Author's note: It's been a while since I last wrote on this story. I have recently begun getting interested in returning to this world. This chapter will give us a break from Roanapur and look into what happens in Eien and Songen, with the first chapter being focused on Eien. I was inspired by these songs from Assassin's Creed: Dream of Venice, Legacy of the Borgias and Byzantium while writing this particular chapter, as well as chapter 13: Life of the Rebels. I don't own any of the characters! They belong to their respective owners.
Chapter 53: Dissatisfactions Part 1
The great city of Eien, near the waterfall of Amehito, Northern Nipponichi
Despite the intense relationship between the Nijuu Senshi and the Tora Kaigi, the people of Eien did not seem to mind, as they continued doing their businesses as usual. The city had twice as much activity as Konoha did when the former rebels were stationed there. But with recent events, the former members of the Council of Yuu knew that a new city was required to stand against the rule of Light Yagami. Even now, all citizens of Eien refused to recognize the nation as the Empire of Yamishi, and neither it's new capital of Kira. No, they would continue to resist whatever evil this illegitimate ruler stood for. Eien was known for its activities and the proud and brave warriors who inhabited the city. How about we go take a sightseeing within this fortress city and watch how people usually spend their lives?
Inside a bar called "The Naughty Succubus"
In a bar near Tengoku called "The Naughty Succubus", laughter and activities could be heard and the visitors enjoyed themselves while music was played in the background. Those who were working as bartenders were Jean Havoc, Heymans Breda and an elderly woman by the name of Chris Mustang, also known as Madame Christmas. She was the bar keeper and often considered the boss and owner of the place.
But right now, three people were sitting close to the bar's counter where Madame Christmas was conversing with them while serving them mugs of beer. She was musing while pouring over their drinks.
"So you're saying that you came here looking for intel, right?" Madame Christmas asked the green-haired man dressed in white suit who wore an eyepatch over his right eye.
The man named Sven Vollfied held onto his glass and took a sip of his whiskey. "Yeah. You know as well as we do about how things have gotten dirty around Eien lately, especially when you look at how President Lelouch Lamperouge is playing games here" the man dressed in white responded while eyeing sideways.
"But you don't suppose that he could be allied with Yagami, do you?" the four-eyed woman with red hair named Karin asked while adjusting her glasses. "If President Lamperouge is indeed in league with him then we are definitely in trouble" she added to him.
Sven faced her while pulling up a cigarette. "It's way too early to rush to such conclusions yet, Karin. We barley have begun searching" he pointed out to her.
"Here, let me help you with that" Madame Christmas suddenly put her own cigarette close to Sven's and ignited it.
Sven faced her with a smug smile. "Thanks, Madame Christmas. You're always helpful to your customers. I now see why this place is so popular" he complimented her.
"Enough fooling around" the stern voice came from Hajime Saito, as he fixed his stern eyes upon the gruff lady. "Obviously, you must be hiding something from us and we're not leaving until you tell us what it is that you know" the black-haired man with slick hair told her.
The elderly woman did not seem intimidated by Saito's words. "Careful what you wish for, Saito. This is my bar, and in my bar, I get to have the say here, not you" she warned him, not caring about who she was talking to.
Saito reached for a cigarette and lit it with the help of a lighter of his own. "That means nothing to me and you know it" he responded to her lowly while puffing.
The elderly lady only gave him a dirty glance in return. "What was that you were saying?" she asked her.
But Sven intervened and fixed a cheerful smile on his face. "Now, now, Madame Christmas. Never mind about Saito's attitude, he's like this with us as well" the green-haired man told her. But Sven eventually faced Saito with a dispassionate glance. "Quit acting like a know-it-all and show some damn respect for once" he lowly, but rudely requested of him to do.
Sighing deeply, Saito went off his barstool, but not before leaving some changes at the counter for the elderly woman to take. "Keep the change. I am in no mood to be wasting my time drinking" he told her with his normal voice. The stern-eyed man then faced both Sven and Karin. "Let me know if you have discovered something of value. I am going out for a walk to see if there are real clues to be found" the slick-haired man said before exiting.
Karin only watched with dispassion as she saw Saito exit the door. "Pfft….what an asshole. Why the hell did we even hire him anyway?" she expressed her distaste of Saito while facing Sven. "Don't tell me that you hired him because he was cheap" she then said while adjusting her glasses.
Sven took a sip from his whiskey before replying. "Tch, if there's one who does not work cheap, it's Saito" he said while fixing his eye on her. "You on the other hand, do work cheap, considering the fact that you used to work as a stripper in a clubhouse underneath Konoha" he then pointed out, much to Karin's own anger and embarrassment.
"Well at least I made a living, didn't I!?" she hit back, causing Sven to sigh deeply.
"Why the hell did I agree to do this in the first place!?" Sven wondered in his head in annoyance.
But both him and Karin could hear Madame Christmas make a coughing sound, so they both turned around to focus on her, as it was obvious that she was intending on helping them.
"Look, I'll only help you because of your charisma, Sven" she sternly told him before leaning closer put something on the counter for both him and Karin to see. They both snapped as they could see that it was a black amulet with a red bird-shaped symbol in the middle. "This belonged to one of the congressmen that were visiting the bar three days ago. He was incredibly drunk and did not realize that he had forgotten this. For some reason, this must be a keycard or whatever is required to enter, considering this symbol" she told them while they watched the thing.
Sven grabbed the amulet and looked at it with curiosity. "Hmm…...this symbol is the same one that President Lamperouge carries on his medallion. There's definitely something going on in the Tora Kaigi" the man dressed in white remarked after recalling what he had seen.
There were other groups who were enjoying themselves while eating. But there was a young blue-eyed boy who wore a tracksuit and a fluffy scarf who caught eye of what was going on at the counter. His name was Yato, a God of War and Calamity. He had been watching what Sven and Karin had been doing at the counter, but he had made sure to not get noticed by them.
"Hmmm…...wonder what they're all so sneaky about" the blue-haired boy wondered while taking a bite from his food. After swallowing it, he could not help but to smirk mischievously. "Maybe I should tag along and see what is really going on here in Eien" he wondered.
His friends, the young girl named Hiyori Iki and the blonde-haired boy named Yukine both stared at him with a raised eyebrow, as they did not get what his deal was. However, they thought about one thing in common.
"I hate it when he does that" they both thought together, as they knew what kind of idiotic plans Yato could come up with.
Another individual had also been listening to what was being said at the counter. It was a young white-haired boy with red eyes, dressed in black clothes. This was the mysterious boy called Yuma Kuga. He rose up from his seat, as he had been sitting by himself and exited the bar. He then kept walking, eventually forming a slight smirk with his mouth.
Reaching for something in his pockets, he took it up, revealing it to be the same amulet that Sven and Karin had just been introduced to. The young boy fixed his red eyes upon the small object while walking towards the markets.
"Hmm…...I guess this is just as I had suspected" Yuma commented while thinking about the things he had overheard in the bar. He then put the amulet back into his pockets and kept walking as if everything was normal. "I bet the markets would be crawling with such rumors" he added to his thought.
