The Soldier and the Empress

1 - Lizard among Pigs

Satsuki Kiryuin

That's the name of the woman who stole my place as the student council president at my high school.

Back then I didn't rule the school out of greed or desire for power, but out of fear, I wanted everyone to stay away from me. So I recruited followers and with them I made my dream school and it looked like my second year would be just as peaceful, that's when she showed up.

Long black hair, blue eyes and a stare that could kill. She completely destroyed the defences I built over the last year. Not even an hour past her arrival, many of my followers had left me for good and the ones who attacked her were already on the ground.

Satsuki Kiryuin

She shouted her name as she demanded my presence. There was nothing else to do, I had to go out and face her myself.

From the main door all the way through the gate was filled up with the students she had beaten up, many faked being unconscious as they preferred to fear her even more than they feared me.

Once I was alone in front of her, four other figures showed up, a pink haired girl, next to her a blue haired four eyes. To Kiryuin's other side, a green haired punk with a bamboo sword and finally behind her a two and a half meters tall blonde buff man.

I had no chance against her, let alone any of her goons. However, I also had no reason to surrender. My weapon was a pair of claws made out of scrap that I slowly put on without taking my eyes off Kiryuin. Either fear or something else kept me from looking away as to which one was, I got my answer soon after.

"Surrender!" The long haired woman in white uniform shouted at me, almost making me kneel from that alone. Seeing that was not the case she seemed somewhat impressed.

I let out a groan, her shout did not beat me, but sure as shit left me tired.

"Impressive" She sounded way different now "You, who ruled over these people with fear, you were right to do so, but you lacked something very important!" She went back to shouting, draining more and more energy out of me with every word.

"Hm, and here I thought this one was going to be some pushover... I need to reexamine the data" The blue four eyes spoke to no one in particular.

"Like a lizard under a hail..." the other girl with Kiryuin 'answered' to the glasses guy.

"Oh ho" the green haired punk said surprised while the big blonde man said nothing.

Satsuki Kiryuin

She took a step forward, a single step, then a blinding light appeared from behind her, I could not see it's origin.

"Come at me and if you survive, I will tell you what you lack!" She hit the ground with her sword and again a shockwave drained energy from my body.

I only had enough strength in me for one single attack, so I had to make it count.

With the last of my pride of the position I got for myself I managed to speak back to her.

"Then so be it!" Thus, I readied my weapon. I put all my strength on that attack with my left arm, or so it seemed, it was a feint. When I got closer to her I would change direction and hit her with my right, that's all I had to work with.

And she still stopped me effortlessly and calmly as when she first showed up. A strike from her sheathed sword to the stomach and with my Scrap Claws broken I fell to my knees in defeat. I barely managed to lift my head, I saw Kiryuin at my left, three of the four goons she brought were far more relaxed than just a second ago, but the tall blonde one looked way more serious than anyone else.

Finally she spoke.

Satsuki Kiryuin

"Determination"

That was the last thing I heard before I fell to the floor barely conscious. With my defeat she was done here, so they were preparing to leave. And just as she gave a final speech to the ones who were still somewhat awake, a speech I could not hear. I saw her in the distance, that same blinding light I was now able to see perfectly through it. before i was almost lost to fatigue but now I was lost for words at her beauty, why was it so different now from the one that beat my ass just a moment ago?

She wasn't, the moment I laid my eyes on her I felt it, but I didn't realize it yet...

"I want to follow her" That's all that went through my mind after that, I had to act fast, I had to move. I managed to get some strength in my hands and rip some grass, as I slowly raised my head once again, I realized that they weren't that far from me as I originally saw, probably a trick of the fatigue.

I was now kneeling, and all five of the spectators were in complete silence, I didn't know why then, but now I know it was them acknowledging the strength I had to get up after one of Kiryuin's strikes. I remember the blonde man smiling if just a little, the glasses guy typing at a laptop and the punk was definitely happy, the pink girl was looking at Satsuki, like waiting for her to say something.

Next step was to get up, I just knew it. So I tried and tried and tried until I lost count of how many times I tried but failed. I felt pathetic.

Then in the endless white noise I heard a voice, Kiryuin's.

"GET! UP!"

Inexplicably, I sprang up and got on my own two feet, stumbling a little, but I did not fall. I was not going to fall. Never Again.

Somehow now I could clearly see the faces of the four, the big man was now all smiles, the four-eyes was typing even faster, the other two were still the same but the punk was looking at Kiryuin this time. She was smiling, I was lost to her sight again but this time I was breathing heavily trying to regain consciousness.

"Well Done Tadasuki! You have proven yourself! Join me at Honnouji Academy!"

That's when I pledged my undying loyalty to Lady Satsuki, The woman that stole my heart.

From there on out I expressed my love for her in the form of loyalty, hoping once all this is over, once her little sister and father are avenged, once Ragyo is defeated maybe, just maybe I... no, I'll save those thoughts for later.

PRESENT DAY

"Tadasuki, sir, is everything in order?" Omiko Hakodate, two star leader of the tennis club asked me, her superior, to check if everything was ok after I inspected it.

"Yes, there seems to be no problems with your equipment, Sanageyama should be here soon for the last adjustments... by the way, what happened to the new girl?"

She told me what happened to the new girl, Ryuko Matoi, after one of her club members didn't show up to practice the day before.

"She'll show up again, count on it and... (Nah, If I tell her to be careful she'll get mad at me and I'm sure Satsuki has something in mind)" Every now and then I can grasp whatever is happening inside Satsuki's pretty head, today was not one of those lucky days. Perhaps I'll ask Nonon later... Why does that sound like such a bad idea?

Having warned Omiko about Matoi I left towards Honno Tower, leaving Sanageyama to do some final adjustments. I am NOT looking forward to any damage Matoi does, I'M the one that's gonna do the paperwork and shit. Yeah that's my job as Vice-President of Honnouji Academy but I can't spend time with Satsuki when I'm working Goddammit!