Author's notes
I wrote three different versions for this chapter and finally got the one I'm most satisfied with. I hope this chapter appeals to you ppl.
There are many words in bold here, a technic I've adopted from GTO mangas. Ahh... brings back memories.
Timeline answer. Unfortunately I haven't played Sakura Taisen 4 yet(damn it!), so I can't set these events after that. If you need a definite time, then i guess it would be some time after Sakura Taisen 2 and before Ohgami gets his orders to go to Paris. There is some blank space in that period and so with this lame reason, I place these events there.
Disclaimer: I do not own Sakura Taisen and any of the characters.
Reni opened her eyes slightly, the brightly lit emergency ward made her squint as she tried to focus. Her head felt heavy and whatever drugs still in her system was making her dizzy.
"Thank you doctor for saving her life." Reni heard Kaede said somewhere near her feet.
"You're welcome but I didn't really do much." A male voice replied. "The wound on her side wasn't too bad, nothing vital got damaged. She's lucky that guy... what's his name?"
"Ensign Ohgami Ichiro."
"Yes, she's lucky that he brought her in so quickly. Another few minutes and there won't be enough blood for her heart to pump."
"But I still thank you for getting the blood transfusion done so quickly."
"You're welcome again but I do wonder about General Yoneda's judgement in sending a sick girl like her to the field."
"Excuse me?"
"Reni here has a fever. Don't you know?"
"It's not the General's fault," Reni said weakly as she tried to sit up, "I went on my own accord."
Shocked, Kaede immediately pushed her back down. The old doctor looked through his spectacles in wonder at the girl's ability to regain consciousness so soon.
"Reni, you mustn't get up yet. You might split your wound." Kaede said softly. Reni obeyed and stayed silent.
"Well, I better get going then. You know where to reach me when you need me." The doctor said and he exited the room with his black medical bag.
"Kaede-san, what happened?" Reni asked the brunette in uniform.
"You don't remember?"
"Nothing after the shock."
"You were unconscious from blood loss. Ohgami brought you back just in time," Kaede said. She chuckled and added, "He broke every rule in the book to get you back here."
Seeing Reni's clueless expression, Kaede added again, "He landed his Koubu Kai right outside the main entrance of the Teigeki and carried you all the way to the infirmary. If there were any witnesses then, the Tsukigumi would definitely have a hard time covering up and Ohgami would most certainly be executed."
"Is Taichou in trouble? Please don't blame him! It's my f-"Reni grimaced in pain as she tried to sit up again.
"Now, now Reni. What did I tell you?" Kaede remarked sternly as she laid the teenager back down again. However, Reni's reaction brought out her matchmaking instincts. An evil idea manifested in her mind.
Kaede sighed dramatically before she said in a sympathetic tone, "Ohgami Ichiro won't be executed since his services and abilities had been valuable to us but because of his actions, we have no choice but to send him to prison for the rest of his life."
"No! Please don't do this!" Reni screamed frantically, trying to get up again. This time Kaede was ready and her hand pressed firmly on Reni's chest, preventing her from getting up. The unusual reaction from Reni amused Kaede and she felt more mischievous.
"There, there Reni," Kaede said soothingly, "it's not like you won't see him forever. I guarantee we will take time to visit him in the cold dark cells of Teito Maximum Security Prison. However, we can only visit him for an hour every 20 years provided that he could survive that long. I hear that the inmates there really love to dissect naval officers like Ohgami Ichiro."
Reni now looked totally devastated, fear and sadness mixed with a sense of lost and disbelief raged inside her like an internal emotional whirlpool. She mumbled the word "No" repeatedly to herself.
This was the first time Kaede had seen so many emotions displayed by Reni in a day and it only added to her good-intentioned wickedness. Sighing dramatically again, she said, "Poor Ohgami Ichiro, all alone and unloved in that dreadful, dreadful place, just to rot away into nothing. I wonder how he will live his last night ever here?"
This brought Reni's attention back to Kaede. "Please! Kaede-san, can I see him tonight?" Her eyes were watering now.