Two blocks away, at the place called Kiri Onsen
While Sven and Karin were hanging at the bar, Saito had just arrived at the nearby onsen, which was located just two blocks away from the Naughty Succubus. This place was called the Kiri Onsen, and was a famous spot for those who sought relaxation and a way to get rid of stress. Despite things having gotten troubling lately, both Eien and the Toriyama clan's city of Songen had places like these as a means to have contact with the world of mindfulness and as to remind everyone that bloodshed was not always the thing the free people of Nipponichi would have to think about.
Saito approached one of the onsen's owners: Riko Aida. While she was the coach of the Seirin Basketball Team, Riko had in the meantime earned her living by working at this newly-built onsen. The brown-haired lady smiled as Saito approached her.
"Ah Mr. Saito. Nice to see you again" she told him, although the serious man did not as much as smile at her in return. "I take it you wanna order a basket of towels" she then spoke up.
Saito simply nodded at her in return. "Yes. One basket just for me, please" he said with a surprisingly gentle voice before putting some yen at the counter and eventually his sword as well. "And here you have my blade as well" he said while giving it to her.
The brown-haired woman forced a smirk with her mouth. "I'm glad to see that you respect our no-weapons policy. I'll make sure it's safe by my side while you're gone" Riko said before leaning onto the ground to carry up a basket of towels. She put it on the counter. "Enjoy the hot springs!" she told him and Saito grabbed the basket and nodded at her in appreciation before taking off.
Some had already begun taking notice of Saito's appearance. The two shinobis, Shino Aburame and Shikamaru Nara, could see the slick-haired man enter the men's quarters to get changed.
"That man sure likes to visit the onsen quite often" Shikamaru lowly remarked to his fellow shinobi of Konoha, who was listening to what was being said. "But it doesn't' come as much of a surprise, considering the things that have been going on in Eien lately" the man with the ponytail noted.
Shino adjusted his sunglasses while listening. "Have you had the chance to speak with Naruto for the last days?" the brown-haired man asked Shikamaru, who only shrugged his shoulders.
"Nah, he and the others were kind of busy, so he's mostly been holed up in Tengoku. You do remember that the Tora Kaigi needs to be watched" Shikamaru answered to his question.
Shino nodded his head in return. "Yeah, that congress cannot be fully trusted" he said lowly before looking out from one of the windows. "Whatever kind of dealings President Lamperouge have, he will be caught. Then we will see whether he is an ally or an enemy" he added to Shikamaru, who completely agreed with his statement.
There was already a lot of people at the hot springs already, both on the male side and the female side. A large wooden fence separated the two sides from one another.
"Now this feels nice" Shinji Ikari exclaimed, as he was taking a bath alongside two fellow congressmen: Kira Yamato and Kodaka Hasegawa. "Sometimes it feels good to just come out of Tengoku sometimes" the brown-haired boy noted while facing his comrades.
"I agree" Kodaka said and faced up towards the skies. "Heck, even the skies look nice from here" the blonde/brown-haired boy added while gazing up towards the skies.
But Kira only closed his eyes while feeling the comfort within these hot springs. Apparently, he was thinking about something in relation to the Tora Kaigi and its leader Lelouch Lamperouge. For some reason, he still didn't feel like he could trust him completely and he knew that both Shinji and Kodaka felt the same way. He still remembered the conversation he had with his friend: Athrun Zala a couple of days ago.
"Hey Kira…...you alright?" Shinji lowly asked his friend, who immediately opened his eyes to look at him with a shrug.
"I'm fine…..really" was all that Kira could muster.
For some reason, Kodaka began thinking about the same thoughts as Kira. He too, had been disturbed by Lelouch's more confrontational attitude towards the Nijuu Senshi recently. The blonde-haired boy still remembered that when he along with some friends of his joined the Tora Kaigi, he felt like being safe amongst this crowd of congressmen and congresswomen. But now, he felt like he couldn't trust Lelouch completely, the reasons being uncertain to him.
On another corner, Renzo Shima, Miroku and Yasutora Sado were having a chat amongst themselves, although they were privately having a conversation about the Tora Kaigi. The three men did take slight glances at the congressmen relaxing.
"I know that these three are members of the Tora Kaigi" Renzo said while facing his comrades with a slight smirk. "But they don't seem…..suspicious to say at least" the pink-haired boy added to his explanation.
While Chad only nodded as a yes, Miroku only took a brief glance at them before speaking. "Inuyasha and the others are suspecting that one of the newbies in the Nijuu Senshi could have leaked information to President Lamperouge. But from what they have found, those members who are currently in Roanapur have no involvement in doing such things" the man with the small ponytail said.
"How many of them were sent on that mission? And who are they?" Renzo asked him.
Chad suddenly showed him five fingers to him. "The following members that were sent off to Roanapur are Train Heartnet, Rikuo Nura, Gintoki Sakata, Clare and Revy. I hear they also managed to add a Letter Bee to the group and that makes six" the tall, but silent man spoke up.
"Hmm…figures" Renzo said and began scratching his head. "But still, there are many newbies who remains to be…." The pink-haired boy stopped talking, when he could see some men heading towards the tall wooden fence that separated the men's side from the women's side.
They could see the exorcist Lavi, the shinobis Rock Lee and Kiba Inuzuka, the Soul Reaper Shuhei Hisagi and two guys who were known to be Ikki Minami's friends, Kazuma "Kazu" Mikura and Onigiri sneaking up against the fence and to listen what was going on the other side.
Miroku suddenly leaned onto Renzo's shoulder and whispered something mischievously. "Hey, do you think what I'm thinking?" he asked him and both suddenly fixed perverted looks on their faces. Laughing, they joined up with the gang that was already standing by the fence, hoping they could get a peek on the other side of the fence.
Chad was left alone, but he was fine with that, considering the fact that he knew better than to waste his time on doing something as immature as to watch other women bathing. In fact, he was joined by the orange-haired shinobi named Juugo, who acted in a similar calm manner like he did. Chad appreciated his company.
On the women's' side of the hot springs, Rinslet Walker was having a phone call with somebody she least wanted to talk with, and she sounded very frustrated. You see, she was about to go out into the hot springs before her cell phone rang.
"For crying out loud, Jenos! I'm about to go into the hot springs! Can't you give me some damn privacy for once!?" Rinslet shouted in her cell phone, before switching off and almost throwing it away. But she did put it along with her other valuable belongings. Sighing deeply, the purple-haired woman opened the door and entered the hot springs, where there were already lots of ladies bathing and having fun.
"Hey Rinslet, over here" the purple-haired woman smiled by seeing Misao Makimachi waving at her. The two women sat and started having a friendly conversation. "What took you so long? And why were you shouting so loud inside?" the young woman asked her.
Rinslet only slumped her face by hearing this. "It was just Jenos calling me. I just had to get rid of that charming jackass before I came here" she told her while sighing deeply. "I'm glad that I've found a date but this…...is way too far" she added with dissatisfaction in her voice.
Misao only giggled, much to Rinslet irritation. "Just relax. We're now here, with no men to bother us" she urged her and Rinslet decided to do as she just said.
