With the dark night being illuminated by a nearly full moon, the three ronin had little choice but to stick to the shadows as they moved through the city streets, the battered young woman slung over the shoulder of their leader. They knew they had to get out of the city before they were caught. With only three of them, they stood no chance against the Shinsengumi. All they could do was hope that the frail innkeeper had kept his mouth shut. Once they made it past the city checkpoint, they would easily be able to disappear. Mikoto's struggle to free herself when she heard that the Shinsengumi had come for her had sapped the last of the little energy she had left. All she could do now was hang limply, her body weary and in agony. She was struggling to maintain consciousness, and between her forced drunkenness and blood loss from her untreated wounds, this proved to be difficult. She was growing cold as her adrenaline wore off, but she almost welcomed it, as it provided a slight numbing sensation to her injuries.
"You're nasty, lying bitch, aren't you?" The man holding her, Nasu, spoke. She said nothing. "If you have nothing to do with the Shinsengumi, why the hell would they bust into some unassuming inn to find you." She still remained silent. He chuckled, and his companions laughed as well.
"Looks like you finally broke her."
"About damn time, no woman has any business being that damn stubborn."
"Good, then we should have no problem getting information out of her when we join up with Taira and the others." Nasu stated, laying out their plan.
"Then we can sell her and the information separately." She still kept her mouth shut. Though fading, she was far from broken. They would kill her before they would get her to talk about the Shinsengumi. She watched the ground while they ran, her vision growing darker and more blurry by the second as splashes of her own blood stained the ground, leaving a gory trail leading right to them.
A small group of four men charged through the dark streets, aiming to reach the city checkpoint before the ronin that they pursued. Hatred was rolling off of Souji in waves that could be felt by all three of his companions. They, of course, all harbored their own ill will for Mikoto's captors. She was one of them and they cared for her greatly, but no one held a grudge like Souji, especially when it involved someone he felt so deeply for. Saito ran alongside him, but he was paid no mind.
"Souji, perhaps we should try to arrest these men when we find them," he suggested. Souji eyes remained fixed on the road ahead of them.
"Why should we show them any mercy?" he questioned, remembering the blood pooled on the floor of the inn. "They clearly haven't shown any to her."
"He has a point," Sanosuke chimed in. "If they're trying to sell her off to the Choshu, we may be able to get information out of them." Souji's lip curled.
"When I find them, their lives are over," he snarled. "My only regret will be that I can't personally be the one to torment them in the underworld." Heisuke's brow furrowed. He wanted to speak, but was worried about crossing Souji in this state.
"What if we have them...well...join the corps…" he decided to suggest, though he was hesitant. They all went silent at the youngest captain's suggestion.
"And risk Mikoto ever having to see their faces again? I don't think so." Souji's tone held a finality that kept everyone silent until they finally reached their destination. Upon reaching the checkpoint, they saw no one else around.
"Do you think we beat them?" Heisuke questioned, voicing the concern that everyone shared.
"There's really only one way of knowing…" Sanosuke's tone was grim. "We just have to wait. If we missed them, hopefully Shin is on their trail." And so they waited. Souji paced impatiently like a caged animal. He was itching to bury his sword in her captors' hearts. He wanted to watch the light leave the men's eyes. They continued to wait. The other three men stood, seemingly much more calm than Souji. Sanosuke and Hajime were leaning against opposite posts of the checkpoint, while Heisuke was squatting a little distance away. Tension, concern and frustration were clear in their expressions, even if their agitation wasn't leading to the same restlessness. They waited for what felt like ages, hope dwindling. There had been no sign of them or Shinpachi.
"Where the fuck are they…" Souji growled. No one spoke. Hajime's gaze skimmed the road just in case he could catch sight of any sort of movement, but there was nothing.
"Maybe we should gather the rest of our units and begin searching a perimeter outside of the city." Though Hajime's suggestion made sense, it felt a little too much like a defeat, leaving a bitter taste in the men's mouths. This only fueled Souji's anger further. He opened his mouth but something caught his eye before he could speak.
"Shinpachi!" The second unit's captain was approaching them from beyond the checkpoint. Eagerly, Souji ran to meet him.
"They're stopping to rest for the night," Shinpachi explained as the others joined them. "There are only three of them. I could have taken them myself, but I didn't want to put her at risk."
"Lead the way." A predatory grin spread across Souji's lips. Shinpachi obliged without a second thought and led them towards the woods beyond the checkpoint. They stuck to the road for some time before veering off into the dense trees and bushes. It made sense that the ronin would camp out there for the night. As brightly as the moon was shone that night, even that light couldn't penetrate the foliage, casting everything into a darkness in which one could easily remain hidden. It wasn't long until the faint glow of a flickering fire could be seen dancing off of distant trees. The captains slowed to a halt, Souji's brow furrowing. At least four silhouettes could be seen moving through the trees. As they crept closer they could make out three others gathered around the fire.
