***Content Warning: Spicy-ish bits ahead***

Chapter 9

The next day began an early morning, and Kitsune saw Ed and 'Kyo off with kisses before immediately going into to work-mode. She was good at stealth and surveillance, and the Edo vigilante used her liberally for her ghost-like abilities. All of that started with changing from woman she gleefully embraced since she'd come to town into a man no one would think about or remember.

Something bothered her about the previous night. At the time, her concern for Saori overrode everything else, but in the dead of night, exhausted both emotionally from the evening and physically from reaffirming the health and wellness of her men after they arrived back at her room, she had time to let her mind uncurl and unravel the puzzle she'd been entertaining.

The missing piece came to her as she meditated on the peaceful snores and affectionate embraces of her two best friends: Tsubaki. At no point during the fever pitch of the previous evening did anyone mention the good doctor. She would bet her Hanzo sword that had belonged to her grandfather that Tsubaki was the way out Toru and Willem were seeking.

So, she set out to find the doctor. She started at the brothel, but no one in the immediate area had seen him. After spending a couple hours in the area watching to make sure it was true, she found nothing to indicate he was in the area, so she made her way over to Dejima. Tsubaki was rumored to spend time here, though no one could say exactly why. She figured it was good a lead as any, so she walked the streets looking for a man of exotic good looks and flamboyant attire.

The problem came in avoiding the sharp eyes of one head translator/ninja, her beloved Eduard. With all the incoming merchants and dignitaries, he was likely incredibly busy, but she knew he could pick her out of a crowd with no effort whatsoever, disguised or not. Skulking up and down the streets of the island, she kept to the shadows and watched every face carefully.

She spotted Tsubaki in a narrow alley outside of the trading house, talking to an unusually tall merchant with long, incandescently white blond hair. They were too far away to hear them clearly, but she knew she could get close if she worked at it. Sticking to the shadows, she crept incrementally closer to the pair who seemed oblivious to her presence. Just when she got close enough to make out what they were saying, a hand clamped over her mouth and yanked her backwards into a side alley.

Kitsune wasn't just surprised, she was incensed. Casting her eyes around quickly, she saw that there were no witnesses, too bad for her attacker. She locked her teeth around one of the fingers across her lips, at the same time she stomped his foot and drew back a sharp elbow as hard as she could. Whoever held her was going to pay for the privilege. It took just a moment for her to twist out of his grasp as he leapt back with a surprisingly quiet yelp.

"Dammit, Kitsune! What is wrong with you?" he quietly snarled.

Of all the people she expected to see, Asagi didn't even make that list. "What are you doing here? Are you insane? I could have killed you!" Even now, her hand flexed its grip on the tanto blade she kept hidden in her kimono.

The priest looked over her shoulder and drew them both further into the dimly lit alley as he shook out the hand she bit. "Keep your voice down. I was tracking Willem with my shikigami and saw you were going to blow my surveillance. What are you doing here?"

"Tracking Tsubaki in hopes of finding Willem and Toru," she growled at him. "How'd you know it was me?"

A complicated smirk crept across his lips. "Trust me, you're pretty recognizable."

Kitsune narrowed her eyes at him. "Looking that hard, huh?" She normally wouldn't have provoked him but his snooty condescension was downright annoying.

Rather than answer, he looked behind her down the alley. "What would you have done if they saw you?"

She shrugged. "Run, I guess. Fought if I had to." She briefly pulled out her sheathed blade to show him before putting it back in its hiding spot.

"You got moves, I'll give you that." He looked at his finger which bore the perfect indentations of two sets of teeth. "But could you really fight back against a bullet?"

She was quiet for a moment. There was never going to be a time when she conceded he might be correct, on any topic at all. Still, his concern for her was entirely unwarranted, even if it was ...touching in its own way. She wasn't a newbie, this wasn't her first mission, and he didn't get to treat her like less than a full ninja just because of her gender. "Oh, I get it."

"Get what?" he asked, his suspicion plain on his face.

"You were threatened by the fact I was making headway in the investigation without the help of your supernatural little friends."

His grey eyes widened in shock as he loomed over her. "That is garbage and you know it."

But Kitsune was well past being dissuaded. He'd been a jackass to her for far too long to let this intrusion on her investigation go unchallenged. "So you're acting this way because you think I'm a woman who needs your protection?"

He rolled his eyes as he curled his lip in disgust. "The only protection you need is from yourself," he hissed. In the course of arguing, they'd moved closer together to keep their voices low, even as they fought. Good thing, too, since there were now voices approaching the mouth of the alley speaking Dutch.

Asagi moved quickly, pressing her back against a wall behind some boxes to hide their position. He held a finger against his lips and she nodded her understanding, his other hand braced against the wall by her head, shielding her behind his robes. His forehead resting on hers, he was so close that she could feel his breath on her lips.

