We do not own Koihime Musou or Kamen Rider Gaim. They belong to their respective creators. We just thought this idea would be fun and decided to give it a try. If you like it, then that's great. If you don't, then we tried. Anyway, come along and let's see what you think.
Sangokuden Armored War Gods Saga: End of the Armored War Gods
Co-Written By: Kamen Rider Chrome Ten-Faced Paladin
Beta Reader/Editor: Busterleader92
Interlude: Kurokage Days
Kenshin entered the meeting room. Kosonsan had called everyone to talk about something important. Kenshin really did not get more than that. The only way to know more was to attend the meeting. So, fighting the urge to lie in bed and do nothing, Kenshin got dressed and dragged himself to the meeting.
"OK, I'm here. What's up?" Kenshin said. Besides Kosonsan, Sasuke, Kayu, Totaku, and Hideyoshi were already present for the meeting.
"Take a seat, Kenshin," Kosonsan ordered.
Kenshin looked around and saw how everyone was looking at him. The frowning faces and critical looks were directed at him. It was like they were silently judging him. He then narrowed his eyes angrily as he realized what was going on.
This was a fucking intervention!
"Oh, I get it why you called me here. You guys think I drink too much!"
Hideyoshi interjected, "Kenshin-"
"No, I don't have to sit and listen to this bullshit! You guys wanna know why I drink? Why I spend so much time in the tavern? Well, if you all bothered to fucking ask, I miss my family! And the only way I know how to cope is to drink!
"Also, this job is stressful as hell! I need time to unwind after a shitty week! Hell, I have had to watch good men die on the battlefield! I can't unsee that shit! So I need to drink to dull all that pain!
"Now you know the dirty fucking truth! But who are you to judge me, huh!? You know what? Fuck you! Fuck you! Fuck you all!"
Everyone in the meeting room went quiet once Kenshin finished. Only, he was not quite finished. He was on a roll and still had more to say.
"And if anyone here needs an intervention, it's you two!" Kenshin pointed at Kosonsan and Hideyoshi.
"Excuse me!?"
"I don't have a problem!"
"Oh, really? Really? Really?" Kenshin responded sarcastically. He turned to Hideyoshi first. "Buddy, you're my bro. You know I love you. But still, you gotta admit that you're a lolicon."
"I'm not a lolicon!" Hideyoshi shouted defensively.
"Look at Yue-chan and tell me you ain't a lolicon! Yeah, she's older than she looks and it's legal where we come from, but doesn't it seem you like them nice and young?" Kenshin pointed out.
Hideyoshi looked at Totaku and blushed. OK, he had to admit that Kenshin had a point. Totaku did look like a cute little girl. But she was older than she looked. That did not make her a lolicon. He just liked petite and slender girls.
His parents would probably wonder if he had an inappropriate fetish.
"Look, I get it. I get it. We all got our little kinks and this does not make me love you any less. You're still my bro. I'm just saying we all got something that helps us get off, and it's fine as long as we don't hurt anybody. Just don't be so quick to judge others."
"Kenshin-!"
"And with all due respect, Kosonsan!" Kenshin continued, cutting off Hideyoshi as he turned to Kosonsan. It was her turn next to get an earful. "You're way too obsessed with your personal image! I get it! You wanna be famous! You wanna be well-known as a powerful general! You want to be a war hero! You want everyone to know your name! Everyone wants to be famous! Even I wanted to be famous as a kid!
"But, at some point, you need to realize there are way more important things! You are a great leader, so just stop obsessing over things like that! You may seem kinda plain compared to those other hot female warriors, but you don't need to compare yourself to the likes of Kanu or Ryuubi! You're fine the way you are!"
Kenshin concluded his rant by looking at Kayu and Totaku, "You two, you both are still fine. Especially you, Miyabi." He turned to Sasuke. "As for you, we just met, but so far I don't got any beef with you."
The entire room became uncomfortably silent following Kenshin's tirade. It was getting a bit awkward. Hideyoshi could not look at Totaku out of embarrassment as Kosonsan palmed her face. Totaku looked shocked and Kayu was covering her mouth, trying to stifle a laugh. Sasuke said nothing. He was too busy enjoying the show.
"Well, what do you guys have to say for yourselves?" Kenshin dared after he just finished his venting.
An uncomfortable silence hung in the air, broken only by a sweet and gentle voice.
"...This is not an intervention. Kosonsan-dono was just going to give us our raises and grant us a vacation," Totaku informed him.
Kenshin blinked and looked embarrassed. Not an intervention? Well, shit, this was awkward. The way they were gathered, it was like they were coming together to confront him about his drinking problem. What else was he supposed to think?