As they relaxed, they could see many other women enjoying the hot springs while sometimes, splashing water at one another. They could see Hinata Hyuuga Sakura Haruno, Ino Yamanaka, Kyoko Kirisaki, Orihime Inoue, Rangiku Matsumoto, Rukia Kuchiki, Asuka Longley Soryu, Shiemi Moriyama, Shura Kirigakure and Sena Kashiwasaki play in the water and having fun, while Rei Ayanami, Izumo Kamiki and Yozora Mikazuki were sitting by the sidelines and watching them have fun. But there were other women sitting as groups, as Ringo Noyamano, Riza Hawkeye and Petra Rall were having a friendly conversation of their own.
"So Rinslet, do you think that this Train-guy you know will be okay in Roanapur?" Misao suddenly asked her, who faced her with surprise.
Rinslet only giggled at her words in return. "Sure he will. With the other council members that have joined him, Train's survival is guaranteed" she answered, but she suddenly fixed a slight frown with her mouth. "However, I do sometimes worry whether he will make it out. I mean, that guy used to be a Sweeper who only desired to live by his own rules, but now…he's a member of the Nijuu Senshi" she noted, still finding this unbelievable.
Misao fixed a smile of her own by hearing this. "Living by his own rules you say? He sounds similar to Himura. He also possesses a similar thought or whatever." the young woman remarked and then looked up at the skies.
Back at the men's side of the hot springs, Saito was now conversing with an important accomplice of his: the exorcist Yu Kanda. The two had previously known each other back in Konoha, having fought against minions of Komada when they were unleashed by his resurrected heart.
"So I take it you didn't want to waste your time at the bar" Kanda said while crossing his arms.
"Of course. Madame Christmas may be a reliable asset on intel, but we will need more than her if her are to find out more about Tora Kaigi's dealings" the slick-haired man said while relaxing his arms.
Kanda couldn't help but to force a smirk with his mouth by hearing it. "Which reminds me" he said while pointing his finger at Kira, Shinji and Kodaka sitting by the corner. "Those three could be potential officials to President Lamperouge. I say we bring them in for questioning" he suggested to him lowly.
Saito only narrowed his stern eyes while forcing a grim smile. "Heh, sounds like a great idea. We'll capture them once they have exited the hot springs" he said in return.
But all men who was relaxing could hear screaming coming from the wooden fence and it was the men who had been peeking into the ladies' hot springs. The waves of angry girls punched holes in the fence and brought the perverts over to their side, where they would be given some serious beating.
Riko, who was currently reading a magazine at the onsen's entrance, could hear all the screaming and beating and she sighed deeply in irritation. "Damn it all! There always has to be perverts among Kiri Onsen's customers!" she cursed while expressing her anger over the fact, which made her even more than dissatisfied over being one of the onsen's owners. "I miss the basketball team sometimes" she then admitted to herself.
In a nearby alleyway, near Kiri Onsen
The screaming and beating at the Kiri Onsen was so loud that people from the nearby alleyways could hear it. In one of those alleyways, four Yokai from the Nura clan, Tsurara Oikawa, Aotabo, Kurotabo and Kubinashi were interrupted when they could hear all the noise coming from the onsen.
Aotabo scoffed by hearing the noise. "Geez, why does the girls always have to be so loud at the onsen?" he wondered while sounding slightly irritated.
Tsurara faced him with a huff. "Isn't it obvious? Perverts are peeking on the ladies' side once again!" she told him strictly, causing the muscular Yokai to drop a sweat in return.
"We all understand how inappropriate such behavior is" Kubinashi assured her with a reassuring smile. "Hell, even we as men would never do something as immature like that, right you two?" the Yokai with the floating head asked them, although he could see that neither Aotabo nor Kurotabo were interested in replying.
"Let us put this interruption behind us for now" Kurotabo urged his comrades and they proceeded with having the serious discussion. "Now as I was saying, I cannot help but to feel bad for letting Master Rikuo wander off to Roanapur without one of us, his closest protectors, guarding him" the long black-haired man said while sighing deeply showing a hint of disappointment in his voice.
"We all feel that way" Aotabo spoke up. "But we gotta realize now that Master Rikuo has now entered the world of politics, meaning that he has assumed bigger responsibilities" the strong priest said.
"And he joined the Nijuu Senshi for a particular reason" Tsurara suddenly spoke up. "By having a place amongst the group, we Yokai have been given a say in their leadership. Before that, many people doubted our loyalty to their cause, as they thought that the Nura clan would join up with Yagami" the young woman in white kimono pointed out.
Her fellow Yokai only sighed deeply by hearing this. "Their accusations are misplaced! Why in the world would the Nura clan join up with a man who's been enslaving many Yokai clans to his cause!?" Kubinashi asked in disbelief.
Kurotabo calmed him down. "We should not be so easily provoked, Kubinashi. But as you say, we of the Nura clan would never be as foolish as to join hands with Light Yagami and his tyranny. Both Master Rikuo and the Supreme Commander realize what dire consequences that would result in" the man dressed in black robes said.
Aotabo smiled by hearing this, as he knew that Kurotabo spoke the truth. "Well, I'm willing to have faith in Master Rikuo on this trip of his. He will be alright. I mean come on, he's not a kid anymore" he said while pointing it out with confidence.
Tsurara could not help herself but to blush by hearing this. "Yeah, he has really…grown" she admitted, her cheeks reddening by the minute.
Kurotabo and Kubinashi joined in the smiling. "How about we all attend the celebration happening later? I think it is time that we had some relaxation and socialized with other groups" the long black-haired man suddenly suggested to his fellow Yokai.
"Sounds like a great idea. I'm in" Kubinashi said to him in return, and he could see that Aotabo and Tsurara were interested as well.
The four Yokais eventually took their leave and left the alleyway. However, someone had been listening to them from a balcony belonging to one of the buildings. Those four people were the Titan hunters: Levi, Armin Arlert, Mikasa Ackerman and Erwin Smith. They had been listening to what the Yokais were talking about without as much as making a sound or a noise.
"What were those four speaking off?" Armin wondered while facing his comrades.
"Haven't you figured it out?" Levi asked him while feeling the winds that were blowing through the alleyway. "Those Yokai were members of the Nura clan, the same clan which Rikuo Nura leads" the stern-eyed boy told her.
"From what we heard, they must be close friends of his" Erwin remarked. "Therefore, it is safe to say that none of them has any dealings with Lelouch Lamperouge and his schemes" the blonde-haired man noted to his fellow Titan hunters.
Mikasa faced both Erwin and Levi with stern glances. "How can you be so sure?" she asked them while sounding suspicious. "Even now, he could have many allies and officials skulking around Eien" she added.
"Apparently, you seem to be misinformed" Mikasa was stopped by Levi speaking to her with his usual arrogant voice. "According to our sources, somebody among the council is leaking information to the congress. The one who is helping President Lamperouge, is without a doubt a member of the Nijuu Senshi, and of course one of the new members" the black-haired man told her while making sure that both Armin and Erwin were listening as well.
Armin gulped slightly before speaking. "Yeah, but the question is which of the members could be doing such things" the timid blonde-haired boy said.
