The situation got complicated. Sugimoto noticed Yuki's tension, and thought that the man must be one of Tsurumi's subordinates. The three soldiers stared at each other as if expecting the slightest movement. Yuki remembered him as the son of Admiral Koito Heiji, one of Tsurumi's closest friends. Then she thought about what moves she could make despite the numbers disadvantage and wondered if Ogata was really out there watching.
Yuki and Koito stared at each other, it was as if they were analyzing each other. Two skilled soldiers.
"I received a call and direct orders to await the arrival of First Lieutenant Tsurumi here in Asahikawa." Koito said, smiling calmly, without taking his eyes off Yuki. "And that no one could see Shiraishi. So, Lone Wolf, you won't be leaving here like that, least of all with the prisoner."
"It turns out, Koito-dono, that Shiraishi must be taken back to prison immediately." Yuki replied, imitating Koito's calm smile. "He's run away several times and that's bad for the empire's image in times like now… I've been ordered to escort Shiraishi… I don't see the need to wait for the First Lieutenant."
"Inudoooo…" Sugimoto said with some anxiety, looking at Yuki's back, then at Shiraishi. He was amazed at how much pressure the air seemed to have because of Koito and Yuki, it reminded him of the war.
Yuki didn't have her katana or saber, just a bayonet. Shee considered that the speed of the draw was not the same as the famous Japanese sword. However, when considering that even if she had the katana, it would be slow since putting her hand on the sheath, in readiness, and at a moment like that was it would be the same as showing hostility. Then she re-analyzed the situation carefully, using her peripheral vision to calculate the distance to the door, to the window, and the time it would take to delay an onslaught from Koito while Sugimoto could drag Shiraishi out or even try to kill them all. However, when she took into account the skills of the man in front of her, everything got more complicated, that's because it was someone at her level.
Yuki couldn't contain her smile from getting even wider. Koito narrowed his gaze and set his jaw.
"You really won't let me take him, will you?" she said cautiously.
Sugimoto slipped one hand behind his back and took out a pistol he had hidden in his waistband. Shiraishi switched his tense gaze between Yuki, Koito and Sugimoto.
Yuki suddenly narrowed her eyes and moved a little to the side.
Two shots.
Sugimoto fell backwards to the ground on the impact of the shot to his left shoulder, dropping his weapon. Yuki took two steps back and leaned on one knee, feeling something burn in her chest, near her ribs, and then the sensation of hot liquid running down... She lifted her head to look at Koito, with an open smile, in awe of his decision to make the lunge first by shooting.
"According to First Lieutenant Tsurumi." said Koito, still calm, but his gaze was now cold, staring at Yuki from above. "You were seen by Sergeant Tsukishima acting together with deserter Ogata Hyakunosuke."
"Of course he did…" Yuki laughed, her gaze fierce. "Funny, I thought Tsukishima only had eyes for Tsurumi since he doesn't leave his side… Just like all of you… That damn smooth talking bastard…"
Koito grimaced slightly, which turned into a surprised expression as Yuki advanced at an impressive speed. He'd always doubted the stories he'd heard about the Lone Wolf's abilities, but which now seemed true when he witnessed it with his own eyes. In less than a second Yuki was an arm's length away. Koito raised his hand to narrowly defend Yuki's left punch.
Yodogawa picked up the gun from the ground that Sugimoto dropped and pointed it at Shiraishi. This got everyone alarmed, both Yuki and Sugimoto, as well as Koito. In the distance, Ogata watched with great interest through the binoculars, and frowned as he lost sight of Yuki.
"This is a joke?" said Yodogawa, upset by the whole situation. "We should have skinned you from the start!"
"Calm down, wait there!" Shiraishi raised his cuffed hands defensively.
"Please don't kill him!" Koito hurried to say, while trying to push Yuki away. "Or I'll be scolded by the First Lieutenant!"
Still Yodogawa fired. Sugimoto quickly slid in front of Shiraishi like a human shield, holding a chair, and was hit instead, the bullet now penetrating his right shoulder. Then he threw the chair to break the windowpane.
