Chapter 33: Sprouts for your Turtle
Earlier
Despite the crashing sounds of battle echoing outside the room that held her, Ikaruga did not react. Like a battlefield after the conflict, she sat still and silent. Her eyes stained red, evidence of angry and confused wailing. But her thoughts remained at war over a conflict she waged on both sides. Whether she was worthy as a leader or not, whether she cared if her friends came for her or if they failed, whether the sword known as Hien rightfully belonged to her or not, whether all the hatred from people she did nothing to was justified or they should all burn in hell, whether or not the young 13-year old Ikaruga who just wanted a loving family deserved even that. And whether or not she should stay the path bestowed upon her or toss it aside like used wastepaper.
Her hands remained folded, staring blankly into nothing even as the door to her room opened. "Miss Ikaruga. We need to leave, now!" Ikaruga slowly turned her head to see Komichi in the doorway before slowly turning her head back, letting indifference shroud her mind with the fog of lost thoughts. "Miss Ikaruga, please! I don't want to get rough with you."
"Oh, just grab her and go, Komichi. We don't have time for politeness when we're under attack." Murasame walked into the room, getting Ikaruga's attention, her eyes deadening with sadness. "Now come on, sister."
Murasame began to grab her arm, pulling her up but Ikaruga pulled away hard. "Hey! Don't make us rope you!" Murasame said.
"Do it! I'd rather walk bound than have you touching someone whom you never considered a sibling to begin with. Wouldn't you agree?" Ikaruga shot Murasame a slight glare. Murasame said nothing, a dumbfounded look coming over his face. "Whatever! I'd rather you not touch me either. Just bind me and get it over with." She said, taking a few steps closer to Komichi, holding her hands out.
"Have it your way then, miss Ikaruga. We're running short on time." Komichi said, proceeding to bind her.
"Where are we taking her anyways? Shouldn't we be defending Gokudō with the rest of our boys?" Murasame asked.
"New orders of the Oyabun. Kenshi says she's to be moved to a safe location where we can still see through to our client. We'll rejoin the fight after she's in the car, but right now we must not let the intruders get to her." Kenshi finished binding her wrists together, Ikaruga following along in silence.
The hallway path branched into an intersection. Yomi looked beside her friends Hikage and Homura, the latter of whom said, "You girls thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Split up, I assume?" Yomi replied.
"I know you guys too well." Hikage said with the slightest smile.
As Homura gave a thumbs up, Yomi giggled, "It's cause we're all so close, Hikage. But let us move quickly! Who knows what they've done to Ikaruga by now!"
"Just stay on your guard, girls! No telling what lies in wait." Homura declared before the three split up. Yomi made her way through with little resistance, taking out a few grunts and sentry guns along the way. Kicking the door open to a large open dining hall, she found several Gokudō shinobi who were prepared in a battle stance when they stopped, making confused looks, to which Yomi could overhear comments on her appearance.
A passive-aggressive smile formed on Yomi's mouth "Oh, I'm sorry, I simply MUST be in the wrong place. With all your fancy suit and ties, I must look ill-suited for your little party. Which is why I'm here to crash it!" Readying bombs under her dress and loading her wrist cannon and wrist crossbow, Yomi yelled the word 'Niflheim' before lighting up the entire dining room.
Present
Noticing they had stopped, Ikaruga looked back, as a Gokudo grunt spoke frantically to Komichi and Murasame. "What?! You're sure!? Dammit! I'll be right over." Komichi grunted.
"What about guarding the prisoner for our client?!" Murasame yelled.
"You go, Murasame! Our boys are under heavy attack and need help!" Komichi said.
"No, I'll go help the others and you take her to the dock! I'm just as capable as you!" Murasame protested.
"We don't have time for immaturity when we're under attack!" Komichi's tone turned sterner. "I am going because my fighting style is more suited for close quarters!"
"Is that all? Or do you think you're gonna make me think twice about moving on and giving back Hien to little sister by leaving me alone with HER?!" Murasame remarked, annoyed.
