wouldn't it be nice if we could wake up
in the morning when the day is new?
Her eyes snap open, the sound of clattering feet and muffled shouts waking her. The usual stillness of the compound is disrupted by these noises, and by the orange glow she can barely make out through deceptively-thin tatami screens.
Fire.
The sheets leave her body and her geta are on her feet in a matter of seconds, weapon held in her grasp in even less time. She opens her door a crack, confirming that the commotion is on the other side of the compound before exiting fully.
Her wooden shoes make no noise on the floor as she rushes through the halls, gaze sharp around every corner and body tensing in anticipation as voices grow louder and fire-light grows brighter.
She rounds a corner, finally happening upon the source of the disruption.
It is worse than she thought.
An entire wall of the compound is gone, blown apart by the tells of singed wood and still-burning fires. Shadowed figures leap and dance around each other, and she curses as she is forced to wait and hide another moment for her eyes to adjust to the dark of the night.
When they do, she growls audibly at the sight of red clouds on black cloaks.
Akatsuki.
A person flies past her crouched position, into the wall behind her, and she recognizes it as Heihachi. She rushes to his side, seeing he is conscious, but disoriented. His silent nod acts as the giving of permission, and she stands quickly, searching for her fallen comrade's opponent.
Eyes narrow when they land on the one semi-still figure, who smiles broadly once he realizes her attention is on him. His hands raise reflexively, fingers wiggling at her in a grotesque imitation of a wave.
She doesn't wait a moment more, darting forward and pulling her sheathed weapon up in a long-arced swing, one that he dodges easily. As anticipated. Her foot strikes out, landing a blow on his stomach and sending him careening backwards in a way that imitates the fall of her ally. His smile is a little more angry now, accompanied by furrowed brows, and her opponent doesn't hesitate in springing up from his fallen position to retaliate.
Her main focus is keeping his hands out of those pouches on his hips, knowing all-too-well what can come as a result of that. She swipes at his torso, allowing her strikes to be blocked by his armor-clad forearms.
The weapon is still sheathed, and this seems to be the deciding factor in getting her enemy to talk.
"Not going to bring it out tonight, hm?" His voice is annoying as always, seeming to know exactly what pitch and intonation to take in order to dig into her head. "Didya clean it this morning? Make it all shiny?"
She only grins back at him, her tone deceptively light-hearted as she bites back, "Your blood isn't worth staining my blade."
She dodges the immediate palm strike to her chest, bending backwards and allowing the momentum to bring her to the ground. Her leg swings around and knocks out the knees of her opponent, who retaliates by leaping onto her from his crouched position. Her remark has made his eyes burn and hands twitch in anger, but she can only smile at his reaction.
Said fingers wrap around her neck suddenly, and she grunts uncomfortably as they tighten. Her body thrashes under his larger one, but is soon knocked off by a solid kick to his ribcage. Shichiroji lands with light footsteps after flipping over the two tussling on the ground, and she sends the other woman a grateful nod. Shichiroji says nothing, leaping through the air to dodge the strike of a large, bandage-covered sword.
She turns her attention back to her own fight, just in time to see her opponent drawing his hand from his pouch, hands moving swiftly around the material grasped within them. A curse leaves her mouth, and she rushes the man, spinning in to a kick aimed at his head, a move he barely dodges with his hands so occupied.
This dance continues, of her lashing out rapidly and he dodging it with barely inches to spare, and she has to grit her teeth when she sees a solid figure forming in his hands.
He halts suddenly, a wide smirk crossing his face and his fingers stilling. She stops, too, a harsh breath leaving her mouth as he winds up his arm. The figure flies from his hands to her person, and she is forced to roll to the side to avoid the ensuing explosion.
Heat warms her back, but she is luckily far enough to avoid getting burnt - but nothing is stopping the dozens of shards of wood heading in her direction.
Well, until her hand finds purchase in the wood flooring beneath her feet, ripping at a particularly large panel easily and bringing it up to cover her form. The splinters in her fingers will be far easier to remove than the chunks of wood that sink in harshly to her makeshift shield. One nearly makes it out the other side entirely, emerging right near her left ear, it's sharp edges glinting mockingly in the dim light of the moon.