He was not stupid. He was aware that he had a drinking problem. He knew he drank way too often that it was unhealthy. He could be an alcoholic due to his dependency on drinking in order to get by. He did not think any of them noticed.
But he knew they would notice so he justified his drinking. He was not making excuses. He really was stressed. The fighting was getting to him. That did not mean he had to yell at them for caring about him. Out of shame, he could only look down, averting his gaze from the others.
"...Shit, now I feel like an asshole."
"We can discuss your problems later, Kenshin. In private," Kosonsan said evenly. Usually, such harsh words about her desire for fame would've been hurtful and warrant a reprimand, but she learned to not take Kenshin's words too seriously ever since she hired him. It was not like she was new to criticism so she let it slide.
If he had ranted like that at Sousou, he would've been hanged or, worse, put on the chopping block.
Hideyoshi decided to be 'supportive' and save his best friend from further embarrassment. But, he still could not resist throwing in a few jabs.
"It's OK, Kenshin. Admitting you have a problem is the first step."
"Dude, stop patronizing me."
After the meeting, Kenshin left with Kayu wore an ear-to-ear grin.
"That was so fucking embarrassing," Kenshin groaned before he asked Kayu, "Why didn't you tell me it wasn't an intervention?"
"Honestly? I was just enjoying your little rant. You're surprisingly articulate when you're pissed," Kayu remarked.
"Yeah, I guess I might have some issues," Kenshin admitted sheepishly, realizing how often he jumped to conclusions. He rarely looked before he leaped.
"Like your drinking problem?"
"Yeah, maybe I have been drinking a bit too much."
"Well, it was still pretty entertaining to watch you roast Hideyoshi and Kosonsan-dono like that. I thought it was going to be another boring meeting until you just blew up and unloaded on us like that."
"I have to apologize to Hideyoshi and Kosonsan later."
"Speaking of later..." Kayu leaned in to whisper in his ear, "We got some free time left before our next patrol. How about we meet up in my room for a little quickie?"
Kenshin perked up and grinned back at Kayu. How could he say no to that?
"Yeah, baby!"
When a hot girl asks you for a quickie, you better give her satisfaction.
Hideyoshi had woken up with a terrible hangover after going on a bender. He felt ill and needed relief. He told them that he had gotten drunk because of a bad night with all the horrific details included. Hopefully, he did not develop a drinking problem.
After delivering the herbs to Totaku so she could make an herbal remedy for Hideyoshi's hangover, Kenshin and Sasuke went to hang out in Kenshin's favorite tavern in town. Even after the numerous bar fights, he was not yet banned from the place. Perhaps they were willing to overlook his involvement as he was one of Kosonsan's Armored War Gods.
Sasuke gulped down the cup of wine and let out a sigh.
"That really hits the spot. Really tingles when it goes down your throat," Sasuke stated.
"Dude, don't analyze the wine, just enjoy it," Kenshin playfully chided. "But you're right. The booze here has a nice kick to it."
The two shared another drink and relaxed in their seats. Their duties as Armored War Gods were stressful, so having a place where they could hang out and chill was a definite boon. Sasuke had frequently taverns before in the past, but only to hone his craft and earn money. People were willing to shell out coins for quality entertainment which he provided.
While hanging out at a tavern, the usual practice was to avoid depressing subjects. People went to taverns to hang out, pick up chicks and drown their sorrows. But Sasuke wanted to get to know Kenshin, so he decided to broach a subject he had wanted to ask about in a long time.
"Do you ever miss your home, Kenshin-san?" Sasuke asked.
Kenshin blinked at the question as he held the cup to his mouth. Sighing, he put it down on the table.
"Well, that question came out of nowhere," Kenshin remarked.
"I'm just wondering if you ever get homesick, that's all."
Kenshin sighed.
"Well, yeah. Of course, I do."
"And you miss your family, I take it."
Kenshin's smile fell.
"Yeah, I do miss them a lot."
He missed his dad, Kazuto. He was a programmer and tried his best to teach his son his craft. It was too bad that Kenshin had a problem focusing during the lessons. It was not like Kazuto was a bad teacher. It was just that Kenshin did not care about the subject matter save for the end product. Maybe he had ADHD. Kenshin had never been diagnosed with the disorder, but he learned all about the symptoms from Hideyoshi. Still, he sincerely appreciated all the work his dad did to provide for his family.
He missed his mom too. Asuna was a beautiful woman with a smile as bright as the sun. She was strict but fair. She allowed him to make choices but also made him aware of the consequences. She also pushed him to improve himself. She was happy when he made friends with Hideyoshi. She was likely relieved he had a smart friend that could help him with his studies. He wondered if she would approve of his current life choices.
