Peace Maker Kurogane Fan Fiction ❯ The Reason ❯ The Reason ( One-Shot )
[ P - Pre-Teen ]
By: Dreamweaver 
A songfic about the bond between a brother and sister, from their parent's death to Ayumu's death. Done to Hoobastank's 'The Reason'
Anime/Manga: Peace Maker Kurogane Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst | Type: Songfic | Uploaded On: 08.14.2004 | Updated On: 09.13.2004 | Pages: 3 | Words: 1.8K | Visits: 1.2K | Status: Completed
A songfic about the bond between a brother and sister, from their parent's death to Ayumu's death. Done to Hoobastank's 'The Reason'
Anime/Manga: Peace Maker Kurogane Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst | Type: Songfic | Uploaded On: 08.14.2004 | Updated On: 09.13.2004 | Pages: 3 | Words: 1.8K | Visits: 1.2K | Status: Completed
The Reason
By I'm Trouble
Of course, I have to advertise my website every chance I get, so if you're a Peacemaker fan, you may be interested in my PMK fansite: http://devoted.to/peacemakerkurogane
I know nothing of how the Yamazaki's parent's died (or if they even did die), I don't know if Ayumu really raised her brother, I don't know their age differencesI don't know anything, really, so please take it easy on me.
And please forgive any historical inaccuracies.
I realize Ayumu and Susumu really weren't this close, but I was in the mood to experiment a littlebesides, no one really knows what it was like for them beforewell, before everything turned out the way it did. Please don't kill me.
I hope y'all enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.
MAJOR SPOILERS in the end of the story for episode 19. In fact, I pretty much copied a lot of the episode. Don't say I didn't warn you.
Disclaimer: Peacemaker Kurogane is the property of Nanae Kurono. I simply steal the main characters for my daily torture sessions.
*Note, Koi are, to the best of my knowledge, a popular ornamental fish in Japan. Lyrics and flashbacks are in Italics.
--------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------
I'm not a perfect person
There are many things I wish I didn't do
but I continue learning
I never meant to do those things to you
and so I have to say before I go
That I just want you to know
I've found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new
And the reason is you
Ayumu stroked her brother's hair as he stood by her side.
Four days. Four days had gone by since their parents had died.
They stood now looking at their parent's graves. Two small headstones sitting side by side.
Ayumu sighed. She really was not sure what to do. She was only sixteenher brother would soon be ten.
She looked down at Susumu. She recognized pain in his eyes, but he never shed a tear.
She would have to care for him now.
But she was a shinobi.
What kind of lifestyle was that? To be a shinobi while raising a child?
Her lifestyle could put him in danger. She couldn't stand the thought of that.
"Sis?"
Ayumu jumped slightly. She had been completely lost in her thoughts. "Yes, Susumu?"
"Everything will be okay."
Ayumu blinked. She was the eldest, wasn't it her position to be comforting him ? And here it was the other way around. She forced a smile. "Yes, everything will be just fine."
She would quit her shinobi work and get a respectable job. One that would pay for their needs, one that wouldn't put them in danger. She would change who she was, for Susumu's sake.
"Come. Let's go home." She said quietly as she gently led Susumu away.
He said nothing as he walked beside her. He pretended to be strong, only to try and comfort his sister. But inside he was crying. She was all he had now. He had to rely on her for everything. But that wouldn't be fair to her, now would it? After all, he was the man of the family now. He would have to be strong. He would get a job and help support the two of them.
"Susumu, look!"
Susumu stopped. They were on a bridge over a small stream where Koi were swimming, blissfully ignorant of all that surrounded them. Susumu smiled slightly at the quiet excitement in his sister's voice. She had always enjoyed the little things. Trivial happenings that most people never gave a second's thought to. They were what she lived for.
She pointed to one very colorful Koi. "Isn't that one lovely?"
Susumu nodded.
Ayumu sighed and rested her hands on the rail. The sky was beginning to turn dark, and soon it would be night. Cicadas chirped all around them, the sweetly scented breeze blew Sakura blossoms past their feet.
