As Christmas came closer and closer Minako found herself unable to find a more appropriate present idea for Kenshin to use. She also noticed that the closer the holiday came the more disinterested Kenshin seemed though he did an effective job covering it up when the others were around. Though Minako asked him about several times Kenshin politely refused her, saying, "It's not something I really want to talk about." He'd then look at her, his green eyes so soft they were almost quivering. She admitted it was pathetic but after seeing that display there was no way that she was able to press him about it.
As the month wore on the cold seemed to bite down right to the bone. The girls all admitted that this winter in particular was bad. On more than one occasion all of the girls, except Haruka and Michiru, waited for Kenshin and Minako after school to stop at Urahara's store where the owner would, more often than not, have hot chocolate waiting for them. Luna routinely tried to scold the girls for spending so much time there but Artemis would step in each time.
"We've probably been there twice as much as they have," he'd remind her. "If there were anything suspicious about the guy don't you think we'd have found out by now?"
The youma and Hollows, unfortunately, weren't hindered by the cold weather and continued to attack. While the girls all wished there was a winter version of their Sailor uniforms the energy they generated kept them plenty warm when fighting. Still, fighting in a skirt during the winter, no matter how warm they stayed, just seemed impractical to them.
It was a few days before Christmas when Minako stopped by Urahara's shop. The weather outside had turned nasty in just the few minutes that she's been out and she was relieved when Kenshin opened the door, commenting that she must be out of her mind to be out in the weather. "I wanted to see what you were doing tomorrow," she admitted, blushing a little. "I mean, I probably could've just called but I wanted to see you too."
Kenshin let out an exasperated sigh, pulling Minako in for a hug and after a moment she returned the gesture. "What am I going to do with you, Mr. Whiskers?" he asked. Minako smiled and rested her head against Kenshin's shoulder. While she hadn't been fond of the nickname at first it had eventually grown on her and as long as the girls never found out about it she was happy to be called 'Mr. Whiskers' every day. After a bit Kenshin let go to return to what he was working on in the kitchen. He brought a hot cup of tea over to Minako and joined her at the table. "So what's tomorrow?" he asked, reminding her of the reason she'd come over.
"The school is putting on a big costume party for the students and staff," she explained. "Normally the girls and I don't go but we thought it might be fun to try it this year. And, well..."
"...you were hoping that I'd want to come with," Kenshin finished for her and Minako nodded. "Did you have any idea of what we can do for outfits? We don't have much in the way of time." He looked out the window to see the storm was getting worse. "And I don't think shopping is going to be an option."
Minako looked outside as well and her face fell. "How am I gonna get home?" she wondered to herself. "We still have school tomorrow and all my homework is back at the house."
"With the way it's coming down out there I don't think school is something we need to worry about." A car door shutting outside caught their attention as both Urahara and Yoruichi hurried in. They both said 'hi' to Kenshin and Minako before wandering off into the back of the store to warm up. "Huh. With the way the weather's been I wasn't sure if they'd make it back tonight."
Minako glanced at the clock, surprised at how late it was. She also looked outside and knew that she wasn't getting back home any time soon. "Umm, can I crash here tonight?" she asked, her cheeks burning. "By the time this storm lets up I won't be able to get enough sleep at home."
Kenshin felt his answer catch in his throat before he mentally kicked himself. He quickly reminded himself that it would be more or less the same as when she had stayed before, albeit less sick. "No problem," he said, finishing off his tea and standing up. "You can take my bed and I'll use one of the futons. And before you object I'm not putting my girlfriend, let alone a guest, on the floor."
Her argument preempted, Minako nodded and followed Kenshin. Yoruichi lent her a pair of pajamas, though the dark-skinned woman tried to get Minako to wear something more sensuous than a t-shirt and pants. She was still blushing from some of the outfits that Yoruichi had tried to get her to wear when she opened Kenshin's door where he had just finished setting up a futon. They said their respective good nights before crawling into bed.
When Kenshin woke the next morning Minako was cuddled up next to him and her blanket on top of his. "I guess it was colder than I thought last night," he thought, pulling her closer and kissing her forehead. Minako responded with a happy sigh and a smile. "C'mon, we should probably get up," he said out loud.