"I AM SUGIMOTO, THE IMMORTAL!" Sugimoto suddenly yelled at them, furious.
Sugimoto pulled Shiraishi with him to jump out the window. So fast had she approached, just as quickly Yuki was moving away from Koito to follow Sugimoto. One of Yodogawa's men approached the window to chase after them, but was hit in the shoulder by a shot from outside.
"This way, Shiraishi, the others must be waiting for us with horses." Sugimoto said already running, being overtaken by Yuki who was now running in front of them.
"Damn, are you going to be okay, Sugimoto?" asked Shiraishi, worried to see Sugimoto's face turning pale.
Yuki was sweating and panting. The bullet went through… Thankfully… But… she thought as she ran, her left hand where she had been hit, in an attempt to stop the bleeding.
"Sugimoto, Hagiwara! Not here!" warned Ogata, who was coming running, gesturing with his hand in the other direction. "We have to go south, that way! There are many soldiers around here who heard and were alarmed by the shots! Soon it will be full of them!"
"He's been hit!" shouted Shiraishi, helping Sugimoto to run.
"Aren't you immortal?" Ogata said to Sugimoto. "Then run for your life!"
Yuki smiled out of the corner of her mouth as she ran, trying to hide her condition and look like everything was fine. All they had to do was worry about Sugimoto. They haven't noticed yet, because of the color of her uniform, that she's been hit too.
"If my legs fail to run…" Sugimoto breathlessly said to Shiraishi. "Shiraishi! You must take Asirpa to… Abashiri…"
"What kind of pessimism is this, Sugimoto? Didn't you scream back there that you're immortal?" Yuki asked, looking back, her gaze teasing. "You who will take her to Abashiri."
Sugimoto's eyes softened and it looked as if he had gained more strength, but when he lowered his gaze a little and noticed that Yuki's uniform looked wet with something and then he noticed the trail of red drips on the floor...
"Hagiwara, you…"
"WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT?" Shiraishi shouted in amazement.
It was a huge white airship, tied by ropes so it wouldn't fly off alone. Several soldiers were working there, maintaining and checking the status of this huge flying balloon.
"No time to be amazed, we need to steal that!" Yuki said already running towards the airship, which was nothing more than just a prototype.
Yuki now had her bayonet in hand, but stole another one, and Sugimoto stole a rifle from one of the soldiers working on the airship. Shiraishi tried to give orders to one to put this huge flying balloon to work, hastily, and then to get out.
When the airship was starting to take off, the soldiers plucked up the courage to try to advance against them. They knew they couldn't shoot. The balloon filled with hydrogen, so everything would go up in flames if anyone fired a single shot. Ogata and Sugimoto butted the soldiers trying to climb, to let go and fall. Yuki was kicking some and jabbing others with her bayonets, when she saw Koito running.
"Heh…" she smiled in excitement.
The airship was already ten feet off the ground. The soldiers make a human pyramid in a vain attempt to stop them from escaping. Second Lieutenant Koito stole the saber from one of the soldiers and simply ran upstairs, as if his colleagues were a ladder. He stepped on their shoulders and heads, climbing until, when he reached the last one at the top, he stepped on the beret on his head to leap toward the airship.
It was a curious sight of Koito "swimming" through the air in great effort to reach the airship. So he did.
"Give me your bayonet." Sugimoto asked Ogata. "I'm going to deal with this guy…"
"He fights Jigen-ryu style, Sugimoto." Yuki informed, and took the front for the fight, facing Koito with an excited smile. "I'm glad you made it up, Koito-san. I really wanted to finish trying to beat your pretty face."
"You took two shots." Ogata added to Sugimoto, handing over the bayonet. "You won't deal with anyone in these conditions."
"Hagiwara either then. He was shot." Sugimoto said.
Koito recognized that voice and closed his expression immediately.
"Ogata Hyakunosuke, you son of a bitch…" he said angrily, and started screaming so fast in Satsuma dialect that no one could understand a thing.
"Where are you looking to?" Yuki asked while appearing before Koito's eyes trying to hit him with the bayonet in his belly. Again he barely dodged that quick, steady thrust. He mentally cursed how amazing Yuki's speed was.
