A/N: 2 out of 4, let's go!

Enjoy!


2.- Rightful Gaijin


"Again" a strong voice commanded, and the young woman in front of her sighed softly before taking a position and launching an attack.

"Too slow," the older woman chuckled before easily dodging and hitting her opponent in the stomach with her shinai making the attacker fall on her knees "find and opening before attacking"

"Understood, Himari-sama," the younger girl added while trying to breathe steadily before tying her hair in a ponytail, grabbing her bamboo sword, and standing up once more "find the opponent's weakness before attacking" she whispered to herself before taking the position once more.

The strike was so fast that the older woman almost got hit, but her great reflexes made her dodge in the last second and counterattack with a direct thrust to the throat which caused the younger girl to lose balance and land on her butt with a loud thud while gasping for air; luckily for her, she had been wearing her protective gear otherwise she could be seriously injured.

"Why did you start without me?" an annoyed yell came from the entrance of the private dojo and the older woman turned to glare at the one interrupting the practice.

"You are late, Kuro-chan"

"I am sorry" Claudine calmly replied before taking off her shoes and approaching where the bamboo swords were to choose one; she studied them before deciding for the one with a dark tsuka orhandle wrapping. It was a good thing that she had decided to change into her training clothes before entering the dojo otherwise the older woman would be even angrier.

"That's all you have to say for yourself?" Himari narrowed her maroon eyes at the blonde that raised an amused eyebrow.

"Well, oui" Claudine added before tying her hair with a red ribbon and turning to face the older woman "since you taught us not to talk business during practice." At this, the dark-haired student nodded in agreement.

"I taught you both well" the woman snickered while leaning on her own bamboo sword "no wonder you two are the last women standing after the bloodbath this succession has become"

"I wholeheartedly agree, Himari-sama" the dark-haired girl commented before inspecting her shinai.

"It would have been less dramatic if you had an heiress to replace you" Claudine added before swinging her bamboo sword to get a better feel of it.

"That is quite irrelevant right now, girls" Himari shrugged "besides, you can't deny that it was quite fun"

"It was"

"Oui"

"Now, then" Himari clapped and both blonde and dark-haired straightened "how about we finish this grueling battle royale we have been having and chose the official heiress for the Kitsune-gumi?"

"Yes, of course"

"Bien"

"Then, go and get your protective gear so we can start, Claudine-san"

"What for? C'est ridicule" the blonde girl protested "we are not children"

"I agree with Claudine-san, there is no need for gear that could restrict our movement" the one with dark hair added with a shrug before stretching one arm at a time and removing her own gear.

"Well, suit yourselves" Himari snapped her fingers and a woman with pigtails rushed to her side "you will be the other referee, and witness of this match"

"O-of co-course Himari-sama" the one with pigtails stammered.

"We still need a third referee" Himari stated while tapping her chin with her index finger as if pondering who to call "has Daiba-san already come back?"

"Himari-sama" a tall blonde woman stated from the entrance of the dojo and bowed respectfully the moment she was in front of the brunette head of the Kitsune-gumi "I-"

"You are right on time to be our third referee, Daiba-san" Himari then leaned forward and whispered by the blonde's ear "everything went as planned?" at this, the tall blonde nodded with a smile.

"Excellent" Himari then turned to the two expecting opponents and withdrew several flags from her hakama pockets that she threw to the other two referees that caught them midair.

"Claudine-san, you will be red," the brunette approached the blonde and secured the red ribbon to the back of her dark t-shirt with a safety pin before walking to the dark-haired woman that bowed before turning around so her boss had better access to her back "Yanagi-san, you will take white"

"Thank you, Himari-sama," Koharu nodded before turning around and bowing deeply to her boss. At this, Claudine rolled her eyes.