Yeah, she can deal with splinters.
She can tell the battles around her pause temporarily, taking in the explosion, the hole it creates, and the ensuing fire it starts. Embarrassment creeps up her neck. Kambei will surely give her a lecture later, about what she did wrong and what she could have done right, but everyone's attention quickly returns to their own fights.
Her fingers tense around the panel in her hold, and she twists her body, allowing it to spin with the momentum as she tosses it - like a glorified frisbee - at her opponent. He slips out of the way, as she expected, and she is waiting with fist cocked as he recovers out of his somersault.
Her punch sends him flying, a harsh smack against his jaw that only makes her hand ache a little, and she doesn't let up in her forward advance. Rage, at letting him slip through her defences and destroy more of her home, is what makes each kick and punch harder and faster than the last.
"Halt!"
The harsh command, ever-familiar to her and her teammates, makes their bodies tense instantly. Their opponents do the same, but it's hard to tell whether it is out of respect for her leader's words, or simply reactionary. The latter, most likely.
Everyone's gaze travels to the centre of the courtyard, where Kambei stands, spine stiff and sword held tightly in her grip. And held against the second-in-command of their invaders.
She knows the importance of this particular enemy - an importance reflected in the barely-contained anger that shakes through the man standing across from Kambei. His carefully-constructed mask of arrogance and indifference is still in place on his face, but the clenching of his hands gives away the rage he is struggling to control.
"Release her, woman," His voice is reminiscent of thunder rumbling in the distance, and his grey gaze pierces through her leader. She is only slightly nervous, simply at the thought of the two massive powers in front of her meeting in battle.
"Leave, now," Her leader says, staring unflinchingly back, "The battle you seek will not be fought on this night. Leave while you have blood left to be spilled." The sword in her hand moves a fraction of an inch closer to the neck of her hostage, making the tiniest of cuts on the other woman's skin. The thin stream of blood that leaves the wound is enough for the orange-haired man opposing her to make a decision.
"…Retreat." Even her own opponent, known for his snappy quips and disobedience, does not hesitate at this command. He sends her one final, venomous look, before he and his allies disappear over the walls of their compound and in to the night.
Kambei lowers her blade, allowing the woman held at her side to break free. She pauses at the side of her leader, who nods his head minutely. He and Kambei stare each other down for a brief moment, before he says something in a voice too-quiet to hear at her distance. His words make Kambei's body tense visibly, and there is a beat of silence before he, too, disappears into the shadows surrounding their compound.
The only light around them is the moon and the still-soldering fires, but this dimness does not detract from seeing Kambei's jaw clench tightly. She steps forward, as do her allies, gathering around their leader.
"What did he say, Kambei?" The deep voice of Kyuzo breaks through the noise of crackling fire and crumbling wood. Kambei's jaw loosens minutely, and she debates her answer, before murmuring, "…They intend to steal back the rings."
She feels her stomach churn at this revelation, knowing the threat - no, the promise that lurks behind these words. A promise of unrelenting attacks and brutality until they get their way. Until they get what they want.
Everyone around her seems to sink into this realization as well, a solemnness weighing over the groups. She begins to pick at a splinter in her hand, a nervous energy making her antsy and restless.
Kambei turns to them, amber eyes glowing in the light of the fire, and the smirk on her ruby lips throws them all off, a little.
"A little back-up cannot hurt, hm?"
Sakura yanks the splinter out of her hand a little-too suddenly and grimances.
She does not like the sound of that.
Eggsy does not like the look of that.
Yes, he's had sushi before. Yes, he's just some uncultured London kid raised on bar food and microwaveable meals. But no, he will not be putting those… those orange, slimy, sticky-looking—
"Fish eggs, hm? Lovely," He has to hold back a gag when Harry pops a weird-orange-ball covered sushi roll into his mouth, but the ensuing, muffled squelch that comes from his mouth makes Eggsy audibly gag.
