Kazama Chikage pov:
"Kazama, are you sure you want to infiltrate the Shinsengumi' headquarters? Can't we just wait for her to come to the market sometime? We could avoid unnecessary resistance," Amagiri said, his voice flat and devoid of any sort of emotion like always.
"We've been doing that until now without getting the results I want. I'm done waiting – Yukimura Sara will be my mate and those Shinsengumi fools will see today that they cannot fight a real Oni and live to tell the tale," I said calmly. I adjusted my overcoat while eyeing my reflection in the tall mirror. I then placed a hand on the katana I had at my hip and narrowed my eyes, "Besides, Sara needs to know that an Oni cannot be with those humans. They are nothing more than greedy, foolish creatures, dirt at the feet of us Oni, and shouldn't be bothered about by us, especially purebloods."
"Forgive me for asking, Kazama, but why did you suddenly choose Yukimura Sara over Yukimura Chizuru? They are from the same clan and Yukimura Chizuru is definitely an easier target to apprehend."
"Amagiri is right, you know?" muttered Shiranui in mild annoyance. "That Sara woman is a pain in the neck, being a fighter and all. Why don't we just stick to taking that Chizuru chic?"
Narrowing my eyes further, I glanced at Shiranui. He tensed and averted his gaze from me, his expression of annoyance being replaced by one of anxiousness.
"My initial goal was to merely have a pureblood mate that would continue the Oni bloodline but a woman who is not only mature enough to raise offspring but also has skills to protect offspring in an event of danger is preferable. Sara has those qualities and I would be a fool for not taking her as my mate – I am the most powerful Oni in existence at the moment and I will settle for nothing less than the best." I turned to face him and Amagiri and smirked, "Perhaps one of you can consider taking Chizuru as a mate now."
"Thank you for taking me into consideration, Kazama, but I have no interest in Yukimura Chizuru," said Amagiri, making me chuckle.
"Heh, I don't want that hassle of dealing with commitment with whiny women. I'll pass," Shiranui said with a wave of his hand.
"Then it's your loss," I said simply. "Now let's go – remember that you are not to hold back when you fight the Shinsengumi this time. I don't plan on leaving their headquarters until Sara is in my custody."
It didn't take us very long to get to the Shinsengumi's headquarters. There were four men standing guard at the entrance though were lying in pools of blood dead even before they could realize what had happened. As such, it spared us from having to deal with a swarm of troublesome foot soldiers that would have been called out as reinforcement. When we were in the courtyard, I narrowed my eyes and raised my senses high enough to locate Sara. Much to my dismay, she was not anywhere in the compound and I couldn't help but notice that even a few of the captains were missing too.
"She's not here," I stated, vexed.
"Chhe! Then we came all this way for nothing," muttered Shiranui.
"What do you want to do now, Kazama? We shouldn't be stirring any more trouble with the Shinsengumi – they are not our enemy. Making them our enemy just because you wish to take a pureblood Oni living with them as your mate will not end well," Amagiri said, frowning slightly.
I stared at him for a moment and then chuckled with my eyes closed. "Always the peacemaker," I mused, "but I'm not like you, Amagiri. My clan may have a debt to repay to the Satsuma but it does not mean that I was stop from keeping my personal matters as first priority. It doesn't matter to me if I have to deal with the Shinsengumi to make Yukimura Sara my mate – they're nothing more than a bunch of samurai dogs that can be replaced at any time, after all."
Amagiri sighed but didn't say anything in return. Shiranui looked uninterested and rather put off by the fact that he wasn't able to have a good fight.
"Let's go," I said simply and walked out of the Shinsengumi's headquarters towards the business district.
We had to meet with some of the Satsuma clan members to discuss their plans of how to deal with the Choushu that was slowly trying to overthrow the Bakufu. I was irked and not really thrilled to serve under humans even though they had protected us Oni but it was only right for us to return the favor. I wished to finish dealing with these humans as soon as possible and return to the west with Sara.
Discussions with the Satsuma were boring and I barely paid attention to it until they spoke about where the Choushu were stirring trouble and how they would have to join hands with the Shinsengumi again to put them down. It wasn't something I was pleased about because it would mean having to not kill any of the Shinsegumi members – well, I suppose it didn't matter to me if the Satsuma wished to ally with those dogs. I would fight the Choushou while keeping my fight with the Shinsengumi personal for courtesy sake. I would do my best to not kill them, at least.