"Let's start then" the brunette boss stated before walking to the place she was going to stand for the match "regular kendo rules with no protection" Himari instructed both girls that nodded in agreement "the first one to score two points will be named the rightful successor of the Kitsune-gumi"

Claudine and Koharu bowed to each other before crouching at the start lines while the three referees got in position and ordered them to go. The blonde attacked first but Koharu was faster and hit Claudine in the stomach making the blonde take a few steps back to regain her balance and breath. Three white flags were raised in unison and the first point was given to Koharu.

Merde, Claudine cursed in her mind despite her face showing a neutral expression. It took her a few seconds to regain her composure and get back to the start line with a serious expression and a plan.

Sorry, Koharu chéri, but I will win no matter what!

After the signal, Claudine attacked with lightning speed that even the great reflexes of Koharu couldn't register until she heard the yell of the French girl and felt the impact of the upper part of the shinai hitting her in the center of her head which made her wince and take a few steps back "Men!". Three simultaneous red flags rose, and the point was awarded to Claudine.

"Get back in position," Himari ordered and both competitors bowed to each other once more before crouching at the start lines one more time. They barely waited for the referees' signal to start and both girls yelled before performing their last attack.

"Kote!" Claudine yelled and was one-tenth of a second faster and stronger than Koharu that dropped her shinai the moment she was hit on her right wrist that made a cracking sound when it received Claudine's blow.

Unfortunately for the dark-haired girl, she was not fast enough when she thrust her shinai towards Claudine's throat, the same move Himari had used on her before the blonde arrived at the dojo. Three red flags raised and Koharu grabbed her bamboo sword from the floor before bowing to the blonde.

"The winner is Claudine-san," Himari announced with a proud smile and the blonde bowed respectfully before dropping her shinai when turned to look at Koharu that was now with a knee on the floor while grabbing her now swollen wrist and trying hard to suppress her pained moans.

"I will take her to our doctor," Claudine said while bowing to Himari before turning on her heel and walking towards Koharu to help her stand.

Strict but fair, great qualities she has. Kuro-chan will make a great leader, Himari mused while observing how the blonde aided Koharu before walking her out of the dojo. The head of the Kitsune-gumi then turned to observe the one with pigtails with a raised eyebrow.

"Now that the succession issue has been solved, I will happily retire when Tsuyuzaki-san takes a kobun" Himari commented half-joking.

"Eh? Bu-but it is hard to find a kobun, Himari-sama" Mahiru stammered, and Nana couldn't help but smile at the paradox Tsuyuzaki Mahiru was.

Despite looking and acting nervous, when it came to collecting debt for the Kitsune-gumi, there wasn't a woman more fitted for the job with her kanabo or spiked bat that could shatter skulls with only one swing than Tsuyuzaki Mahiru.

"Time is ticking, Tsuyuzaki-san" Himari added in a serious tone "you have one week"

"Ye-yes!" Mahiru promptly replied before bowing and quickly leaving the dojo. At this, Himari chuckled.

"I still don't understand what she is waiting for to make it official with Aijo-san," the head of the kitsune-gumi commented and a smiling Nana opened a door that led the boss to a long hall with beautifully decorated walls. The left one with dragons of different classes and colors whilst the right one had paintings of the wind god and thunder god with a mount Fuji in between them.

On the lower left side of the right wall, and under a Sakura tree in bloom, a sleeping white fox rested curled up with its eight tails. Each one represented the previous heads of the Kitsune-gumi as it is stated in their internal rules that each boss would last at least thirty years in power before being succeeded by a new boss that would lead the yakuza branch for the next period.

Himari stopped to observe the fox and smiled the moment her fingertips traced the resting animal. Her time was coming to an end, but she had no regrets. In the last thirty-five years, the Kitsune-gumi has grown from being a medium-size branch in the south of Japan to controlling all the southern areas of the island country plus half of the capital and some parts of Europe which was not a small feat.

Now that Claudine-san will be named my heir, things are starting to look quite promising. Himari then remembered about the meeting her head of security had with Tendo Aoi and her maroon orbs turned to look at the green-eyed blonde.