"Second Lieutenant Koito, I never understand a word you say, sir…" Ogata mocked, smiling. "Especially when you get all irritated and use the Satsuma dialect."
"Heh, that was always a funny thing of him" Hagiwara spun around to kick him, but Koito bent back to avoid the attack and raised the saber in the air holding it with both hands. At that time, Sugimoto took the front of Yuki, surprising her, and raised the rifle defensively.
"No! Do not try to block!" she screamed, but it was too late.
Koito's strength in this charge was such that Sugimoto's rifle hit him in the head. Yuki lunged forward again and tried to kick Koito in the head, which he defended with his arm. Koito retaliated with the saber in a diagonal motion from above. His charge was blocked by Yuki's bayonet. She was grinning at that clash, staring at Otonoshin over her blades, he with clenched teeth. She forced and pushed Koito's saber. This made him lose his balance a little, and he tried to hold on to the metallic structure of the balloon, then counter attacking with the saber using only one arm. Yuki defended by parrying the blade with both bayonets like an X. Koito then kicked her back.
It was at that moment that Shiraishi suddenly appeared, jumping off the irons, stepping over Yuki and kicking Koito out of the airship. Yuki suddenly felt her vision go dark and she leaned with one hand on a bar of the airship's frame and Ogata noticed this. Shit…not now…
- Hahaha! See you later, Koito! - Shiraishi laughed.
"Shiraishi!" Sugimoto shouted when he saw his friend fall out too. However, Shiraishi had tied himself with a rope before this daring maneuver against Koito.
Even though he was saved from the fall, Shiraishi came face to face with the leaves and branches of a tree. When he emerged from the other side, he was upside down with Asirpa standing over him, serious. She supported her feet on his arms as she held his thighs with her hands, almost with her face in his ass.
Now that the danger was over, they could relax a little. Yuki was sitting next to Ogata who was fiddling with the rifle, both of them close to the airship's engine, in a section with a fixed, straight wooden floor. Asirpa was checking Sugimoto's bullet wounds, finding that one had pierced him, but the other would have to be extracted later. Ogata glanced out of the corner of his eye at Yuki, seeing that she was still sweating a lot and her heavy breathing that she was trying to disguise.
"I can't believe you put yourselves in danger just to rescue me." Shiraishi said, with a real disbelieving face about it. "I am the King of Escapes, you know. He would have managed to escape at some point."
"Everyone gave up on you, Shiraishi." Asirpa said bluntly, calmly. "Sugimoto was the only one who wanted to rescue you. After that, Hagiwara volunteered to help."
"What a situation you put us into, Shiraishi" sighed Yuki, throwing her head back, tired.
"I know you will be useful in infiltrating Abashiri, so I decided to rescue you because I trusted you." Sugimoto started, looking at Shiraishi. "Then, I remembered that day, when we saw that strange old man…"
Shiraishi realized what he was talking about and was paralyzed with tension. Yuki's face was downcast, the hair falling over her forehead hiding her eyes as she listened. Ogata finished fiddling with the rifle, expressionless.
"You were… Secretly working with Hijikata, weren't you… Shiraishi?" Sugimoto asked, his face grim. "You've been passing on information about us all this time… Wait, don't jump, Shiraishi!"
The King of Escapes was already ready to jump out of the airship when he saw that Sugimoto was showing one of the tattooed skins he was keeping. Yuki smiled when she saw this scene, finding the situation amusing. Ogata, on the other hand, remained silent.
"It's the copy of Henmi's tattoos that you gave to Ushiyama in Sapporo. Hijikata showed it to me, so I checked it just to be sure and… it's fake."
Relief washed over Shiraishi's face and he smiled broadly at his friend. Yuki and Ogata remained silent.
"Yeah! That's right!" Shiraishi said excitedly. "Did not say it? Said I'd bet everything on you!"
"Good thing Ushiyama isn't here." Asirpa commented. "He said he would destroy your ass with a special huge sutu made in Asahikawa.
"Nooo!"