Higekiri & Hizamaru
髭切と膝丸

Requested by iizaayaa_kuun

Note: AU fic
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"Yakuza gang 'Minamoto' is back on the streets again as the police are making full preparations to nab the brothers-" F/N stared at the news reporter on the giant screen before someone called her name, realising that it was her classmate.

"F/N, I'll see you tomorrow at school!"

"Alright, be safe! Bye!" After biding farewell, she took out a scarf from her bag and wrapped it around her neck to keep warm. Winter was extremely harsh this year, forcing even her to wear the thickest coat that she could afford with her savings.

As she headed for home, she didn't realise that there was a man in front of her before she bumped into him, causing him to spill his bottle of beer onto her coat. Taking it off, she then tried to clean it with her scarf before apologising towards the drunk man.

"Say, missy, how do you intend to pay me? This is for spilling my beer-" Looking at his underlings, they grabbed her tightly as the man took out a knife, cutting off her uniform buttons one by one. She struggled, screaming for help before someone slapped her. The man smirked, placed the knife on her throat. She winced at the pain, feeling a trickle of blood flowing down her neck. How warm her blood felt against her skin horrified her. Death was something that she absolutely doesn't want to face.

Seizing a chance, she executed a headbutt, knocking him away as his underlings released her immediately to look at his boss.

"Idiots! Chase and kill that bitch!" The man barked orders the moment he realised that she was long gone.

On the other hand, she kept running, not stopping when her body was screaming for rest. Tripping herself from the lack of energy, she took in large breaths of air, getting some rest. The cold was biting her down to her bones since her coat was left there. Her bag was also left there as well, including her phone. Her limbs wouldn't move no matter how hard she tried.

"There she is! Don't let her escape!" Hearing a shout, she burst out crying, trying to start moving again before pain shot up. It wasn't just the scrape wound, but also a sprained ankle. Struggling to get away from them, she then heard the voice of race bikes coming towards her as a man approached her.

"Boss." One of the guys called to Hizamaru as he looked at the group before deciding that his men could handle it without him participating.

"Go handle them. Check who they are and kick them out of this city. I don't want to see their faces again."

"Yes!"

"Hey, you alright?" She looked at him cautiously as Hizamaru realised that her clothes were completely ruined while her hands were stained with blood. Removing his coat, he helped her to wear it before looking away, trying to forget what he had just seen.

The fight soon ended quickly given their experience as the group of guys winced in pain, getting dragged away under the young boss's orders before they looked at the girl.

"Boss, then what about that girl...?"

"Head back. I'll take care of her."

Kneeling down, he then carried her up towards his bike, setting her down against the seat while getting a spare helmet from his men.

"W-What are you doing...? I-I'm really sorry, I'll pay you-"

"Then do you want me to leave you here in the middle of winter without any proper clothing? Wear this. I'm taking you to my house." He threatened before passing her a spare helmet.

"Y-Your house?" Getting a stare from him, she then lowered her head and tried to move her ankle, regretting almost immediately as pain bit deep into her bones.

"Yeah, my house. Now hold on tight." Not giving her time to react, she let out a yelp before grabbing on his waist tightly, surprised at how fast he was riding his bike.

~~

Reaching the mansion, Hizamaru then carried her and went straight to an empty room before calling for his servants.

"You, you and you. Go help her get dressed. Hino, get the doctor and tend to her wounds." Leaving the rest to the butler, Hizamaru then plopped himself on the couch outside the room, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Look who's back with a new woman again." Hizamaru looked up, surprised at his brother's appearance.

"Shut up, brother. And she's not my woman. She got caught up with one of the gangs that appeared recently in the city and got injured. That's all."

Higekiri laughed as he sat opposite his brother, reading on what the tablet screen was showing.

"Have her rest until she's completely recovered. Anyway, we have a deal with the Kikuoka clan next week. Are preparations all done? The police are getting aggressive recently."

"Don't worry, brother. I released fake information to one of my guys who works as an informant for the police. By the time they find out, the deal's done."

"Oh, the doctor's out from the room. Let's take a look."

"Yeah."

On the other hand, she almost wanted to gouge her eyes out the moment her sight landed on the price tag of the dress that she was going to wear. Her wound was properly treated with the exception of her ankle, where she was warned to not strain it again.

