Disclaimer: Violence, gore, adult content, adult language, and hormones?


Chapter 15

Leash versus Ease

"Speech" 'Telepathy' Thought "Dream"

"The horizon began to glow with the coming of dawn, casting hues of orange and blush across the awakening sky. The encampment began to stir with the bustle of guardsmen as they prepared for the long trip back to Edo. Leaning against a wooden cart in a hidden corner, a young guardsman snored lightly and fought gravity by crossing his arms and resting his chin on his chest.

The tense chatter, quick dismantling of tents and gathering of supplies did not stir him from his nap, nor did the hushed argument that raged within the tent he was ordered to keep watch around. A fellow guardsman tossed his tools to the side and snickered at the slumbering young guard. Standing from his crouch, he snuck around the opposite side of the cart so he could be directly behind the napping man.

"Masaki…" he hummed soothingly in the guard's ear, stirring some of the dusty brown strands of hair to tickle the shell of the guard's ear. Masaki mumbled under his breath, but didn't come out of his snooze. Chuckling, Teshimine stood in a casual stance with a roguish glint in his dark eyes.

"Atten-tionuh!"

Masaki jumped wide awake and rigidly into stance as he grunted in salute. When he heard the warm chuckle behind him, he felt his cheeks heat with embarrassment.

He whirled around to glare haughtily at his senior comrade. "Teshimine-senpai! That was not funny," he pouted with disdain as the other's grin only widened with mirth.

"Now, Masaki-kun. You're very lucky it was me that caught you sleeping on the job and not the taichou," he chided in a pleasant tone, earning a tense sigh from the younger man.

"You're right, senpai. Sank-yu," the shorter man smiled meekly up at him as he scratched the back of his head goofily.

Teshimine smirked and put the man in a tight shoulder hold as he leaned against him. "Sigh, but I do have to admit, this has been an exhausting trip," he mused with nonchalant bravado as he squeezed Masaki against his side.

Masaki blushed furiously, muttering, "Exhausting in many different senses, senpai."

Chuckling, Teshimine noticed a group of guardsmen approaching, so he detached himself from Masaki and said in a whispered tone, "Don't be peeved with me, Masaki-kun. I can't help tease you."

Repressing a blush and sputter, Masaki managed not to put Teshimine in a headlock before the older man winked at him and went to meet the other guards halfway. Pouting, Masaki turned on his heel and went back to his sentinel-like watch of Kitsune no Aka's quarters within the wide tent. In mid yawn, he heard the tent flap swat open and saw the menacing-looking escort of the Red Fox glare at him.

"Boy! Get us something to eat," Katsumoto barked the order and obnoxiously went back into the tent, pulling the flap shut.

An anger vein popped to life on Masaki's temple as he ground his teeth and stomped to do as he was told, muttering about the degradation of being a peon.

Meanwhile, Katsumoto whirled to continue his heated rant towards Kyouran, who was clad in his red and black touseigusoku minus the mask and helmet.

"Let me get this straight," he ground between tight lips, his quicksilver eyes narrowed in berating rage at the cool and apathetic semblance staring with boredom at him. "Whilst you were frolicking in a hot spring while I was stuck here like a patsy, you came face-to-face with the demon bastard complicating my plans and you didn't kill him!?" he hissed acidly at her to keep their conversation private from outside interest.

Staring unabashedly at him, Kyouran stood from the edge of the table she had been sitting on and walked towards the stand with the helmet and mask, dismissing his angry questioning by tying her hair up so to better conceal it with the kabuto she put on her head.

"I am talking to you, Oni Hakaisha!" Katsumoto ground out as he stomped haughtily towards her.

Coolly ignoring him, Kyouran raised the somen to her face and snapped it into place with the kabuto. She could feel the shorter man's temper skyrocketing to new heights at being ignored like an impetuous child. Turning to loom over him, she made sure her crimson gaze was glowing through the eyes of the mask as she bore her glare down on his slightly waning one.

"I suggest you stuff that gaping hole in your face shut before you find it seared shut," Kyouran rasped with the help of the voice distorter located within the somen. "The food is here," she added as she stalked past the fuming warlord and sent Masaki jumping back from the entrance of the tent with the wide bowl of fruit he cradled in his arms.

As Kyouran emerged from the tent, all eyes seemed to shift to her. She glanced at the young soldier with the food before stalking away to the opposite side of the camp, where most of the guardsmen were held to protect the emperor. Katsumoto barreled angrily from the tent and almost bumped into Masaki as he tried to enter the tent.

"Fool! Watch where you're going," Katsumoto growled in warning as he shoved Masaki to the side and snatched several pieces of fruit from the bowl he was holding before stalking off after Kyouran.

Masaki set his jaw and swore at the supercilious man's back. "Not a charming peon, is he," the rhetorical question snapped Masaki to glance at his handsome comrade.

"We peons resent being pushed around," Masaki frowned and adjusted the heavy bowl of assorted fruits he was holding.

Snickering, Teshimine snatched a small wreath of grapes and popped one in his mouth. "Now, Masaki-kun. You're no more of a peon than I am. Don't let your title dictate your station in life," he quipped affably, earning a huff from the younger man as he ate a few more grapes.

"Hai," was his terse response, earning a mocking glance from Teshimine.

Dropping the rest of the grapes back in the bowl, Teshimine draped a muscular arm around Masaki's shoulders and whispered in his ear, "Your lips look quite kissable when you pout like that, Masaki-kun."

Stiffening, Masaki's blush flustered him so much that Teshimine couldn't help laugh with a bark of mirth. Seeing the amused glances some of the other soldiers were giving them, Masaki narrowed his eyes at his senpai and swiftly shoved a shiny red apple into his mouth, effectively silencing the older man as he inadvertently bit the apple and sputtered.

"I'm sorry, senpai. Did you say something?" Masaki mused with acidic sweetness in his tone while the other man continued to cough.

"Oi! You two! Get to taking down that tent and storing it on the cart. You're wasting daylight!"

"Wakarimasu, taichou!" they both saluted in sync before glancing hotly at each other and splitting up to do the task.

Meanwhile, the bustle of activity within the camp did not seem to affect the tension that lingered within a certain tent. Emperor Higashimaya was pacing nervously in his ostentatious quarters as Katsumoto authoritatively instructed him and Kyouran of the plan of action. The green-eyed emperor glanced worriedly at the red and black-donning deathdealer as he asked, "Any word from Sumeragi-sama?"

"No," was her distorted reply, earning a chortled huff from Katsumoto.

"That boy has his hands full fixing your messes," he muttered, plopping down in one of the emperor's cushioned seats and helping himself to the jug of sake resting on the short table to his right.