Minako gave a murmur of protest but after a moment got up with him. After getting dressed Minako said that she needed to go home and take care of Artemis, who was no doubt worrying about her. When Kenshin was sure she was out of earshot he looked to Urahara and Yoruichi. "That storm last night..." he started but Yoruichi shook her head.
"I know what you're thinking but no, it was a natural storm," she answered. "This winter really is just worse than most." She took a long drink from her coffee before staring at Kenshin, a serious expression on her face. "If I might say so, Kenshin, you and Minako seem to be getting pretty close. Once your assignment is finished everyone that knows you here will have their memories erased." She narrowed her eyes, staring at the young shinigami. "Minako will never know you even existed once this is all over."
"You think I haven't thought about that?" Kenshin told her, glaring at Yoruichi. "There's not a day that goes by that I'm not trying to find a way to stop that from happening. I'd even be willing to become human if it meant her not having to forget me." He slammed his fist into the wall, cracking the drywall. "But there's nothing to be done. No matter what I do it always ends the same and there's nothing I can do to stop it!" After several breaths he began to calm down, removing his hand from the wall. "In over a hundred years not a damn thing has changed. I'm still weak, unable to protect those important to me."
At this both Urahara and Yoruichi looked away, knowing exactly what Kenshin was referring to. "Minako's not Saihana, Kenshin," Urahara finally said. "Nor is what happened to Saihana in any way your fault." Kenshin didn't respond, choosing to spend the better part of the day in his room. He didn't say anything until Minako came back to the store to see if Kenshin was still interested in going to the party.
"I'm game but we still don't have anything to wear," Kenshin reminded her, causing Minako to retreat into her thoughts.
"I might be able to help there," Urahara said from around the corner, his fan waving in the air and a smile on his face. Kenshin felt his stomach seize up, knowing that the former shinigami had something up his sleeve. "Minako, why don't you let Yoruichi help you get your costume set up and I'll help with Kenshin's." Minako nodded, curious to see what the shopkeeper had planned, and stepped into the back room where Yoruichi was waiting.
"Just what are you up to, Urahara?" Kenshin asked only to have Urahara's glowing hand in his face. "Damn...you..." he uttered before falling to the ground.
"Just helping you have a little fun, Kenshin," Urahara answered, throwing Kenshin's unconscious form over his shoulder.
When Kenshin finally came to his head was throbbing uncontrollably. He sat up out of the chair he was in with his hand to his temple, willing the pounding to go away on its own. When that failed he stumbled towards the bathroom and grabbed a couple painkillers, downing them with water. As he tried to gain his bearings he looked at his face in the mirror where he noticed something very different.
"What the freaking hell did you do to my hair?!" Kenshin shouted, tearing through the shop to find Urahara.
Yoruichi stuck her head out of the back room to look Kenshin over. "Will you keep it down, Pinky? I'm still putting the finishing touches on your girlfriend," she said before turning back to the task at hand. Kenshin's hair was now brushed down and bright pink with crossbones on the left side of his head. He knew exactly who he was supposed to be and he wasn't the least bit amused.
He stopped looking for Urahara when another thought crossed his mind. "If I'm supposed to be Lieutenant Kusajishi then that would mean Minako is..." he thought before being interrupted by the jingling of bells. He turned to see Minako in a shihakusho, the kimono opened up and her torso wrapped in bandages. Over the shihakusho she wore a tattered white haori with the kanji for '11' on the back. Her once-blonde hair was dyed black and styled into long spikes and a bell attached to each spike, jingling with every step she took. Down the left side of her face a long scar was exquisitely designed and over her right eye was an eyepatch. "Okay, this is seriously not funny," he thought, trying to put his anger to words.
"I look pretty badass," Minako said with a large grin and Kenshin just sighed, setting aside his frustration. He agreed, noting that he was also in a standard shinigami's uniform. "So who exactly am I supposed to be?"
"A Grim Reaper leader," Urahara explained, skewing the facts but leaving enough in to make it plausible. "Kenshin here is your second-in-command."
"Like Captain and Lieutenant?" Urahara nodded, still smiling. "So I'm Kenshin's boss now?"
"You weren't before?" Yoruichi asked, earning a playful glare from Kenshin and a laugh from Minako.
Once outside the two of them made their way to the school with Kenshin barely feeling the cold and Minako bundling up in her kimono and haori. "Did we really have to wear these shoes?" she asked, her teeth clattering loudly. When Kenshin corrected her by calling them 'waraji' she just rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I stand by my point that they don't work in the snow. And how are you not cold?"