"Aw, Harry, man, that's rank," Eggsy says around a grunt, picking at the simple cucumber roll on his own plate. Harry takes his time to chew and swallow, staring at the younger man out of the corner of his eye. "'Specially cause it's airplane sushi," Eggsy continued, mostly to himself.
Harry clears his throat, taking a mild sip of the martini resting in his cupholder. Eggsy rolls his eyes, only so used to the silence of his partner that usually acts as a prelude to some sarcastic remark.
"Not served sushi very often in the palace, hm?" Eggsy lets out a fake, over-exaggerated laugh at this, biting back, "HAH! Haha, yeah, good one, Harry! Yeah, divorce, getting left for a German DJ, fuckin' hilarious! You are just—"
The airplane jolts, suddenly, and Eggsy cuts himself off with a curse as Harry covers the rim of his martini to ensure none spills. "We are landing," His partner says plainly, and Eggsy feels like ripping that damn eyepatch off of his face, but he settles for reclining further into his plush seat and sighing annoyedly.
The call, received at about 7 p.m. the night prior, is what has them rushing aboard the plane and travelling to Japan in less than 20 minutes. It is from that country's counterpart organization to the Kingsman - one of the few agencies that Harry has triple-checked and confirmed to be free of corruption. The Seven Samurai, they were called - Eggsy still feels a little embarrassed over his exclaimed, "Like the movie?!" - and they were in need of assistance regarding a terrorist organization… well, terrorizing the country.
Harry provided no further details before he herded Eggsy aboard their private flight. He couldn't help but feel excitement brewing in his chest - despite the time he has spent as a Kingsman, Eggsy still finds meeting new people, similar in skill and purpose to him, an exhilarating experience.
And he'll never turn down kickin' some villain's ass.
He has slept for most of the 12-hour flight, only really waking up to pick at the meals set before him. And usually, they're pretty good, as far as airplane food goes - but forgive him for not wanting fish eggs swimmin' around in his guts for a couple weeks.
Yes, he knows they won't actually hatch.
The plane lands without another bump, and Eggsy ducks his head to peer out the window, taking in the expansive flat of what he presumes to be a hidden airstrip, surrounded by looming, dark trees. Dark storm clouds leer in the distance, and Eggsy's grateful they arrived before the downpour that seems to be imminent.
"Eggsy." The simple remark from Harry draws his attention away from the window, to see his mentor standing in front of the open plane door, waiting for him. Eggsy undoes his seatbelt swiftly, excited to step foot in this new country, and more-so excited to meet these Seven Samurai for the first time.
Or Four Samurai. Whoever shows up.
The sun is not-too-harsh on his eyes, a smooth breeze murmuring past his face as he steps onto the stairs. The forest around them seems to stretch on endlessly, not even a road to drive on in sight. The whirring of the plane engines dim as the machine shuts down, and then all Eggsy can hear is the engine of a car and Harry's footsteps traveling down metal stairs. He follows after his mentor, pulling at his tie subtly and pressing away any wrinkles that may have appeared on his navy-blue suit.
Eggsy looks up from adjusting his suit to see Harry talking to someone - but the person is shorter than his mentor and it's impossible to tell what they look like. But the tall, lanky man standing across from Harry is entirely visible and the tiniest bit intimidating.
He has long limbs and broad shoulders, standing casually enough that the average person could perceive him as laid-back. Eggsy, though, recognizes a man on the defence - in the slight tilt of his head, the angling of his body away from Harry as an instinctual "ready-to-flee-if-needed."
He wears an altered navy suit - the jacket reaching mid-calf and creased in a way reminiscent of the folds of a kimono. A coal-covered mask and similarly-coloured bandana conceal most of the man's face, the latter accessory barely holding up disheveled silver hair. It makes him look older than he probably is. An easy way to have an enemy underestimate you at a quick glance.
Eggsy probably would've put a different colour with the navy suit, a deep red, maybe, but he's more-so amused at the fact "finely-tailored uniforms" seems to be a must-have amongst international spy organizations.