The voices stopped just outside the alley, loud enough for them to hear but since it was a language neither of them spoke, it was of no use. Still, her adrenaline spiked as she waited for them to be discovered, her breathing now shaky and shallow and she was certain he could feel her heart pounding against her ribs. It wasn't like Asagi's blinding white robes were inconspicuous.

The moment the voices moved on, they sagged together in mutual sighs of relief.

"This is your fault, you know," he muttered as he continued to vigilantly watch the alley, not moving away from her in the slightest. As close as she was, she noticed little things about him. His incense smell, warm, sweet, and a little spicy, the line of his jaw, proud and strong, and his body. The robes hid a great deal, evidently, because he was easily as tall as Ed and almost as muscular as Ukyo.

"Oh really now?" she wondered as she looked up at him. As close as they were, weapons wouldn't even be necessary if they decided to throw down right here.

His sharp eyes locked onto hers and held them captive. "If you hadn't been snooping where you didn't need to be-"

"If you hadn't been spying on me," she interrupted, holding up a finger as her rancor returned.

He grabbed her hand by the wrist and pulled it to the side out of his face, leaning down even closer to her. "Well, somebody has to look after you if you're not going to do it yourself," he replied, completely unabashed at the way she called him out.

Kitsune cocked her head to the side as she watched him. The flush on his cheeks, his grey eyes taking on a stormcloud hue as they searched her face for something she could not define. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you cared."

He broke their gaze, scoffing, "You're delusional."

His dismissal only served to irritate her more. "Oh yeah? Prove it." She tightened her free hand in the lapel of his robe and pulled his mouth down to hers, sealing in his reply.

Asagi froze for a moment, long enough for Kitsune to really question the wisdom of her actions, but the instant she went to pull away, she found herself plastered against the side of the building, held up by his strong body melded to hers. He smoothed the hand he'd captured onto his shoulder, then grabbed her hips, hitching her up a bit further on the wall as he adjusted the angle of the kiss and wrapped her legs around his waist.

Her hand went into his hair, playing and twisting in it as they each warred for control of the kiss. It was a show of raw strength and brutality as they ground against each other, giving in to what neither of them should want.

Their lips broke apart, leaving both of them breathless even as their bodies continued to adjust to their new configuration. Her legs tightened around his waist and she didn't miss the way his now-very hard member rubbed against her core. Her arms were crossed behind his neck as he reached up and framed her face in his hands.

His eyes, so damn dark in the lengthening shadows of the afternoon, looked her over again, coming back to her lips, always her lips. "You have no right being this beautiful," he breathed as his tongue touched the corner of her mouth. "It's not fair." He took her mouth again with less violence, his assault no less effective as he sensually laid waste to her inhibitions with each passing second and swipe of his tongue. He pulled back again, his gaze clashing and tangling with hers. "Even dressed as a man like you are, kissing you is all I can think about."

The slight flush of his cheeks at his admission was almost endearing. At least, it would have been coming from anyone else who hadn't made it their life's mission to be her personal pain in the ass. But that wasn't what was important in that moment. She lay her finger over his lips to stem the flow of conversation. "Just kissing?" she asked, completely taken by the way his eyes widening in surprise. "Nothing else?"

The next kiss was nothing like the first. It was otherworldly, and her body couldn't help but respond to the carnal heat his lips and tongue conveyed. Asagi wasted no time tearing at the top of her kimono to free her breasts for his enjoyment, leaving her mouth to nibble at the flesh on the column of her neck. The way he touched and tasted her made it hard to keep quiet. Her body was slowly being consumed by the flames emanating from between the two of them.

"Did you find him?"

"Somebody said they saw him over here, but this can't be right. There's no one here."

The next voices that echoed down from the mouth of the narrow side alley was not only not in a foreign language, they were ones that both Asagi and Kitsune recognized instantly. Her eyes widened and when she would have gasped, he shook his head with his finger over his lips again, his expression clearly just as startled as her own.

Keeping a hold of her, he reached into his robe and removed a small sheet of paper with writing on it. After whispering something to it, he threw it up in the air like he would a shuriken.

Kitsune's shock at hearing Ukyo and Eduard's voices was quickly replaced by the impressive display of the piece of paper transforming into a bird that flew up and out of the alley, over the building. She'd never seen anything like it, and as much as she wanted to ask about it, their position and their concealment made that impossible. She knew he was a skilled diviner, but that display-as tiny as it was-was easily one of the most amazing things she'd ever seen.

"What is that?" Ed inquired after a moment.

"It's a shikigami. Asagi wants us to meet him by the front gate."

"Excellent. Hopefully he's found something."

Their conversation continued and faded as they made their way out of the alley and-more importantly-away from the pair and their assignation.