Higashimaya grimaced, hating every minute he was subjected to the ruffian's presence. "So, what is the plan?" he asked Kyouran in a tight voice, earning a grunt and scowl from Katsumoto.

"I told you the plan," he tersely grunted.

"You are far from in charge of this campaign, Katsumoto," the emperor snapped in a sickeningly sweet tone.

Sneering, the warlord chugged a few gulps of sake straight from the jug before reaching for the pieces of fruit he snagged from Masaki, replying condescendingly, "Funny how the puppet tells the puppeteer what's what."

"Enough." Both bickering men stared at the tall figure in red and black. Katsumoto sneered as he bit obnoxiously into an apple, tearing a chunk out and chewing noisily for effect. Higashimaya managed to stifle his disgust as he lowered onto a large pillow and poured himself some tea.

"Is Katsumoto's plan satisfactory to you?" the emperor asked after a heavy pause, the quiver in his voice evident.

"The caravan will have to go. The carts and supplies will go the route we came, and we'll go through the hidden path within the forbidden forest, as he said. We should be in old lady Sumeragi's territory by daybreak tomorrow," she stated apathetically and crossed her arms.

Katsumoto grunted in agreement, tossing the apple core onto the table before standing up. "I'll make the arrangements." His exit was as sudden as his statement, leaving the jade-eyed emperor alone with the demonic sentinel in the tent.

Sipping his tea with a slightly trembling hand, the young emperor stared at Kyouran for a tense minute. "I have a sinking feeling this alliance will be the death of me…" the emperor sighed shakily as he finished the contents of his cup and clattered it down onto the table.

Kyouran grunted, the sound made harsher by the distorter. "Your fault for agreeing to it," she offered bluntly as she crossed her stiffly-armored arms.

The emperor's semblance blanched further, making him as pale as his formal robes. "Is there anyway to speak to Sumeragi-sama? I would feel more at ease if I knew what was occurring back at the Edo-jo," the nervous man petitioned as he stood and looked imploringly at the incognito deathdealer.

"The only way you could communicate with Saiga-sama is for your spirit to rise out of your body and go to him. I can't risk conjuring a spell here," she explained curtly, causing the man's shoulders to fall.

"Higashimaya-uesama! We're to prepare you for the trip," an attendant stated as they entered the tent, bowing and giving her a wary glance before the emperor nodded and allowed the attendant to come closer.

Kyouran grunted and turned to stride out of the tent and into the now glaring sun overhead. The footsteps and mutters of guards advancing towards the center of the encampment was all around her, so she figured Katsumoto was making a spectacle of himself. For someone so used to playing incognito, he could make a grand pest of himself. She figured that being out of the armor didn't give him any sense of presence or security.

Getting to where all the soldiers' attention was, Kyouran found Katsumoto instructing the two captains and their vice-captains of the plan of action, which seemed to be a topic of argument amongst the authoritative men.

"Must I repeat myself as if I was speaking to insipid children, gentlemen? You have your orders, so get to work," Katsumoto superciliously condescended to the high-ranking captains of the king's personal guard.

The squinty-eyed captain gritted his teeth and glared at the demonic doppelganger of the Red Fox before staring down the liquid silver of Katsumoto's stare. "I don't know who you think you are, loudmouth, and frankly I don't give a damn," the surly captain snapped, adding, "but if you think we take orders from you, you need to get your head out of your ass and see the sun." The man's vice-captain snickered in agreement, while his fellow captain crossed his thick arms and set his steel glare on Katsumoto.

"We take orders from the emperor, not from the likes of you and your defector master," the more regal captain remarked, blatantly staring at Kyouran in her disguise.

Katsumoto's jaws were grinding together at his impending loss of temper, so Kyouran decided to abridge the argument. "Be that as it may, taichou. However, you seem to forget the one with the military and tactical expertise is I, not you, and certainly not your band of fumbling men. Your emperor is not the only one in charge here. And seeing as he can barely jump out of the way to avoid an arrow, it is clear that the one with power in this moment is I," Kyouran paused in her icy berate to add in a commanding tone, "Now, if you intend to continue wasting my time, not only will I set you all straight, but your disregard for my command will get your emperor killed. Now split your commands into two parties. I want the most experienced and high-ranking officers you have. The rest shall return to Edo with the main caravan. A decoy is to ride in the emperor's coach with the caravan. Have I made myself brilliantly clear?"

Her red glare flared to both captains and their subordinates, as well as to all the men that stood around. Katsumoto couldn't help but smirk, finding it refreshing that someone could actually portray him with calculating accuracy. The captains tensed and seemed conflicted, as if they were fighting with their prides as well as with their tempers of being openly berated in front of their men by a ronin.

After a tense pause, the more regal of the captains nodded stiffly as he replied, "Crystal." The other captain simply stomped away muttering curses to his vice-captain.

"Katsumoto," she addressed, snapping the shorter man's acid-laced eyes towards her. "See to it that my command is followed to the tee," she instructed as she turned around and headed for the makeshift stables where the black stallion was being fitted for her ride.

Katsumoto grunted in response and immediately went into ordering people around to his heart's content.

On the way to the stable she felt the slight tremor of a concealed aura signature, but when she turned to face the edge of wood that delve into the forbidden forest, the signature disappeared.

"The decoy caravan is compromised," she paused and looked back at the bustle she had just left, and muttered dejectedly, "it's survival of the fittest now…"


"Alright men! Taichou has requested the high-ranking guards to be part of the core party. Those who I do not call are to immediately embark with the decoy caravan heading back to Edo," the stout and long-haired vice-captain instructed as he stood before the line of his squad, an undertaking being repeated with the other squad on the other side of camp.

"Kurosaki, Ishida, Abarai, Hisagi, Kuchiki, Hitsugaya, Kurotsuchi, Aizen, Shiba, Kotetsu, Ukitake, and Sasakibe. Report to the taichou at once; the rest of you report to Zaraki who will be leading the caravan back the way we came," he ordered and went to meet with the other vice-captain.

The men began to disperse and split up on their opposite voyages, except for two who hesitated in their spots. Masaki had hoped for Kotetsu Teshimine not to be called, but his hopes dropped at hearing the first syllable of the man's surname. He had glanced over at Teshimine in the line, but the other man stood serenely rigid, staring straight ahead. When the line broke, he stood in place, not knowing whether to do as he was told or to run toward Teshimine and hopelessly stare into his warm coal eyes. He probably would've remained rooted in his spot pondering his conflict if Teshimine hadn't planted his tall and muscular frame in front of him.

