“…You—you want to die?” Tokumaru said staggeringly. “Why…?”

Tokumaru suddenly felt his hand go numb, and for the first time in a long while, his Heavenflames provided no consolation. They revealed themselves to be what they truly were, emptiness. Even Tokumaru’s connection with the God of Fire and Forge, Hephaestus, proved weaker with his teacher’s new revelation. He was completely alone to make his decision.

“Sama, you know I could never do that to you…” he said. “I once felt suicidal in my younger days, and I did in fact kill myself. But my father gave me a second chance, and bode with the gods to free me from death. Only then did I realize the error of my ways. Won’t you please reconsider?”

Aurora seemed amused. “This is far from suicide, Tokumaru.”

Tokumaru raised an eyebrow. “Then why? What possible reason would you have to want to die? I refuse to do anything of the sort to you.”

“And yet you try and prevent me from doing it myself?”

The samurai nodded, his grip on his sword weakening. “I refuse to kill you, and I refuse to let you die.”

It was then that Tokumaru tried to sheathe his sword, but as he drew it to its side as to make it enter the sheath, he felt resistance. Aurora had gripped the blade with her bare hands, and held it firmly, crimson streams running down the steel and simmering in the pure heat of the Hinotama.

“What are you doing?” Tokumaru asked.

“You deny me death,” Aurora said adamantly, “now you’re going to deny me my own dignity? Tell me, do you treat all of your chosen samas with such disrespect, or is it simply a title you use lightly?”

Tokumaru scowled, and dropped the Hinotama, untying its sheath from his belt and tossing it waywardly across the ground. Aurora seemed to comply, and dropped the blade where it stood. Her student was in quandary.

Raising his fists and bending his knees into a stance, Tokumaru called two orbs of flame around his hands. There was a dead silence… …and the samurai came to his conclusion.

“If this is what you really want, you can have it… but you’ll get it honorably. Come.”

OoC: Bad, but a nice spice, I think. :3