Levi could not help but to narrow his eyes at the cityscape before him. "That is what I think we should be doing. We better find out which member is the leaker, but first, we better find out more about Lelouch Lamperouge and his past" he told them all. He then went inside, but not before looking over his shoulder to face those behind him. "Are any of interested in accompanying joining me on the anniversary at Saiba later on?" he then quizzed them sternly.
Both Erwin and Mikasa approached him, while Armin seemed reluctant to join them. "I will stay here for the rest of the night, you go ahead without me" the timid boy said to Levi, as he simply gave him a nod in return.
Erwin fixed his eyes upon both Mikasa and Levi. "It would be wise of us if went to Saiba earlier. That restaurant will be crawling with important visitors" the blonde-haired man suggested to them. "But I doubt that Eren and the other members of the Nijuu Senshi will be attending, considering the tensions between them and the Tora Kaigi" Erwin added to his explanation.
"Then we best move out immediately" Mikasa noted and all three agreed on her suggestion and went out of their apartment, with Armin staying back with Hanji Zoe and Sasha Braus, who were also Titan-hunters.
The Marketplace, central Eien
The marketplace was a bustling center of activity. This area was never empty, as there were always people who would come and go. Here, the various people who were previously united against the Toriyamas traded their supplies, as well as their knowledge and wisdom. In addition to that, various activities were arranged at this center, with most of them being performances by talented people.
But in this case, most people were shopping, almost as if they didn't give much thought about the political climate in Eien, as well as the ongoing civil war against Yagami and his regime. Nevertheless, places such as these were key to Eien's economy and existence in a dangerous world.
Yuma Kuga was now passing through the markets, watching as many flocked to the shops, hoping to get whatever thing they needed. He could see Shiba-siblings Kukaku and Ganju selling fireworks from their stand. Fireworks were very popular in Nipponichi, especially during holidays. The Shibas' fireworks were one of the most well-known throughout the empire.
"Need some fireworks? Come here and buy the finest and spectacular ones made by us from the Shiba clan" Kukaku called out to all people, while Ganju only dropped a sweat while holding some rockets in his arms.
"Why did I agree to this?" Ganju wondered in his head, starting to have second thoughts about this.
Meanwhile, the small baby named Koenma was you know…having a stand where he hoped he could hire someone to do his paperwork. Standing beside him was his most trusted assistant, the ogre named Jorge Saotome.
"Step right up everyone! If you don't have a job or an income and wish to achieve those as fast as possible, then you should come and work for me, Koenma!" the tiny baby spoke up with enthusiasm through his pacifier.
But Jorge began facing him with an apologetic glance. "Koenma sir, maybe you should reconsider this proportion of yours. I mean, a marketplace is not an ideal place to search for employees. Most people here want to buy" the ogre explained while trying to talk sense into Koenma.
But the tiny baby only snapped in anger at him. "I don't care what kind of place this is! I'm not leaving until someone's signed up and that's final!" he said stubbornly.
Jorge only dropped a sweat by seeing Koenma's behavior. "Why didn't I sign up to work as the janitor in Tengoku?" he wondered while admitting his mistake to join Koenma on this…idiocy.
At another stand, two cheesy teenagers by the name of Kiyotsugu and Jiro Shima were trying to sell off some important stuff they claimed once belonged to Yokai. However, only Kiyotsugu seemed most enthusiastic about it, as Shima was forced into doing this as his underling.
"Step right up, ladies and gentlemen! I, Kiyotsugu, founder and CEO of the Kiyojuji Paranormal Patrol, am pleased to give you this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to buy relics once belonging to this country's most fierce Yokai!" the black-haired boy exclaimed with pride, but no one was interested, considering how annoying he was in terms of personality. Even Shima seemed bored, as the blonde-haired boy would rather play soccer.
Yuma suddenly headed towards a stand, driven by an elderly man, who appeared to be a doctor or some sort, as he was indeed selling medicine, potions and other kinds of medical services. "Oh, hello there, young sir. How can I be of service?" the man named Gensai Oguni asked cheerfully, while his granddaughters Ayame and Suzume stood at his side.
The white-haired boy smiled in return. "Dr. Gensai. I have a question to ask of you" Yuma said gently, with the elderly man keen on listening. "Have you noticed any sort of commotion here in the markets?" he asked while trying to sound curious.
Gensai took his time to think. "Well, I do remember that three days ago, a brawl occurred in the markets. Turns out that it was started by a drunken congressman who refused to pay for buying some foreign liquor" he recalled as he remembered it. "If I remember correctly, that congressman's name was Toji Suzuhara" he added.
"That congressman was acting weird, almost as if someone had stolen something from him" the little girl in green kimono named Ayame joined in the conversation.
"Angry congressman" little Suzume said, causing Gensai to chuckle by hearing this.
"Now, now girls, this conversation is between me and this young gentleman" he told them in a grandfatherly manner and faced Yuma.
The white-haired boy simply bowed his head at him in respect, even showing a smile directed at the elderly man. "Thank you so kindly" he thanked him and suddenly laid some coins upon Gensai's counter. "Take this as tokens of gratitude. You deserve it anyways, considering that your retirement is nearing" he added before taking off while waving his hand at him gently.
Gensai was stunned at first, but he waved back at him nonetheless. "Hmm…a strange yet a gentle boy. I like his attitude" he remarked while taking the coins.
In the middle of the marketplace, there was a large stand selling fish and other types of seafood. As a result, customers lined up to get a look at what was for sale. Fishing contributed greatly to Nipponichi's economy in the past, and it was still considered a fishing nation.
"I would really like this salmon right there" the congressman named Jeremiah Gottwald told the seller, a Mist shinobi by the name of Suigetsu Hozuki, who was in addition to standing there, also working with cutting the salmon.
Suigetsu put the salmon on the disk and accepted Jeremiah's yen. "An excellent choice there, sir. I promise you that this salmon is fresh off the ocean" the white-haired man told him. "Are you planning a party or something?" he then quizzed the congressman smugly.
Jeremiah simply waved off his hand at him in return. "I wouldn't necessarily call it a party. More like, a visit by friends" he told him and grabbed the bag in which the salmon had been packed into. He then gave him a respective nod. "Take care, fisherman. Until we meet again" he said before moving on.
Suigetsu simply waved his hand back at him, but he only did that because he was now working undercover in his job. He then went behind the desk, starting to cut some fishes with the help of his blade. "Hmm…...kind of strange to see a congressman visit the marketplace" the white-haired man admitted while chopping fish.
But somebody had been watching Jeremiah doing his shopping and that was one of the newcomers of the Nijuu Senshi, Oz Vessalius. The blonde-haired man had been pretending to read some the local newspapers, as he was currently standing beside the stand where newspapers were sold. It was driven by two friends of Gintoki: Shinpachi Shimura and Kagura. Why he was keeping a close eye on the congressman remained a mystery, considering that he did not seem to be at least suspicious about him.
But he could suddenly see that many other people were heading the same way Jeremiah did, and it made Oz wonder why. But he suddenly came to a realization, as he remembered that today was the day that a celebration would be held in a nearby restaurant, located high above ground and overlooking the waterfall of Amehito.