"Masaki-kun," the younger man stared conflictingly up at the unchangeable warm gaze of his senpai. "Give me a little more credit. I won't die that easily, you know," the man quipped as he put his hand on Masaki's shoulder and squeezed affectionately.

"I know that, senpai," he muttered tensely. "It doesn't change how I" he cut himself off from finishing and diverted his gaze as his cheeks heated slightly.

Smirking, Teshimine leaned in to his ear and whispered, "I know; don't be bashful now. If you want to hug me go right ahead. No one will say anything."

Staring wide-eyed at his senior comrade, Masaki sputtered and shook his head fiercely. "That's not it, Teshimine!" he whispered sharply.

Teshimine blinked at him, before smiling with a glint in his eyes. "That was quite informal of you, Masaki-kun," he mused smugly. When the younger man stared at him, he just laughed softly and remarked flirtatiously, "You said my name so passionately. It pleased me very much, so I hope to hear it again and more often when I return to Edo, understood?"

Blushing furiously, Masaki clenched his jaw as he suddenly grabbed Teshimine's forearm and dragged him between two of the carts that were part of the caravan.

Slightly stunned and confused by the younger man's actions, Teshimine waited until Masaki got him between the cover of the tall carts to ask him what was going on when the bashful man forcefully pulled him down and kissed him with a fierce resolve. Shocked, Teshimine simply wrapped his arms around the man's waist and kissed him back. As sudden as it began so did the kiss break, leaving both men staring with hooded gazes at each other. Then, Masaki wrapped his toned arms around Teshimine's neck and clung briefly as he mumbled against his neck, "I gave that to you for safe keeping, but I want you to give it back to me when you return to Edo, understood?"

His eyes smiling, Teshimine squeezed Masaki and nuzzled the side of his head. "Hai…"

With that, both men stood before each other and bowed in respect before taking each other's forearm in their hand and squeezing in farewell. Teshimine smiled and stepped out of their hiding place first, walking confidently away while Masaki stared intently at him as he left. When Teshimine was blocked from his sight by the group of guards he himself was to join, Masaki's hands tightened into fists. He sighed gruffly before bowing his head from the glare of the sun over his head.

"Sayonara…"


The dark cavern descended a mile under the earth, connecting to a detailed network of cavernous routes that lead all throughout the province and beyond, reaching toward the hidden castle Iyashii Hiretsukan tended to avoid as much as possible. He stood staring off the ledge of a drop in a particular cavern, the descent turning into a pool of black shadow as the few torches that illuminated the underground highway failed to penetrate it with the glow of their flames.

A figure appeared from the shadows just behind him, and knelt in respect. "They have split up into two parties, master. The caravan with all three heads through the path within the forebidden forest. They shall reach the priestess village most likely before daybreak," the blue-skinned follower reported, his long black braid of hair hanging towards the ground as it swept over a shoulder.

Hiretsukan's faraway gaze turned to contemplate his kneeling follower. "Excellent. Round up our party crashers and be sure to make it clear: I want her untouched. The other two they can do as they please with," he commanded in a tone made harsh by the echo in the cavern.

"As you wish, master," Arasoi stood from his kneeling and bowed before turning on his heel and going back into the shadow.

"Arasoi."

"Yes, master?" the cobalt blue eyes blazed to attention back toward their master.

"I don't want you to get involved this time. No matter what. Just be my eyes and report back when it's all over," Iyashii Hiretsukan instructed with a smooth severity in his tone, his fire eyes capturing Arasoi powerfully.

"As you order I shall do, master." Arasoi continued into the shadow, into which he vanished.

Hiretsukan turned back to contemplate the abyss he stood only an inch away from. He kicked a pebble over the edge and strained to hear it clatter to the bottom. He smiled to himself, still contemplating the fall of the abyss.

"As the pebble reached its destiny by my will, so shall yours, my precious Fury…"


The late afternoon heat pierced over them, the thick woods and trees overhead acting as a canopy to blot out the sun as well as kill any hopes for a cooling breeze. The path was rough and shadowed in unnatural gray, a malevolent feeling seeming to weigh down on every creature and being unfortunate to be within the notorious wood. The small party advanced with a morose hush over them as the clatter of horses and the single carriage advanced against the beaten and rock-riddled path.

Higashimaya tugged on his stuffy white robe and fanned himself with a wooden and paper fan in a listless and tense fashion. His jade eyes stared with paltry regard of his surroundings, especially that of the weapons carriage he sat in. The splintered wood paneling made him wary to even lean against the side as he so wished. Three guards flanked each side of the cart and marched in step with the carriage. Katsumoto rode just behind him on a brown and white-spotted mare as the incognito deathdealer rode ahead of the party on the black stallion.

It had been several hours that the trek spanned into the sauna-like forest, and the emperor was stiffly bored out of his wits. His loyal attendants were forced onto the opposite caravan, Katsumoto having insisted that the less wastes of space the better.

The weary emperor began to trace the pendant that protected him from spiritual and physical harm, fingering the silk string of the necklace as he cleared his throat from thirst.

"Uesama," jolted from his daze, Higashimaya glanced at the tall and handsome guardsman who pleasantly smiled and offered him a thick water pouch. "You seem parched. Would you like some water, uesama?"

Higashimaya smiled at the soldier. "Yes, I would love some," he took the pouch from the man and drank straight from the nozzle at the top. Once quenched, he sighed in relief and capped the pouch. "What is your name?" he asked the man, which startled him to be directly spoken to by the emperor.

"T-TeshimineI mean Kotetsu Teshimine, Higashimaya-uesama," he bowed his head in respect and kept walking with the cart.

The sight amused the emperor. "Please, no need to bow. This whole mess has made formality moot," he remarked magnanimously, earning Teshimine to stare back up at the symbol of Japan and almost trip in his pace.

"H-Hai, uesama," the guardsman replied curtly and accepted reverently the pouch of water.

"Tell me, Teshimine. It won't get you in trouble if you just spoke with me for a bit? I'm immensely bored, and I miss the company of my attendants," the jade-eyed and dark-haired emperor stated as he fanned himself absently.

Quite nervous, Teshimine wasn't sure what protocol to take. A lowly guard like him would never dream of being spoken to directly by the emperor, let alone being asked for his name by the most powerful figurehead of Japan. "Well, I would think that if you asked me to do so I should not get in trouble, since you are the emperor of us all," he stated with careful confidence.

Higashimaya smiled again and waved away his caution with his fan. "As I said, formalities are put to rest for now. I mean I simply wi" he was cut off as Katsumoto suddenly trotted over to the other side of his carriage and fell to step with it. Giving the plain-clothed Red Fox a snippy glance, the emperor leaned over towards Katsumoto and snapped tight-lipped, "Yes?"

