A/n: Double-chapter update again this week. Kindly go to Chapter 5 for where this story last left you.

What Pumps the Blood (Faster)

Chapter 6 – The Women in Red

The thing was, even this got boring.

A Harusame pirate from the Sixth Division once called him a mad dog –going as far as to associate the Yato clan as barbaric, and at times, cannibalistic. Well, Kamui couldn't deny the fact that the way they fought was rather barbaric rather than elegant like those samurais. And he also couldn't deny that some Yato clansmen actually did eat the fleshes of their own kinds. But at the end of the day, Kamui believed being a Yato was actually much simpler than that.

It was the desire, the understanding where the only place where they could truly be alive was in a battlefield.

But not this kind of battlefield, he thought as he kept his lips pursed in a thin line –gone was his eager smirk. Enthusiasm was running out as the government officials' bodies were crushed by his fists. He memorized the sound already; he remembered the scent of metallic blood –all these battlefield sensation gone dull, it was too easy, he lusted for none of these.

"What are you doing here?!"

The voice was loud and obnoxious, but Kamui would recognize that voice anywhere. The flash of bright orange hair nearly identical to his was a vibrant addition to those boring red, and he soon came into a contact with none other than his crybaby sister.

Squashing the head of the soldier on his right, Kamui smiled at his sister, "What are you doing here?"

Mimicking her brother, but in a (considerably) more pacific manner, Kagura swung her umbrella towards the upcoming government officials –sending them flying in a count of seconds. "Taking care of the mess you created! I told you not to mess up with people on earth!" Kagura roared as she batted her umbrella and pushed her other opponents to her brother instead.

Kamui took accurate steps in avoiding them all, more skulls crushed and hearts pierced in the process (to Kagura's darkening mood). "If you haven't noticed already, our opponents are the same."

The look on Kagura's face was precious –like the notion of Kamui siding with morality could only come when the world's population was completely annihilated. But she took note on his point and the evidence he gave. Clicking her tongue and tightened her grip around Sadaharu's neck more, she gave him another batting of umbrella (which he effortlessly evaded) and warned him, "Don't go into unnecessary killing rampage! Just immobilize these people without killing them!"

The big brother put up an innocent face as he jumped and stepped at more officials. The amount of blood splattered made it clear that he was not heeding his sister's words. "You just asked for the impossible, Sis."

Kagura clenched her teeth. She did not need to deal with Kamui's obsession at this point of time. She still had to find Tsukuyo and free all the Yoshiwara girls –Hinowa included. Fighting Kamui would make her lose a lot of times, but on the other hand, she could not allow Kamui to play judgment on these officials –regardless of how dishonored they were. Giving an angry roar, she was about to lay a hit to Kamui's head when Abuto interjected and prevented the siblings from hurting each other.

"Returning you the favor," the messy-haired guy remarked as he lifted Kamui over his shoulders. "You go handle the situation around here, little miss. Leave the stupid captain to his subordinate."

"Thanks Abuto!" Kagura yelled out, and went to another area where she could practice her batting skill more.

As Kagura leaped and left their sights, Kamui spoke to Abuto. "You know, the only reason I'm not fighting you back is because I'm curious as to whether you favor my sister more than me now," Kamui said as he made himself more comfortable over Abuto's shoulders. Kamui wrapped his legs around Abuto's neck just in case Abuto's answer did not satisfy him.

Abuto swayed his big arm to the confronting soldiers and cleared the way out of Edo Terminal yard area to a more secluded corner. "The only reason you'd do this kind of job is when there's a catch behind it. Rather than tiring yourself up, let's just leave these mundane matters to your sister and I'll help you reach your original aim instead."

Brightening his face up upon hearing Abuto's answer, Kamui relaxed his legs around Abuto's neck –but still refusing to climb down Abuto's shoulders. "You always know what I want the most, Abuto," he remarked in satisfaction.

"Just how long do you think I've been coping up with you?" Abuto stated tonelessly –crushing the seemingly endless approaching soldiers. "So which way to go?"

Holding Abuto's hair with his left hand and pointing to the big space ship at the center with his right hand, Kamui cheered, "To the control room!"

Abuto obeyed.

Though…

"Captain?"

"Hmm?"

"Would you mind walking by yourself instead?" the older guy pointed out to the fact that Kamui was still sitting comfortably around his shoulders.

"Nuh," Kamui replied as he clenched Abuto's hair tighter. "Not everyday I can ride my own horse, so go straight up to the control room!" the captain announced happily.

