A/N: Alright! So I am back with Chapter 5 of Scarlet Moonlight! I know that I am very selfish to upload this chapter this late... (I'M SO SORRY) Please forgive me! Anyways, this chapter is quite long (in my opinion) so you guys will have to wait until next week. And I am so, very sorry, but I might not be able to upload next week/week after that. I don't know which week, and it's not certain that I won't, so please don't hate me. (I have a writer's block...) And please check out my blog (in my profile!) for the character profile. But you may have to check it out tomorrow, because I'm still working on it!

Happy reading!

Aye woke up, feeling as stiff as a rock. When she opened her eyes, she realized she was at her room at Shimabara. She looked beside her, and saw Kosuzu sleeping soundly. A jolt of pain shot through Aye's head, and it triggered something in her mind. She suddenly remembered the moment right before she…

Wasn't she fighting against Kazama? What had happened? There were so many questions in her head. She got up and went outside.

It was dark, but the pale moonlight made everything visible.

"Aye-chan! What are you doing out here?" Aye looked behind, and saw Kosuzu come out from the room.

"Hey, I just needed to get some fresh air," said Aye, gesturing for Kosuzu to stand beside her.

"Are you alright? You were gone for almost two weeks! Everyone is freaking out," Kosuzu said, searching Aye for any signs of injuries. Then she saw her chest and gasped. Aye looked down, and saw that the bandage was covered in red. Why wasn't this wound healing? It was healing so slowly, even for a human.

"Oh… Uh… I was… Taken by a doctor?" Said Aye, her statement ending up like a question.

"A doctor?"

"Yeah. There was a doctor in the room that night, and I was injured. So he took me to this place, and gave me all sorts of medicine…"

"But… Why is your wound still there? And it looks bad." Said Kosuzu, sounding a little confused.

"Kosuzu, wounds don't heal right away. It's going to take some time. Don't worry, I'm perfectly fine," Aye laughed, but made a huge mistake by patting her own chest. She grimaced, and suddenly felt too tired and cold to stay outside. "How about we go back inside?"

"Kazama, why didn't you just kill her then? Are you growing soft or something? Want me to do it for you?" Shiranui was rambling nonsense.

"Shut up," hissed Kazama. "It is none of your business."

"Fine, fine." And with that, Shiranui exited the room.

But he was right. Was Kazama growing soft? Why hadn't he finished her off? She was just an obstacle that was getting in the way. If he got rid of her, everything would be much easier.

But he just couldn't bring himself to hate her.

"Here you go, Aye-san. But are you sure about this?" Asked Sannan-san. Him and Aye were currently in his room, sitting on the floor. He handed her the Ochimizu, not sure if it was the right thing to do.

"Yes, Sannan-san. I have to do this. It's for Chizuru. If I don't do something now, I may be too late, and we never know what might happen to her." Aye gulped, feeling like there was a giant rock in her throat.

"I have modified it, and it won't have any side effects. But you will have to drink blood at some point." Said Sannan-san. Aye nodded, and pulled the cap off from the vial, and hesitated for a second before bringing it to her lips. She tilted her head back, and as the liquid slid inside mouth, she swallowed. There was a burning sensation in her throat, but she ignored it and took in all of the Ochimizu.

When she finished the whole thing, she put the empty vial down onto the tatami floor. She somehow felt… Different. Lighter. Active. More like her real self. She closed her eyes, and forced herself to calm down.

"How do you feel, Aye-san?" Sannan-san asked, he maintained his calm expression, but there was a hint of concern in his eyes.

"I feel…" Aye slowly opened her eyes, and her hair turned white as snow, and eyes red as blood.

"Good."

The sun was bright, as it slid in the room. Aye got up, her chest aching, and dressed into a simple kimono. She realized that Kosuzu was deep in her dreams, still tired from last nights talk. Aye slid the door open, and stepped out. She closed the door as quietly as she could, and walked towards the kitchen to get some breakfast.

When she arrived there, she was greeted by Kimigiku. She frowned, and looked at Aye.

"Aye-sama, if you don't mind, would you do us a favor?"

"Sure? What is it?"

"We ran out of sake, and we soon have to get to work. If you don't mind… Please?"

"Yeah, okay sure." Aye said, walking out of the kitchen, and out of Shimabara.

There were so many people, Aye couldn't get to the sake shop that was only a few shops away. But thanks to her height, she could see well enough to squeeze through people, although her chest was screeching at her to stop and go back to Shimabara and rest.

"Oof. Sorry—" Aye said as she bumped into a big man. But she was stopped when she looking up and found Harada-san peering down at her.

"Aye?"

"Harada-san!" Shouted Aye, glad to see the familiar face. She looked behind him, and saw few of the Shinsengumi members. They were all wearing their blue haoris.

"What are you doing here? And did you hurt yourself or something?" Harada-san said, gesturing at her chest.

"Oh this… It's a long story."

"Is it? Then why don't I treat you with some dango?"

"I don't have much time, but I won't say no."

After explaining the whole story of her fight against the man, and how she got injured, she said her goodbye to Harada-san, she started heading back to the sake shop. There were less people than before, so it was easier to get to the shop.

When she arrived at the shop and stepped in, she found herself talking to a very greedy looking man. His eyes scanned her, up and down, and this made her feel uncomfortable and irritated.

"Here you go," the man said, handing Aye the bottle of sake. But as if he did it on purpose, he kept his hold on it, and waited for Aye to reach her hand out. Their hands touched, but Aye just ignored it, and nodded politely.