"I thought you said there were only three?" he hissed. Shinpachi seemed just as baffled.
"There were when I left them...I don't know where the rest of these assholes came from."
"Seven is still nothing," Heisuke stated with confidence. The others nodded in agreement. "How should we do this?" Saito, cool and calm as ever, was the first to lay out a plan.
"We'll take care of the ronin while Souji gets Mikoto and makes sure she's safe." There was no objection from any of the men. Souji readied his weapon and the others followed suit. As if all acting on an unspoken order, they all began moving swiftly through the trees. Souji was the first to step into the light, the flames casting him in an orange glow.
"Shit!" One of the men on his feet was the first to see him, alerting the entire camp to his appearance. "Get the girl and get out of here!" With that order leaving his mouth, he charged wildly at Souji, but would never reach him. Instead, he found himself run through on Sanosuke's spear. The man let out a strangled grunt before coughing up a mouthful of blood.
"Go on, we've got these guys," Sanosuke urged as the others also stepped into the light, clashing with their enemies. The silent woods were suddenly echoing with the clashing of metal on metal, and the cries of battle. Souji quickly scanned the area, tuning all else out, until he saw her. She was laying crumpled and motionless at the very edge of the clearing, just beyond the reach of the fire's soft light.
"Mikoto!" He ran to her, relief washing over him.
"Is this your woman?" Before he could reach her, a man with long brown hair emerged from the shadows, sword drawn. "She's been fun to play with, but I do have to say, you could have done better taming her." Souji bared his teeth, eyes glinting dangerously. He didn't care that the man was simply trying to taunt him, hearing him speak about her that way brought his blood to boil.
"Bastard!" he snarled, running at the man head on. They exchanged several sloppy blows, but that was all Souji needed to gauge the man's strength. He smirked as they jumped away from one another. It was clear to him that the man wasn't very skilled. He lunged but his attack was blocked. Drawing back Souji suddenly launched into a flurry of jabs and lunges, pushing the man further and further back. He allowed his enemy no time to ground himself until the man suddenly tripped. He let out a startled yelp as he found himself falling to his back. After kicking his katana out of reach, Souji relished standing over the cowering man as he tried in vain to back away.
"P-please! Don't kill me, I-I'll do anything!" Nasu pleaded. A small chuckle left Souji, but it soon erupted into a twisted cackle, which then stopped as abrupt as it had started. He stared down at the man, his green eyes dark and as cold as shards of ice. With no warning, he brought his blade down through the man's foot, preventing him from moving back any farther. He howled in pain.
"There's nothing you could do to ever earn mercy from me." His voice was low and menacing as he spoke. With each word he gave his blade a slight twist, then yanked it from the man's foot. "I want you to suffer." He brought his sword down once more, this time between the man's legs. A tortured, guttural scream tore from Nasu's throat and left him whimpering uncontrollably. Tears of anguish streamed down his face and he was unable to speak from the sheer level of pain. "After you suffer, I want you to die." He twisted the sword a few more times earning pitiful cries. He again removed his weapon from the man's flesh. "And then one day, I'll meet you in Hell…" With a satisfying thud, he drove his sword through the man's throat, ripping through his skin, muscles, cartilage and bone until the tip was burrowed into the soft ground beneath him. His last breath left him with a wet, bloody gargle. "...And I'll make sure you suffer some more." With a tug, he pulled the blade from his neck and sheathed it. Giving the corpse one last look of contempt, he turned back to Mikoto. He kneeled beside her battered, naked form. He had always thought her delicate, but had never seen her as fragile as she looked in that moment. It filled him with both sorrow and further outrage. He carefully brushed her hair away from her face. "Mikoto…" Her eyes slowly blinked open, but remained half lidded. They were clouded, their usual golden shine now dulled.
"Sou...ji?" she questioned, her voice soft, barely a whisper. He nodded, bringing his forehead to rest against hers.
"I'm here, you're going to be okay. I won't let anything else happen to you." She gave a weak smile. He brought his lips to hers in a gentle kiss, the taste of her blood mingling with alcohol. It was then that he realized how cold she felt. He quickly removed his haori and, as tenderly as he could, wrapped her up and lifted her into his arms. He held her close, hoping to warm her, and felt her body go limp, her head falling against his chest. She finally felt safe enough to allow herself to drift from consciousness, her ragged breathing now growing slightly deeper. Souji buried his face in her hair as he began to carry her towards the others, kissing the top of her head. "I'll never leave your side again, Mikoto-chan...I love you..."