Jiiya never let her step into the kitchen, much less to touch knife or any sharp object for that matter.

But there she was, holding the short sword Shinpachi lent her as she tore up the ropes that were tied around the drums. Opening the lid of the drum, she could find the struggling-yet-tied Yoshiwara woman inside each of the drum. Soyo reached out to the inside of the drum and as carefully as she could so as not to hurt the woman, tear the ropes that tied them up.

"How many more?!" Shinpachi screamed from the entrance as he tried to prevent more officials infiltrating the space ship. He and Seita had taken care of those guarding the inside the space ship, but the rest others in the yard had realized their attempts on releasing the Yoshiwara women and were barging inside the space ship.

Soyo glanced at the dozens of drums that were still not opened. The women who were already released were mostly civilians and not the Hyakka –none was armed, and while some did try to help releasing their friends who were still tied inside the drum, they needed sharp objects –which were not much in supply. "Er…" Soyo responded noncommittally. They had opened a back passage, and most of the women were trying to flee anyway.

Heaving a frustrated sigh (with only one sword, there was no way she could release all these women before Shinpachi and Seita were eventually outnumbered), Soyo gazed around and caught the sight of a few group of freed women who still remained in the ship to help releasing the others. Futile, Soyo knew. They needed swords, knives –

That.

She headed to a large window pane on their backside and started banging her borrowed sword to the window. She cursed under her breath. She was no Okita –there was no way she could destroy this window to glass shards with her power. She needed, she needed …

"Shinpachi! Seita!" she screamed from the back part of the loading floor to Shinpachi who was guarding the front entrance. "Throw any of those men this way! Aim to the window!"

"What?!"

"The window! We need many glass shards so that the released women can help releasing the –"

The riots broke Shinpachi's concentration. "I can't hear you!"

Gritting her teeth, Soyo tried to scream louder, "The window! Throw something –"

The windows shattered into millions of shards before Soyo could finish her statement.

Instinctively, Soyo shielded her face, but in those seconds and in between those shattering pieces of glass, she could see the bizarre image of a big man and a smaller one riding over the former's shoulders. She managed to catch the sight of what just happened: the fist that easily broke the window and the childish smile on that demon's face.

"Would this do?" Kamui referred quickly before he and Abuto (who obediently still became his horse) leaped away from the first floor and dashed up to towards the stairs to the next level of the space ship.

Soyo blinked momentarily at the unlikely assist, but realized that she had no moment to waste. Collecting the bigger shards (and ignoring the cuts on her palms), she hurried herself to the remaining women. She handed one of them who looked the most capable her sword and distributed the glass shards to the rest –taking another piece of glass for herself.

With the employment of more Yoshiwara women, the operation to release the remaining women was done more effectively. Soyo knew she could not stop there. Cutting the ropes with shards was definitely harder than cutting it with sword. Soyo clenched her grip around the shard and screamed as she tried to rip off the rope –the shard digging onto her skin more as she did so. It hurt, but Shinpachi and Seita were risking their lives buying Soyo time to release all of them, so even when her entire palms were already tainted red, she knew she could not stop.

"Come on," Soyo muttered in agitation as the ropes refused to be easily torn. "Come on!"

A piece of kunai came into her line of sight. Out of reflex, Soyo thought of evading, but a second later, she realized that the kunai was only used to help her tear the ropes. Looking at her left, she found Tsukuyo by her side.

"A princess' hand should not be marred like this," Tsukuyo said regretfully as she gently pushed Soyo behind. "Rest easy, Princess. The Hyakka is here now."

"How anti-climatic," Jiraia commented to the newcomer in the control room. He calmly sat on the chair placed right in front of the controlling pane –or the remains of it.

Kamui jumped off Abuto's shoulder easily (and Abuto groaned as he flexed his arms. "Finally," Abuto sighed) and walked towards the sitting Jiraia. There were dead bodies of the pilots and space ships' crews near Jiraia's feet. Kamui found no reason why he should not have stepped on them, so he did –squashing the corpses even more in the process. "Anti-climatic?" Kamui asked back. Nudging at the finished ship crew and the destroyed control room, Kamui noted, "You successfully did your job. The spaceship cannot take off now. Though, hmm… I'd have to find a new spaceship to hijack, but that's okay."