"It's just you and me now, Susumu."
Susumu stared, mesmerized by the slow, methodical movements of the Koi. "I know." He answered softly. "I know."
I'm sorry that I hurt you
It's something I must live with everyday
and all the pain I put you through
I wish that I could take it all away
and be the one who catches your tears
That's why I need you to hear
I've found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason for all that I do
And the reason is you
"More!"
Ayumu smiled and laughed. "My, my, you act like you haven't had a decent meal in years!"
Harada Sanosuke grinned sheepishly. "I can't help it! You're a great cook, Ayu-nee."
Ayumu smiled and blushed. "Well, thank you!"
She stood and returned to the kitchen, glancing forlornly out the window as she passed by. It has been three long days since she had seen her brother, and she was beginning to worry.
"It's just you and me now, Susumu."
Susumu stared, mesmerized by the slow, methodical movements of the Koi. "I know." He answered softly. "I know."
Ayumu blinked back tears as she began to tidy up the kitchen. There really wasn't any need to worry. Susumu could take care of himself. He was grown, now. She sighed to herself and stopped what she was doing to gaze at the wall. He had become a shinobi, just as she had been. Just as their parents were. That's what had killed them. Of course, it was her fault, really. She had trained him. She couldn't support the two of them on her own, even though she had promised to. She had forced him to become a ninja.
She looked back down at the counter she was cleaning. It really wasn't that she hadn't seen him in three daysit was that he had been avoiding her for three days. Avoiding heras if he hated her.
Gently she lifted a hand to wipe away the tear that had begun to fall across her cheek. Where had she gone wrong? What had she done to make him hate her so?
"Oh, Susumu" She whispered.
Voices could be heard outside in the hallway. Quickly she straightened herself up and wiped her eyes. It would serve no use to let them see her crying.
"Hey, Ayu-nee! Need any help?" Shinpachi asked.
She turned and smiled. "Thank you, but no. I'm almost done."
Shinpachi shrugged and turned to leave. "See you in the morning!"
"Sleep well."
Shinpachi grinned and left, sliding the shoji closed behind him.
Ayumu wiped her hands on her apron absent-mindedly as she sighed. As much as she enjoyed cooking, she was beginning to get tired of it. She glanced out the window. She knew it was time.
Time to ask Hijikata for a mission.
I'm not a perfect person
I never meant to do those things to you
and so I have to say before I go
That I just want you to know
I've found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
a reason to start over new
And the reason is you
I've found a reason to show
A side of me you didn't know
a reason for all that I do
And that reason is you
Susumu stood, unsure of what to do. The girl ninja's kunai whipped past his ear, implanting itself in a nearby tree. He wasn't going to fight her, not today.
But she was right.
He was a failurebut not just as a ninjahe was a failure as a brother, as well.
Just then his knees gave out, and he collapsed on the ground in front of his sister's broken body.
Why hadn't he been there to save her?
The rain continued to pour down, washing the blood off of Ayumu's body, soaking Susumu to the bone. He just sat there, looking at her. He had been too late. If only he had gone looking for her sooner
He heard Tetsu run up behind him. He didn't care. He didn't turn around to look. He just sat there.
Slowly he took off his jacket and laid it across his sister's body. A sentimental gesture. There was nothing more he could do for her now.
"Do not think of me as your sister. I do not think of you as my brother."
Words that she had spoken so many years ago echoed through his mind.
He heard Sanosuke and Shinpachi run up behind him, and he knew Tetsunosuke stood watching as well.
"Hey Tetsu, did you find her?" Shinpachi called.
But there was no need for Tetsu to answer, because they finally realized what they were seeing. They stood with Tetsu, completely speechless, just staring.
She was dead.
-------------------
Susumu closed his eyes against the pain. He had not attended Ayumu's funeral. It just would have caused him to hurt that much more.
There was so much he could have done, should have done, to save her. Now, nothing could bring her back.
"Susumu
What kind of face is that?