Having finished with the discussion, I left the Satsuma Compound and headed back to my quarters while Amagiri and Shiranui decided to loiter around for a while before they met up with me. I sighed deeply watching the humans I passed by, amused by their happy chatter. They were so carefree and so unintelligent and I sometimes wondered how they had managed to survive and thrive unlike us Oni. It was so rare to find a pureblood Oni now and even rarer to find a pureblood female Oni. Our kind had to unite in order to continue the pureblood status no matter what. Chizuru was foolish to abandon it and it seemed that Sara was too – she had resisted my advances on the few run-ins we had but I wasn't ready to give up so easily. She had the Shinsengumi backing her but humans couldn't match up to the power of a true Oni like myself...and they and Sara would soon find out the hard way. She would become my mate one way or another.
I stalled walking and twitched upon getting her scent all of a sudden. I smirked and followed it – it was sweet and fruity, a scent that I found to be quite alluring unlike Chizuru's that was the typical flowery scent that any female Oni possessed. I followed the scent and spotted her walking a little away from where I was. Well, she appeared to be stomping furiously, her face contorted in anger, and I smirked wider in amuse.
"The nerve of that man!" she hollered to herself and came to a stop after a few moments. She glared while looking behind her and scoffed, "If it wasn't for Kondo san's friendship with that git and the necessity of a combined force, I would have smacked him right across the face! No, that's not right. I should have punched him square in the jaw like I wanted to instead of walking away silently! Ugh! That aside, where in the world am I right now?"
"Do you often talk to yourself when you're angry?" I mused while approaching her as she looked around while trying to figure out where she was.
"What do you want?" she hissed, glaring at me. "I'm not in the mood to be dealing with you at the moment."
"I can see you're not in a good mood but I'm sure you're aware of what I want...and there's no one to play the role of your savior today."
She scoffed, looking away from me and then said, "Have you forgotten that I know how to fight too? And I'm rather pissed off at the moment so you should just leave before I-"
"But you should be well aware of the difference in our strengths," I interrupted. "Even with your Oni powers, you still cannot beat me because you're a female."
"How does me being a girl have anything to do with not being strong enough?? Honestly! All this gender discrimination is starting to get really annoying!" she yelled and it only amused me more.
"If you think I'm discriminating, you're wrong. I'm merely stating obvious facts. Female Oni are not as strong as male Oni and with the added fact that I'm the leader of one of the most powerful Oni clans in existence, you cannot win against me in a fight."
"Is that so? Why don't we put it to test then? I could definitely release some pent up steam right now," she said, smirking. I twitched momentarily as her scent got stronger. Something deep inside me desired to make her mine right now. I resisted the temptation but mused on how more and more suitable I found her to be my mate. She was beautiful, feisty and courageous, more and more alluring with every run-in we had.
But for now, I would play along with her feistiness for a while – and I was sure I was going to enjoy this victory.
Sara pov:
I blew on my green tea a few times before taking a satisfying sip. I closed my eyes as I relished the taste and then lowered my glass. I looked between all the men gathered here in the mediocre sized room in the Itou Dojo as they drank sake and enjoyed snacks while having a rather light-hearted discussion of what was happening with the Bakufu and the Choushu. I remained silent because I wasn't all that aware of the details so I took to merely observing everyone.
Despite smiling and joking while enjoying the sake and snacks, Harada san and Nagakura san didn't seem to be wholeheartedly okay with this meeting with Itou san, all the more because it had been kept a secret from Kondo san. Saito san was as emotionless and unreadable as always while Heisuke seemed to be the only one absolutely carefree and comfortable at the moment.
My gaze lingered on Harada san the longest though as I recalled what had happened after Inoru san's surgery. I was thoroughly exhausted after the surgery that I had collapsed after Itou san had left from the Shinsengumi's headquarters. Harada san had caught me and carried me back to my room, being the gentleman he is.