"I'm just a naturally warm guy," he reminded her with a smile. "C'mon, we're almost there."
When they arrived at the school they made their way to the gymnasium where they quickly found the girls. Makoto had dressed up as a pirate, Rei as a miko (though Kenshin made a note that it seemed like cheating for her to dress up as her profession) and Ami was in nurse cosplay, though the fact that she was blushing madly told Kenshin that the outfit hadn't been her idea. The girls snickered when they saw Kenshin's hair but before he could do anything Minako ordered him to stand down.
"I am your Captain after all," she told him with a mischievous wink.
After several deep breaths Kenshin finally calmed down enough to ask, "Where's Usagi? This isn't the kind of thing I expect her to miss."
"She's putting the final touches on her outfit now," a voice said from behind him. He turned to see Haruka and Michiru walking up to them. Michiru was wearing a sailor uniform and her hair done into two odango buns. Haruka, on the other hand, was dressed in a tuxedo with a top hat and white mask that covered her eyes. A red-lined cape flowed behind her and Kenshin had to do a double take to make sure it was her. Before he could make a comment Minako stomped on his foot, playfully glaring at her boyfriend.
"Who are you two supposed to be?" Haruka asked, making an immediate connection to the shinigami.
"We're Grim Reapers and I outrank him," Minako answered, pointing at Kenshin. "That's a really good Sailor Moon costume, Michiru. And good work with Tuxedo Mask too."
"They were the only ones Usagi could convince to play along since we couldn't reach you last night," Makoto said, adjusting her eyepatch. She caught Kenshin staring at her and puffed out her chest. "Something wrong, Pinky?"
A vein throbbed in Kenshin's temple as he chuckled. "No, just thinking the whole pirate getup suits you," he complimented her, causing the brunette to relax. "Just make sure no one tries to plunder your booty."
Makoto was silent as her entire body turned red but the other girls burst into laughter. Makoto tried to stammer out a reply but could only manage a stutter. "Did I miss something?" a voice from the gymnasium doors said.
They all turned to see a blonde girl in a mask much like Haruka's but dressed in a sailor uniform almost identical to Sailor Venus. "Who're you and who are you supposed to be?" Kenshin asked, knowing full well who it was.
"Hang on, you don't know who that is?" Minako asked, her jaw dropping when Kenshin shook his head. "First you don't know who the Sailor Guardians are, now you're telling me you don't know about Sailor V?" Kenshin shook his head again and the Inner Guardians all sighed together. "Stupid boy, you really are a lost cause, you know that?" When Kenshin didn't respond Minako looked over at him to see him staring at her in mild shock.
When she asked him what was wrong he recovered enough to say, "No, it's nothing. Just…" His eyes fell for a moment before he switched back to normal. "Never mind all that. I still wanna know who this girl is."
Minako knew he was thinking about the girl he'd told her about but also knew he wouldn't talk about it, especially when the others were around. "I guess it is the first time you've seen Usagi with her hair down," Rei pointed out as Kenshin continued to stare.
"Prove that you're Usagi," he said simply after a moment, crossing his arms over his chest.
Usagi brought her index finger to the corner of her mouth as she began thinking. "Well, I like cookies and doughnuts. Ooo, can't forget about pork buns either!" she started as her tongue poked out from between her lips. "Hmm, cake's not too bad either but I'd rather have ice cream."
"That's definitely Usagi," Kenshin said, sighing, as a dribble of drool worked its way out of her mouth. "There's no other girl I can think of that thinks like a fat guy." He looked towards the ceiling as a thought occurred to him. "Well, maybe one but that's not really a fair comparison."
"I AM NOT FAT!" a bright red Usagi shouted at him while the other girls giggled, completely agreeing with Kenshin's statement. "Gah! And here I thought you guys were my friends."
"It's okay, Usagi," Ami said with a gentle smile. "Only friends could pick on each other like this." The blonde grumbled something unintelligible before turning to Minako's costume. The girls and Kenshin made small talk with each other and those around them, getting into the party mood. During all this Kenshin could feel himself relaxing, a part of himself almost willing to let his guard down. Almost.