"Doc, how's she?" Higekiri entered the room as she flinched, hiding under the covers while he listened to what the doctor had to say.

"Apart from a sprained ankle and a few cuts, she's doing well. But I would recommend that she stay here until she heals completely."

"Hino, send him out. No one is to come in without my orders, including you."

"Yes, Master." As the servant left, Higekiri then sat on the edge of the bed, sighing at the figure.

"Come out and stop hiding under that blanket." Hizamaru then furrowed his brows, pulling the covers away from her as the figure sat up before hugging a pillow.

"W-Who are you? A-Are you going to kill me as well?"

"I would've done it earlier if I were to kill you. I'm Hizamaru. Well, I guess you know my name since the gang is all over the news."

"W-Why-"

"Why did he save you when we are criminals, you ask?" Higekiri asked while taking his phone out, scrolling through information. Hizamaru couldn't help but look at his brother with uneasiness, sensing that the conversation will end up badly.

"F/N L/N, age 18. Owes lots of debts and comes from a single-parent family. Hmm, normal schools,  normal academic grades. Oh, working part-time in a bar? You must be deprived of money, F/N. Currently a freshman in Kyoto University. Well, I wish you the best of luck. I'm a proud alumnus."

"Who are you to find out who am I and dig up my background!"

"Sorry, but I'm a cautious person. What if you were someone sent by another gang and intend to seduce and kill my brother or even me?"

She couldn't rebutt as she looked away, not wanting to look at Higekiri. Only the strongest will survive and she knew it very well. But she couldn't help but get angry when she heard her background being revealed in front of someone that she had just met just a few minutes ago.

"Brother, she's just a university student. There's no harm."

"Probably you should count the number of times that I've saved you from those horrible women you've met, Hizamaru."

"I appreciate your actions, but I know she's not a bad person."

"We'll see. Leave us for a moment."

Once Hizamaru left the room, Higekiri stood up and climbed up the bed, grabbing her chin and turning her head left and right before she slapped him. Higekiri was surprised at first but soon laughed as he caressed his swollen cheek.

"What are you doing!" She shouted. Her chin hurt from the rough treatment.

"It's the first time that I got hit by a woman. You're such a brave girl, F/N."

She shivered at his words, wondering if Higekiri had decided to kill her out of anger.

"I apologise, F/N. Actually, I need help from you to act as my partner for the upcoming ball two weeks later from now."

"W-What? Wait, is this what I need to do in exchange for saving my life?"

"I'll be grateful if you could help. I had to make sure that you had a clean background before I can decide."

She was about to reply before Higekiri offered a reward, knowing that she would reject his request.

"Five million, if it's successful."

Her eyes wavered at the mention of the reward.  The money could help her family pay off the debts easily.

"Don't tell me it's crime-related."

"I just need your appearence and end it off with a dance. Simple, isn't it? Hizamaru will also be there as well."

She stopped herself suddenly. The money was the main attraction but she was still afraid that the man in front of her could be lying. Higekiri seemed to notice her worries as his hand went behind her head, gently supporting as he was about to close in the gap in between their lips. Surprised, she pushed him away and smacked him with the pillow.

"Flustered? No love experience?"

"That was my first kiss! I won't let you take it!"

"So, your answer?"

"I-I'll do it! Not because of your brother, but the money!"

"Good. I'll get the butler to pick a few gowns for you to choose. Get some rest."

~~

The day came as she stepped out from the limousine with the brothers, earning praises and glares from the crowd.

"Act natural, wave and smile at the cameras, F/N." Hizamaru whispered as he waved at the crowd, kissing the back of his partner's hand and leaving her before entering a special room.

"Welcome, Minamoto brothers."

"Kikuoka, nice to meet you. F/N, my fiancee."

"Oh my, such a young fiancee! Congratulations!"

She gave her best smile as she shook Kikuoka's hand with confidence, showing off her engagement ring.

"You know what's the next step, F/N?" Higekiri whispered as she tried to calm down. The atmosphere was too much for her to handle, not to mention the weight of the ring around her finger. What if she had lost it in the middle of the ball? She couldn't imagine the brothers' reaction.

"Win the auction, get the sword. And not to lose the ring. I know it's damn expensive."