During the time he had carried me, many thoughts had rushed through my mind, more so of becoming well aware of what I felt towards each of the Shinsengumi members. I had come to realize that I saw Harada san as more than a friend though I was afraid of the sudden self-revelation. Well, I hadn't really felt the anxiousness until after I woke up from a good rest, prior to which I had done something pretty embarrassing – while Harada san was carrying me, I had embraced him. I clearly remembered his reaction – he had gone stiff and he had sounded flustered when he had spoken then.
When I woke up, having found myself in my futon and covered warmly by the blanket, I had panicked and almost gone crazy thinking about how I should act when in front of Harada san when I saw him. I had stayed in my room through dinner, pretending to be in deep sleep when Heisuke had come to wake me, all because I didn't know how to face Harada san. I was sure that I would only make a fool of myself in front of not just him but all of the Shinsengumi captains so I had avoided dinner. Thankfully, I didn't sleep with a grumbling stomach because Chizuru had got me dinner after they were done eating.
I barely got a wink of sleep that night. I couldn't stop worrying about how stupid I had been and whether Harada san thought of me as a weirdo now. Just before finally getting some shut eye in the wee hours of the morning, I decided to act as if I didn't remember what happened.
I acted unaware despite feeling extreme embarrassment when Harada san had spoken to me in fluster the next day. He hadn't met my eyes and that was more than enough to make me feel a sharp sting in my chest, as if getting the message that my feelings for him had been rejected. It had, in a way, made it easier for me to act but I was left confused and brooding when he showed noticeable disappointment when I maintained distance from him. He returned to acting normal around me soon after, just as he had always been, but...why did he look disappointed then? Had I merely hallucinated it?
There were multiple occasions when I wanted to ask him about the incident between us but I couldn't find the courage to do so. Even though things had fallen back to the routine with Harada san and everyone else being friendly with me, I couldn't help but feel the distance between us increasing...and it only felt that way because we weren't talking to each other about the most important thing! Darn it...I didn't want us to drift apart like this! I didn't want everything to seem okay on the surface but be falling apart on the inside! I liked Harada san and I felt terrible for not being able to tell him that!!
"I'm really very impressed by your skills in healing, Sara sensei. Watching you perform such an astounding technique to heal Inoru was truly a one in a million experience," Itou san said while smiling at me, effectively breaking my train of thought.
"Oh, thank you, Itou san," I responded while returning his smile quickly, having averted my gaze from Harada san who had been laughing about something, "and I'm glad you finally put your trust in me."
"It is only appropriate to do so when you were able to heal him despite all other doctors we had consulted with said that they couldn't even figure out what was wrong with him. It's a pity that he cannot return to his samurai duties though," he said and took a sip of his tea. He once again met my eyes smiling but there was something cunning in his gaze that made me a little unsettled. "That aside, I want to thank all of you for coming to this meeting today – I assume you have not told Kondo san about it, have you?"
"We haven't," Harada san answered, his voice sharp and cold, openly expressing his unhappiness about this secret meeting.
"Itou san, what's the reason for you calling us here?" Heisuke asked curiously. He hadn't noticed the suspicious gazes of Harada san, Nagakura san or Saito san. I for one was merely watching Itou san cautiously while trying to figure out what he was planning.
"Ah, yes," Itou san said and put down his tea. He straightened up and so did his two vice commanders who sat beside him. "I want to offer the five of you places under my command."
"Excuse me?" I asked, clearly surprised by what he had said. Harada san and Nagakura san too seemed surprised and mildly irked but Saito san remained placid. Heisuke was surprised but didn't appear to be too bothered by the offer – well, I had heard that he had trained as a samurai in the Itou Dojo before he joined the Shinsengumi. I'm sure he considered the Itou dojo almost as important as his home and probably wouldn't even mind re-joining the force.
"Ara, you seem rather startled by my request," Itou san mused.
"I'm not exactly startled but I am surprised. I mean, why the sudden offer? We're doing quite fine in the Shinsengumi."
"Sara is right. We're a part of the Shinsengumi and we don't plan on leaving from there," added Harada san.
Itou san clicked his tongue as if taking pity on us. None of us liked the sympathetic look he gave momentarily before smiling again in amuse, "I really wonder sometimes as to why you cannot see the obvious and understand that continuing to serve the Bakufu while being a member of the Shinsengumi isn't all that effective."
"What are you inferring?" asked Nagakura san.
