Disclaimer: I don't own Sakura wars. I'm just a big fan. I do however own my own characters and story line, as well as my concept of angels. The story might contain violence, abusive language and sexual scenes. If you are underage you'd better stop here. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the story, have fun :)
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Chapter 5 A New Friend
On the next morning Ohgami was right on time but not prepared for the sight he was about to see. When he finally reached the small Japanese cottage Lilly was stretching for the upcoming jog. He found himself facing her well-tuned butt when she was bending down to tense her leg muscles. He almost fainted. Luckily for him the woman quickly felt his presence and stood up. With the sudden movement her large breasts bounced in the air. That made the young Lieutenant lose his balance and fall with a serious nosebleed.
"I hope the blood is from the fall." chuckled Lilly.
She was wearing a bright yellow low cut track suit bottom, orange snickers and an orange sports bra. Her hair was tied in a ponytail on top of her head. The sunny yellow bandana on her forehead almost covered her eyes. She went to Ohgami and helped him up.
"Here." she untied the handkerchief on her left arm and handed it to him. "You better wipe off the blood before it stains you t-shirt."
"Thanks." smiled the young man. With a quick movement he removed the dust from his dark blue track suit bottom and arranged his white t-shirt. After wiping the blood off his face he tried to give Lilly back her handkerchief.
"Keep it. Just in case." she smiled. "So are you ready?"
"Yes ma'am." replied the spiked haired man.
"Very well then sir." she mocked him. "Do you have any specific running track or we'll just improvise?"
"I usually run in the city park. At this time of day it's very quiet."
"Ok then, lead the way."
Ohgami put the light blue handkerchief in his pocket and they started running. The sun began to rise and its first warm rays softly caressed their faces. The streets were empty, a cool morning breeze was disturbing the autumn air. Soon they entered the park. The paths were covered with dark brown leaves. The trees were like a fairy tail of colors – from dark red, trough pale orange and soft beige to dark yellow and gold, even spots of green. Hundreds of leaves were flowing in the lake like little boats headed for faraway lands.
"So you jog alone Ohgami?" said Lilly breaking the uneasy silence that was upon them since they left the theater.
"Usually yes. Of the girls only Kanna is fond of such exercise. But even she doesn't get up this early in the morning. What about you?"
"Most of the times - yes. I helps me sort out things. I sometimes run with some of my teammates when we want to discuss matters in private."
"And what is the case here?" asked Ohgami playfully.
"A little bit of both. I like the exercise and it's maybe the best way to get to know you. You are a key element of the Hanagumi so I must figure you out to help them become a better team. And this surely is the only way to discuss things in private without everyone putting their noses in our business." explained the hazel eyed woman.
Ohgami remembered of the piles of people every time he opened the door of Yoneda's office after talking with him on an important problem and quickly grasped her point.
"So how do you intend to help me become a good leader, anyway?" asked Ohgami in a pitiful attempt to get out of the situation.
"As I said before, you ARE a good leader. You just have some things to work out, heck who hasn't?"
"You…" said Ohgami hesitantly.
Lilly stopped running and faced the spiked haired man who was softly blushing. Her sweat shown in the sunlight and thus her body emitted a golden glow. Her eyes were infuriated.
Ichiro, you baka… Don't go there. Don't make me hate you. You'll ruin it all. Don't you dare go there.
"Listen Lieutenant, and listen very well because I'll only say this once." her face was different, darker, filled with anger and rage. A strange aura was around her but not that blue energy aura that the Hanagumi saw yesterday. Ohgami could swear he saw white wings on her back. "I'm not here as a woman. I'm an angel and angels are not supposed to love or have any kind of relationships. I am here to help and for your sake you better stop hitting on me."
Oh f… great, I can't even curse in my mind. Now, you're really doomed Ichiro. But I'm only a man and she is sooo sexy and different. I can't help myself…
"You may be a man but you are a captain as well. And a captain must control himself all the time at all costs. If you want to be a good leader, you must remember that well. Are we clear?"
"Yes ma'am!" the last sentence reminded the young man his army days and he unconsciously saluted.
That made Lilly smile and in an instant she was back to her normal self.
"At ease, soldier!" she said laughing. "I'll answer your question by saying that for now I intend to talk but… I have a few tricks up my sleeve so be ready. Let's go we have a long run back."
It took the Japanese a few seconds to comprehend what had just happened and to follow the black haired woman.
