Author's Note: Written for the LJ comm 100_fairytales; the prompt used was 'the snare'.


The robotic eye of Ogami's koubu swiveled around cautiously. "No sign of the wakiji, or Satan..."

"Nothing on this side, Captain," crackled Maria's voice in his ear.

He nodded. "Be careful. It may be an ambush."

"Yes, sir."

The temple grounds were deserted, black scorch marks marring the otherwise serene facade. His fingers tightened around the controls of his machine.

"Alright, listen u – damn, it's a trap!"

An immense evil reiryoku made itself known just as the wakiji rose from the ground – the Hanagumi clustered together in a defensive position. Luckily, none of them had been caught off guard.

"What a pleasure, Imperial Fighting Troupe," remarked a familar voice; Aoi Satan materialized before them on the steps of the main temple hall.

"Aoi Satan! Today will be the day we bring you to justice!" roared Ogami, brandishing his swords. A wakiji came too close and was promptly cut down.

The tall man appeared amused. "Really? I look forward to it." Wakiji advanced at a gesture from his hand. "Maria, Sakura-kun, Sumire, take the left! Kanna, Kohran, the right! Iris, stay with me!"

"Right, Onii-chan!" chirped the French girl, proud to be staying with him. The other girls echoed their acknowledgments – in decidedly less familar tones – and moved into battle.

For a while, there was nothing but the sound of fighting; the ring of steel on steel and the hissing as the steam machinery of the wakiji gave way. Ogami kept an eye on their leader the entire time, and was disturbed to see his smile had not shifted.

The captain's mind whirred even as he fought, analysing the situation; members of the Kuronosu Council had been seen over the past few months. Always with a major temple in the vicinity – Shiba park, and now Eko-in were the exceptions, the latter being a small shrine dedicated to a holy stone inhabited by a Shinto deity. The wakiji that fought were numerous but easily defeated. He frowned –

"Ogami-han!" came in Kohran. "My sensors are picking up immense reiryoku readings from the temple!"

"Where Satan is?"

"No, behind him in the main hall!"

Too late, Ogami noticed the man was gone. He charged towards the main hall –

"Demon-driven Kamui!"

Satan's Kamui rose from the ground, blocking his path.

"Damn!"

"I'm afraid I cannot allow you to pass, Hanagumi," came the smooth voice of their enemy. "You arrived too quickly and interrupted my business."

"We can't waste any time! Formation to Destroy Evil!"

The Hanagumi's koubus moved into position smoothly, the girls pouring their reiryoku into Sakura, the formation's centre. Ogami followed directly behind her.

"Ouka Houshin!"

In a blindingly bright flash of light, the Kamui was blown out of the way – revealing Aoi Satan standing int he middle of the temple grounds beside a giant object suspended in midair.

Ogami heard a sharp intake of breath over the radio – it could have been Kanna or Kohran, he was not sure.

"What the hell is that?" The voice that spoke was unmistakably Kanna's.

It resembled a giant spindle of sorts; black, with pointed, screw-like top and bottom. Aoi Satan had his hands together and was chanting; with every word, the object pulsated and Ogami winced from the strong dark energy radiating from it.

It was clear whatever it was, it would be to their advantage if it was destroyed.

"Go for Satan!" commanded the captain. "I'll destroy that thing!"

Even as he spoke, more wakiji swarmed in, blocking their view. He evidently was not to be disturbed in his task.

The influx had separated him and Sakura from the rest of the Hanagumi; in their charge into the main compound, they had avoided the press of mechanical soldiers which surrounded the other members of the team.

"Maria! Kanna! Kohran! Iris!"

"We can handle things here, Captain," came in Maria. "Stop Satan!"

"... Right. Sakura-kun, back me up," he said reluctantly.

"Yes, sir!"

"Onkiriri basara unbatah – mun!"

Just before they could attack him, Aoi Satan's eyes flew open and he shot them a look of triumph. The strange black object sank into the ground without a trace.

"It is done!" he gloated. "Our lord Bishop Tenkai is supreme in Tokyo once more!"

Sakura aimed a swipe at him; he dematerialized and reappeared on the torii of the temple gates.

"I'm afraid I cannot stay and play more with you, Imperial Fighting Troupe. Until next time."

"Kanzaki Fujinryu, Butterfly Dance!" Sumire's powerful final attack dispatched the remainder wakiji and the rest of the Hanagumi rejoined their captain.

"We're sorry for being late," apologised Maria. "If we had been a bit faster, Satan wouldn't have escaped."

"It's alright – we protected the nearby homes, and none of you were hurt. That's more important." The front of Ogami's koubu hissed open and he leapt out. "But what was that strange black thing? Kohran, did your sensors manage to get anything on it?"

"Not much." She poked at a dial. "Jest that it was th' largest energy reading I'd ever picked up – stronger even than Iris' – an' it was evil." The Chinese girl gave an involuntary shudder. "Jest plain evil."

Silence fell over the Hanagumi.

"Well, no point in remaining here," interrupted Ogami. "Let's return to the Theatre – I'll report this to General Yoneda."

He watched them trail away; Kanna and Sumire were talking quietly together, evidently too depressed by this turn of events even to bicker. Kohran fiddled with the various instruments in her koubu. Iris clung to his leg, Jean Paul clutched tightly under her free arm and had to be urged to join the others with a soft word from Ogami.


That evening, he had not much appetite for dinner and stayed in his room instead of going down to the dining hall. The worn handbook which Yoneda had given him when he became captain lay opened on his lap, forgotten; the young naval ensign stared off into the distance.

Yoneda and Ayame, his deputy, had taken the news grimly, along with the additional information; Ogami was sure his old friend Kayama would be kept busy gleaning as much knowledge as he could.

"It's not a total loss, Ogami," the commander had said, clapping him on the back, "so don't look so dejected. At least we know why the Kuronosu Council targeted the places they did – all we have to do is figure out what those things were. You actually made our job a little easier."

Despite his commanding officer's words, he was not as optimistic.

There was a knock at the door. "Ogami-san?"

"Sakura-kun."

It opened; Sakura stood there, a tray in her hands. "Erm, you didn't go down for dinner so Kanna-san made a tray for you and I volunteered to bring it up."

He smiled and pushed his chair back, walking over to take it from her. "You shouldn't have bothered; I'll go down to the kitchen when I'm hungry." Ogami blinked at the weight of the tray as he took it. "Whoa – did you say Kanna cooked today?"

She laughed. "Kanna-san said the extra food would cheer you up."

Ogami sweatdropped. "Eheh – I hope it does."

Instead of leaving, as he expected her to do, Sakura lingered at the door, her hands fidgeting in her lap. She was looking apprehensive, much like she had been in the early days of their acquaintance when she had been nervous and awkward.

"... Ogami-san, you fought well today," she said, blushing madly.

He shook his head. "Satan got away, and I failed to stop him from doing what he intended to do. I hardly think it qualified."

Sakura's eyes widened, all embarrassment forgotten. "Of course it did! Without your commands, we wouldn't have defeated the Kamui that quickly and saw the strange object."

"Now that we know what the Kuronosu Council are trying to do, we'll soon be able to predict where they'll attack next so less people have to suffer. The next time, we'll defeat him." The young girl smiled. "Cheer up, Ogami-san. I believe in you."

At last he managed a smile. "Thanks, Sakura-kun. You always know what to say to make me feel better."

"So do you," she responded, and promptly blushed.

Ogami's face was as red as hers; he busied himself with the dinner tray.

"I need to go," managed Sakura. "Good night, Ogami-san. Try not to worry so much." She ducked out the door before he could say anything.