"It's worth two million. I'll keep in touch with you. Off you go-" Pushing her out of the room the moment Higekiri stuffed a pea-sized microphone into her grip, she smiles at one of the guests before making her way towards the auction venue, cursing internally for promising Higekiri to get the five million reward.

The item was revealed after endless drum rolls. It was an ancient sword, but the blade was very well preserved and gleamed under the spotlights.

"Tonight's first item would be this sword named Doujigiri Yasutsuna! First bids are welcome!"

"Five thousand!" A man shouted the first bid.

As the price rose higher and higher, Higekiri's voice came through the microphone.

"Start bidding. Ten thousand."

"Ten thousand!" She shouted before everyone looked at her amused before they focused on the auction.

"Twenty-five thousand!" A woman raised the price, turning her head to look at F/N.

"A million!"

"A million and five thousand!"

"Two million!" She shouted again when Higekiri didn't give any reply after countless tries of calling him.

"Going for once, going for twice and.... sold! Congratulations to this lady!" Everyone clapped as she smiled and bowed before leaving the room, not forgetting to get the sword from the auctioneer. She had never spent so much money in her entire life and started worrying about the brothers.

"Doujigiri... It's beautiful." She exclaimed as she pulled the blade out. It gleamed under the moonlight before a man's reflection was seen on the blade.

"Hey, you. I'm sure we met just the day before, didn't we?" Realising that she was surrounded, she panicked, trying to look for the brothers while holding tightly to the blade.

"What are you doing here with that sword, my cute fiancee?" The brothers came as the man shuddered. Fiancee? The head of the Minamoto gang? He knew he was in such huge trouble as he shooed his men away from F/N.

"It's such a magnificent sword. Say, let's do some testing, brother."

"Indeed." With a wave of his hand, his underlings soon came and held the man down, forcing him to kneel.

"You've got the guts to harass my fiancee, Furishima. I thought my guys had already kicked your entire family out of Tokyo?"

"Unfortunately, they escaped while our guys were taking them out from the city." One of the executives confessed before Kikuoka could answer, earning a frown from Hizamaru. 

Higekiri didn't seem to be annoyed as he took the sword in his hands, placing it on the man's neck before grazing the tip of the sword across his neck, causing him to bleed. The man then took a few steps back while holding onto his neck, begging for mercy as Higekiri felt her grip on his arm getting tighter every second passed.

"F/N, I hope you don't mind letting me play around with it."

"H-Higekiri..." 

Higekiri looked at the sword for quite a while before wiping off the blood from the sword with a cloth.

"Seize all assets under his name and send all his men to our branch family. As for his precious family, I'll take good care of them." Keeping the blade back to its scabbard, Higekiri then threw it back to Hizamaru as he caught it in time, sighing at his brother's actions. If not for F/N, Furishima would have ended up in a grave.

Higekiri then took her back towards the hall where the dance was going to start.

"Higekiri, promise me that you won't kill him."

"Why? He inflicted those injuries on you."

"Just... don't kill him. That's my only request for tonight before we part on our ways."

"Alright, I won't. Let's enjoy this dance for now, alright? Relax and follow my pace." Placing his hand on her back, he started the waltz, making sure that she could follow his pace. Surprisingly, she never stepped onto his shoes even once, which was a feat for a beginner.

Returning back to the mansion, Higekiri then gave her the sword.

"Keep this as a memory. It will help to clear off the debts if you sell it to private owners. Donating it to the museum would be a foolish choice, but it's your call. I'll send you back to your home tomorrow morning."

"Thank you, Higekiri, Hizamaru. I'll repay if I have the chance."

"No need for that. Just stay away from us and we'll be grateful enough." Hizamaru complained as he left the duo alone, wondering why his brother was willing to do so much for a stranger.

"I'm sorry for what my brother had said."

"It's alright. I'll keep this sword. Good night and have a good rest, Higekiri." Heading back to her room, the man then smiled, taking his phone out to contact his butler.

"Hino, how are things going?"

"As ordered, Furishima's out of this city. He's currently on his way to Meguro city."

"Good. Ask our guys there to greet him." Ending the call, Higekiri loosened his tie, taking a glass of wine from his servant.

"Brother, I've never seen you do so much for a stranger."

"We were leading that kind of life when we were kids, didn't we? Someone helped us to gain what we have now."

Higekiri knew that he could never be the person that would accompany her to the end of her life the moment he was born in the underworld.