What the hell just happened! Were that wings! Am I losing my mind?… I guess I should do what she says if I don't want to get hurt…
With a very worried expression Ohgami hesitantly followed his running companion. An evil smirk appeared on Lilly's face.
I scared him out of his skin. Maybe I've gone too far. But he pushed me. I really have to do something about this boy, too much woman company has done serious damages on his manhood. For crying out loud, he can even curse in his mind! I have to turn him back into a man! Maybe that's the key to the success of the team. Or at least one big part of it.
They both stayed silent all the way to the theater. Ohgami kept his distance, too scared to be turned to cinder, while Lilly was deep in her thoughts, smiling at herself.
When they finally reached the TeiGeki gates she broke the tense silence.
"Hey chin up Ohgami. Sorry about the incident at the park. I didn't mean to scare you." she smiled.
"It's Ok." he smiled back. "By the way, what happened to you back then?"
"That was my angel form. And you were right. Those were wings."
"H-h… how did you know?"
"I can read minds. That's one of the good things about being an angel. Look Ohgami, I want to be your friend and I want to help you. But you have to let me. And regarding me as a woman won't do the trick, ok?"
"Ok." nodded the young man.
They smiled at each other and parted heading in opposite directions. The Japanese was startled by a sudden question from behind.
"What is that bike in the garage?" shouted Lilly. "I meant to ask you before but forgot all about it."
"It's my motorcycle. I got seriously damaged in a battle a year ago. We were all to busy to fix it and soon forgot all about it. It's been lying there ever since. Why do you ask?"
"No reason." she answered. "I can tell you miss it a lot."
The spike haired man's face faded at the thought of his bike. A hidden flame lit in Lilly's eyes. She gave a strange smirk.
"I was a great run. Thanks. See you same time tomorrow." said the dark woman walking to her house.
"Till tomorrow." replied a very confused Ohgami.
Later that day
Lilly was planting some flowers in front of the gardener's house when she sensed someone else's presence. When she turned around, she saw two familiar figures in the distance. Her face glittered with a marvelous smile.
"Hello you two. Coming to inspect the work of you new gardener?" she joked.
"I see being an angel hasn't affected your sense of humor." remarked the old General. "I must say that you are doing a nice job, though. These roses look fantastic."
The dark woman blushed at the compliment.
"Pappy Yoneda you always knew what to say to make a girl feel good." her whole being was smiling. "Can I offer you both a refreshing cup of tea or do you have someone else to inspect?"
Both Ayame and Yoneda laughed heavily. It took them a while to recover.
"Tea sounds great." finally said the petite woman.
Lilly put down her tools and showed the two in the house. She went into the kitchen and hesitantly looked at the hot plates. Remembering yesterdays experience she quickly dismissed the thought of using them to prepare the tea. Instead she filled a big mug with water from the tub, held it with both her hands and concentrated. Very soon the water started boiling heavily. She smiled at her own resourcefulness. Yoneda and Ayame were relaxing on the cushions in the living room when she came in holding a tray with three light blue china cups, a steaming teapot and a plate of sweets. She put it on the small table and served. She opened the ceiling to floor door before she sat down so they could enjoy the beautiful view of the garden.
"The tea is wonderful. But how did you prepare it so fast?" asked Ayame.
"I heated the water with my powers since I have an electricity problem." replied the dark lady.
"I'll have Ohgami fix it right away." said Yoneda.
"I don't think he could…" softly said the black haired woman. "After becoming an angel I seem to absorb all the electricity I get in contact with. Yesterday I blew the lights in here. Do you think it will be a problem if I ate with the others in the theater? I can help with the cooking."
"No problem at all." smiled Ayame. "That way they'll get to know you better. We have breakfast at nine, lunch at one and dinner at eight. And if you want snacks in between, stick with Kanna."
"So she's the girl with the appetite?" asked mockingly Lilly.
They all laughed.
"What do you plan to do with the girls?" asked seriously Yoneda.
"Always to the point, he General?" smirked the hazel eyed woman. "Don't worry I do not intend to harm your daughters, but I will give them some hard time though."
"Am I that transparent?" asked the old man.
Lilly simply smiled with her eyes closed.
"Funny you didn't ask me about Ohgami." she said.
"What about him?" Yoneda gave a confused look.
"He is as vital to the team as any of the girls. And he may be the key to making this team better. We'll see." said the black haired Colonel with a far off look on her face. "He needs to become a man again."