"LET GO OF THE PAST ALREADY AND FOCUS ON THE PRESENT, MURASAME! Your here and now is what matters!" a grit-toothed grimace flared from Komichi, making Murasame take a step back.
"You're right. Forgive me, brother." Murasame let out a sigh. "But you know how pain is."
Komichi placed a hand on Murasame's shoulder. "Like a bad allergy. We do what we can to quell it, as best we can. Now, I must go! Remember. Help the weak and fight the strong."
Ikaruga refused to look at her brother, but was curious, "What's going on?"
"It would seem that some intruders other than your Hanzo friends are coming for you. I must say, sister. Either you've friends in high places or you've a lot of enemies." Murasame remarked.
"None of that matters now." Ikaruga stated plainly.
Murasame raised a confused eyebrow, trying to look at Ikaruga. "None of it?"
"Why yes. Why bother? After all, it's not like I've tried hard throughout life only to get targeted for things I didn't do, whereas you couldn't bear to take responsibility for anything!" Ikaruga turned her head away from Murasame, closing her eyes.
A moment of silence followed, before Murasame spoke words that cause Ikaruga to look at him with a start. "Maybe you're right… But now I have a responsibility. Let's go." Ikaruga stopped, her eyes blinking rapidly at Murasame as if he were an illusion. Upon giving her a light shove, Murasame made Ikaruga continue walking.
Leading her down into a parking dock, Murasame met with two other Gokudō grunts by a black, Class S Mercedes Benz. As Murasame opened the back door, he wanted to say something to his adoptive sister. Whether for all those years of potentially misplaced hatred or simply the fact that she was once like family, he did not know, as awkward uncertainty settled in, stifling him.
Suddenly a shot penetrated the hood of the car, creating a small explosion, knocking down one of the grunts from the blast wind. A bleach-blonde haired girl with a giant broadsword jumped from the side of the building fire escape, sending a crossbow bolt into the neck of the other grunt who tried to attack her. Murasame let out a surprised 'what?', having little time to react as the girl quickly pushed the body aside and shoulder rammed him into a couple of empty oil drums. "Yomi?" Ikaruga looked over slowly.
"Ikaruga! Are you unharmed!?" Yomi pulled Ikaruga out of the car, dusting off her outfit and feeling for any injuries.
Ikaruga remained silent, her eyes drooping sadly. "Why bother coming at all?" Yomi's eyes widened at Ikaruga's words, "After all, you've more important matters to attend to… Miss rich princess has it all. You don't need to look out for her." Ikaruga sounded ready to cry.
"Oh no no no no! That's not the Ikaruga I know! What have they done to you!?" Yomi placed a hand over her mouth.
"It's not them. It's me. Wielder of Hien, birthright thief, class rep, a rich princess, new president to Houen Corp., a subject to a client who's apparently Murakumo's uncle? Why bother treating Ikaruga like a person when she's just a means to an end?"
Ikaruga gasped as Yomi proceeded to slap her. "Snap out of it!" a brief moment of silence followed before Yomi started again, staring her old friend in the eyes, "I haven't met many people who can make a friend out of an enemy. Especially enemies who've wronged them so much in the past. And I'm sure I can speak for Murakumo too! You've endured so much injustice and shown much strength despite that! You can't give up now, Ikaruga!"
With tears forming in Ikaruga's eyes, Yomi hugged Ikaruga warmly, rubbing her back with a gentle hand. "Your Hanzo friends are here too! They're relying on you not to give up and so am I!" Yomi gave Ikaruga a gentle smile.
"You're… you're right. Thank you, Yomi." Ikaruga gulped, a very short grin forming.
Yomi's smiled widened, "Now, let's wipe those tears and see if we can't undo these ropes of yours."
"Hold it!" A dizzy Murasame got to his feet, dusting himself off. "Just who do you think you are, barging in here like, like… aaaahhh. An angel." Murasame began to stutter a bit, his heart pounding and a tone of red forming across his face. Yomi tilted her head, raising an eyebrow, and asking Ikaruga who he was.
"He's my um… step-brother." Ikaruga muttered.