What kind of ninja laughs and cries all the time?
How can you still say, "I'm scared" or, "I'm embarrassed"?
Forget those things right now.
No one's going to help you.
You have to survive on your own.
You're not a samurai, you're a ninja.
Do not think of me as your sister.
I do not think of you as my brother.
Listen. When you get a little older you will dress up as I do and go to work.
Theneven if you make mistakes every day
Even if I die
You'll survive.
By I'm Trouble
Of course, I have to advertise my website every chance I get, so if you're a Peacemaker fan, you may be interested in my PMK fansite: http://devoted.to/peacemakerkurogane
I know nothing of how the Yamazaki's parent's died (or if they even did die), I don't know if Ayumu really raised her brother, I don't know their age differencesI don't know anything, really, so please take it easy on me.
And please forgive any historical inaccuracies.
I realize Ayumu and Susumu really weren't this close, but I was in the mood to experiment a littlebesides, no one really knows what it was like for them beforewell, before everything turned out the way it did. Please don't kill me.
I hope y'all enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.
MAJOR SPOILERS in the end of the story for episode 19. In fact, I pretty much copied a lot of the episode. Don't say I didn't warn you.
Disclaimer: Peacemaker Kurogane is the property of Nanae Kurono. I simply steal the main characters for my daily torture sessions.
*Note, Koi are, to the best of my knowledge, a popular ornamental fish in Japan. Lyrics and flashbacks are in Italics.
--------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------
I'm not a perfect person
There are many things I wish I didn't do
but I continue learning
I never meant to do those things to you
and so I have to say before I go
That I just want you to know
I've found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason to start over new
And the reason is you
Ayumu stroked her brother's hair as he stood by her side.
Four days. Four days had gone by since their parents had died.
They stood now looking at their parent's graves. Two small headstones sitting side by side.
Ayumu sighed. She really was not sure what to do. She was only sixteenher brother would soon be ten.
She looked down at Susumu. She recognized pain in his eyes, but he never shed a tear.
She would have to care for him now.
But she was a shinobi.
What kind of lifestyle was that? To be a shinobi while raising a child?
Her lifestyle could put him in danger. She couldn't stand the thought of that.
"Sis?"
Ayumu jumped slightly. She had been completely lost in her thoughts. "Yes, Susumu?"
"Everything will be okay."
Ayumu blinked. She was the eldest, wasn't it her position to be comforting him ? And here it was the other way around. She forced a smile. "Yes, everything will be just fine."
She would quit her shinobi work and get a respectable job. One that would pay for their needs, one that wouldn't put them in danger. She would change who she was, for Susumu's sake.
"Come. Let's go home." She said quietly as she gently led Susumu away.
He said nothing as he walked beside her. He pretended to be strong, only to try and comfort his sister. But inside he was crying. She was all he had now. He had to rely on her for everything. But that wouldn't be fair to her, now would it? After all, he was the man of the family now. He would have to be strong. He would get a job and help support the two of them.
"Susumu, look!"
Susumu stopped. They were on a bridge over a small stream where Koi were swimming, blissfully ignorant of all that surrounded them. Susumu smiled slightly at the quiet excitement in his sister's voice. She had always enjoyed the little things. Trivial happenings that most people never gave a second's thought to. They were what she lived for.
She pointed to one very colorful Koi. "Isn't that one lovely?"
Susumu nodded.
Ayumu sighed and rested her hands on the rail. The sky was beginning to turn dark, and soon it would be night. Cicadas chirped all around them, the sweetly scented breeze blew Sakura blossoms past their feet.
"It's just you and me now, Susumu."
Susumu stared, mesmerized by the slow, methodical movements of the Koi. "I know." He answered softly. "I know."
I'm sorry that I hurt you
It's something I must live with everyday
and all the pain I put you through
I wish that I could take it all away
and be the one who catches your tears
That's why I need you to hear
I've found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
A reason for all that I do
And the reason is you
"More!"