"Of course, today is the anniversary of Totoro's coronation as Emperor of Nipponichi! A celebration is being arranged at the restaurant called Saiba" Oz recalled what he had heard. "However, most of my fellow councilmen are not attending due to recent events, so they are staying in Tengoku. But surely they will watch the fireworks from outside the balconies" the young man added to his thoughts and began moving.
But at a nearby ramen bar driven by Keiko Yukimaru, who was now the wife of Councilman Yusuke Urameshi, two Demons by the name of Kurama and Hiei were sitting on their stools, watching the scene closely. They had been watching Oz standing at the newspaper stand and could not help but to feel curious over seeing this.
"It looks like Councilman Oz Vessalius had been waiting for something in the markets" Kurama noted to his partner while eating. "He left at the same time, Jeremiah Gottwald did. Obviously, he must be up to something regarding the Tora Kaigi" the red-haired man added to his analysis of the situation.
Hiei only narrowed his eyes by hearing this. "I know that this man is a member of the Nijuu Senshi, but I found it peculiar that someone like him would be interested in attending the ceremony happening at Saiba. Most of the other members have declined to attend it, even Yusuke" the black-haired Demon said while pondering about it.
Kurama fixed himself a slight smile after chewing down his food. "Maybe we should go and take a look, at least see how the celebration will be" he suggested to his calculating partner.
But Hiei simply shrugged his shoulders by hearing this. "As if I would have any pleasure in doing that. We should go there just to find out where specifically Oz will be staying at the restaurant" he suggested and began drinking the soup in his bowl, surprising both Kurama and Keiko. After finishing, the bowl was empty and Hiei laid some coins on the counter to Keiko while facing the brunette with a respective nod. "Thanks for the ramen, I appreciate it greatly. Give your husband my regards" Hiei said and began moving on.
Keiko was only dumbfounded by what she was seeing. "When did Hiei get so…civilized?" she wondered while watching the young man walk away.
Kurama finished his bowl and laid some coins for Keiko as well. "I believe that we have both Yusuke and Yukina to thank for it. He is definitely a different person, while maintaining his serious demeanor of course" the red-haired man told Keiko and then waved his hand at her friendly. "I best take my leave now. Thank you for this meal and give my regards to Yusuke" he said with a smile before departing to catch up with Hiei.
As Keiko waved back friendly and collected the coins, she could not help but to think about her husband, whom she knew was in a very difficult situation. "Yusuke…..." she lowly noted while cleaning up the desk. "I understand your desire to defeat Yagami…but do not forget about those dearest to you….including me" she added while thinking about her husband's job and duties.
"Keiko, mind if I sit here with you?" the brunette was interrupted in her cleaning by a familiar voice, and she lifted her head to see Kaoru Kamiya sitting at the barstool in front of her. The dark blue-haired woman smiled at her friend. "I would one ramen just for me, if that's okay with" she said.
Keiko immediately fixed a smile with her mouth, as she was happy to see Kaoru. "Of course, you shall have it, Kaoru. It's always nice to serve food to friends" she said and began doing her cooking. Kaoru Kamiya was Kenshin's wife and when Yusuke and Keiko married, it was only natural that the two couples would spend together, thus becoming good friends. That group also included Inuyasha and his wife Kagome Higurashi. Keiko delivered the bowl of ramen before Kaoru. "Here, thanks for the wait" she told Kaoru who held her sticks gleefully.
The dark blue-haired woman took a slurp and she loved it. "Your food is always great, Keiko. Yusuke must be lucky to have you as his wife" she complimented her cooking skills.
This only made Keiko chuckle nervously in return, as she did not know about what to say in return. But the brunette decided to change the subject with her friend. "So Kaoru, I take it that Kenshin is also staying back in Tengoku, correct?" she then asked her. But for some reason, Kaoru seemed sort of distressed when being asked about this, causing Keiko to feel ashamed for her action. "I'm sorry, Kaoru…..you don't have to answer if you don't want" she tried to encourage her.
But Kaoru quickly fixed a smile at her friend. "It's okay, Keiko. I don't blame you for asking this" the dark blue-haired woman said to her before sighing deeply. "You know this evening would've been a perfect opportunity for Kenshin and Yusuke to go out with us, but they would rather stay in Tengoku" she pointed out while resting her left hand on her left cheek.
Keiko could not help but to agree with her on that statement, as she knew it had been a while since either of them had been able to do something with their husbands, like going out on activities. Hopefully, as soon as the conflict between the Nijuu Senshi and the Tora Kaigi would take an end, things in Eien would be much safer.
Inside the magnificent restaurant of Saiba
The magnificent restaurant of Saiba was lying high above the city wall, thus giving customers a perfect view of the river falling down towards Amehito. The restaurant had a large balcony, and that made it perfect spot for those who desired both good food and a wonderful view. The restaurant was named after its owner, a talented chef named Joichiro Saiba. He had managed to gather a staff of talented waiters, cooks and servicepersons. Among those employed was Soma Yukihira, his son, and some friends of Soma as well.
The interior of the restaurant was wonderful, and so was the balcony. Even now, nearly all tables were full-booked by customers who wanted to eat and celebrate the anniversary of the beginning of Emperor Totoro's rule as emperor. In Nipponichi, it was a common tradition to celebrate the beginning of rules of former emperors and empresses. They even had similar celebrations for Emperor Black Jack, the first of the Tezuka-dynasty and even Emperor Porco Rosso, the last of the Miyazaki-dynasty, as well as that of a unified and peaceful Nipponichi. But this evening was to celebrate Totoro, as well as his great accomplishments as emperor.
In fact, Soma Yukihira was the one hosting the visiting customers and guests and he warmly welcomed them with dignity and respect. Right now, he was now approached by a blonde-haired man dressed in white dress. It was the biker-turned-teacher named Eikichi Onizuka, as well as his newfound dater: the smoking woman named Shizuru Kuwabarra.
The blonde-haired teacher smiled goofily. "Hey there! Table for two, please. And it's reserved for Onizuka" he said while feeling quite confident of himself.
Soma smiled in return and showed them the way. "Right this way, out on the balcony" he told them and Onizuka simply held onto his date.
"Well my lovely Shizuru Kuwabarra. Shall we?" he asked charmingly while holding Shizuru's hand, only for the woman to swat away his hand. "Ouch….what's wrong?" he asked while not getting her behavior.
Shizuru simply puffed out some smoke. "I don't need you holding me while walking. I can take care of myself, I'll have you know" she reminded him sternly.
Hearing this caused Onizuka to chuckle at her in a goofy manner. "Right…..sorry about that. It's just an old habit of mine" he said and proceeded to walk beside his "date" to their table.
At one table, Sven and Karin were sitting, with Karin looking around suspiciously, while Sven was reading all the delicious food on the menu card. Karin slumped by seeing her partner drooling, as he could not help but to feel hungry.
"Man, just look at all those dishes!" Sven exclaimed and showed Karin the menu, which also included pictures of the dishes. "I mean there's Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Italian, French and even Mexican! I am lost about which one to choose" the green-haired man with eyepatch told the redhead.
Karin adjusted her glasses. "Quit being so drifted away, Sven! We didn't come here just to eat, you know!" she lowly scolded while reminded him at the same time.