Murasame straightened his collar. "I must say, that's quite a big sword for such a little angel. Should you need help carrying it, you have but to ask. Wouldn't want you to hurt yourself."
Yomi's passive-aggressive smile returned with a giggle, "Why don't you come over here and I'll show you just how well I can handle it."
"Ohooo, dangerous. I like em' that way. You know, danger's in my name. I didn't catch yours, by the way." Murasame gave a light smirk towards Yomi. Ikaruga's gaping mouth accompanied pupil-less, cartoony eyes as she looked back and forth between her renegade friend and her brother. Is he… flirting with her?
Yomi picked up her blade. "I am Yomi. And I sacrifice myself to the will of our dance."
"I'm Murasame. Help the weak and fight the strong." Murasame twirled the ball end of his chain around.
"I see, danger isn't in your name. I should let you know, Murasame, that I don't date liars, so you're outta luck." Yomi said.
"Who's to say I was lying, miss Yomi? Now, like you said. Let's dance." Murasame gave a smirk of confidence, readying into a battle stance.
Almost in sync, Murasame and Yomi stepped forward with one hand to the sky, simultaneously exclaiming, "Shinobi Kekkai!" With each trying to gain a potential advantage over another, the result was a weird combination of a worn-down neighborhood and rustic fighting dojo.
With her hands still bound, Ikaruga found a large punching bag falling on her until it bent her over the counter of an old food stall, rendering her immobile. "ACK! Yomi!"
"Ah! Sorry, Ikaruga! At least you have prime seating for the performance." Yomi sweardropped sheepishly, looking back at Ikaruga.
"Thanks a lot! Can't you at least get this punching bag off me?!" With pouty lips, Ikaruga wiggled her butt, trying to move the punching bag, but to no avail.
"Sorry! I'll get you unstuck afterwards!" Yomi replied, leaving Ikaruga in her spot. Yomi fired several rounds from her crossbow, forcing Murasame to leap back behind a tent and several training dummies. From behind the shredded tent and impaled dummies, Murasame's chain flew out, latching onto Yomi as he shouted, 'Hook Combo!'
Yomi grabbed onto the chain, yanking hard and pulling Murasame towards herself. In a moment of awkwardness, the two found themselves face to face with a light blush. "Oh my." Yomi said wide-eyed, but quickly shook the feeling away, aiming to gain an advantage on Murasame. But her hands met his, the two pushing back against one another.
"You are her brother, are you not? Why choose a harsh life of crime when you had a cozy and luxurious living?!" Yomi's glare shot back against Murasame's.
"Because what is cozy when it teaches you nothing?" Murasame grunted, trying to twist Yomi off balance, their locked hands moving one way, then the other as though they were dance partners. "Luxury is lazy. Coziness is weakness!" Murasame saw an opportunity, throwing Yomi's hands up and unravelling her from the chains only to dip her in his arms, his tone weaseling from aggressive to smooth. "But struggle is growth. And pain… is strength."
"Eh?! W-well, you're not entirely wrong there, I suppose." Yomi felt herself getting red in the face, looking away from Murasame.
"YOMI!" Annoyance steamed from Ikaruga's ears.
Yomi's face went serious once more, pulling Murasame down in an attempt to piledrive him. Murasame rolled onto his back, trying to kick Yomi off, but she quickly performed a leaping handstand, her dress flying up for just a second, revealing a pair of white panties which Murasame couldn't see. Damn. Too bad I was on the ground for that. He thought. Get ahold of yourself, Murasame! You're supposed to be fighting!
Yomi quickly turned around; her sword enveloped by a green glow as it grew. "Secret Ninja Art, Sigmund!" Murasame rolled over a couple of times, just missing the blade before jumping up and tossing the weighted end of his chain around Yomi's sword arm, yanking her down before retracting it. "And here I took you for a gentleman." Yomi grunted, getting on her knees.
