that." Mastering all his strength he had left, Mikagami gave Fuuko a slap across her face. 

"Don't love me. Not after my death. Don't follow the route I took after Mifuyu's death." Fuuko was about to say something when Mikagami interrupted.

“Fuuko, don’t love me. Not after I’m dead. Just let me be a beautiful memory.”

Fuuko shook her head furiously, refusing to listen to whatever Mikagami had been saying. He held on to her face with his two hands.

"No, Fuuko, listen to me. Take this as my last wish, my first and the last time I'm going to beg you. Promise me that you would live on, happily."

Fuuko looked into those ice-blue eyes of her husband and saw the feelings that she had never seen before. She nodded her head.

"I promise."

"Thank you." He looked around the room. Looking at all the things he had loved in this world for the last time, before closing his eyes.

Those eyes would never open again.

~owari.~

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