Harry steps aside when he seems to sense Eggsy has reached their little group - how he does that with one eye and Eggsy's now-silent footsteps is unexplainable.
Eggsy then sees the individual Harry has been talking to, and feels stupid to think grey hair was a great way to get a one-up on your opponent.
Because the person - woman - is possibly the most delicate-looking thing he's ever seen.
All rose-coloured hair, fern-coloured eyes, lace-coloured skin - she looks like a fuckin' shortcake brought to life. A welcoming smile spreads on her face when those eyes land on him, and Eggsy just feels extremely thrown off.
She wears a similarly-altered version of a suit - this one in a deep maroon shade that really shouldn't work with all the colours of her hair and eyes, but does. The neckline is v-shaped, thick collar and crisp folds once again mimicking that of a kimono. Unlike her partner, however, around her stomach is a thick… belt, sash, thing (he doesn't know the fuckin' word for it) that brings her waist in and also probably hides dozens of weapons.
The gentleness of her self is betrayed by the tenseness of her body and the observant glint in her eye. If Eggsy weren't himself - weren't a Kingsman, he would probably be blushing at her blatant perusal of his form.
If she isn't one of the Seven Samurai, he'll probably shit himself when he lays eyes on the real thing.
When she takes a single step towards him, Eggsy feels like some weird Japanese-cake-lady spell has been broken and remembers he is supposed to be a poised, gentlemanly representative of the Kingsman legacy.
So he does the absolute smartest thing and shifts into a fumbled, shitty half-bow.
Harry didn't bow, you stupid shit, an angry voice says from the back of his mind.
He thinks there is a humorous twinkle in her eye when she responds with a much more delicate, natural bow. Eggsy knows there is a laugh in her smile when she holds out her hand to shake his.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Eggst. You may call me Kikuchiyo," He also knows he will probably butcher her name, "And this is Gorobei. We are members of the organization known as they Seven Samurai."
She gestures mildly to the grey-haired man behind them, whose visible eye crinkles suddenly in what is probably a smile and gestures back with a loose-wrist wave.
Eggsy sends an annoyed glance at Harry's direction - he got to them first, so he got to be Galahad this time. It was a childish, simple way to deal with the whole taking-on-the-name-of-my-dead-mentor-who-is-then-alive problem ; whoever laid claim on the name first got to use it for the duration of their assignment. Harry sends him a bland-half smile and Eggsy begrudgingly returns his attention to the pink-haired woman in front of him.
"We are very grateful for your assistance - for the assistance of the Kingsman. And we utterly in your debt," Kikuchiyo's voice is smooth and light, and the smile stays on her face as she looks to him; pure, honest gratitude shines in her green eyes and makes his stomach squirm.
Eggsy coughs, hoping he looks cooler than he feels, and nods his head sharply, "O-of course. Whatever we can do to help."
Kikuchiyo's smile widens and makes her eyes crinkle at the corner.
Eggsy convinces himself the fluttering in his chest is from some bad sushi and not the gorgeous pink-haired fuckin' samurai chick standing in front of him.
Harry just sighs.
/an/
ahhhhhhhHHHHHhhhhhHhH i'm so excited to post this ! but also incredibly nervous ! kingsman is such a fantastic universe and i'm real excited to bring my bb girl sakura into it! i hope the concept of the seven samurai names wasn't too confusing. this is set about a year or so after kingsman: the golden circle, and (as said in the story) eggsy and tilde have divorced ! oOps !
the real names of the seven samurai will be revealed (either through context clues or sakura just stating their real names) as the story progresses - and though eggsy / sakura don't know each other's real names they'll get there too ;)))))
i hope the first part wasn't confusing also - i wanted to wait until the final moments to reveal it was from sakura's point of view.
i'm so excited to go through this journey with you all ! it's going to be much more lighthearted and have a faster-paced romance than smeraldo (my avengers xover) just to reflect the tones of the source material :) if you have any comments (on characterization / concept), or if you enjoyed this, please please leave a review ! they motivate me so much and it always makes me want to post more efficiently and more frequently ;))))
thank you so much for reading!