"It was never my style. I'm more of a bad boy. Besides, being a good shinobi is overrated." Murasame tried to bind Yomi's arms again, but missed, as Yomi once more grabbed his chain, pulling him down, unintentionally onto her. Once more the two found themselves in uncomfortable facial proximity. Red in the face, Murasame chuckled. "With how much you keep doing that, I'd say you're quite the bad girl yourself."
Yomi flipped Murasame over on his back, where her hand ran against his hard pecs. "Mm, you mean like this, Murasame?" Yomi's eyes then widened, blushing and pointing her crossbow at Murasame's face. "I-I didn't mean to say that! I meant to say, does it not bother you that your friends are treating your sister like so?"
"Why should it? She ruined my chance to be a good shinobi!" Murasame brought his sickle around in an attempt to get Yomi off him, forcing her crossbow arm to block his attack. With a smirk, he turned the tables and them both over, pinning Yomi's wrists down above her head, preventing her from aiming. "And that, Yomi, did me dirty."
Yomi looked away from Murasame, equal parts embarrassed and sympathetic. "I… used to think the same. That because of her, my family died in poverty. I sought misguided revenge… and it consumed me." Murasame looked down at her with a curious look of affinity. "But I was wrong. And perhaps you were too!"
Murasame quickly leapt off and away from Yomi as she nearly brought her knee into his sack. "Pretty dirty trying to strike a man in the shinoballs."
"Well it's like you said, being a good shinobi's overrated." Yomi giggled, but then looked back at a salty Ikaruga. "I-I mean, not that there's anything wrong with that! Different walks of life for all folks, ya know?"
Yomi grabbed her sword, rushing forward but soon ducked behind an old shed, then rolling behind a hedge of bushes as Murasame's chains swung wide arcs, keeping her at a distance. "That sword, Hien, was my birthright, Yomi. And because I was weak, father tried to replace me by adopting HER!"
Murasame's sickle end got caught in a post, Yomi then seized the opportunity. Running over to a heavy bicycle, she swung her leg up high, kicking the bike into the air and slicing it in half, using her blade to bat the pieces at Murasame. "Did you EVER CONSIDER HOW SHE FELT IN ALL THIS?!"
As he dodged, Yomi rushed in close, swinging her giant blade left and right, pushing Murasame back. Yomi knocked down a wooden basketball hoop, prompting Murasame to kick the falling backboard at her, to which she slashed it down the middle. Murasame began swinging his chain once more. "I suppose I didn't! Of course, I suppose I didn't consider a lot of things, back then."
"So, if you didn't think things through, why is it her fault? And why does that birthright matter now?" Yomi used her sword to block a couple of chain strikes before she lunged forward at Murasame, forcing him to jump aside.
"I… suppose it wasn't her fault that father chose her over me." Murasame said as they continued their fight, battling their way towards wooden bleachers. Striking at the bleachers, Yomi's sword got caught between slashed wood, allowing Murasame to gain some distance, but instead of striking at her, he stopped. "Maybe… it was my own fault… Kenshi would've slapped the old me upside the head and told me to take responsibility. He's like the father I wish I had."
"Oooh, but he is like your father now, I'm sure. After all, family isn't always bound in blood. So, tell me again, Murasame. Does that birthright really matter?" Yomi, unsticking her sword, took a step closer, but kept her distance.
Murasame stopped and pulled out Hien, running his hand across its sheath, Kenshi's words echoing in his head. "You're starting to sound like my Oyabun. Maybe he was right. What is a birthright anyways?"
Yomi took another step closer, "I hated the circumstances of my own life and projected it onto Ikaruga. But once I got past my blind hatred, I realized that blood and birth does not make a person, but that person themselves." Murasame gave Yomi a glance before looking down at Hien again. Walking over to where Ikaruga was stuck, he placed the sword on the counter in front of her, much to her surprise.
"Take it. I don't need it anymore. And maybe… I never needed it in the first place." Awkward silence followed as Ikaruga's eyes looked away from him. Murasame sighed, "I… know it might take a while for both of us. And I understand if you won't want to. But maybe one day we can amend this, Ikaruga."
Ikaruga looked up at Murasame just for a second before turning away once more, "I… I don't know. I need time."