Kitsune let out a deep breath she'd been holding as she lowered her legs to the ground from around Asagi's waist. Her arms stayed around his shoulders, her open shirt hanging from her shoulders. "That was close."

"Too close," he agreed. Surprisingly, he kept his hands on her waist like he wasn't in a hurry to get away from her either. "This-" he indicated between the two of them. "This was-"

"Hot," she supplied, giving him a playful smile. They didn't have to go back to being enemies just because this didn't happen between them.

He closed his eyes and dropped his forehead to hers, snorting a quick laugh. "I was going to say 'not the best idea' but yeah, yeah it was that too." He went silent for a moment before heaving a deep sigh. "I have to go meet them."

"I know." She nodded slightly as she began to right her clothing. "Thank you…" she trailed off as he raised an eyebrow. "For looking after me." As much as it pained her to say, she felt that given the circumstances, it was the right thing to do.

"Anytime." Asagi brushed a quick kiss across her forehead before backing away from her. He was halfway to the entrance when he called over his shoulder, "Stay out of trouble."

Her quiet laughter followed after him. "Always."

That evening, they all made their way to the Meiko Salon individually. Kitsune had the entirety of her belongings from the inn with her, as there was no other way to conceal and transport her weapons. Though she hadn't seen Ukyo or Ed since they'd parted company that morning, she figured it wouldn't be a problem for one of them to put her up for the rest of her stay.

She arrived early to visit with Saori and check on her. As Shintaro promised, she was none the worse for wear, though the way Makoto cosseted and fussed over her, Kitsune would not have known that had they not spoken. Apparently a great deal had changed between the vigilante leader and his ninja apprentice since the night before, and the two seemed… closer, happier. It was sweet.

Ukyo and Eduard arrived at almost the same time as Asagi, each coming in from a different entrance. Kitsune returned Asagi's nod of acknowledgement as she embraced her two friends. Just because they had a close encounter earlier in the day was no reason to be rude or uncivilized.

By the time night fell completely, all of the vigilante except Yuzuki had dressed and assembled in Makoto's room, including Kitsune. Yuzuki was at his father's import shop, the Hiranoya, to take care of all last minute arrangements needed to make the trade negotiations go smoothly the next day. His was a vital part even if it did not mean suiting up to go to work.

It felt like old times standing between 'Kyo and Ed, dressed to kill. Literally. She couldn't help the small smile that played on her lips as she looked up at her two friends. Tall, strong, she reveled in the feeling of safety that came from being with them. The nostalgia combined with their new intimate connections warmed her heart despite the fact that they were preparing to leave for one of the most dangerous jobs any of them had ever undertaken.

Makoto was succinct as he addressed the group, handing out the assignments like it was any other mission, and she had to commend his professionalism. Their goals were the long-overdue punishment of Saburo Suetsugu, and the apprehension or assassination of his brother Toru. Regardless of their political distance apart, they were still brothers. A part of her wanted to hug him, give him some kind of comfort in this horrendous situation, but she knew his pride and station wouldn't allow him to submit to it. Hopefully Saori would be able to take care of him.

He was meticulous, as she suspected he would be, leaving nothing to chance. Ed and 'Kyo would be on bodyguard detail, the hunt for Willem and Tsubaki would fall to them as well, Kaname and Asagi would dispatch Suetsugu, and Kagura as clean-up and logistics.

"Kitsune and Shintaro," the vigilante leader called out, leading her and the golden-eyed giant to snap to attention. "You two are to find Toru. Capturing him is of the utmost importance to the magistrate. If you cannot…" he trailed off as he looked both of them in the eye, his face grim as the grave.

Kitsune nodded once, and didn't miss the deep sigh and melancholy look that passed over her new partner's face as he answered, "You can count on us, my lord."

"Then go, be careful. Nagasaki will know its vigilante bring justice!"

With his pronouncement came the adrenaline dump she always had before a mission. She was focused and ready, but one final detail obstructed her path.

Ukyo and Ed pulled her into a side room as she was getting ready to leave and shut the door behind her. To her they looked sharper, more dangerous, and even sexier than usual, if that were possible.

Ukyo pulled her into a bear hug that threatened to squeeze out her breath and possibly break the swords she had crossed behind her back. "Be careful. Shintaro will keep you safe, but don't take any unnecessary risks, okay?"

She nodded as he put her back down on her feet. "You too, 'Kyo. I can't lose you two now," she answered once she could breathe normally again.

Eduard's hug was less aggressive but no less intense. He held her like a lover going off to war, his fingers threaded through her hair as he held her head to his armored chest. "I love you. Please take care of yourself," he whispered against her temple.

His admission of love, so innocent and obviously heartfelt, had her eyes tearing up just a bit. She pulled back to take in his beautiful violet eyes. "You be careful. Look after each other and we'll meet back afterwards, okay? I love you both."