Having to force a groveling semblance, Katsumoto mumbled in condescending meekness, "May I have your ear for a minute, emperor?" Blinking at the usually surly man, Higashimaya leant closer and allowed Katsumoto to whisper sharply, "Now you listen to me: I am sick of your yammering on! Keep quiet like a good puppet or I'll hogtie you and tie you to the back of my horse."

With that said, he trotted away on his mare and cut to the front of the party, leaving a flustered and sputtering Higashimaya who looked as if a vein was about to pop in his temple.

Katsumoto chuckled to himself as he heard Teshimine ask the emperor if his asthmatic condition was affecting him and if he needed some more water. He fell into step with Kyouran, whose grunt rumbled through the distorter.

"Camping for the night is out of the question now. We travel straight through; no stops, understood?" she instructed Katsumoto, who raised a thick and dark eyebrow in condescending inquisition.

"What aren't you telling me," he whispered gruffly, staring straight ahead as to not catch attention from the guards.

She glanced at him through the mask, her eyes flaring in warning. He gritted his jaw and fell back in trot to instruct the captains of the change of plans.

Kyouran was not in the mood to be questioned. Spending so much time constricted in the obnoxious ronin's armor was making her short tempered. She felt her pendant fixed into place against her chest and the chest armor, the necklace laced tightly around her neck like a noose of onyx. She glanced back at the small party following her blindly.

Katsumoto caught her gaze and his expression became unreadable. The emperor was yammering on while a soldier listened pleasantly, the others stiff in boredom and routine. Then, she sensed it and halted immediately.

Whirling to face the others, she shouted, "Get into formation! We're under attack!"

Everyone flinched and jerked into action. Katsumoto rode up and halted so hard that his mare almost threw him off. Kyouran was motionless on her ride, staring intently into the misty shadow that silhouetted a figure just ahead of the party.

The figure walked closer until he cut the distance between them in half. Once closer, the figure scrutinized her with eyes of green camphor.

"Kyouran. I have been instructed by the priestess to lead the rest of the way now," Kakyo stated, his expression tight, as if he tried not to smile.

Katsumoto came up beside Kyouran. "That's the man who brought Saiga-sama to Edo. What's he doing here?!" he asked in a tense and hushed tone, receiving a swift gesture for his silence by the disguised demon priestess warrior.

"Now Kyouran-chan, you don't intend to disobey the old woman's order, do you?" the supposed loyal follower of the high priestess remarked with mock severity, the muscle around his eyes twitching along with the tendons of his jaw.

"Pitiful, demon! You need more practice," she rasped in a hiss, earning a demented chuckle from the creature posing as Kakyo the True.

The creature slowly and grotesquely shape-shifted from the human it was masquerading into the blue scaled-amphibian-like form it was natural to, thick lips pulled over jagged teeth and maroon eyes narrowed under jutting brow. "You make it so hard! This could've been fun!" the demon growled in an echo-like voice as it phased towards her and leapt into the air to strike her.

Before the demon reach the zenith of his jump, Kyouran had hopped into a crouch of the stallion's back and leapt to roundhouse the demon into the trunk of an ancient dark tree, embedding him with a sickening crunch and roar of pain. Then all hell broke loose as the tree roots began to jut up from the earth to attack the soldiers and guards.

Guards were being struck, slammed, and crushed in all directions, the screams and yells of pain and desperation filling the air as Kyouran turned the stallion around to run back and fight, but Katsumoto stood in her path with his own ride, glaring at her calculatingly with his quicksilver eyes. "We go in there and we're dead! Go find the fucking demon shit doing this!" he growled at her.

"Fucking coward," she hissed acidly at him and pulled her horse around to race straight down the path in search of the demon most likely hidden in the trees who controlled the phenomenon.

Grunting, Katsumoto faced the chaos before him as he reached into his robe pocket. "Coward? I'd prefer to say 'smart as a fucking fox', heh," with that smug comment to himself, he pressed the horn to his lips and blew his alarm, the heavy pitch carrying over and through the thick canopy of leaves and branches.

Unsheathing his sword, he raced into the chaos, hopping to stand on his mare's back and shouting a battle cry as he sliced through many flailing tree limbs in his way and sinking the blade into the torso of a mole-like demon that sprouted right out of the ground by where he landed.

He joined the fray and sliced, defended, and drove some of the creatures to their death with a swift slice of his blade.

"10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…GET DOWN!" he counted off to himself as he slayed several more of the demons and shouted his order, ducking and covering just as grenade-like explosions blew the trees on either side of the path right out of the ground to crash back into the forest, those who heard him doing as he shouted while others were thrown by the blast or were caught in it.

The sudden battle roar of his special ops men joining the battle fray from all directions scared not only the demons, but the guards that were blind with fear and adrenalin. Grinning almost maniacally, the Red Fox barreled against some moronic demons who were now hopping from the trees into the fray to catch the emperor who sat like an ostentatious pearl quivering in the cart in the middle of the chaos. His guardsmen were fighting the demons with everything they had, managing to keep them away from the emperor and solidifying their perimeter of protection. Katsumoto felt the rush of grandeur pumping in every vein and roaring through him, his grin sobering to a composed smirk as he honed in on the pawn to his plans.

"Now, to collect what's left of that squealing sow…"


The stallion's hooves beat against the ground as she raced through the mist and dark wood. Her fangs were sinking absently into the distorter within her mask. She could smell the blood being split behind her and the stench of death was getting more potent as she drew closer to the source of the chaos.

Without warning, the ground at her stallion's feet caved in, frightening the horse and forcing it to fall on its side. The animal managed to quickly recover and run back to the battle site, leaving Kyouran standing in the middle of trembling and shifting ground.

"Nisou Kyouran…" the snarling tone seemed natural to the demon with dark slitted eyes and mud-red skin riddled with sharp quills as it stood with it's arms extended to its sides.

"So many upper level demons working together. I figured your kind too stupid to organize," she rumbled with the help of her distorter, earning the demon to grit its teeth and to go on the attack, summoning the roots and branches of the trees all around them with the flick of its wrists. Going into a flurry of phases, dodges, jumps and flips to avoid the murderous trees, she managed to narrowly avoid getting torn and battered from all sides. Grabbing a tree limb, she swung high into the air and landed gracefully behind the now panicked demon.

As the creature whirled around to face her, she grabbed it by its throat and squeezed, effectively crushing its concentration. The trees instantly fell into dormancy around them, as well as at the battle site a mile down the nebulous path.

"Where's Hiretsukan," she seethed through the distorter, her talon-like nails tearing through the tips of her black gloves to sink into its neck.