"Do you not see that you are not respected? That, civilians don't see you as soldiers fighting to protect them but as rogues that walk around ruining peace and harmony?" Itou san said calmly. His lips twitched, threatening to widen at the tense and rather furious expressions his words received. "They are afraid of you and see you all as...a bunch of hooligans. I mean no disrespect by words, if you ever think so."
"And who, may I ask, told you that the Shinsengumi are seen as hooligans?" I asked coolly before Harada san spoke up. I was aware of his quick and violent temper, having seen it on multiple occasions while in the Shinsengumi and experiencing it once myself, and I knew that he was trying really really hard to not blow his top right now. So was Nagakura san too, in fact. They were clearly not happy with the words Itou san was using to describe the Shinsengumi they considered as their home and family.
"Oh, I've heard around...and so have my men," answered Itou san with a wry smile at me. He then took a sip of his tea and looked between all of us again as he spoke, "It's not very surprising though, since the Shinsengumi are, truthfully speaking, a bunch of rogues with no master, running about causing ruckus in the name of serving the country. The Shinsengumi's goals are very respectable but there is only so much you can do as rounin. If you join me and serve the country, you will be respected and seen as true warriors. And you, Sara sensei, will have all the funding you need to maintain your infirmary and treat those who have been injured in battle. It is obvious that I will grant you permission to treat those of the Shinsengumi, and even civilians if that is what you wish to do, all with the respect you deserve for your profession."
I couldn't stop from scoffing with a laugh and looking to the side. It irked Itou san and he clenched his jaw, his smile faltering a little.
"Is something I said amusing to you, Sara sensei?"
"Amusing? More like just short of crazy," I answered. "I can't believe you're asking us to change sides while maintaining such a calm persona. You have a lot of gall to do that after calling us in for a secret meeting."
"My my," he responded with a laugh, "such harsh words from one so delicate. Such anger shouldn't be coming from you, Sara sensei, even though you look beautiful no matter what."
"Spare your poetic words for a girl who will get flustered by them," I said and held up my hand to silence him before he could speak again. "You should know that the Shinsengumi are not rounin. They have a master – Kondo san is their master. There are many people who respect the Shinsengumi and their efforts for protecting the country while risking their very lives in every battle they fight. They are not seen as cheaply as what you say and I am proud to be a part of the Shinsengumi. I don't care what you have to offer for me because I have no desire whatsoever to betray the Shinsengumi and join up with someone as arrogant as you."
"Watch your tongue, woman!" one of his vice commanders barked, narrowing his eyes at me in disdain. "You should learn to hold your tongue in the presence of a man, especially a soldier who holds such a high position and so much respect in society!"
"Oh, put a cork in it," I snapped. "If you've forgotten, your highly respected master is the one who requested all of us to meet him in secret like this, without our leader knowing about it. If you ask me, it's not something to be proud of. He says that we should join him to get the respect we deserve but I think it's because he wants himself and his dojo to become more famous thanks to our skills."
"We don't have any plans of joining either," stated Harada san. He and Nagakura san stood up and I followed suit. However, Saito san and Heisuke remained seated.
"I will join the Itou dojo," Saito san said calmly.
"I want to join too. It's true that the Shinsengumi aren't treated right...and I'm curious to know how things will be under your name, Itou san," added Heisuke.
I scoffed again and shook my head, "Whatever...you guys can stay. I'm leaving," I said and looked at Itou san sharply, "and, Itou san, don't ever come to ask me to join you again. In fact, I'd be more than happy if you never showed your face in front of me again. Despite how annoyed I am by what happened, I will continue to be a medical support to your men only because you are helping the Shinsengumi in achieving their dream of a peaceful country."
I didn't spare anyone another word before walking out of the dojo, or rather stomping out of the dojo. I was fuming, very irked by how rude Itou san had been. Not only had he asked us to leave the Shinsengumi and join him but he had also insulted the Shinsengumi! How dare he do that to men who were putting their lives on the line to protect their country! Sure, there were people who were afraid of the Shinsengumi but it didn't mean they hated them! I'm sure everyone knew that the Shinsengumi was working hard to bring about peace and respected them and we're grateful for their risk and sacrifice!