He missed his little-big sister Yui. She was his older sister but she was short for her age. She was his parents' favorite since she was born with smarts. Kenshin believed that when he was younger until he realized his parents loved him despite his faults. He still remembered their brief sibling rivalry phase as kids. So many childish pranks and jabs at each other.
And his baby brother. He would miss him too and the kid would never get to know his awesome and cool big bro.
"Tell me Kenshin-san, what's your family like," Sasuke requested. He genuinely wanted to get to know his comrade better.
Kenshin smiled as he remembered his family.
"My dad's a game designer, and he's made a ton of awesome games. My mom helps him too. She's an artist and she does illustrations for my dad. Every game I have, they made them together. I also have a big sister, but people often mistake her for my little sister since she's so small."
"Like Totaku-chan."
"Yeah, like Yue-chan. Funny coincidence, my big sister's name is Yui."
"And any younger siblings?"
"A baby brother named Yukito. He should be starting kindergarten soon." Kenshin let out another sigh and took a sip of wine from his cup.
"Something wrong?" Sasuke asked, concerned.
"It's just that I'm gonna miss out on watching him grow up and I won't be able to teach him any valuable street smarts."
"And if you could ever go back to them, would you?"
"Yeah, if I could. But I kinda made a deal to come back here to stay and help Hideyoshi."
"So, your reason for being here is to help your best friend."
"Yeah, Hideyoshi needs me around. He's hopeless without me."
"Even though he's much stronger than you now as he possesses the power of one of the Sovereigns."
Kenshin sighed.
"Yeah, he's stronger now, but not mentally. If I wasn't around since the beginning, I think he'd freak out. In fact, he freaked out when his phone stopped working one time."
"He lived so dependent on technology then."
"He loves tech. I'm just surprised he adapted to a world that's so primitive."
"Perhaps he could endure since he had you around."
"Yeah, like I said, he's hopeless without me."
"Or perhaps you couldn't stand to be alone without him. Maybe you need him more than he needs you."
Kenshin narrowed his eyes suspiciously at Sasuke.
"Are you psychoanalyzing me?"
Sasuke chuckled innocently.
"No, just making an observation. My apologies if I went out of line."
"Just drink up. I'll order more and then we can have some real fun."
"You drink to help yourself cope, don't you?"
Kenshin glared.
"Will you stop psychoanalyzing me?"
"Forgive me. It appears this wine has loosened my tongue."
"Yeah, you might want to be careful about that. A lot of people will cut your tongue out if you say the wrong thing, and that's no joke."
It was the morning after Haru's bachelor party. Kenshin and Hideyoshi were both headed down to meet with the others for breakfast. Fortunately, neither of them went too far with their drinking. Hideyoshi didn't want to experience another hangover and Kenshin wanted to remember what he did last night.
"Last night was the best!" Kenshin said ecstatically. He remembered every vivid and sexy detail of it. Kenshin had the best time when he was there. They had a party at a brothel and Kenshin managed to get himself a little action with Masataka's help.
"It sure was," Hideyoshi agreed.
"We got to hang out with the guys and I even got laid," Kenshin continued.
Hideyoshi remembered how Kenshin had his eye on that one dancer/courtesan. Masataka managed to make arrangements for Kenshin to spend a few hours with the girl. When Kenshin and Hideyoshi left to return to Kosonsan's estate, the Ultimate Cutter wore the hugest smile of satisfaction Hideyoshi had ever seen.
It was obvious he had a good time with the girl.
And Kenshin wanted to share the details with his best friend. The girl he got to service him was a master of the craft. Not only did she look good, but she also made sure to make Kenshin feel good.
"That girl was the best. Her skin was so soft and smooth, and she had the biggest tits I've ever seen!"
"She sounds great."
"Yeah, she was! Gave me the best titty-fuck I ever got! And man, the blowjob she gave me nearly made me blow my load! And when we went all the way, it was Heaven! Best fuck I ever had! Can't wait to have another go with her!"
Maybe Kenshin should consider hanging out with Masataka more if this was one of the perks.
"Provided you could afford it. According to Masataka, she was very expensive," Hideyoshi reminded.
"Yeah, man I do owe him," Kenshin noted. "Guess I should save up for the next time, huh?"
Hideyoshi studied Kenshin's smile. He was envious of his friend. Unlike Kenshin, Hideyoshi worried about every little thing. Kenshin didn't let anything bother him and moved on after every tragedy. He didn't let anything faze him and just kept going.
"If you want to save up, you might want to cut down on your drinking," Hideyoshi advised.
"Damn, you're right," Kenshin grimaced. He crossed his arms with a thoughtful look. "Well, I gotta make sacrifices huh? If I want a swell time, I gotta do what I gotta do."
"Need help to organize your finances?" Hideyoshi offered.
"Sure, man," Kenshin accepted. He was lucky he had Hideyoshi as a friend. He might end up broke without his help.