Sven only sighed in annoyance and put his menu card down. "Geez, try not to get so worked up, Miss Ex-stripper. Tonight's a great celebration! I mean, just look at that statue of Emperor Totoro over there" he said while pointing to his left side and they could see a large statue of Totoro standing there, but that was not just it. It was actually made of chocolate!
Karin was still not amused. "Yeah…...looks fantastic and all" she replied with no amusement in her voice.
"So you decided to visit Saiba after all?" both Sven and Karin turned to their right and left respectively, as they saw both Saito and Kanda standing by their table, with Kaito only having his arms crossed. "Doesn't matter. We'll take these seats" Saito added as he sat on one of the available seats on the right, while Kanda sat on the left.
Sven's face snapped in outrage. "Hold it! I didn't book seats for you!" the white-dressed man pointed out.
"We simply told the host that we were with you and that we were arriving late, so it was not that of a big deal" Kanda simply said, putting his Innocence beside the chair, and Saito did the same with his sword. "So what made you wanna come here?" the blue-haired man then asked both Sven and Karin.
"I don't know. Maybe I just got dragged into Sven's lust for food once again" Karin replied with a huff.
Sven became annoyed by hearing this. "Food is more important than strippers, period" the Sweeper told the redhead, who twitched in anger by hearing this.
"Will you stop referencing my previous job!? It's getting so goddamned irritating!" Karin demanded from him, but Sven didn't seem to give much effort into her.
"Shut up for a minute!" Kanda suddenly snapped, thus catching Karin's attention. He then made sure those at the table were listening. "Listen, me and Saito managed to find three congressmen at the hot springs and we were about to interrogate them" the blue-haired man went on explaining.
"Unfortunately for us, some ignorant fools were rudely peeping at the ladies' side of the hot springs, so things started to escalate, thus disabling us from capturing those three boys" Saito then explained while coughing.
Sven only lit a cigarette and puffed out some smoke. "Tch, figures. That place always gets visited by perverts frequently" the white-dressed man remarked while sounding not interested. "So that means that you found nothing at the hot springs, yes?" Sven then asked them both.
"Actually, we did. With the help of a hidden informant of course" Saito revealed and suddenly motioned for somebody to come forward at their table. Sven and Karin were stunned to see Yuma stand before them, the young boy glancing at them with little emotion. "I present to you Yuma Kuga. While you were busy boozing yourself, I had him sent off to the marketplace in hopes of finding some info on the Tora Kaigi. But I had asked him to listen to what Madame Christmas told you before leaving" the slick-haired man revealed cunningly to the two.
The young boy suddenly handed them some files, as well as a picture of Toji Suzuhara on the front of them. He made sure that nobody was listening to them. "This is the congressman who started the brawl at the marketplace three days ago, Toji Suzuhara. Apparently, he had left the Naughty Succubus prior to heading for the marketplace" Yuma told them lowly while eyeing sideways. He then showed them the amulet he had been carrying with him. "I have noticed that Madame Christmas gave you an amulet similar to this, well that is without a doubt Toji Suzuhara's" Yuma said, as the group of four listened carefully to what was being said. "Well, I picked this up at the Naught Succubus earlier before you came, and you wouldn't believe who dropped it….it was none other than Councilman Oz Vessalius" he revealed grimly.
The group of four each had different reactions to what was being said to them. But Karin suddenly snapped in outrage by slamming her hands at the table and standing up on her two feet. "HOLD ON JUST A DAMN MINUTE! ARE YOU SERIOUSLY SAYING THAT…" she was stopped when Kanda and Saito covered her mouth with their hands, trying to shut her up.
But not far from their table, the Soul Reaper captain named Kenpachi Zaraki, alongside his lieutenant Yachiru Kusajishi and the woman named Olivia Mira Armstrong were listening to the antics of the four-eyed woman. It began to annoy Kenpachi, as he thought Karin was too loud.
"Tch crap. Just what we need. A noisy bitch who never knows when to show respect in front of other people" Kenpachi muttered lowly while facing up towards the ceiling.
Olivia only smirked by seeing his reaction. "You're quite calm for someone who's inching to cut whatever he stumbles across" she remarked while facing the long-haired man.
Kenpachi fixes his eye on her. "What, you expect me to go over there and cut that woman in half? No way, I don't waste my strength on somebody who's weaker than me and would just pee in her panties whenever she felt my Spiritual Pressure" he told her while making a point. But he suddenly eyes sideways and noticed Yachiru trying to sneak off, causing him to only grab her by her outfit. "Yachiru! I told you to sit still and not do anything stupid!" he scolded his adoptive daughter.
"But Kenny!" the young pinkette pouted childishly. "I wanna get a closer look on that chocolate statue of Totoro!" she begged, causing Kenpachi to sigh in annoyance.
"What a pain in my ass" he remarked by hearing this. "I gotta stop dragging Yachiru with me anywhere I go" he admitted in his thoughts while watching the young girl's antics.
Olivia could not help but to chuckle by what she was seeing. "You really are a terrific father-figure" she noted, much to Kenpachi's own outrage, although he did not go crazy.
At another table, Levi and Erwin Smith was sharing the same table with two exorcists from the True Cross Order: Shura Kirigakure and Yukio Okumura. So far, they were having a pleasant talk while drinking.
"Tch, man am I glad that we'll be celebrating today" Shura remarked while taking a sip from her champagne. "Wow, have to admit that it tastes kind of sweet. Wouldn't you agree, Yukio?" the young woman then asked the four-eyed boy, who simply adjusted his glasses.
"Try not to swallow in too much, Shura. You don't wanna get drunk during the festival" Yukio insisted to her.
Shura simply frowned at him in return. "You really sound boring tonight, you know that?" she remarked in return.
"Let's not drift away from the subject" Erwin said and faced the two exorcists with serious glances. "Does any of you believe that one of the newcomers of the Nijuu Senshi could be responsible for leaking information to Lelouch Lamperouge?" the blonde-haired man asked them, determined to get some answers.
Both Yukio and Shura snapped I surprise by hearing this, but Yukio seemed more than willing to express his opinions. "Yeah, I seriously doubt that the veterans would be willing to enter into a partnership with that man. And I know for a fact that my twin brother: Councilman Rin Okumura is not the one doing the leaking" the black-haired exorcist explained.
Levi nodded his head in return, indicating that he understood his answer. "We also have similar opinions with regard to Councilman Eren Yeager. However, because of what has happened in Tengoku, each member of the Nijuu Senshi will try to keep this information to themselves. Only a minority knows about the facts" the stern-looking man remarked and took a sip from his wine. Levi could not help but to glance at it for a brief moment. "Hmmm, not bad for being a foreign wine" he remarked.
At a table in the outside balcony, the Dog-Demon named Sesshomaru was sharing a glass of wine with the Soul Reaper named Yoruichi Shihoin, as she was dressed in a fancy black dress. It was almost as if those two were on a date or some sort.
"Are you sure you are comfortable with this?" Sesshomaru asked the purple-haired woman with golden eyes as they were poured wine into their glasses.