The General and the Major looked her confused trying hard to understand her words.
"I want your permission to spend more time with him and I also need some help so I'll also need him to be at my disposal."
"I don't fully understand you but I trust your judgment Koneko. Consider it done. From this moment on Ohgami is under your command. I'll inform him immediately." seriously said Yoneda. "As for the girls – they have a play due next week, so they won't be available till then. I'm giving all of them a few months vacation after that so you'll have plenty of time."
The young woman nodded understandingly and smiled at the old man. That smoothed him and he returned the gesture.
"Tell me kitty," asked Ayame "how come you've never told us about Kayama being your cousin. Even more – first cousin."
"You never asked me much about my family and at that time the memories were really painful. They still are in a way… Besides, who would've known that one day you would work together." smiled Lilly.
The three spend the afternoon remembering their glorious past together, smiling and laughing at the cherished memories, feeling young again.
Slowly but surely the Hanagumi were getting used to the new presence in the TeiGeki. Still Ohgami and Iris were the only ones besides the commanders who talked with her not counting the usual greetings.
Meanwhile Kohran was deepening her depression. She barely ate, spoke only when spoken to and neglected her inventions and repairs. She could usually be found sitting on a bench in the far end of the park gazing at something invisible in front of her.
She was there again this evening staring at the falling leaves.
"You know feeling miserable about yourself won't help." a strange but soft voice startled her from behind.
The Chinese looked around scared but didn't say a word.
"You aren't useless Kohran." Two gentle hands affectionately embraced the freckle faced girl. She looked up and her brown eyes met a pair of hazel ones. Tears started falling behind her glasses. She couldn't remember how but she found herself silently crying in the angel's chest. Lilly's embrace felt so warm and soothing, the younger woman soon stopped crying. When the dark lady felt the last sobs of the Chinese echo away she gently cupped her chin and moved her face away so that they could see eye to eye.
"You see Kohran, you are a team. That means you are one, no one greater or smaller than the other. That is why you couldn't beat me, because you acted as individuals, not as a whole." the Bulgarian was looking straight into those big brown eyes.
"But I am not worthy…" tried to deny Kohran.
"That is not true. I know Ayame, she wouldn't recruit you if you weren't good enough. She believed in you and there is a reason she did. You are special and unique. You are a brilliant mechanic and inventor. If it wasn't for you, there wouldn't be any Koubus. It was your genius that built them and keeps constantly repairing them. Without you there wouldn't be any Flower Team."
She started caressing lovingly Kohran's hair allowing the girl to comprehend her words.
Iris was right… She is so nice. Her eyes… they are so friendly and welcoming. I feel so good and warm in her hands… so safe. She IS right – we are a team and I AM part of it!
The hazel eyed woman began singing. At first very silently but then more and more surely. Kohran couldn't understand the words but they made her secure.
"Thank you Lilly-san… thank you for everything."
"You are welcome my darling." smiled the older woman.
Little by little the freckle faced girl fell asleep in the tender arms of the angel. She continued caressing her until Kohran was far off in the land of dreams.
Back in the theater the Hanagumi and Ohgami were on their way to their rooms when they were stopped by a strange noise coming from the garden.
"What is that heavenly melody?" asked Sakura.
"I think someone is singing." said Ohgami looking at the open glass door leading to the park.
"Those words…" whispered Maria. "They sound so familiar yet they are different. I could have sworn it is Russian but when I listen closely it is clear that it isn't. What could it be?"
Everybody's attention was fixed on the door. In vain – all they could see was the darkness of the night. The mysterious song seemed to be a part of the night itself. Soon a figure started to appear from the blackness of the autumn air. The melody became stronger and it was obvious to everyone that the figure was singing. As it approached they recognized Lilly. She was walking as if lighter than the wind carrying Kohran in her arms.
"What do you th…" screamed Sumire enraged but Kanna's hand on her mouth cut her sentence short. The redhead pointed to the sleeping Chinese.
"Take me to her room." silently ordered the angel.
They obeyed without question. Ohgami led them all to Kohran's room on the second floor. Lilly gently placed the purple haired girl on her bed. Still singing she covered her with the sheets, removed her glasses and placed them on the night drawer. The dark woman softly kissed the Chinese girl before leaving the room. She stopped singing when she found herself in the hall with all the Hanagumi behind her.