Kaede felt a little guilty now but to reach her 'wonderful' goal, she must stand firm. Pretending to look sad and sympathetic, Kaede looked away as if considering Reni's words. "I don't know Reni. He is under solitary confinement and the general has ordered that he be shot if he comes out."
"Please Kaede-san. I'm begging you! I need to see him. I don't want things to go like this! Not without seeing him one last time. Please, can't you ask Kayama? I... I..." Reni pleaded, holding tightly to Kaede's arm and choking with sobs.
Kaede let out another stage-worthy sigh. "I'll see what I can do. But don't keep your hopes up. You just stay here alright?"
Reni nodded, wiping her tears and watching Kaede with a small glimmer of hope in her eyes.
Kaede left the room, making a show of shaking her head for the benefit of her act in front of Reni. She exited and locked the door.
This is the first time I've seen her cried. She must really love Ohgami. You lucky, lucky man. Kaede thought as she chuckled softly. Now where is he?
Ohgami was descending the steps towards the basement when Kaede bumped into him. She transformed into an Oscar nominee actress on the fly.
Kaede looked sad and she managed to get some tears into her eyes to make them look watery. She sobbed slightly as she avoided Ohgami's face.
"What's wrong Kaede, you look so sad." Ohgami asked inquisitively.
"N-Nothing. There's just something in my eyes," Kaede responded with a slight hiccup and made it obvious that she was 'actually worried' about Reni by turning and looking at the infirmary behind her.
Ohgami noticed her move clearly and he went pale immediately. "Tell me Kaede! Is Reni ok?" He grabbed Kaede's shoulder and was almost shouting in worry.
Kaede avoided his eyes and added unconvincingly, "No, really Ohgami-san, there's just dust in my eyes. Really."
This only made Ohgami even more agitated. "There is obviously something wrong here. Kaede, stop lying to me and tell me what's wrong with Reni!"
Kaede made a show of shaking her head and let out her award-winning sigh. She signalled Ohgami to follow her to the locker rooms, pretending to be too depressed to talk. Ohgami followed with increasing dread in his every step.
To make it feel more dramatic, Kaede remained silent and refused to look Ohgami in the eye. The exasperated young man finally couldn't stand it anymore. "Kaede-san, what is wrong with Reni?" Ohgami's impatience had reached an all-new peak when Kaede still refused to speak, only sobbing lightly and wiping her tears.
"Please tell me Kaede. Is... Is she...dead?" Ohgami whispered his worst fears.
"No Ohgami-san. She's dying." Kaede replied softly.
The words hit him harder than a sledgehammer swung by a wrestler.
"No... No!" Ohgami screamed, yet he knew it was true. Kaede would not lie to him. She had no reason to.
"Why? How?" he whined in desperation.
"Poison. The Kouma's claw was full of an incurable poison." Kaede answered softly with her head down. She was trying very hard not to let Ohgami see her trying to suppress her giggle.
"Is she in pain?"
Kaede shook her head. "Not yet. But she has a fever and she is burning up slowly on the inside."
"How long does she have?" Ohgami whispered.
"She won't last through tonight."
"Let me see her then."
"No I won't let you Ohgami-san."
Kaede's cruelty made Ohgami stare in disbelief at his superior.
"There is a reason for this. The poison is infectious and it will kill anyone including you. The doctor and I were lucky that we were wearing protective clothing." Kaede lied as convincingly as she can. To her delight and relief, Ohgami was too overcome with grief to notice her big fat lie.
"Then that's just as well. I don't want to live without her anyway!" Ohgami blurted out impulsively, not sure what the strong feelings burning inside him meant.
Kaede covered her mouth to cover her smile.
I got him now.
Sighing like the actress of the millennium, she agreed by nodding her head slightly. "Very well Ohgami-san. The Hanagumi will regret losing you both but I will grant you this desire, if only out of your love for Reni."
Her words stunned him momentarily. Love? Is that what I've been feeling for Reni all this time?
But Ohgami did not dwell on it for too long, he thanked Kaede, grabbed the key to the ward and headed there with speed.