"I understand. Now, I have a fight to resume and a client to deliver to!" Ikaruga's eyes widened as Murasame's words forced a shocked 'WHAT?!' from her mouth. "It's like Yomi said, my family is here. And I can't let them down. Nothing personal, little sister."
"MURASAME, YOU TWAT!" Ikaruga steamed through sharp teeth and angry, white eyes.
"Aw, that level of loyalty is so admirable." Yomi smiled, "Wait, no! I won't let you take Ikaruga!"
"Then shall we finish our dance, miss Yomi?" Murasame gave a light smirk while swinging his chain, ignoring a very pissed Ikaruga's ramblings.
"Yes, let's." Yomi smiled, picking up her sword, the two resuming their intense fight. "Why do you all wear such fancy suits and yet your outfit is so ragged, Murasame?" Yomi said, swinging her sword down hard.
Murasame dodged, swinging his sickle outward, "Even evil shinobi gotta look nice sometimes. It's the Gokudō way. But I prefer to keep things simple. Too many trinkets and it takes away from the story my suit has to tell."
"No way! I also prefer not to indulge myself in fancy things!" Yomi exclaimed, knocking away Murasame's sickle with her blade. Though the two continued trading shots and blows, their brawl slowly devolved into a more stagnant game of turn-taking as they conversed together, much to Ikaruga's annoyance.
"Really? You look the girl who'd be a blast at karaoke night." Mursame struck, Yomi dodged.
"Oh no, I could never. It's best we reserve money only for that which we need." Yomi struck back, Murasame dodged.
"But we all need time off one way or another. Besides, it's not that pricey. Why don't we try karaoke one night?" Murasame repeated the process.
"I don't know about that, Murasame. I don't know if I can sing well." Yomi shot a small cannon ball at Murasame when the shell of a blue-eyed, dark green turtle parried it. "Aaawww, you have a turtle! He's cute."
"Isn't he?" Murasame smiled, turning to the turtle and scratching it's chin. "Aren't you, Kamera? You're my cute wittle guardian angel, yes you are."
"Is it okay if I pet him?" Yomi walked forward, to which Murasame allowed. Kamera closed its glowing blue eyes, smiling as Yomi knelt down, petting it. "I know they say you shouldn't feed spirit animals, but sometimes I can't help myself. Do you ever feed him anything?"
"Whatever we have around. He's not picky. Cookies, eggs, rice balls, bean sprouts."
Yomi's eyes lit up widely at Murasame, her vocal chords trembling with arousal. "I LoVe BeAn SpRoUtS."
"They especially go great with curry." Murasame smiled widely.
"MORE THAN THAT!" Yomi declared, standing up. "Beansprouts go good with ramen, oyakudon, sushi, pocky, chocolate! There's nothing they don't go well with!"
Murasame took a step closer to Yomi, his eyes widening. "I feel the same way about curry!"
"I should totally make curry sprouts for your turtle and see how he likes it, Murasame! No, better yet. I'll make you both curry sprouts!" Yomi smiled widely, not realizing she had taken a step closer to Murasame.
"Now, now. I know my way around the kitchen. I'll mix the curry. You prepare the sprouts…" Murasame grabbed Yomi's hands.
"…And we'll both make curry sprouts together!" Yomi smiled widely before turning to a wide-eyed Kamera. "How does that sound, little guy?"
"HEEYYY!" the flustered voice of Ikaruga boomed across the kekkai, scaring Murasame's turtle away into the aethereal plain. "You're supposed to be fighting, not going gaga over each other! What kind of shinobis are you!? Now Finish and GET ME OUT ALREADY!"
Yomi let out a sigh, placing her hands against Murasame's chest, looking into his eyes. "Murasame. Can you find it in your heart to forgive me?"
Murasame began staring back at her, "Whatever for, miss Yomi?"
In one smooth motion, Yomi sent her fist hard into Murasame's stomach, knocking him out. "I'll wake you up later, promise!" Yomi smiled, waving as Murasame hit the ground, to which the kekkai began to slowly disappear.