"I think you have something that belongs to me, Daiba-san" Himari commented, and Nana withdrew the gray parchment from her pocket and handed it with both hands to her boss that took it and placed it in the pocket of her hakama.

"Tendo-sama also said that she would see you where you agreed last time during the next red moon,"the blonde added before sliding the next door open for her boss to step in.

"A three-day notice only for a high council meeting, huh" Himari chuckled amused at her counterpart's eagerness "by any chance, were they performing an initiation today?"

"Yes, Himari-sama, of Isurugi Futaba-san" Nana added before signaling a nearby servant to bring something to drink and eat for their master.

"Ah, the short and feisty one," Himari smiled and sat by a low table before taking a cup that Nana immediately filled with sake "it was about time that the troublemaker Hanayagi-san had a protégée."

"Who is a proficient fighter almost as good as Yanagi-san," Nana added while reading from a small black notebook she always carried with her in which she had all the relevant information regarding both Kitsune and Hakuchu-gumi.

"Does she use a naginata like the troublemaker?" Himari asked with mild interest.

"Close enough, Himari-sama" Nana read from her notes "she is well-versed using a halberd"

"How unorthodox, but then again, Tsuyuzaki-san uses a kanabo on a regular basis, so we have no right to criticize" Himari chuckled.

"Ah, but both Hanayagi and Isurugi carry guns, as well"

"Don't we all, Daiba-san? They just have a bigger fixation with traditional weaponry," Himari added with a smile "anyway, are you done with our revenue reports? I would like to revise them"

"You will have them by the end of the day, Himari-sama," Nana added with a serious tone that definitely meant business.

The skillful blonde was not only in charge of the safety of the head of the Kitsune-gumi but was the one overlooking every aspect of the business they had whether it was legal or not "now if you excuse me, I will take my leave as I need to make sure Yumeoji-san is done with the revenue report of our overseas businesses"

"I bet Fumi-san must be bored out of her mind doing that on her own," Himari chuckled, and Nana smiled amusedly "that girl is deadly with that insane knife of hers, but she is also a genius with numbers"

"She is" Nana affirmed with a nod "now-"

"Before you leave, Daiba-san, please call Tanaka-san" Himari interrupted with a wave and Nana bowed before looking for the elusive girl. Not a minute later, Tanaka Yuyuko stood in front of the matriarch of the kitsune-gumi and bowed respectfully.

"Update me on the status of Yanagi-san and please let Claudine-san know that I require her presence in, let's say, an hour," Himari ordered before having a sip of her sake while eyeing the sashimi that was just served for her "and no weird name-calling, you know she hates it".

"As you wish, and I will try my best, Himari-sama," Yuyuko replied before bowing and leaving the room in a rush under the amused gaze of her boss.

One day, Kuro-chan will degut you for it, silly Yuyuko.


"Can you stop being stubborn and let the doctor work?" an exasperated Claudine asked while glaring at an injured, but stubborn Koharu.

"Fine, but I assure you that it is nothing serious, Claudine-san," the dark-haired woman added to immediately wince when the doctor touched her swollen wrist.

"You were saying?" Claudine asked with sarcasm before leaning forward and whispered by Koharu's ear before biting her earlobe "if you behave, I will reward you handsomely later, chéri" at this, the normally calm and collected dark-haired girl blushed and turned to look at the expecting doctor.

"Run all the tests, sensei," Koharu bowed respectfully "I won't be a bother anymore" after that, the diagnosis was quick; a broken wrist that needed a cast for at least five weeks. Seeing Claudine's distressed face, the doctor excused herself and the blonde sat on the same bed Koharu was sitting.

"I am sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you, chéri" Claudine whispered guiltily while taking Koharu's not injured hand in hers.

"It was meant to happen, Kuro" Koharu replied with a sincere smile "you are the better fighter, and the best suited for the job, the rightful heiress," Claudine blushed and looked away before standing with a jump. The blonde was not good with compliments.

