The Soldier and the Empress

4 - The Four Winds and a Stormcloud

Endless, dark, head feels light. Ground finally appears. Satsuki is there in her kamui, wielding Bakuzan and pointing it at someone.

Her mouth moves but no words come out.

Then someone starts to take shape, a man, not too big, not too small. He is grabbing where his right arm has been chopped off with his other hand, preventing blood loss. He is on his knees while Satsuki points Bakuzan at him. His face is just a dark silhouette. The man speaks.

"It's been a blast..."

Satsuki raises Bakuzan over her head, aimed towards the man's neck. She takes the slash with all the strength she has.

As Bakuzan was about to reach the man's neck, his face was recognizable now. Head raised, eyes closed and smiling. Kai Tadasuki, that was his current name.

"Goodbye... Satsuki..."

His head flies off detached from the rest of his body..

Another not so dark room, a big bed could be made out from the dim light. Someone was sleeping on it, a pale beauty with really long black hair, Satsuki Kiryuin. One second she looked like she was peacefully and deeply asleep, the next one, she got up screaming and in cold sweat.

"KAI!" Reaching her hand forward, she felt like a month worth of sleep just left her body.

Mr. Soroi, her butler, knocked on the door asking if everything was fine, he was an old man that has been a long time with Satsuki, he did not ran in instantly since he knows Lady Satsuki can defend herself just fine, he going in would actually make her be at a disadvantage.

"Should I... call for him Lady Satsuki?!"

"Everything is fine Soroi (Kai Tadasuki, why does your death haunts my dreams?)"

The butlers stood silent outside her room for a while, expecting an order from Satsuki. When he felt like it was too long he decided to break the silence himself.

"Milady, should I prepare a fresh blend?"

"Please do, also Soroi, what time is it?"

"It's almost 4 in the morning, Milady"

"Today is No-Late day... then I will be out in a moment"

"Understood, and Milady, are you sure you don't want me to get Master Kai, you sounded quite disturbed when you woke up..."

"Thanks for your concern Soroi, but he is probably already waiting outside in the meeting room with Gamagoori, besides I don't really want to see him right now..."

"I see, please pardon my insistence"- The butler bowed outside the room by force of habit -"if you allow me i will be leaving to make the tea"

"You can go, also tell them I don't want to be disturbed unless is something really important"

Soroi bowed once again and with an "Understood" he left for the meeting room where the elite four gather, Gamagoori had just left.

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"Man, do I really need to be here?" Kai complained to Gamagoori.

"Tadasuki! you better not slack off!"

"I won't, jeez, do you ever know what a joke is,*Sigh* Let's skip the formalities and just start, I'll be waiting in the camera room when you get back"

"Very well, though I don't like you skipping stuff, I'll let it slide for now!"

"Yeah, after all we do have to put extra work to keep the Matoi girl in line... huh?" I heard something in the back of my mind, I thought someone called my name, but it was way too unclear.