There was a wide swath of costumes at the party. There were a few group outfits – such as a bowling ball and pins or a bunch of grapes – as well as the obligatory two-person horse costume. Kenshin could also see a large number of students that had dressed up as the different Sailor Guardians and after spending time around them he could understand what the people of Tokyo saw in them. There were several others that he had no clue to, guessing they were from what the locals called 'anime' which was one thing he'd never been able to get into despite Minako's insistence.
It didn't take long for music to start blasting through the speakers and the lights to fall. The school had hired a lighting crew and the gymnasium quickly felt like a nightclub. Many of the student congregated to the middle of the room to dance though Kenshin chose to stand off to the side. When Minako insisted he come dance he replied with, "I can't dance and if I tried it would be terrifying," one of the truest things he'd ever told her. Still, she pulled him out with her and he gave it his best effort, quickly realizing that Minako couldn't dance either. He had to bite the inside of his cheek several times to stop from laughing but she would glare at him each time he did. Eventually the music slowed down and before he could get away Minako pulled Kenshin close.
"He didn't put up much of a fight that time," Makoto whispered to Rei who nodded.
Once the song ended Kenshin said, "I'll be right back. I just need some fresh air." Minako watched as he walked out the exit door and sighed once he was gone. She knew something was bothering him more than usual but, like always, he wouldn't talk about it with her. Her instincts told her it had to do with his friend he'd mentioned and that it wasn't just a simple matter of missing a childhood friend. With the way he was acting it was as if something truly tragic had happened that had turned him off Christmas for good.
"Everything okay there, Captain?" Rei asked, worried about her friend.
"I guess," she said as the two of them walked away from the dance floor. She wasn't planning to say more than that but Rei kept pushing her. It took a few minutes but Minako explained what Kenshin had told her and what she believed.
"It sounds like he still has feelings for this friend of his," Rei told her, confirming what Minako was afraid of. "But maybe it's more complicated than that. Maybe it's something like they wanted to be together but their families put an end to it. Maybe that's why she moved away."
"If it was just refusing to have a girlfriend I might go with that," Minako answered, taking a sip of soda. "This has more the feel of something really bad that happened around Christmas."
"Then just ask him, girl." Minako stared at the raven-haired miko. "It won't do any good for the rest of us to ask him. Whether it's because he likes you or just trusts you more doesn't matter." Minako gave her friend a fierce hug before heading to the exit doors. Rei just sighed as Minako left, shaking her head after a moment. "Well, I can cross him off my list of potential boyfriends," she said to herself before rejoining the dancing.
Outside Minako could see Kenshin leaning on one of the railings, the snow falling gently around them. "Kenshin?" she asked, causing him to turn his head. "You alright out here? It's getting pretty cold."
"It's actually kinda nice. Helps me think clearly," he replied as Minako joined him.
"So what's on your mind?"
Kenshin sighed, knowing what Minako was actually after. "Minako, I've already said that I-"
"-that you don't want to talk about it and that it's not a big deal," she interrupted him. She stared at him, her expression serious. "Listen, Kenshin, you and I both know that's a bunch of crap. If it really doesn't bother you then we should be able to talk about it rather than you bottling up everything." Her hand wrapped around his. "I just want you to share what's been eating away at you the last few weeks," she pleaded. "I'm worried about you."
Kenshin stared back at her before taking a deep breath. "That's not actually what I came outside to think about," he admitted and Minako seemed to almost deflate. "But if you really want to know I suppose it can't hurt to talk about it.
"Her name was Saihana and like I said before she was a childhood friend of mine," he started. "Well, she was more like a sister considering that the two of us were near-inseparable and getting into trouble constantly. I'd go to do something and she'd scold me for it, having done it herself just moments before me." Minako couldn't help but giggle a bit, picturing a small girl bossing Kenshin around. "Anyway, we both grew up together and at one point she was even convinced that the two of us were getting married as soon as we both finished school."
"So did you love her?" Minako asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.
"I don't have a good answer for you," Kenshin told her, "but I do know I didn't want to let her down by half-assing it. At that time in my life she meant everything to me." He closed his eyes and sighed. "I guess maybe I did love her; not like it means anything now."
Minako felt like her insides were being torn out and yet despite that she swallowed her pride and said, "If you still care about her why don't you tell her that? You said that she just moved away. I mean, it's not like she's dead."