After Ohgami was out of earshot, Kaede finally broke into a laugh. Wiping her crocodile tears and suppressing her laughter, she felt that she needed to reward herself for her 'good deed' with some good ol' romance herself. She was still recalling how to contact her spook lover as she ascended the stairs to her room.
Time felt extremely long for Reni as soon as Kaede exited the ward, her worries were driving her towards madness and she finally got sick of waiting. She would find him herself.
Reni rose painfully from her bed, just sitting up was enough to make her pant in exhaustion. Gritting her teeth, she swung her legs slowly onto the ground and pulled herself upwards. Her side was killing her with each move she made but she was resolute in her decision to see Ohgami. Staggering on unsteady feet, she walked barefooted to the entrance of the ward, supporting herself by leaning on the wall.
It took her some time to drag herself to the doors but she found out in dismay that the doors were locked from the outside. While she rested her back on the doors trying to think of how to get out, the double doors swung open widely, making her fall through the open doors.
Reni braced herself for the pain that would come when she was caught by two strong arms.
"Reni! What are you doing out of bed?"
It was Ohgami and he swept the girl off her feet and carried her to her bed before she could say anything.
"Here, let me put you down." Ohgami said softly but Reni shook her head. Her arms clung tighter to his neck and Ohgami heard her sobbing.
"No! I won't let you go. I won't let you leave me," Reni was crying now.
It was the first time Ohgami ever saw the quiet girl cry. Poor girl. She must be afraid of dying alone.
"Don't worry Reni. I'm here now and I won't leave you no matter what happens."
Reni clung on harder, still shaking her head. "No. They'll take you away and I will never see you again. I'll be here, alone again for the rest of my life."
"Then they'll have to try very hard because I am not leaving you Reni. Not like this. I'll stay here with you until our last breath."
Reni pulled away slightly and looked into Ohgami's dark eyes with her owns. His expression told her that he meant what he said.
"Ichiro!" Unable to control her emotions anymore, she cried in his chest, her arms held onto his neck tighter and tighter.
Ohgami only held her tighter, he could feel that Reni's skin felt warmer than normal and he was filled with grief. His only consolation was that he would die with her finally knowing his feelings for her.
When Reni finally pulled away from his chest again, he leaned forward and kissed her on the lips. Reni accepted it and she closed her eyes, allowing Ohgami's tongue to explore her mouth.
Ohgami laid Reni back onto the bed after they broke their kiss and lay next to her. For the next few moments, they kissed each other passionately and clung to each other tightly, neither wanted to be an inch further away from each other.
As Reni's hormones took over, she reached to pull off her paper gown but Ohgami grabbed her hands. The look he gave her told her everything. He didn't want to take such an advantage of her even though this was their last time together. Reni understood he cherished her and she followed his wishes.
For the next few hours, they lay side by side; their hands clasped together, their eyes on each other and their minds on the time they have left between themselves. Reni was thinking of the inevitable moment when Yoneda's goons would come in and drag her lover away. Ohgami was, however, thinking of her inevitable death and dreaded the hours of loneliness he would have to suffer before he follows her.
Finally, Reni's fever got worse and she fell into unconsciousness. Ohgami knew that her time was coming soon but he remained to take care of her, giving her water when she asked during her conscious moments and drying her sweat-coated skin as the fever worsened. He never stopped taking care of her until he finally fell asleep beside her, hugging her closely. There they both slept, their minds on each other and the brief happiness they shared.
Kaede chuckled to herself and her lover turned to look at her, puzzled.
"What's so funny?" A naked Kayama asked.
"Oh, nothing. I was just wondering what those two would look like when they find out about my white lie."
Kayama smiled, "Then I better teach this naughty girl a lesson."
"Then spank me," Kaede growled seductively as she let her skirt slip down to her ankles. Kayama stepped forward and slapped her playfully on her behind before they headed for the bed.
To be continued...
I admit that Ohgami& Reni's sweet moments are a bit short but I will expand them in later chapters.(If I can)
So, what do you ppl think? R&R pls!
Remember, your reviews are my greatest motivation to continue.