"The nerve of him!" I seethed, coming to a stop in the middle of a street while ignoring the strange looks I received from those who passed by. "If it wasn't for Kondo san's friendship with that git and the necessity of a combined force, I would have smacked him right across the face! No, that's not right. I should have punched him square in the jaw like I wanted to instead of walking away silently! Ugh! That aside, where in the world am I right now?"
I realized that in storming off in anger, I hadn't quite kept track of which way I had walked. I was in a part of the village I couldn't recognize – yup, I was lost.
"Do you often talk to yourself when you're angry?" I heard a voice and tensed. Looking to the side, I spotted none other than the last person I wished to see at this moment. Feeling more irked than before, I glared at him.
"What do you want?" I spat. "I'm not in the mood to be dealing with you at the moment."
"I can see that you're not in a very good mood but I'm sure you're aware of what I want...and there's no one to play the role of your savior today," he said smartly, making me scoff. I shook my head in disbelief at his cockiness.
"Have you forgotten that I know how to fight too?" I said, looking back at him. "And I'm rather pissed off at the moment so you should just leave before I-"
"But you should be well aware of the difference in our strengths," he interrupted. "Even with your Oni powers, you still cannot beat me because you're a female."
"How does me being a girl have anything to do with not being strong enough?? Honestly! All this gender discrimination is starting to get really annoying!" I snapped with a louder scoff but his smirk only widened.
"If you think I'm discriminating, you're wrong, Sara." I resisted from biting back at him for calling my name so casually, all the more because he didn't give me the chance to interrupt him. "I'm merely stating obvious facts. Female Oni are not as strong as male Oni and with the added fact that I'm the leader of one of the most powerful Oni clans in existence, you cannot win against me in a fight."
"Is that so? Why don't we put it to test then? I could definitely release some pent up steam now," I said, getting a devious smirk across my face.
I narrowed my eyes a bit when he twitched and tensed, the color of his scarlet eyes darkening a little. It was momentary but he smirked soon after and tilted his head up a little to try to appear superior to me. "Very well, if that is what you wish," he said, "however, remember that if I win, you will come with me without further fuss."
"And if I win," I retorted, "you will stop following me and Chizuru around with your two buddies."
"Fair enough," he agreed. "I'll let you make the first move."
"If it were any other time, I wouldn't have agreed to that because I always prefer a no-handicap match but I'll take up your offer this time because I need to let out some steam before I burst."
I launched at him and first threw a kick at his face. He merely lifted his hand and blocked me without batting an eyelid and I cursed under my breath. I pulled back for a moment and sent out punches and kicks as I saw fit, hoping to get an opening to striking him harshly. However, I saw no opening and every single one of my onslaughts were blocked by his bare hands.
"Your fighting skills are impressive, Sara, and would definitely leave any human as a bloody pulp. But you're going to have fight much better if you want to leave at least a bruise on me," Kazama san mocked, making a vein pop. "As much as I am enjoying your feistiness, I don't have the patience to play along for any longer and have those annoying Shinsengumi dogs be a hindrance again."
"Don't you dare insult the Shinsengumi!" I barked and thrust my fist at his face again.
Much to my surprise, he was no longer smiling – he seemed somehow displeased and he caught my fist in his hand before yanking me forward. I fell against his chest, unable to resist the force with which he had pulled me forward and his arm was snaked around my waist. I pushed against him, struggling to get out of his hold in vain.
"Let go of me, you creep!" I hollered.
"Stop struggling – you're attracting unnecessary attention," he said with a grunt. I looked around briefly, realizing that several passer-by's were watching us with curiosity and concern. It gave me an idea but I wondered if it would really work against an Oni.
"Don't even think about it – calling out for help won't help you," Kazama san said, as if he had read my thoughts. "You're quite troublesome – I suppose you leave me no choice but to silence you."
"What are you-ouch!" I winced when I felt sudden pressure on the nape of my neck. Black spots covered my vision from Kazama san's gesture and I mentally cursed. I went limp as I vaguely felt Kazama san pick me up in his arms like a bride before he began walking. I exhaled deeply and slumped against him, my consciousness fading into the darkness.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Welp...this was bound to happen sooner or later, huh? Sara just got kidnapped by a mean demon!
...
A hot demon, too, apparently XD
I wonder how things are going to play out for her and Kazama in the next chapter. I can't believe I left you guys at such a cliffhanger...oops ^^'
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