"Thank you." Said Aye, and she turned around, but found herself stopped by a few men standing in her way. "Excuse me," she said, but they just stood there, smirking. Two of the men grabbed Aye's arms, but she quickly kicked them in the shins. They let go, but another pair of men were beside her.

"I'm afraid you're going to have to come with us, girl." They said, grabbing her arm. She twisted and tried to free herself, but her chest hurt like hell. They dragged her towards the back of the shop, but she somehow managed to get out, and she ran out of the shop. She heard one of them yelling at them to get her. She pushed out any thoughts in her mind, and ran.

Aye was running, straight and didn't look back even once. But then she was pulled by a hand that grabbed her arm and covered her mouth. She unknowingly screamed into the hand, and she felt herself hit something hard and warm. She elbowed the person's abdomen, but they didn't budge.

The men who were chasing her ran past the alley that she was in, and when their voices and pounding footsteps disappeared, she was finally let go. She gasped and sucked in a breath, and looked behind her to see red eyes. They were glowing in the dark alley.

"Kazama? What are you doing?" Asked Aye, her hand flying towards her fans. She pulled them out of her kimono, and she got into an attack stance.

"I thought I had made myself clear, fake. I don't fight against injured people," he hissed. Aye flinched at the word 'fake', as Kazama emphasized it so clearly. His smirk was gone, and now there was a hint of… What was that? Concern? It was dark in the alley, so she decided she was making things up.

"Okay," she said, stuffing her fans back into her kimono. "Why did you help me back there?"

"I didn't help you. I only did my job."

"Your job?"

"Yes. I—" But he was interrupted by a group of men shouting orders.

"That's the girl! Get her!" One of men said, and the rest of them came running at Aye. But even before she could get her fans out, they were all knocked down onto the ground. The last man was standing in front of Kazama, trembling.

"Wha, what are you?" He said, his voice squeaking. But before he could do anything, or even move, his head was separated from the rest of his body. His head dropped to the ground, a fountain of blood spraying everywhere, including Aye's legs.

Then, she felt something hit her stomach, and the whole world tilted.

The last thing she saw was Kazama Chikage's scarlet eyes.

Aye entered a place with a very strange aura. If she wasn't here to save Chizuru, she would've been wary, and took it slowly. But since she was here to get Chizuru, she quickly ran in, and opened every door in the place, until she found one, where Kazama Chikage was. She halted in front of the door, and strained to listen to the conversation that was going on in the room.

"Kazama, what are you going to do with the girl now?" A deep voice asked.

"He's probably going to force her—" A familiar voice said, but Aye couldn't be bothered enough to guess who. He was cut off by a footstep, and the door slid open. Aye jumped, but she was too startled to move. Would Kazama know it was her even if half of her face was covered?

"What are you doing here?" He hissed, his red eyes catching Aye off guard. She didn't say anything and just stood there, unsure of what to do.

"You came here to get Yukimura Chizuru, didn't you?" Smirked Kazama.

"In fact, I did." Replied Aye, her hands reaching for her katana. She unsheathed it, and glared at Kazama.

"Where is she?"

"Now, why would I tell you?"

"Tell. Me." She said through clenched teeth. Aye raised her katana, and tried to strike Kazama. But her sword was stopped mid-way by a large hand that grabbed her katana.

"I believe this fight is unnecessary," said the man, his words directed at Aye. She swore and sheathed her katana.

"Where is Chizuru?" Aye asked, her gaze drifting to the man's cyan eyes.

"I am afraid you have come to the wrong place to find that Oni,"

"What do you mean?"

"A few days ago, she was taken by her twin brother and her father." Kazama said, his red eyes full of hatred.

"And you didn't bother to fight? I thought she was—"

"They had an army of Rasetsu's, and they were too fast for us to catch them." The man cut off.

"Do you know the location of they took Chizuru?" Although Aye hated relying on the Oni's for information, they were her only source.

"Their usual hideout. Follow me, if you will."

They arrived at the mountains not long after, and Aye turned to Amagiri.

"Why did you help me here?" She asked, suspicion filled in her eyes. But before she could hear anything he said, Amagiri was gone.

Without thinking, Aye ran into the hideout, where Chizuru would be. But the moment she walked in, she was attacked by a group of white haired beasts. She was ready, though, as she sliced through one being after another. Killing the Rasetsu was not very hard, but as they kept coming again and again, their group never ending, she started getting hit. One of them lunged at her, and she hit its katana away. It screeched as its hand came for her face, and scratched her pale skin. Blood trickled down her cheek to her neck, and dripped onto the floor.

As she swept through the wave of demons, she was getting tired, and a burst of adrenaline was the only thing that was keeping her alive. But as she littered the area with corpses, she began feeling light headed and dizzy. She couldn't make it out alive in this condition. She had to change to a Rasetsu herself. Although the thought was sickening, once she changed, she felt better, and the metal smell of blood started to smell good.

Aye killed the last Rasetsu that was in front of her, and it tumbled to the ground. After checking that there were no more left, she started walking through the ground full of bloodied bodies. But she was stopped short when she spotted a man. And by his side, was a boy who looked exactly like Chizuru. He stepped forward, drawing his sword. Aye shook the blood from her katana, and readied herself for the battle that was yet to come.

"Where is she?!" Yelled Aye, as she lunged at the boy.