Yoruichi only fixed her smug grin in return. "Certainly. Why wouldn't I be? It's not every day that you get asked out by the infamous Sesshomaru" she replied and grabbed a hold onto her wine. "And besides, Kisuke doesn't have to know about our meeting here. It will be our little secret, my handsome dog" Yoruichi added while winking at the white-haired Demon.
Hearing this made Sesshomaru form a cunning smile in return and he lifted his glass of wine up, with Yoruichi doing the same thing. "Very well, a toast to our meeting then, my seductive cat" he said in return and they both cheered their glasses before drinking their wine.
At another table, the spikey brown-haired man with the red headband named Sanosuke Sagara was drinking some sake with a friend of his: the exorcist from the Black Order named Lavi. They were having a friendly conversation regarding what Lavi had been through.
"So, you're saying that you got your ass handed to you by the girls in the onsen?" Sanosuke asked smugly, having a toothpick in his mouth while listening. "Well, can't say that I condone your actions" he remarked with sarcasm in his voice.
Lavi was not amused by hearing this and the young man with the eyepatch simply slumped. "How the hell was I supposed to know that one of the girls possessed the ability to see through things?" he asked while throwing his arms up in the air. The red-haired man had also been bandaged on his cheeks. "This is probably the last time I ever go to that place" he added.
"Don't get your hopes too dried up. You will find love…...someday at least" Sanosuke replied while taking a sip from his sake. "Man, you gotta admit, Japanese sake sure is the best" he added, as he took a liking to his drink.
"Showoff" Lavi muttered lowly in return, focusing his attention on something else.
Not far from where those two were sitting, the paladin named Arthur A. Angel, the assassin named Jenos Hazard and the shinobi named Sasuke Uchiha were drinking wine while leaning onto the edge, giving them a perfect view of the river running towards Amehito and the nature behind it.
"Pretty, isn't it?" Jenos asked while taking a sip from his glass. "If you ask me, this is a perfect time for celebrating the anniversary of Emperor Totoro's coronation" he then remarked while enjoying the view.
But Sasuke seemed less than pleased. "What point is there in celebrating a distant memory? We should move forward and honor our current leaders, not the old ones" Sasuke expressed his own opinions.
"You can keep those thoughts to yourself, Uchiha. There is something that we call respect or paying tribute to, remember?" Arthur told the raven-haired man sternly, causing Sasuke to glance at him in return.
"Back off, exorcist" Sasuke warned him with no regret in his voice.
While feeling slightly disrespected by Sasuke's tone, Arthur decided not to pay attention to him and looked to another direction. "Heh…brat" he muttered lowly beneath his breath.
Suddenly Jenos noticed something and headed inside. "Oh, it looks like the celebration is about to open. You guys coming?" he asked them while looking over his shoulder.
With nothing else to do, Arthur and Sasuke followed Jenos inside, as it was there that the opening ceremony would take place. The sound of a microphone could be heard and an entire crowd of guests were gathered before a stage and the it was a young man who was standing on, holding a microphone in his hand. He had short black hair and some rather stern-looking eyes. This was Kyoya Hibari, a member of the Vongola Family, the same family that Tsunayoshi Sawada ran.
"Brothers and sisters of the revolution" he began while speaking to his microphone. "It is with great honor that we have all gathered here in this restaurant to celebrate the anniversary of the coronation of Emperor Totoro, the first emperor of the Miyazaki-dynasty" he went on explaining, in a surprisingly cold and serious tone, but most of the audience seemed happy to hear him speak. Hibari then continued his opening speech.
The opening speech could be heard from one of the restaurant's private suites, which was where only the most important guests were staying. It was heard with the help of microphones in the suite. Sitting by this table were Jeremiah Gottwald along with his guests, Flame Alchemist Roy Mustang, the Commander of the Chronos Numbers Sephiria Arks, the leader of the Oniwaban Group Aoshi Shinomori and last but not least, Kakashi Hatake, Konoha's Sixth and current Hokage, who was now in Eien for a visit, but only for a couple of days. They were enjoying themselves while listening to Hibari's speech.
"Well, I must say that this gentleman is at least enthusiastic" Kakashi remarked to his fellow visitors. "Maybe we should toast this evening, for the honor of the rebellion" the white-haired man added with a suggestion.
Mustang smirked by hearing this. "Sounds like reasonable suggestion, Kakashi. It is a celebration after all" he said and took hold of his glass of wine.
"Hold on" Aoshi suddenly told his fellow visitors while glancing at Jeremiah suspiciously. "How do we know that we can trust you? How do we know that these glasses of wine are not poisoned?" he asked sternly, almost as if he was ready to attack the congressman.
Sephiria had similar thoughts and eyed him with suspicion as well. "Are you on your own, or perhaps you are secretly in league with President Lamperouge. We know about his masterminding abilities" the young woman reminded the congressman.
So far, Jeremiah had only been glancing at his guests with nothing but disinterested eyes, as if he did not seem at least troubled or offended by their accusations. However, he soon let out a light chuckle, much to the surprise of his visitors. Why was he doing that? As soon as he stopped, Jeremiah faced them with a cunning smile.
"You honestly believe that I would resort to such cowardly tactics? Do not insult my intelligence" the congressman remarked while finding this ridiculous. "Remember, I may be a close ally of Leuloch and Kallen, but my loyalties are my own. They do not have control over the majority of the Tora Kaigi, only a few handful, as they are forming a group of elites within the congress" Jeremiah went on explaining to them, trying to make his guests see the error of their accusations.
Sephiria remained cautious by hearing this, but she eventually formed a slight smile with her mouth. "Well, I must admit that you do know a lot, Jeremiah Gottwald" she said and then raised her glass of wine in the air. "Therefore, I trust that you will not do anything as reckless as to poison us" she added, putting her trust in the congressman.
Aoshi did the same thing, but he did not as much as smile in return. "While I do not fully trust you, your words have some wisdom indeed" the stern-looking man said.
"Then let us all give this a toast to the honor of Emperor Totoro, and the ongoing rebellion against the tyranny of Light Yagami" Kakashi told his fellow visitors as they all cheered with their glasses.
"For the rebellion!" they all said in unison while Hibari's opening speech was now over, paving the way for an enormous applause from the crowd of guests. They were all drinking while the celebration was now beginning. The fireworks had been set outside and the sound of laughter and joy filled the entire restaurant.
"Now that the speech is finished, there is dancing happening in the hall now" Kakashi spoke up while facing his fellow visitors. "Shall we head downstairs and watch?" the white-haired shinobi added.
Sephiria smiled by hearing this. "A terrific idea, Sixth Hokage. Now tell me, do you have a dance partner?" she asked him while wanting to know.
Hearing this only caused Kakashi to chuckle before waving his hand at him whimsically. "I'm afraid not. Dancing is not my greatest strength, if you know what I mean" the white-haired man added.
Mustang suddenly got up on his feet and stood by the door. "Well, I have a dancing partner for tonight, and she's my wife" the black-haired man explained to them. "Shall we go?" he then asked and opened the door to exit.
Back in the hall, music was played in the background and some guests had begun to dance to it. And of course, there was no party dancing, as classical music was played, thus making this a romantic dance between ladies and gentlemen. Even now, the guests had formed a circle around the scene were the band were playing the music and many couples were dancing so fantastically.