Jiraia spun his chair around so that he could watch at the large monitor in front of him –the only thing that was still functioning in the control room. He could see the images of the completely defeated government forces and the Yoshiwara women who were running free from the spaceship through the back passage. The Hitotsubashi would not be pleased and they would send reinforcement, but Jiraia was sure that by the time the reinforcement arrived, no Yoshiwara women could be found in this place.

"She can do it herself," Jiraia noted as the image of Tsukuyo flashed on the monitor. "I don't even need to destroy this cockpit, and my student is already able to save Yoshiwara herself."

"Yeah, that's cool. She's a talented student and you're an awesome teacher. Congratulation on the successful mission, yay, you did it," Kamui said monotonously. "But most importantly, can I collect your debt now?"

Jiraia spun his chair again so that he faced Kamui. Abuto had taken a liking to the spot on the corner. He exhaled a deep sigh, but it was not as if he did not remember his captain's antics by heart.

"At full force. Attack me," allowed Jiraia.

"We have to leave now. The Hitotsubashi must have heard about this incident and they will come back with double the force," rasped Tsukuyo as she worked on the last row of the drums.

"Yoshiwara is not safe now," Shinpachi informed as he assisted Tsukuyo. "Go to Kabuki-cho."

Soyo sighed as she gazed at the large group of women who were running out of the space ship. "I don't know whether the backway of the terminal is cleared. I think one of you must lead the way for the girls to safely escape the terminal."

"Kagura's out there," Shinpachi reasoned. "She can guard them on the way to Kabuki-cho."

"Not the entire group," Soyo deliberated. "The government's alarmed now. Running in a big pack is suicidal. We must separate into several different routes."

"Seita and Hinowa have taken some to the east gate. The Hyakka can assist the second batch to Yoshiwara's secret underground tunnel," Tsukuyo mentioned as she signaled one of her subordinates to take care of the first group. "Kagura can lead the way to Kabuki-cho. Shinpachi, do you remember the hidden passage that Katsura used that time?"

Nodding, Shinpachi glanced at his surrounding. There were not many girls left to be released. "You can handle this here?"

"I'll guard Soyo as well," Tsukuyo promised. "We'll lead the last batch to the west river."

Assured with the plan, Shinpachi quickly jumped off the space ship and began leading the remaining panicked girls to his appointed passage way. Tsukuyo and Soyo gave a last glance to Shinpachi before they quickly worked on the last barrel. The girl inside was tied like the others, and upon cutting the ropes, a Hyakka who remained by Tsukuyo's side lifted the crying girl up.

"Great, now let's go," announced Tsukuyo.

"Tsukuyo-sama," called out one of the Hyakka.

"What?"

"Nothing, it's just… nevermind –"

"What is it?!"

"I-I might be mistaken, b-but… a while ago, I saw Jiraia-sama here. O-on the level above."

Tsukuyo froze. Her breath hitched as she remembered the memory of her teacher. "H-he's alive?"

"I-I might be mistaken, so –"

"He's heading where, you said?" Soyo asked. When the Hyakka girl motioned up stairs, Soyo felt the lurk of unpleasant feeling in her stomach again. Turning to Tsukuyo, who did not look like she could handle the news of her still alive teacher, Soyo still felt the need to inform her, "That's where the monster went as well…"

The additional information did not seem to work well on Tsukuyo, because her pale face turned a shade even paler at the reference.

"Tsukuyo-sama, I shouldn't have told you this –"

"We should leave," Soyo reminded Tsukuyo. Touching the older woman's arm, Soyo forced Tsukuyo to look at her. "I don't know who that man is to you, but you know your priorities. Those women need your guidance. You, we, have to leave. Now."

Now this was what he was looking for.

Spitting a mouthful of blood to the floor, Kamui grinned. For the last fifteen minutes of fight, he knew he had earned broken left ribs, a bruise to his right eye, and a dislocated shoulder. Oh well, he knew these injuries would heal in no time. He thought there must have been a masochistic side inside of him somewhere –because he got thrilled from the idea that someone managed to inflict injuries on him.

Though the damage on the other side was rather irreversible.

Jiraia coughed blood severely as he knelt on the floor. Jiraia's left arm was gone, and he could barely walk. Kamui knew he had landed a lethal jab to his liver. Kamui was not completely sure, but judging from the amount of blood Jiraia coughed out, there was a likely chance some of Jiraia's other internal organs were damaged as well.