"I'm dead if I tell yougaah!" it choked.

"You'll be dead if you don't. And I'll take my time. I'll pull you apart and save your heart for last" she cut herself off as a surge of ki revealed itself all around her. She slammed the demon against a tree and leapt into the air to avoid the spew of acid aimed to sear into her back and arms.

The demon screamed as the acid ate into his flesh to simmer into him, eating him into death before he even hit the ground.

As she landed across from the three similar demons, they unhinged their jaws and flicked their reptilian tongues out before clenching their throats and repeating their attack. She leapt up into a tree, narrowly avoiding a glob of acid as it ate through a branch she ascended past. Standing on the branch she landed onto, she sensed something major happening back down the path, and knew she could not waste time.

She extended her palm out towards the demons when the sudden presence of another standing with her on the branch snapped her attention. Assaulted by the cobalt blue eyes of the young demon male, she reacted too late as his hands and forearms glowed light blue and crackled as a kusari-gama formed in his grip and whirled towards her. Swinging her body away, the weapon managed to clip the side of the somen and tore the helmet off her head, the momentum of the blow so powerful that her heels spun and she had to grab the chain of the weapon to not fall to the creatures below.

The edges of her mask cracked and snapped off, revealing half her face and her crimson eye as it blazed into the stoic-faced demon. She yanked hard on the chain in attempt to pull him within striking distance, but felt the ki-based weapon crackle out of her hand and fizzle as she fell backwards to the path below. She stared up as the rest of the mask cracked and broke apart, staring at the lightly blue-skinned and sad eyed male as he phased out of sight.


Arasoi leapt across from the wide and narrow branches back towards the major battle site, his face still burning from his master's orders. He was nervous; stunned that he was to be a direct player in his master's grand plan after he had instructed him to never get involved. What was happening? How could the path of destiny jerk so violently into another direction…?

No matter how he felt, Arasoi would not fail his master's will, nor would he feel any regard for those at the end of his kusari-gama. But…if destiny was so set, why did it waver so aggressively?

He could smell gunpowder and blood. He jerked his head into the direction of gunfire and fighting. The knight has arrived onto the field…


Teshimine wiped away the blood dripping into his eyes, baring his teeth as he threw a series of kunai into a few advancing demons. He thanked the gods that the terrifying phenomenon had ceased, but the brigade of demons wasn't wavering as his comrades were. His back pressed against the emperor's cart, he shouted over his shoulder to the horrified man lying immobile within the cart.

"UESAMA!" Higashimaya shot wide and blank eyes towards the tall soldier. "Please be ready to escape! As soon as there's an opening, I will take you out of here!" he instructed in a harsh and angry tone as he threw a broken spear to pierce the chest of one of the mole-like creatures.

Another violent explosion went off just behind the cart, sending fumes and soil to dust up everywhere. Men and creatures screamed in battle and death, and all the emperor could do was sit blindly in horrified panic. Then he felt something dig it's talons into his arms and yank him back.

He released a scream that snapped Teshimine around to witness the silhouette of the emperor and a creature ascending into the tree just above the cart through the thick cloud.

"UESAMA!" he shouted as he leapt into the cart and jumped up to grab the emperor's ankles in an attempt to snag him back down, but was pulled up as well.

The demon pulled Higashimaya up and onto the tree by his collar, and was surprised by the swift kick to its gut as Teshimine swung up on the branch and spun his foot out. Recovering quickly, it growled and flicked its wrist out to shoot a black spike from the puckering oval at the base of its hand.

The skilled soldier leapt and grabbed the branch just above them and swung his body out of the way, recklessly avoiding getting skewered but still earning a wound to his side as it sliced by him. Roaring, Teshimine swung his legs out and grabbed the creature by its scaled neck and with all his might snapped its neck before falling hard onto the trunk of the branch. Crumbling back in death, the demon's body landed against Higashimaya, who screamed bloody murder and shoved it off of him and out of the tree. Frantically scurrying towards Teshimine, the emperor helped pull him up and against the shadow cast by the tree.

"Are you alright, uesama..?" Teshimine groggily asked as he winced and grabbed his own side.

The emperor gasped. "You're bleeding!"

Teshimine shook off his grogginess and looked over the wide branch to the fray below. "Nothing worth dying for, uesama…" he muttered soothingly as he surveyed what was left of his comrades and the mysterious brigade of men slaughtering what was left of the demon scourge. "Now, let's get out of this tree and you to safety," he remarked serenely and grabbed the emperor to help him down the side of the tree.

Both landed on the lumpy ground and were immediately helped up by some of the emperor's other guards.

Katsumoto wrinkled his nose in disdain as he watched the display, pulling his blade free from the smoldering demon carcass.

"Arigato gozaimasu, Teshimine," the emperor muttered as they were both helped to the cart.

"It was what I was born to do, Higashimaya-uesama; no need for your generous thank you," he said and half bowed, wincing from the wound to his side.

"So well put, soldier." They snapped their attention to the surly man with the glaring silver eyes. Katsumoto swaggered over and sheathed his sword. "Dying for glory and country. A noble way to go, for all of you," he smugly quipped with a crude and malevolent glint in his tone. With a gesture of his hand, his men swiftly surrounded the emperor's party and disarmed them.

"WhaWHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?" the emperor hollered in incredulous horror as Teshimine was stripped of his weapon's pouches and dagger. "Have you gone mad" he cut himself off as he watched Katsumoto's gaze narrow in victory; that, and the glint of the blade one of his soldiers handed to their leader.

Katsumoto held up the sword and studied it smugly, staring at the mirror shine that reflected his quicksilver eyes. "I had this sword made years ago. I've been saving it for this great occasion," he stated with a victorious air as he glanced at his soldiers who chuckled and agreed.

Teshimine gritted his teeth and glanced around for an opening, but all the other men were incapacitated. The emperor was frozen in stark horror. Katsumoto advanced while his men made way for him. He knew what this meant; this man, was the Red Fox. He had planned this and just waited for the best opportunity, and all he needed now was the emperor's head for his victory pike.

Just as the dastardly man stood before the trembling emperor, Teshimine knew what he had to do. Thrusting his head back, he head butted the soldier holding his arms and got loose, advancing in between Katsumoto and the emperor. He shoved the emperor back and spin kicked the blade out of Katsumoto's hand before kicking him to skid back. Then, he turned and grabbed the emperor and ran, his comrades fighting the ronin's soldiers to allow their escape.

With the emperor on his shoulder, Teshimine could run in a stagger as the weight put a strain on his wounded side. Then his feet went out from under him and he crashed to the ground, the emperor landing ahead of him. His feet were snagged by Katsumoto's line, and he struggled frantically to get free and to get the emperor out alive.