Ayumu smiled and laughed. "My, my, you act like you haven't had a decent meal in years!"
Harada Sanosuke grinned sheepishly. "I can't help it! You're a great cook, Ayu-nee."
Ayumu smiled and blushed. "Well, thank you!"
She stood and returned to the kitchen, glancing forlornly out the window as she passed by. It has been three long days since she had seen her brother, and she was beginning to worry.
"It's just you and me now, Susumu."
Susumu stared, mesmerized by the slow, methodical movements of the Koi. "I know." He answered softly. "I know."
Ayumu blinked back tears as she began to tidy up the kitchen. There really wasn't any need to worry. Susumu could take care of himself. He was grown, now. She sighed to herself and stopped what she was doing to gaze at the wall. He had become a shinobi, just as she had been. Just as their parents were. That's what had killed them. Of course, it was her fault, really. She had trained him. She couldn't support the two of them on her own, even though she had promised to. She had forced him to become a ninja.
She looked back down at the counter she was cleaning. It really wasn't that she hadn't seen him in three daysit was that he had been avoiding her for three days. Avoiding heras if he hated her.
Gently she lifted a hand to wipe away the tear that had begun to fall across her cheek. Where had she gone wrong? What had she done to make him hate her so?
"Oh, Susumu" She whispered.
Voices could be heard outside in the hallway. Quickly she straightened herself up and wiped her eyes. It would serve no use to let them see her crying.
"Hey, Ayu-nee! Need any help?" Shinpachi asked.
She turned and smiled. "Thank you, but no. I'm almost done."
Shinpachi shrugged and turned to leave. "See you in the morning!"
"Sleep well."
Shinpachi grinned and left, sliding the shoji closed behind him.
Ayumu wiped her hands on her apron absent-mindedly as she sighed. As much as she enjoyed cooking, she was beginning to get tired of it. She glanced out the window. She knew it was time.
Time to ask Hijikata for a mission.
I'm not a perfect person
I never meant to do those things to you
and so I have to say before I go
That I just want you to know
I've found a reason for me
To change who I used to be
a reason to start over new
And the reason is you
I've found a reason to show
A side of me you didn't know
a reason for all that I do
And that reason is you
Susumu stood, unsure of what to do. The girl ninja's kunai whipped past his ear, implanting itself in a nearby tree. He wasn't going to fight her, not today.
But she was right.
He was a failurebut not just as a ninjahe was a failure as a brother, as well.
Just then his knees gave out, and he collapsed on the ground in front of his sister's broken body.
Why hadn't he been there to save her?
The rain continued to pour down, washing the blood off of Ayumu's body, soaking Susumu to the bone. He just sat there, looking at her. He had been too late. If only he had gone looking for her sooner
He heard Tetsu run up behind him. He didn't care. He didn't turn around to look. He just sat there.
Slowly he took off his jacket and laid it across his sister's body. A sentimental gesture. There was nothing more he could do for her now.
"Do not think of me as your sister. I do not think of you as my brother."
Words that she had spoken so many years ago echoed through his mind.
He heard Sanosuke and Shinpachi run up behind him, and he knew Tetsunosuke stood watching as well.
"Hey Tetsu, did you find her?" Shinpachi called.
But there was no need for Tetsu to answer, because they finally realized what they were seeing. They stood with Tetsu, completely speechless, just staring.
She was dead.
-------------------
Susumu closed his eyes against the pain. He had not attended Ayumu's funeral. It just would have caused him to hurt that much more.
There was so much he could have done, should have done, to save her. Now, nothing could bring her back.
"Susumu
What kind of face is that?
What kind of ninja laughs and cries all the time?
How can you still say, "I'm scared" or, "I'm embarrassed"?
Forget those things right now.
No one's going to help you.
You have to survive on your own.
You're not a samurai, you're a ninja.
Do not think of me as your sister.
I do not think of you as my brother.
Listen. When you get a little older you will dress up as I do and go to work.
Theneven if you make mistakes every day
Even if I die
You'll survive.