Abuto sighed. The match had a clear victor already. His role to be his captain's ride had ended anyway, and he did not want to unnecessarily deal with Edo government (judging by the roaring, upcoming siren). "Captain, if you don't need any of my help, I'll just go look for the young miss, okay? You're listening? You're not. You never do. Fine," Abuto concluded himself as he turned around, broke a window and created a faster exit out of the spaceship.

Ignoring Abuto and squatting in front of Jiraia, Kamui smiled encouragingly to him. "I won't take the entire credit. I think if you had been younger you would have been able to inflict additional injuries on me. And," Kamui tilted his head slightly. "Hmm, you already have old wounds that could never fully heal, eh? Ah, you should have told me. I would have halved my strength for you."

"Don't disgrace yourself," Jiraia muttered. "I-if there's anything I like about you, I know you're the type that respects his opponent b-by going at full force."

Kamui blinked. It was not everyday that someone actually complimented his fighting philosophy. Others would only classify him as ruthless and unethical. Ah. Perhaps it took a real fighter to understand the true meaning behind a fight. Kamui felt like he was liking Jiraia more, but…

"Then, you won't mind if I finish you at full force now, do you?" Kamui decided; the smirk never left his face.

Soyo heard the incoming police siren. Not now…

She already felt like she wanted to pass out. Her energy had been drained from trying to release those women, and she had never been one cut for much of a physical exercise. Soyo looked ahead at the group of girls in front of her. They were still at the Terminal yard, but at least the girls at the front had nearly reached the back gate. They only needed to pass the gate and then Tsukuyo could lead the way to their temporary hideout. Now, Tsukuyo –

She glanced at her side and felt coldness ran through her spine when the said woman was no longer in sight. Panicked, she turned to the Hyakka girl on her other side and demanded, "Where is Tsukuyo-san?!"

"W-wasn't she beside you?" the Hyakka girl exclaimed back.

Soyo dreadfully looked behind her –to the terminal tower where the main spaceship was parked. It was dark, but the swiftest movement that went inside there was unmistakable.

"Tsukuyo!"

"Come on, man," Kamui groaned at the event that just unfolded before his eyes. He was so close on laying the final jab to Jiraia's skull, but faster than his hand, was this slim body sliding just between –preventing the hit to Jiraia's head, and causing a deep gash on the woman's shoulder instead.

"T-Tsukuyo…" Jiraia murmured beneath the girl.

Tsukuyo bit her lips, preventing the tears from falling from her eyes. She knew this man did not need her tears –not after all that he had done to her, to Gintoki, to Yoshiwara… but still. "S-Sensei…"

"Now this is the anti-climatic one, Jiraia," commented Kamui. "How can you let a girl, ah, is this the girl you've been wanting to protect? Hmm, wait, that scar… hey, you're that white samurai's girlfriend, aren't you?!" recognized Kamui. "Ah, too bad your boyfriend died already. I would have –"

Tsukuyo's grip on her kunai never weakened as the sharp tip made it to Kamui's neck.

Kamui groaned as he forcefully pulled out the kunai from his neck. It missed his vocal chord but it did make breathing a tad bit more uncomfortable to do. "Damn woman…" he growled; his voice hoarser than usual as he intended to grab Tsukuyo's neck and twist it. Ah, he missed. That wouldn't be enough to kill her. Pity. This woman was strong enough for her kind, although Kamui knew that she was not a threat for him. Her talent would be wasted –if she had child with the white-haired samurai, the kids would be insanely strong, too bad, Kamui mused.

A dull pain spread on his stomach. He smirked at the sight. Jiraia covering for Tsukuyo instead, and even in his dying condition, he still made the last attempt to use Tsukuyo's kunai to pierce his stomach.

But, Kamui smirked, Not enough.

His fist was clenched as his knuckles were ready to smash both people in a single strike. Tsukuyo could barely move; Jiraia miraculously could still even breathe, but that was not enough –

Now.

He paused.

Hmm.

Funny.

Very, very funny.

Blood seeped out of his left chest, but it would not taint his already black attire (and didn't he have a black heart to begin with?). Kamui looked down to his chest –seeing a single sword stabbing him from his back, piercing the flesh and muscles of his left chest, until the tip of its sword appeared on his front side. His eyes made a quick scan to the two people below him. No, not Jiraia. Not the samurai's girlfriend either.

He turned around to the monster he dared to turn his back into.

And Kamui's eyes widened.

You've got to be kidding me…

Soyo trembled as she released her grip around the hilt of the sword she just perfectly pierced into Kamui's heart.

To be Continued