"How about I start compensating you right now instead, chéri?" the blonde kissed the sitting woman on the corner of the lips and was about to capture her lips with hers but, instead, she quickly jumped away the moment the door suddenly opened.

"Ahem, sorry, not sorry, to interrupt your gross displays of affection, but Himari-sama wants to talk to you in an hour, baguette" Yuyuko added nonchalantly with a yawn that morphed into a smile when she saw how the nickname annoyed Claudine that glared at her with enraged magenta orbs.

"I told you a million times that my name is Claudine, you, insufferable child" the blonde spat to Yuyuko's amusement. Noticing the blonde's rising anger, Koharu took Claudine's hand and squeezed it softly to avoid a confrontation.

"Croissant, baguette, it all sounds French to me," Yuyuko shrugged before turning on her heel to leave "just remember that Himari-sama dislikes tardiness" after that, the yawning girl that closed the door behind her. Claudine took a deep breath, and about three curse words in French later turned to look at an amused Koharu and helped her stand.

"Come on, I will take you to your hotel room," Claudine squeezed the hand of the dark-haired girl she was holding and smiled.

"Thank you, baguette," Koharu whispered making the blonde stop in her tracks and turn to look at the injured girl in surprise.

"Did you just crack a joke?"

"I keep telling you that I am funny" Koharu shrugged.

"Méchante va" and Claudine huffed and rolled her eyes.


"You are actually on time, that's new"

"I am not that bad, Himari-sama" Claudine added with a wide smile before bowing respectfully.

"Congratulations, Kuro-chan" Himari smiled sincerely, and Claudine blushed when the powerful and merciless Saijo Himari hugged her "you are a Saijo now, Saijo Claudine, the rightful heiress of the Kitsune-gumi"

"With all due respect, Himari-sama," Claudine started while sitting by her right side "I am curious about something I have been hearing for a while now"

"And that would be?" Himari asked with a tilted head.

"This 'rightful heiress' business" the blonde quoted slowly as if expecting a reaction from her boss that seemed unfazed "I earned the right of succession due to my own effort"

"True"

"I was able to unify the European branch under my command in just a year"

"I am aware of that"

"I also made the right connections with the right people, so our businesses are not bothered by any government or authority in the south of Europe"

"And I am glad you did that, and also picked up some proficiency in other languages while at it" Himari commented before having a sip of her drink.

"I am not even mentioning how strong our bonds with other yakuza branches from the south of Japan are thanks to how hard Koharu-san and I worked on keeping every single member in line"

"I agree, we are way stronger now"

"And I basically dueled against all our inner council and won fair and square"

"You did that," Himari nodded in agreement.

"Then, is there something else behind the so-called 'rightful heiress' thing?"

"It's not the right time to talk about that" Himari waved dismissively.

"But-"

"Let me remind you, Saijo Claudine-san that I am still the head of the Kitsune-gumi, and I won't tolerate any insubordination, not even from my rightful heiress" Himari slammed her fist on the table and Claudine stiffened when she felt Yuyuko's sharp kunai against her neck. The blonde heiress didn't even sense the younger girl's arrival "understood?"

"Yes, Himari-sama" Claudine replied with a small nod.

"Leave us alone Yuyuko-san, I know that Kuro-chan won't cause any more trouble" Himari ordered, and the now yawning girl withdrew her kunai, bowed respectfully at her boss, and left the room as quietly as she had entered.

"I am sorry for my outburst, Himari-sama" Claudine bowed deeply and didn't move until she felt the boss' hand on her shoulder.

"I understand that you want to know more about this particular topic, but we have one more pressing issue that I need your assistance with" Himari commented, and maroon locked with magenta for a few seconds as if studying each other.

"I am at your service with whatever you need, Himari-sama" Claudine replied with a short bow of her head.