"Leaving so soon? But this is a celebration!" Katsumoto shouted and threw his arms up boastingly.

Teshimine turned and roared, "GET OUT OF HERE, UESAMA! RUN! JUST RUN!"

Higashimaya sprang to his feet and hesitated in extreme panic and trepidation.

"RUN! HE'S GOING TO KILL YOU PLEASE RUN!" Teshimine screamed, trying to stagger to his feet but only falling hard onto his injured side.

"Go ahead! Run! It'll make it much more fun," Katsumoto chuckled, signaling his men to let the emperor escape. Turning in a mad dash, the emperor ran frantically away, the sound of his men's shouts and the cackle of the ronin's soldiers resounding behind him as he ran blindly into a patch of the forest.

Teshimine fisted his fingers into the ground and swore before he was hauled painfully up by his arms. He was swiftly tossed before Katsumoto's feet while the rest of his comrades were forced to their knees and their hands were tied behind their backs.

"Now," Katsumoto said with grave authority. "I could slaughter the lot of you, but I would much prefer for you to watch as I collect that pig's head. Dying in honor or living in dishonor; what would be worst?" he rhetorically quipped, his men the only ones laughing.

Teshimine pressed his bloody and sweaty forehead into the dirt, swearing under his breath and clenching his eyes shut. Dishonor meant nothing when the emperor's blood was on his hands…


She landed in a crouch in between the 3 reptilian creatures as they spurted acid from their mouths. She spun and narrowly avoided the acidic streams and chopped one of the creatures in the throat, making it swallow its own acid. As that creature convulsed and gasped its dying hisses, the other two went into a flurry of attacks that she was successfully avoiding, until one of them swung back and caught her by surprise with a slash of their poison-tipped claws to the center of her chest plate. The poison began to slowly corrode through the thick plate, causing her to have to back track and block the attacks with her legs and an arm as she ripped the plate off and tossed it to slice one of the demon's head clear off.

As the carcass spurted acid everywhere, she rolled out of the way and behind a rock for cover. Her necklace bobbed against her robed chest as she leapt back from the rock exploding from the demon's tail strike.

She narrowed her eyes at the hissing demon as it swatted towards her with its scaled and prickled tail. She leapt and hopped out of the way of each strike and phased at the demon with her katana outstretched to slice into its chest when the blade screeched and snapped from the tough contact of the scales. The demon grabbed her arm and swung her away from him to land crushingly against the trunk of a tree.

The wind knocked out of her, she barely registered the arrival of the shape-shifting demon from before, who scowled severely at her from behind the cover of the reptilian creature.

"Hiretsukan wishes for you to take off your leash, Nisou Kyouran-chan," it said in its echo-like tone as both demons advanced.

Just then, the emperor stumbled out onto the path and tripped over his robes. As both demons jerked their attention to him, Kyouran went into action.

Phasing into the air, she roundhoused the reptile demon so hard that it snapped its neck before it crashed back into several trees. The shape shifter roared and went for the emperor, who screamed and staggered away before the demon snatched him up and jerked to face Kyouran.

"STOP! I'LL RIP HIS THROAT OUT!" it roared in its rumbling echo, but Kyouran only kept advancing without regard. Terror flashed in the demon's eyes as he swiftly turned and took to the trees, hopping and jumping away, with Kyouran close on his tail. The emperor screamed non-stop and beat on the creature's back to be let down, but was only jerked and pulled around by it's movement and speed.

After several minutes, the demon came to a desolate patch where some sunlight poured through the trees overhead. He dumped the emperor onto the ground, where the man scurried away to a rock and picked up a branch to defend himself.

The demon sneered and turned to face the opposite trees ahead of him.

"I'm done, Arasoi! I didn't sign up for this, damn you!" he shouted in perturbation as the young demon male phased into view on one of the branches of a contorted tree.

He leapt to stand in front of the emperor, who coward and trembled as he stared up at the cobalt blue eyes of the stoic demon.

The demon was about to escape when Kyouran landed in front of him. He ducked just in time to avoid losing his head and rolled out of her range before leaping back to stand next to Arasoi. The demon with the long black braid of hair turned slowly to contemplate the demon destroyer, tugging the emperor up by his robes.

"Release him."

Arasoi bowed his head and closed his eyes as the kasuri-gama materialized in his hand, the chain wrapping around his arm. "Unfortunately, I cannot…" and with that, he swiftly and stoically decapitated Higashimaya.

The sickening spurt of blood caught the sad-gazed demon in the face, staining him and his hands with the emperor's blood as the body twitched and jerked to the ground before stiffening into death.

The demon next to him was the only person stunned, back-stepping away from the calculatingly lethal creature with the boyish countenance.

Arasoi held up the emperor's head, staring into the glossed-over jade eyes as they stared blankly into the perfect moment of death. Then, he tossed it nonchalantly to Kyouran's feet. She clenched her jaw and narrowed her burning red eyes at the cold and strong figure.

In an instant, Arasoi charged at her with his ki-based weapon, clashing harshly with her own ki-based sword. Their weapons and energies crackled against one another, pushing soil and air to whirl around them. They swiftly went into a flurry of clashes coupled with hand-to-hand combat, until the youthful demon did something no one had ever dared to do before.

Wrapping his chain around her neck, he used his momentum to pull her close enough so he could slash the chain of her necklace off. In an instant, her ki spiked and blew him away as her blood stoned pendant clattered to the ground.

She gripped her sword so tightly that it shattered into thousands of ki pieces that rushed toward the demonic teen. He put his arms up to guard as much as he could from the attack, but the ki sliced and slashed through his skin, leaving him bloody and huffing for breath as he crouched and picked up the discarded head of the emperor.

"My-master…waits to see you be yourself, Fury-sama…" Arasoi remarked in an apathetic mumble before leaping into the closest tree and vanishing into the shadows.

Left in the aftermath, the shape-shifting demon realized what was going on too late as Kyouran sunk her burning glare into him, her aura scintillating red and hot even where he was standing. Startled in his isolation with the notorious demon slayer, he knew he didn't stand a chance, so he summoned from the earth five mole-like demons who with his battle roar went at Kyouran. She stood calmly, with her body trembling from her freedom. The creatures surrounded her and went for their simultaneous attacks.

She lost all regard for propriety and screamed a maniacal battle cry as she began to tear through the creatures. She spun around in a macabre ballet of maiming and cackling as she laid quick waste of the creatures until there was nothing left but the gore and pulp. The shape-shifter watched in stark horror as she licked a smear of blood that had splattered at the corner of her mouth before looking malevolently at him with a ghastly grin and murderous eyes.