Kenshin was debating on how to answer Minako's question when he felt a shift of energy in the area. He looked up, noticing that while it was no longer snowing around them but also that the snow was still coming down from above. Minako calling his name snapped him out of it. "Something's not right," he said after a quick apology. "We should probably get back inside."
"But what about-"
"I promise I'll tell you everything," Kenshin said, cutting her off, "but right now someone, or something, is trying to cut the school off from the outside world." When Minako asked what he meant he pointed up at where the snow was hitting a barrier. "Right now we need the Sailor Guardians and...!"
Kenshin was interrupted by a loud explosion at the far end of the school. He and Minako looked at each other and bolted towards the door, just missing it swinging open as the other girls stared at them with panicked expressions. Kenshin, however, didn't stop moving. He made a beeline for the source of the explosion and the other girls tried to keep up. While he was running he reached into his costume. "I know I'm probably going to regret this later but I'd rather have to explain why I'm a shinigami than why I let people die just to keep my cover intact," he thought to himself. When his search for the gikongan turned up nothing a wave of panic hit him. "Why the hell don't I have it?!" A second thought nearly stopped him in his tracks. "When he put me in this getup Urahara must've either forgotten or figured I wouldn't need it. Damn it!"
As he came to the cafeteria he could see a large hole in the wall and rubble scattered across the floor. Several students were lying on the ground, injured but otherwise alive. Near the opening, however, were three large men and a slender woman. The thickest of the men was holding a girl with red hair in the air with his hand wrapped around her throat. He was completely bald with an almost reptilian look to him and, while the shortest of the four, his muscles were several times larger than any of the others.
"The pickings here are pathetic," he said as Naru stopped struggling. "These humans have hardly any energy and what little they have is barely worth taking."
"That's not why we came here, Darien, and you know it," the female said. Her features were rather plain with the exception of her long midnight-black hair and the spiderweb adornment across the back of her head. She wore a bandolier with various bladed weapon strapped from her shoulder to her hip. "We're here to send a message to the Sailor Guardians and that shinigami." She was about to continue when she saw Kenshin plant his foot in Darien's face and kick with enough force to send him flying out through the hole in the wall.
As Kenshin landed he caught Naru in his arms. Her upper body was badly bruised but near as he could tell she'd be fine physically. He handed her off to Usagi once the girls caught up to him, many of them panting heavily. "Well that was unexpected," one of the other males said, looking from where Darien had ended up and Kenshin. This one was of a more modest build of the three men. He wore yellow pince-nez glasses and his straw-blonde hair was swept straight up. The katana hanging from his hip had a white bullet-shaped tsuba with a black tsuka. "I don't sense any energy from this kid and yet he got Darien pretty good."
"It's obvious that he's suppressing his reiatsu, Typhon," the other male said, brushing his red hair out of his eyes. His steel-grey eyes seemed bored as he looked for his comrade. His weapon, a European longsword, was strapped to his thigh. "Still, to push it down so far that we can't feel it is a feat in-and-of itself. What do you think, Scylla?"
"I think Darien's going to be pissed and I don't want to be anywhere near that," Scylla answered, mildly amused.
"Get these kids outta here, girls," Kenshin ordered Usagi and her friends. "I'll keep these assholes busy."
"Are you trying to get yourself killed, Kenshin?" Usagi asked at the same time as Minako. "If those four were able to do all this then-"
"I'm not asking!" Kenshin snapped at her, his eyes narrowed. The girls all took a step back at the look in his eyes. He was angrier than all of them had ever seen him though Minako remembered what he could do when he was pushed too far.
There was a short burst of static as Darien appeared in front of Kenshin with his fist drawn back. As he came down Kenshin grabbed his fist and planted himself in the ground, twisting his attacker's fist until he could hear bone snapping.
"Augh!" Darien cried, jumping back and cradling his hand. Kenshin could hear the bones rearranging and knew that it was high speed regeneration. Sure enough after a few seconds Darien was rotating his wrist like nothing had happened. "Damn, that hurt," the Arrancar said, still seething. "That's twice this kid has caught me off-guard." He turned to Scylla. "Can I kill him now?"
"We weren't told not to kill anyone," she replied, closing her eyes and smiling. "So go ahead and have a little fun, Darien. But once those Sailor brats and that shinigami show up..."