"Are you aware of the implications of being the head of the Kitsune-gumi?"

"Oui, the boss is the one keeping the stability among the different families that form our inner council, oversees that the business is running smoothly, and is the main representative of the family when it comes to meeting with the hakuchu-gumi led by the Tendo family," Claudine recited by heart.

"Exactly, but you are missing some things in your speech, that are also part of the head's duties" Himari added with a smile that widened at Claudine's confused face.

"Huh, as in?"

"When both heiresses are chosen, they must compete to see which family would get the upper hand which means-"

"That the heiress that wins will make their family more influential over the other for a year and the one that loses would have to pay a penalty"

"And?"

"After a year has passed, the heiresses will go at it again" Claudine sighed exasperatedly "year after year until-"

"Until?"

"I d-don't know" Claudine pinched the bridge of her nose trying to figure out what the next piece of elusive information was to no avail "you never told us about that, actually"

"Ah, that will be revealed to both heiresses after the first competition, don't worry about it" Himari added with a wide smile that chilled Claudine to the bone.

Something tells me that I should be really worried about this, though, the blonde mused with a soft hum.

"About the competition," Claudine asked with interest "tell me it's in kendo"

"Anticipating this, both Tendo-san and I agreed that keeping tradition is important, so yes"

"Très bien!" the blonde fist pumped and Himari could not help but chuckle.

"And this time both of you will use protective gear, no excuses" the brunette boss added with an amused grin "we can't afford more broken limbs especially when it comes to the future bosses"

"With all due respect, Himari-sama, but" Claudine chuckled darkly before placing her right hand on her chest "you are already assuming that I will be injured by the Tendo's princess? C'est ridicule"

"She is not as delicate as you might think, Kuro-chan" Himari scolded her heiress with a shake of her head "if you want to get technical, Tendo's heiress is very skilled, cultured, and gorgeous"

"Sounds like a spoiled brat," Claudine huffed, and the brunette boss chuckled.

"Then, winning against her should be easy for you, right?" Himari asked amusedly.

"Bien sûr, I will be the winner of this match" Claudine added with pride.

"Very well, then" the brunette boss commented before snapping her fingers, and out of nowhere, Yuyuko stood by the brunette's side "tell Daiba-san to come" the short woman bowed and left the room in a hurry. The tall blonde entered the room a minute later wearing a dark suit with a matching vest and a yellow tie.

"Daiba-san, starting tomorrow I need you to be Claudine-san's kendo partner" Himari ordered, and the tall blonde bowed before whispering a soft of course, Himari-sama.

Merde, Claudine cursed in her head. She was aware of how skillful Nana was, but she also knew how ruthless the blonde could be when it came to training.

"Please do not use your katanas as it is just training, and we can't afford Claudine-san to get injured before the Sakura banquet" Himari ordered.

"Understood, Himari-sama," Nana replied with a small smile and a bow "I will use a shinai instead"

"One more thing, Daiba-san" the brunette boss commented before rising from her seat "we will be having dinner at Kirin's at eight, and I hope I will have the revenue reports I asked you by then"

"You will, Himari-sama" Nana replied calmly "I will notify the driver so you can be on your way in fifteen minutes"

"Make it ten" Himari demanded.

"Of course," Nana smiled "now if you excuse me, I will get everything ready" the blonde added before bowing deeply and walking out of the room.

"Himari-sama, you are aware that she will try to break every single bone in me in this so-called training, right?" Claudine sighed.

"Well, you broke Yanagi-san's wrist who is your regular training partner, Kuro-chan," Himari shrugged before finishing her sake and heading towards the door "and Daiba-san is the one that trained Yuyuko-san and all the security squads, so try not to get injured, or even worse, killed before the Sakura banquet"

"That's so reassuring" Claudine commented sarcastically eliciting an amused chuckle from the brunette boss before both disappeared behind a nearby door.


A/N: Our babies training with those monsters XD