Suddenly, she was looming right in front of him, and before he could even react, he was thrown to bowl down two trees. He screamed and coughed up a wad of bile and blood before he frantically staggered up and ran for his life.

Dodging through trees and logs, he looked over his shoulder and panted in panic and fear while she followed himphasing in and out around him, chuckling at him from the fog and shadows. He stumbled over a brook and almost fell, but quickly clawed his way up the bank and kept running for what seemed like hours before he tripped and rolled over a small ledge overlooking a concave depression in solid rock. He hit the rock hard and screamed as she jumped from the ledge and crouched predatorily across from him, her hair wild and veiling everything but her burning crimson eyes as they pierced through him.

He staggered back and to his feet, but was quickly slammed into the rock wall his back had been facing.

"Why run? Isn't this part of the plan?" she snarled contumely, her fangs bared as she ground his back into the rock and snapped bones. He unleashed a blood-curdling scream as he was being slowly crushed by her hands pressing into his shoulders and the rock at his back.

He began to beg her to stop, but his pleas ended in a coughing shout of agony as she plunged her dagger-like nails into his shoulder joint and twisted. His eyes started to roll back into his head and his legs twitched as he screamed in utter excruciating torture.

"You were absolutely right," she hissed in a sinister tone of humor. "This is lots of fun!" she cackled as she withdrew her hand from his shoulder and held it up to plunge it back for the killing blow when she suddenly twisted her body and grabbed the arrow that would've embedded into her side.

Her calculatingly destructive gaze stared up at the ledge, where Kakyo the True stood with his bow in hand and another arrow ready to fire. The high priestess stood next to him with her deadpan and cold gaze staring at the atrocious sight. Some of Kakyo's men crouched around the ledge with their weapons ready as the bloodstained Kyouran chuckled and snapped the arrow so the feathered end could fall to the ground, keeping the arrow head in her hand.

"Stand down, Kyouran," Kakyo ordered as he extended the arrow further on the bow string.

She smirked demonically and glanced sideways at the demon who was barely breathing from her torture. "I'm taking care of some fun, Kakyo-chan," she snidely condescended as she grabbed the demon's jaw and jerked it back as she pressed the arrowhead mere millimeters from his eye. "Now…I asked you before where Hiretsukan is hiding. Do tell me before I get a little anxious; it'd be great fun to carve out your eyes," she said with deathly sweetness as she crushed him back against the rock and he cried out in bone-crushing pain.

"ENOUGH!" Kyouran paused and turned her demonic expression towards the high priestess.

The stern look made her chuckle. "You'll become a human pet now. I might get to finish what I started some other time," she sadistically hissed as she drove the arrowhead into the rock just beside his head and let him crumble to the ground in a broken heap. Then in a movement faster than the breeze that picked up, she was at the ledge walking past Kakyo and the high priestess. Both women glanced at each other for a split moment; one with a cold and calculating semblance while the other smirked and repressed the sadistic and maniacal glint of her red eyes as she walked away until she phased out of sight.

Kakyo stood down and signaled for some of his men to collect the tortured demon for questioning. "High priestess"

"I know, Kakyo. Find her collar and have it repaired. She cannot be without her leash for long," the high priestess interrupted and ordered apathetically as she turned around to deal with the survivors of the massacre.

"What about the emperor, high priestess?" Kakyo asked with sober steel in his tone.

The middle-age priestess paused and replied without turning around, "I don't sense his life force. Make preparations to find his body; it must return to Edo before the Red Fox does…"

"Wakarimasu."


"Sir! We found a battle site up ahead. Demonic carcasses are littered everywhere, but there's a decapitated corpse—"

"WHAT!?" Katsumoto roared at his envoy, his fists clenching painfully in his impatience and rage. "You fucking idiots! I told you to stick to the fucking swine! Where the fuck is the head?!"

When the men just stared pathetically at each other, he growled and pushed them out of the way and stalked to the clearing. Almost tripping through the gore and guts, Katsumoto hissed in displeasure as he spotted the obvious corpse of his prize, minus the head he had coveted since he came into this fool-proof plan of his. He clenched and unclenched his jaw before crouching next to the body and starting to go through the robe for any item that would indicate his success in overthrowing the emperor and the Tokugawa. All he found was the talisman that still hung around the body's neck. Snatching it off the body, he wrapped it in cloth to preserve the caked bloodstains on the pendant Sumeragi Saiga had blessed specially for the emperor.

"This damned thing will have to do…" he thought about taking the corpse, but without the head it could be disputed as not being the slain emperor, so he settled for the amulet. Turning to his men, Katsumoto puffed his chest out and basked finally in the increasing wave of victory. "Men! We head for Edo!"

His men released shouts of victory and hollered his name in proclamation.

He signaled one of his envoys over and whispered in his ear, "Go to the priestess village and formally invite Oni Hakaisha to my parade of triumph. Ah, and ask her if by any chance she picked up the emperor's head, and that if she did, I'd most appreciate her giving it to me..."


The sky poured heavy rain from the dark and gray clouds that hung over the city of Edo. The masses stood by either side of the road as Katsumoto's victory caravan headed for the Edo-jo, his new home and domain. The people were bitterly quiet and observant as Katsumoto and his men made their way, boastingly cheering and shouting his proclamation as Japan's true leader. In the crowd, a seething Masaki curbed his need for vengeance, and stalked away from the parade. He heard the survivors of the emperor's massacre had arrived at Edo the day before, as had the body of the emperor. Those who witnessed their arrival said that the wounded soldiers who survived carried the crate in which the remains of the emperor were incased for meager burial, since the mourning of the young emperor had been outlawed by Katsumoto's regime.

He had frantically searched for information of the survivors, particularly one man, but many of the old families of the city were sheltering them and keeping mum incase of any planned retaliations from Katsumoto's factions. As he rounded into an alley, he heard someone call for his attention from a window above him.

"Young man! You; meet me at the back door."

Masaki blinked at the old woman, but went to the door instructed where she opened it and took his hand, swiftly leading him in and out of alleys and through the pounding rain.

"What is this about, obaa-san—?"

"No talking!" she snapped at him, so he begrudgingly remained quiet until they arrived at the large Miyasaki family's shrine. The old woman knocked 4 times before the door swung open. She pulled herself and Masaki in and the door was shut and bolted.

"I'll take it from here now, obaa-san," a grave woman with a sad countenance led Masaki around the porch of the large shrine. "I'll leave you two alone…" she mumbled as they turned a corner and there stood the tall frame of Teshimine, robed in a plain black robe, obviously in mourning of his comrades and of the emperor he failed to protect.