"Wow Rinslet, you sure got fancy some moves!" Jenos remarked as he was currently dancing with Rinslet, his date. "But maybe you should improve a little. I mean, you have potential" he then suggested to her.
The purple-haired woman sighed in annoyance by hearing this. "I am just trying my best here, you wacko. You don't have to say things to make me feel better, nor tell me what to improve on" she pointed out to him, although she could see that Jenos was not particularly interested in what she was saying.
Sasuke and Ino were also dancing, although it was Ino who was the quite talkative of the two. "Can you believe this!? Once again, some immature perverts were peeping on us at the onsen! Seriously, why can't the owners erect a wall of iron or something!?" Ino expressed her dissatisfaction while dancing.
Her date only rolled his eyes by hearing this as they continued dancing to the music. "Okay, I get it. It sounds ridiculous and all. But how about we enjoy this dance?" he then suggested to her, causing Ino to force a sweet smile in return.
Even Kazuma Kuwabarra and the Ice Demon named Yukina, who was Hiei's sister, were dancing and they were doing great so far, although Kuwabarra was clumsily stomping on the beautiful woman's feet. Even so, Yukina enjoyed dancing with him.
"You're a wonderful dancer, Kazuma" Yukina expressed her admiration of him. "Maybe you can teach me some of those…ouch!" the mint green-haired woman was interrupted by Kuwabarra stomping on her feet once again.
The oafish man simply sweated with embarrassment. "Sorry about that, Yukina! But I get so nervous whenever I have such a wonderful time with you!" he tried to come up with an excuse.
Yukina simply laughed by hearing this. "You're so funny sometimes, Kazuma. I am already enjoying myself by being with…...ouch" she was once again stomped again by her idiotic date.
A friend and admirer of Kenshin named Yahiko Myojin, was dancing with a girl she knew back from his hometown: a young waitress named Tsubame Sanjo. They had started out as just friends, but recently, they had started to date each other. And now, they were dancing, as they were probably among the youngest couples.
"Are you feeling okay, Tsubame?" Yahiko asked while dancing with her smoothly.
The young girl simply giggled at him in return. "I am fine" she insisted to him while enjoying the music and the dancing at the same time. "I never knew that you were such a good dancer, Little Yahiko" she said, but suddenly snapped awkwardly by saying the nickname Yahiko hated the most.
Yahiko was fuming with anger and he was actually about to open his mouth to tell her to stop calling him that. But he then realized how more humiliating that would even be. So he swallowed and took a deep breath, eventually forming a cheeky grin in return.
"Heh, you really sound silly tonight, Tsubame" he said lowly, causing his date to actually smile in return.
Others who were dancing as couples included Sesshomaru and Yoruichi, as well as Kenpachi and Olivia. But from the sidelines, Yachiru was watching this with a huff along with Olivia's younger brother: Alex Louis Armstrong aka the Strong Arm Alchemist and Jaken, Sesshomaru's hopeless servant. Alex was crying with joyful tears over seeing how his older sister was enjoying her date.
"This is beautiful! Never would I imagine that my own beloved older sister would find a fitting date!" Alex exclaimed while finding this romantic.
"Heh, well I'm not amused" Yachiru said with a huff. "Why does Kenny put me on the sidelines for that broad?" she wondered stubbornly.
Unfortunately, Olivia could hear the young girl's words, so she faced him like an angry grizzly bear. "Is there something you wish to sat to me!?" she demanded while facing Yachiru. Both the small Soul Reaper and the Strong Arm Alchemist felt intimidated by her glance and voice, so they quickly moved away from her sight. As they were gone, Olivia fixed her eyes upon Kenpachi. "Is she always like this?" she asked him smugly.
Kenpachi groaned by hearing this. "Trust me, she's a valuable asset to me, when it comes to navigation and taking out the trash" the long-haired Soul Reaper said to her in return as they continued dancing.
Jaken was now holding a camera, his peculiar face filled with gleefulness and joyfulness over seeing his liege being in such a good mood with his date. "Lord Sesshomaru wouldn't mind if I took a picture of his beautiful future-bride. He will certainly love it" the small Demon said and had the motive in sight, only to snap when he could see Sesshomaru give him a cold and dispassionate glare over seeing him doing this. Jaken snapped in fear and removed the camera. "I am sorry milord! I thought that it would be an honor to take a picture of you and…." Jaken could see that his liege was still giving him the glare, so the young Demon ran away as quickly as he could, not wanting to be torn to shreds.
A long table had been put, where all the guests could pick up whatever to eat or drink. Most of them simply took a glass of wine or whatever was poured into them by the nearby waiters. In fact, many guests had started having conversation with each other, enjoying as the music played in the background.
"I must thank you for your opening speech, Kyoya Hibari. It really brought so much enthusiasm to us all" the Quincy named Uryu Ishida commended the black-haired boy's talents, who simply nodded his head in return.
"I appreciate your gratitude. However, I don't recall ever seeing you here, let alone Eien" Hibari said in return.
Uryu reached out a hand to him and Hibari did as well, eventually shaking hands formally. "Uryu Ishida, it's a pleasure" he introduced himself and cleared his throat. "I happen to be a well-known acquaintance of Councilman Ichigo Kurosaki. He and I have been the greatest of allies" the four-eyed man went on explaining.
"You don't say" Hibari said lowly, admitting to himself that he was starting to like conversing with Uryu, as he felt they shared similar personalities.
At another spot, the member of the Vongola Family: Hayato Gokudera was having a conversation with some people gathered around him. It was the exorcist from the Black Order: Arystar Krory III, Mikasa Ackerman, Shikamaru Nara and one of Colonel Mustang's most trusted colleagues: Kain Fuery.
"So, that's pretty much it" Gokudera told everyone as they drank their glasses. "That terrible brawl in the market happened because of one idiotic congressman's desire to buy foreign liquor. I'm astounded why he hasn't been expelled from the Tora Kaigi" the grey-haired man told them.
"Who knows? Maybe that guy his disciplined by President Lamperouge" Shikamaru stated. "But then again, Toji Suzuhara was just a reckless fool. Hell, I've heard that he's been receiving so many complaints with regard to his behavior. Such a drag" he added.
Fuery chuckled nervously while hearing all this. "Maybe he will learn his mistake next time" he said.
"I hope that as well" Mikasa remarked.
But now, everyone was having a good time, and that was obvious, considering that most rebels were celebrating the rule of a former emperor, as well as honoring his legacy. By honoring legacies like this, it would boost their morale in their battle against Yagami.
To be continued…
Author's note: That was a long, but fantastic chapter! I hope you liked it all. It featured characters from Naruto, Bleach, Fullmetal Alchemist, Inuyasha, Yu Yu Hakusho, Rurouni Kenshin, Blue Exorcist Black Cat, D. Gray-man, Nura: Rise of the Yokai Clan and Reborn, as well as other series like Haganai, Noragami, Great Teacher Onizuka World Trigger, Food Wars, Code Geass, Pandora Hearts and Kuroku's Basket Ball. The next chapter will feature Songen and the Toriyamas' allies, as well as how they are celebrating the anniversary over there. See you around!