"What did you do to Kohran?" asked Sumire angrily.
"Hush, you'll wake her." answered Lilly peacefully. "You better ask her in the morning. I am sure she'll explain better than me."
All the girls stayed speechless while the older lady drifted away. She passed by Sakura and stopped. Her smiling hazel eyes looked straight into the face of the raven haired girl.
"You know your father would be so proud of what you have become." a small tear made its way on the dark face. "I'm not your enemy Sakura. How could I be, when Kazuma was to me like the father that I've lost."
With that the long haired Bulgarian disappears in the night with a jump from the balcony leaving everybody startled.
The next morning Ohgami and Lilly spend their usual run in silence. Neither one of them dare break it, both deep in their thoughts. Finally when they reached the theater the woman turned to the spike haired man:
"When the girls wake up, tell them to change into something comfortable and gather them at the bigger gymnasium on the first underground level."
The Japanese tried to say something but was cut off by the blackhead:
"Don't worry about me Ohgami, I'll be there."
A few hours later in the gymnasium
"What in god's name is this?" shouted Sumire, who appeared to have woken on the wrong side of the bed, when they all entered led by Ohgami in the enormous hall which was now filled with all sorts of climbing walls, hanging ropes, mud pits and other exercise devises.
"Welcome to my hell course." said a voice behind them. They turned and saw Lilly dressed in a pair of lose black pants and a sleeveless tight white top. "This will be your training course for the next few months. I know it looks like nothing compared to the battles that you fought so let me reveal the catch."
They all hold their breath in fear awaiting her next words. She gazed at their confusion victorious.
"Kohran will you and Iris step forward please."
"Yes Lilly-san!" said both girls in unison.
"Ohgami tie them together please." ordered the Bulgarian woman. The man silently put a pair of leather bracelets on Kohran's right and Iris's left wrists. The bracelets were tied together with a medium short metal chain.
"Now you Miss Kirishima and you Miss Tachibana."
Ohgami repeated the exercise with the tall redhead and her blond friend.
"Oh no…" dreadfully whispered Sumire.
"Oh yes." said Lilly. "That leaves you Miss Kanzaki and our dear Sakura. But let me explain what is all this about. You all are great fighters but seem to miss a very important thing, that you also are a team. A seven pieced whole. Seven, because you captain is also a part of this team. I think that only he truly understands the meaning of team spirit. So in order to remind you all that, I've prepared a game for you. It's called trust. For the next few weeks or even months, in depends only on how well you do, you will be bonded together in pairs. You will be forced to rely on and as well take care of your partner."
All the girls tried to protest but were cut off in their tracks but the angel's fierce look.
"Ladies, the course is yours. Begin!" ordered Lilly.
With no other choice the Hanagumi unwillingly charged at the training course. On the benches Ohgami and the hazel eyed woman watch their pitiful attempts.
"Are you sure you made the right pairs?" asked the Japanese. "I imagined you would pair the constantly fighting Sumire and Kanna together."
Lilly gave off a small smirk. "Sumire's real rival is Sakura. She can't stand her. She thinks she's better than her and yet she envies her in a way. On the other hand Sumire is Sakura's source of lack of self-confidence. Besides if I paired Kanna with Miss Kanzaki, she would use her greater physical power to get them out of the course. But Maria and Kanna are almost equal regarding strength so there will be a collision between them. And finally Iris and Kohran – they are powerful but scared and not confident enough. If I had paired them with any of the other girls who have stronger psychic presence their true selves would stay hidden."
"Wow." exclaimed Ohgami. "Now that you put it that way I can't agree more."
The night-haired woman smiled gloriously. They spent the rest of the day commenting on the girls' ridiculous efforts, accidentally laughing at their individualistic acts.
"It's getting late girls so this will be it for today." finally said Lilly. "Just one last thing before we go eat. This will be a real test for your trust. The Lieutenant and I will demonstrate."
She looked at Ohgami telling him to hold his position as she stood about the length of her height away from him with her back to the young man.
"The object here is to place your life in the hands of your partner. You lean back and your partner has to catch you. Ready Ohgami?"
No even waiting for a reply from the young man Lilly leaned back just to fall in the safety of his arms. They trade places for a second demonstration. Without hesitation the Lieutenant falls back and is caught by the Colonel.
"Now you girls. Maria and Kanna will go first." ordered the black haired woman.