Masaki stood frozen in spot, torn by his relief in seeing him alive and safe and his fear that he wasn't the same senpai he had known and fallen for. Teshimine had his back to Masaki as he leant against a heavy beam. The taller man stared straight ahead at the Edo-jo off in the short distance.

"Masaki-kun…"

The young man flinched at hearing his own name, and barreled forward to embrace Teshimine tightly from behind. "Teshimine-senpai…!"

Teshimine relaxed into the younger man's embrace before saying softly, "That hurts, Masaki."

Startling, Masaki pulled away and allowed Teshimine to turn and face him, finally noticing how tenderly the older man compensated for his wounded side. He stepped closer and lightly touched the bandaging around Teshimine's forehead.

"It's nothing to die over, Masaki…"

"Teshimine!" the younger man shouted, his eyes blazingly staring up at him. "You scared me to death! Why did you wait so long to contact me!"

Teshimine gave him a sad smile. "I've only been able to stand for a few hours…I didn't want you to see me like I was," he paused and caressed Masaki's cheek, "don't be mad at me, Masaki."

Masaki bit his lip, and pressed his head against the taller man's shoulder and hugged him gently.

"I scared you to death…?" was the tentatively impish question that rumbled by Masaki's ear.

"Teshimine! This is no time for your flirting" he was cut off as the older man brought him closer and kissed him tenderly on the lips.

Masaki stiffened at first, but slowly gave into the kiss, even deepening the kiss himself before they broke away and pressed their foreheads together. "You make me burn when you say my name so passionately, Masaki…" he paused as he kissed his forehead and chuckled, "I managed to keep my promise."

For a split second, Masaki tensed before shaking his head wryly and hugging him tighter. "Yes you did..."


The gutters could not contain the rushing rain water. Saiga-sama stood over the secret grave site of the former emperor. He prayed with all his saddened will that he may reach the peace he never tasted in life. Katsumoto's men were firing shots and cannons off in the distance in their on going coronation of the unscrupulous former Kitsune no Aka.

Finished praying, Saiga opened his eyes and looked up into the pouring rain, letting it wash over his alabaster face and drench his raven hair.

"No one dared stand up to him, even without sufficient proof he killed the emperor…" Saiga sighed and turned slowly to face Kyouran, who stood on the porch, staring at the somber-eyed young Sumeragi elder.

She grunted and closed her eyes, the pendant throbbing red against her chest. "What now…?"

Saiga stepped onto the porch. "I don't know... but this Hiretsukan you mentioned obviously has a set plan. Be careful, Kyouran," he replied stone-toned.

"You're confusing me for someone else, Saiga-sama," she muttered gruffly and crossed her arms.

"True, but when you're not wearing that necklace, you certainly become someone else…just be careful."

A tense pause passed between them, with only the pounding of the rain and thunder speaking for either of them.

"Old lady Sumeragi interrogated the shape-shifter. He doesn't know who rules over the underworld. He only knows Hiretsukan, and his minion Arasoi. This other person Hiretsukan mentioned is even a mystery in the demon underground, so there's no way we'll be getting any information on either of their whereabouts…"

Sighing, Saiga turned towards the door to the shrine and only muttered, "Spirits, help us all…"

Kyouran remained outside, watching the rain and the raucous noises it was booming over. She tried not to remember the feeling of elation, of reckless and regardless fire that burned in her at going without her necklace a feeling that still lingered in her chest and that yearned for another go.

The priestess village was a day's trip if she walked. Maybe slaughtering some demon packs would get her mind on something else…

Or she could pay Katsumoto a visit; thank him for his invitation personally. The thought brought a devilish smirk to her features.


Iyashii Hiretsukan sat in the throne room of the underground castle he had commissioned for those whose destinies he now foresaw over. His blazing fire eyes were staring up at the beams that held up the castle's dome as Arasoi appeared by his side from the shadows generated by the wall sconces.

"I know that was hard for you, Arasoi. Forgive me for using you as my tool so short notice. I must've confused you deeply," Hiretsukan remarked in a pleasant but candid tone as he glanced at the pale blue-skinned demon who bowed onto one knee.

"Not at all, master. I was glad to serve your will in anyway you wish"

"Come here, Arasoi."

The young demon was startled at the command, and glanced wide-eyed at his master. Then he saw his eyes take on the focused and hungry look he alone had only witnessed before. Gone was the faraway contemplation of his master's fire-orange gaze Arasoi was used to. He stood from his bow and went to his master. Hiretsukan threw his leg over the armrest of the throne and contemplated Arasoi's youthful features; his boyish lips and chiseled jaw; the black spiking bangs that veiled his striking cobalt blue eyes; and the long braid that snaked over his shoulder.

"Were you severely injured," he asked as he reached his hand out to caress Arasoi's cheek roughly.

Instead of recoiling, Arasoi took comfort in the gesture and leant into it. "No, master. Mostly flesh wounds…"

"And not one scar…nothing can harm you, can it," the rhetorical question was extended with the husk of his tone, which made Arasoi slightly shiver.

As sudden as he caressed, Hiretsukan abruptly pulled the gesture away and his gaze glanced away from Arasoi.

"I showed him the battles you witnessed. He was enthralled by her true nature, so enthralled in fact, that I'm sure we shouldn't have anymore resistance in his compliance," he stated with repressed confidence as he stared off to the side.

"I'm glad, master…" Arasoi diverted his eyes to the floor in forced reverence, feeling stupid for wanting more of his master's rough caresses.

"You pleased me greatly today, Arasoi."

The husky remark snapped Arasoi to look into that focused blazing fire gaze again, and to be consumed by it. Hiretsukan pulled him closer and down on his lap as he sat casually on the throne still.

"Are you willing to please me more, Arasoi?" he asked in a severely gruff and animalistic growled whisper as he forced Arasoi to straddle and grind down on his lap. The boy's usually blue-skinned semblance blushed magenta as he stared into his master's possessive gaze.

Arasoi reverently traced the 3 scar-like marks that jutted across his master's cheekbones before submitting to his rough tugs and sharp mouth over his own hungry and desperate one.

Hiretsukan enjoyed having people's full compliance, but having Arasoi's total submission…that had driven him perversely wild, even when he first took in the boy; when he was just a wide-eyed hatchling, starving and craving any type of possessive attention he could get. Iyashii Hiretsukan knew how to get his way, and he definitely knew how to please, especially when pleasing had nothing to do with Arasoi. He could focus on this now that it was all progressing; destiny could be such a chore, but it's benefits were always worth the sacrifices…"


THANKS FOR READING! PLEASE REVIEW!