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Our job is to kill or capture them, whichever happens first," he replied, smiling quickly after acknowledging their job. He turned back to Kenshin and cracked his knuckles. "I'm just happy I get to kill this little bastard."
Darien came at Kenshin who blocked his first volley with such ease it was almost as if Darien had been standing still. With a quick sidestep Kenshin planted his foot into the back of Darien's knee and, grabbing his face as he fell, slammed the much-larger Arrancar into the ground. The floor cracked under the weight of the impact but Darien hopped up like nothing had happened and went for Kenshin's head. Without missing a beat the shinigami pivoted to face Darien and, using an open palm, struck the underside of the Arrancar's chin and snapping his head back violently. Darien was thrown a foot into the air before falling to the ground motionless.
"Well I'll be damned," Typhon said with a low whistle. "This kid's got some serious moves." He turned to his partner who was smirking. "What do you think, Borin? You wanna have a go at him?"
"As soon as Darien admits he's out of his league I'll step in," was Borin's answer as Darien started to stand.
"How the hell are you still alive? I broke your neck," Kenshin asked, clenching his fist.
Darien didn't answer. He reached up to grab the back of his head and chin and then pulled, his spine setting back into place with a loud crack. He rotated his head a few times to make sure he had it on straight. "I gotta admit, if I were anyone else that would've been the end of me," he answered finally. He made a fist and the veins in both arms popped out. "Just for that I'm gonna take my time killing you." The other three Arrancars snickered at their comrade's threat. When he turned to let them have it Kenshin made his move.
He stomped down onto Darien's foot and shot his knee up into the Arrancar's groin, causing him to double over. As he did Kenshin drove his elbow into the base of his skull and sending Darien head-first into the floor. Kenshin stomped down once more, crushing the Arrancar's windpipe.
"Holy hell," Makoto said as a chill went down her spine. "He's not screwing around with this guy."
"It doesn't really matter what he does. He just gets right back up, even from fatal wounds," Michiru added as she set one of the unconscious students down away from the fight. As if confirming her words Darien stood back up and his neck quickly regained its normal shape. "Still, I don't think I've ever seen Kenshin like this. To be so ruthless...it's not like him."
Minako thought back to the first time she'd seen him fight. "No, if pushed he's willing to do whatever's necessary," she told her friends. "And when he fought that Arrancar before he had no issue stabbing it through the chest."
"Then we need to transform, get out there and help him before those things decide to get serious," Rei said, pulling her transformation rod out of her kimono.
"We do that and they'll know our civilian identities," Haruka warned the miko, gritting her teeth as she did. "Go figure, though. When someone really needs the Sailor Guardians we can't do anything or end up risking the safety of our loved ones." Rei grimaced but acknowledged what Haruka was talking about and put away the rod.
"We can't help him like this," Makoto complained. "We're useless."
Minako shook her head as she pointed to the students around them. "We got everyone out of the way of this fight," she told the brunette. "Now Kenshin can worry about fighting the enemy in front of him rather than having to worry about civilian casualties."
The other Arrancars watched as well, witnessing Kenshin making a fool of Darien while barely trying. "This went from mildly entertaining to pathetic much faster than I thought it would," Borin said with a sigh. "Seriously, why doesn't Darien use that Anti-Human Mode he keeps bragging about? He might actually have a shot if he does that."
"This is Darien we're talking about here," Scylla reminded him. "Between him being a complete idiot and likely forgetting about it I'm also pretty sure that kid has knocked what few screws he has loose." Her gaze shifted to the girls who were still busy getting students out of the cafeteria. "Now what do those humans think they're doing? Are they just going to turn their back on their friend?"
Borin looked at her just as Kenshin pulled Darien's arm back, dislocating it and eliciting a shout of pain from the Arrancar. He briefly turned to his comrade before shifting his gaze back to Scylla. "Did you not see that little spat of theirs when this whole mess started?" he asked. "For some reason he's worried about those weaklings we took down earlier. Honestly, it's hard to take this kid seriously when he worries about crap like that in the middle of a fight." Typhon started to walk towards the girls. "What do you think you're doing?" Borin asked.
"I'm bored. I gonna kill some time by killing those girls," he explained very matter-of-factly as he drew his zanpakutō. He used his sonído to close the distance between himself and Usagi, raising his blade as the blonde screamed.