The blond leaned to the redhead and it all went well but:
"Kanna, you're touching my breasts!" screamed the Russian. That caused the Okinawan to lose her balance and they both collapsed on the floor.
"Ok. Now it's Sakura and Sumire's turn." chuckled the Bulgarian.
That was even more disastrous because when the raven haired girl leaned back the other brunette didn't even make the effort to catch her.
"Ok, I think I made my point for today and I think everybody is hungry and exhausted. Let's go rest." said Lilly.
After a well deserved meal all the girls were too tired to leave the dinning table and were just resting in their places in silence.
"How much time do you need to get ready for a night walk Ohgami?" the angel broke the idyllic atmosphere.
"Give me an hour." answered the young captain.
"Meet me in an hour at the park gates then."
"What are you going to do with our taichou?" cried Sumire.
"None of your business." replied calmly the older woman.
"Taichou I forbid you to go!" the brown haired girl turned to the Japanese man.
The Bulgarian chuckled loudly. "The Lieutenant is under my command now so don't exceed yourself Miss Kanzaki."
Ohgami nodded in confirmation and Sumire remained speechless.
"See you in an hour taichou." smiled the dark lady as she headed for her house.
After an hour Ohgami was punctual. He was wearing dark blue trousers and a white shirt without a tie and with the first two buttons opened, holding a dark jacket in his hands. When he approached the gates he saw a figure leaning on the wall. It was Lilly. She was dressed in light blue jeans with a big brown leather belt she had a short blue and white stripped sweater on and a dark blue bandana tied over her hair.
"Right on time." she smiled. "Shall we go?"
Ohgami just nodded in answer and they silently entered the city. They had been walking for about 20 minutes when they reached a night bar. Lilly went to the door while the young man was looking puzzled.
"Come on Ohgami it won't bite. We worked very hard this passed week and we deserve a break."
She went in and the spike haired captain hesitantly followed. The woman stopped at the bar and ordered a bottle of sake with two glasses and turned to her confused companion.
"Wanna shoot some pools?"
"S-s-sure." answered faintly the young man.
As they reached an empty pool table in the back of the bar, she poured some sake in both glasses and gave one to Ohgami. They both took a sip silently looking in each others eyes.
An hour and half a bottle later
"Damn Ohgami that was a fucking great shoot!" shouted Lilly.
The young man stood in silence with his mouth wide open.
"Don't look at me like that!" scolded him the Bulgarian. "I had a long freaking day and besides it's a men's night out."
Getting hot because of the alcohol she took off her sweater to reveal a tight bright red sleeveless top with a deep neckline.
"Forgive me but it is pretty damn hard to regard you as a man. You're just too fucking hot!" mocked her Ohgami.
Stunned at first, she quickly regained her cool and loudly laughed.
"What is so funny?" asked the young captain with a slightly mocking expression on his face.
"I drink to the return of the navy man!" the angel smiled at her first small victory and raised her glass.
"That felt pretty good. We should do that more often." answered Ohgami by raising his glass as well.
By midnight they have emptied a couple more bottles of sake, cursed a lot and discussed the physiques of all the Hanagumi and Kazegumi. They left the bar merrily singing with light alcohol blushes on their cheeks. Just before they were about to part the Bulgarian turned to the young man:
"You know the girls will be quite busy with their trust exercise for the next few days. That leaves us some free time. I was thinking we can use it to bring your bike back to life."
The spike haired man's face lit up like a Christmas tree.
"I've already ordered the necessary parts. See you tomorrow after lunch in the garage. Good night." she turned back and walked to the gardener's house.
Ohgami followed her with his eyes till she disappeared in the darkness.
"Arigato!" he said softly with a glorious smile on his face and started for his room.
Author's notes:
Maria finds the words of the song familiar because it is in Bulgarian. Bulgarian and Russian are pretty close, the both come from the same language family – the Slavonic languages and they share the same alphabet – the Cyrillic. Many words in both languages sound alike and mean the same thing.
Don't take Lilly for a rough tomboy after the incident in the bar. She only does that to help Ohgami. It doesn't mean she swears like a sailor all the time.
I want to thank everyone who has taken their time to read the story. Please don't be shy and say what you think about it. I'll answer each and every one of you. Special thanks to Benji Himura for his great reviews, constant support and advices. Thanks a million. You're rubbing in on me pall, this chapter is way longer than the last one. :)
Hope you like the story's development. See ya soon :)