Kosonsan's inner circle was gathered in the sitting room. Including herself, there were Kenshin, Hideyoshi, Kayu, and Totaku. Sasuke was providing entertainment as he played a very soothing and pleasant tune on his flute.
He truly was a master. It was no surprise that he could make a living this way. It got him by while he was in this world, alone. While he could transform into Tyrant, he would feel lost if he ever lost his flute. He would become incredibly depressed if he ever lost his ability to play the flute.
Once Sasuke finished, his audience applauded him. This was usually the time they would throw coins to him for his performance, but Kosonsan paid him a very good salary for being her Armored War God.
"That was another wonderful song, Sasuke-kun," Kosonsan complimented.
"Thank you, Kosonsan-sama," Sasuke smiled, causing the redhead to blush. Kosonsan felt her fortune improve when she got such an attractive, talented and charming Armored War God.
"Wish we had better drinks, though," Kenshin remarked after he finished his tea.
"None of us want to see you drunk this early," Kosonsan retorted.
"The sight of you drunk so early in the morning is unsightly," Hideyoshi agreed.
Kenshin had agreed to cut down on his drinking and visits to the tavern, but only because he wanted to save money so he could visit that brothel in Son Go again.
"I know, I know," Kenshin sighed.
"Alright, time to get to work," said Hideyoshi. "Thank you for the song, Sasuke. It really made our day."
"It really does lift our spirits in the morning," agreed Totaku.
"Yeah, and your tunes brings in all the babes to the bar," Kenshin grinned.
"And more people to brag to." Hideyoshi rolled his eyes.
"Haters." Kenshin shot at them with a grin. "Well, see you all later. Miyabi and I have training."
"Remember, no drinking!" Kosonsan warned.
"I got it, I got it," Kenshin responded with a nonchalant wave.
"Don't worry. I'll make sure he doesn't sneak away to the tavern," swore Kayu.
"Then I'm off to finish some work," said Hideyoshi as he headed to his office, only to be grabbed by Kayu and Kenshin. "Hey! What's the big deal?"
"Dude, you're coming with us," insisted Kenshin. "Sitting in that chair all day can't be healthy for you."
"Come on, it's time we get you back in shape," added Kayu.
The two started to drag their bespectacled teammate away.
"At least let me get my scarf! It's cold out there!" Hideyoshi shouted. He did not protest or resist. What was the point? It was better to just go along with them.
"The cold builds character! Besides, look at what Miyabi's wearing! The cold doesn't bother her!" Kenshin pointed out.
Hideyoshi grumbled unintelligibly.
"We'll be back for dinner," Kayu called back.
"Take care," said Totaku to the To Trio as they headed out.
Once the To Trio left the sitting room, Sasuke decided to take his leave as well.
"If you'll all excuse me, I have a new song I'm perfecting," said Sasuke as he parted ways with the others. Kosonsan left for her office to do some work. Totaku had laundry to do as well.
Kenshin, Hideyoshi, and Kayu were headed for the exit. Kenshin and Kayu had already let Hideyoshi go since he promised he would not run away. He did not look forward to training so early in the morning, especially in such cold weather.
Strangely, the three of them yawned at the same time and started to feel sleepy.
"Hey, you guys feeling sleepy all of a sudden? Cos I do," Kenshin said, covering his mouth as he yawned.
"Yeah, me too," Kayu agreed with half-lidded eyes. She was feeling oddly drowsy.
Kenshin let out another yawn and leaned against the wall.
"Do you guys hear that?" Hideyoshi asked.
"Yeah, sounds like music..." Kenshin answered. "It's...like...like a lullaby..."
"It sounds nice..." Kayu grinned stupidly as her eyelids became heavier.
The three of them yawned as they started to doze off. Soon, they were lying on the floor, snoring. As the strange music spread throughout the property, everyone started falling asleep, including the servants and guards. Kosonsan was already asleep in her chair. Totaku too lay asleep in the hallway. She had been carrying a bucket of laundry which had fallen out of her hands when she fell asleep. Pieces of laundry lay spread all around her, with one of Hideyoshi's shirts draped over her like a blanket.
What was the cause of this mysterious sleep epidemic?
Was it something sinister at work here or was the Sandman paying everyone a visit?
And just who was playing that lullaby?
KRC: So, this interlude focuses mostly on Kenshin after certain events. As you can see, some of these scenes take place during previous chapters, like the one where Hideyoshi got drunk after the Tragedy at Rakuyo II, and also Haru's bachelor party. We also get to know a bit of Kenshin's backstory and his family life. I hope this fills you in more on our favorite Black Shadow. But then it seems that someone has put everyone in Kosonsan's estate under a sleeping spell. Who could it be and why?