"Let's go, Kitsune! Move out!" Shintaro called through the closed door.

"Coming!" she replied. She turned to the guys and kissed them both soundly. "I mean it. Be careful and I love you." And then she pulled her hood up and was gone.

Running across rooftops silently to the harbor gave her time to contemplate her new partner. He was huge, taller and broader than Ukyo, he reminded Kitsune of a very large cat. He was heavily muscular, but graceful like the wind through the reeds. His face was handsome, with an interesting scar that stretched from his jaw to just under his eye that likely had an equally interesting story that went with it. And golden eyes that made him look like a statue or a piece of art.

The moon shone full and bright over the harbor as they watched from their perch from the roof of one of the fish markets that overlooked the solitary ship moored at the dock at this end of the port. The sea looked like someone had thrown out a handful of gemstones across the surface, the way it glittered. The ship they were watching-a massive three-mast fluyt with multiple sails, decks, and a fair amount of firepower-was the one indicated by Ukyo's informant and seemed the likeliest candidate for Toru and Tsubaki's escape.

In all honesty, Kitsune was not looking forward to meeting up with Toru again. Their last meeting had been so pleasant; it was a pity that it had come to this. But as bad as she felt, she could tell Shintaro was even worse off. As he knelt down at the edge of the roof, he looked like someone had killed his dog and blighted his crops.

"You alright?" she inquired, her voice as soft as the breeze that caressed their faces. She caught the flicker of his topaz eyes as he looked at her over his shoulder but didn't answer. "I know you can speak, I've heard you."

His eyes narrowed and he nodded slowly. "I'm sorry. I … don't do well around women." His deep voice was so hesitant, her heart hurt for him. She didn't want to make him uncomfortable, especially right before a mission.

Trying to lighten the mood, she joked, "We're on a job, not on a date." She nudged him with her hip as she took up a position next to him. "I promise I don't bite."

He nodded shakily and pushed to his feet. "If you say so."

His obvious discomfort made her wonder why Makoto would send them out together when he clearly could barely look her in the face. "So then the question stands. Are you okay?"

He rubbed the scar on his cheek before sighing and looking her in the eye. "I will be. Sir Toru saved my life, once upon a time. I still can't believe it's come to all this." He hung his head with a heartbroken expression that made her want to hug him.

"I'm sorry."

"Me too." They stood silently for a while until she could feel his curious gaze on her face.

"Yes?"

"How are you doing with all this? Yuzuki told me that you and Sir Toru were… acquainted." The last word was said as though he only just realized he was admitting to gossiping about her and suggesting something more than a little inappropriate. His eyes widened and she could tell his face flushed bright red, even in the moonlight. "That wasn't what… I just meant, you and he…" Finally, he gave up trying to explain and closed his eyes on a sigh. "I wasn't implying you are promiscuous."

"You weren't?" And what exactly had Yuzuki said to him? The fact she slept with Toru for information wasn't up for debate-or really wrong for that matter, but the way this guy was floundering, he was going to pass out from embarrassment. "Are you sure?"

"No. Yes! I'm sorry. I told you I was terrible at this." He couldn't even make eye contact and shifted from foot to foot. "Yuzuki just told me that you and Sir Toru spent time together after he collected Kaname from the brothel. Then when you returned with information, I figured you were simply successful in your mission."

"Uh huh." The way he studiously wouldn't look at her and shifted his weight from foot to foot said something else, but this was neither the time nor the place to worry about Yuzuki's poisonous words.

Fortunately, they were saved from more conversation by an explosion from the other end of the port. A single plume of black smoke rose into the night, signalling the start of their part of the mission. In that moment, Shintaro transformed from bashful kid to seasoned killer in the space of a breath.

"Move out," he muttered before dropping off the roof to the ground below.

Kitsune followed Shintaro's lead, moving towards the ship from behind boxes and through shadows. He seemed impossibly tall now, and bore a katana that was unreasonably large for anyone but him. Even as big as he was, he was fast. Scary fast, and so, so strong. The limited resistance they met as they ran down the pier to the ship was cut down in front of her before she had a chance to swing her swords. He was not an opponent she would ever want to cross swords with.

They searched the foredeck together with him in the lead. The ship was an empty shell, a ghost ship for all intents and purposes. No crew to be found, they split up to cover more ground of the massive vessel as they searched below decks and beyond into the cargo hold. The bridge empty, the berths, as well, it was eerie how vacant and free of people the place was.

Shintaro wanted to return topside at the aft of the ship and search the weather deck again, while Kitsune cleared the hold, but they both agreed it was likely a futile effort. Still, they parted company, and she had just begun her descent into the belly of ship, when she heard a voice that sent a freezing chill down her spine.

"Shintaro, good to finally see you."