Disclaimer: Flame of Recca isn't mine. "Dazed and Confused" is once again by Led Zeppelin.
Author's Notes: Hope you enjoy this chapter! Please stop hating on Yanagi! Haha!
Thank you's: Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed! You guys inspire me to keep writing! Snowcharms (Thanks! And yes, Yuzura is a bastard, I wonder if you can tell that Lucius Malfoy was the inspiration for him, haha!) abubi-chan (I'm making up for some ToFuu action in this chapter :p Enjoy!) Shirayuki Sayura (He's a bit of a perv isn't he? I hope you enjoy this chapter, and don't worry about ToFuu, I love them too much to make the suffer...that much, hehe) TuckinFypo (I love Raiha and Kurei's friendship! I really enjoyed writing them, I'm glad you liked!) thepinkmartini (I'm glad you liked it! I really enjoyed writing Kurei's background! There's a glimpse of adult Raiha and Kurei here.) satomika (aw, bb. Embrace the Kurei/Raiha love. Haha. Seriously though, I adore writing their friendship.) khay (OMFG YOU'RE ALIVE! I THOUGHT YOU HAD LEFT FANDOM! UPDATE COMEDY OF ERRORS BEEYOTCH! Also, thanks :D I wanted to deviate a bit from manga!Reina. She was a bitch yeah, but she really truly loved Kurei.) Anne Raven (Thank you dear! I really enjoy writing the friendships in this story, Ouka and Fujimaro, Recca/Domon/Fuuko and especially Kurei and Raiha. I'm glad you spotted the parallels!) aki reinhart (nah, but someone else is suspicious. Ahahaha! Thanks so much toots!) stubbornheroine (I initially thought your handle said stubbornHERMIONE and I was like 'yay HP fan!' and then I read again. Heh. I hope you enjoyed the story and keep reading!)
THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR READING AND PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!
Chapter Seven: Dazed and Confused
She had always been the golden girl. She had excellent grades. She was always voted homecoming queen. She never had a hair out of place. Her uniform was always wrinkle-free. Her clothes were always an impeccable balance of class and allure. Her pretty and pleasant face was constantly immaculately fresh. She never trips. She never falls. She never even sweats.
She was perfect and the sight of her failing was absolutely orgasmic.
Yanagi tried to keep her head held high as she walked through the hallway of wild whispers and not so subtle looks. She didn't know how the news spread out so quickly but it didn't quite surprise her. They had maids all around their home, and their household staff had quite a unique skill when it came to discovering the family's secrets. It turned out that this news was too juicy and inconsequential, at least to them, to keep to themselves.
Yanagi hadn't been in the room when Tokiya's and her parents discussed the dissolution of their arrangement. But she somewhat had an inkling on what was happening, judging by the way Tokiya had refused to sit near her nor look her in the eye. It was not until his parents had summoned him that he dared look up to her and muttered a low yet heartfelt, 'I'm sorry.'
She reached her designated locker and pulled out her books for her morning classes with compulsive order. From her peripheral vision she saw three girls approaching her side. She knew them of course. The girl who walked a step ahead of the two was Mina Sato. Yanagi had worked with her on several occasions for school charity events. They were friendly, or so Yanagi thought.
"Hey, Yanagi," Mina greeted with a saccharine smile on her face. "I heard about you and Mikagami-san."
Yanagi closed her locker and simply nodded at the girl, unsure of how to respond.
"That's really sad," Mina continued, but she somehow maintained the smile on her face. "How are you doing? I mean it must be really horrid how he just dumped you like that."
Yanagi at stiffened at her words but managed to maintain a civil smile on her face. "Thank you for concern, Mina-san, but it's really not necessary. I am doing well and Tokiya-kun and I are in good terms," she lied easily.
Mina emitted a high pitched laughter. She squeezed Yanagi's arm with a hand. The move was nowhere near comforting. "Oh honey, you don't need to lie to me. I mean we're friends, you can tell us anything." The two girls behind her nodded robotically.
Yanagi surreptitiously shrugged off the other girl's hand. "There is really nothing to tell."
Mina ignored Yanagi's obvious rebuff. "I know guys like Mikagami-san. He's very good looking and probably has a bajillion girls lined up around the corner for him. Obviously, he gets bored easily." It was not hard to catch the thinly veiled insult.
"Leave her alone."
Yanagi turned to see her cousin standing a foot away from her. Fuuko had one hand on her hip while the other gripped the strap of her book bag.
Mina rolled her eyes. "I'm just trying to be nice."
Fuuko snorted. "You don't know the meaning of nice," she retorted. She walked up to the junior student and loomed over her. "I catch you again talking to my cousin, and I swear to god I'm going to punch you in the face."
Mina tried to appear unaffected but neither Yanagi nor Fuuko missed the fact that she took a step backwards. "Whatever," she said with a wave of her hand. She walked away but after three steps, turned her head towards Yanagi and said, "Call me if you ever want to have some fun."
Fuuko gave the girl the stink eye before turning to Yanagi. "You okay?"
Yanagi nodded and forced a smile on her face.
Fuuko patted her cousin's shoulder awkwardly. "Don't let those girls bother you. Mina's always been a bit jealous of you," she tried to say reassuringly.
The brunette shook her head and grimaced. "There's really nothing to be jealous of," she said weakly.
The two girls stood in front of each other, trying to ignore the discomfited cloud that seemed to have crept up around them. Well, at least for Fuuko it felt like that, Yanagi seemed too focused on her own thoughts to feel anything else.
"Well, I'm gonna go to class now," Fuuko said, trying to act as naturally as possible.
Before she could leave, she felt Yanagi's hand grab her wrist tenderly. Fuuko turned to face Yanagi, head tilted to the side in question.
Yanagi surreptitiously glanced around her, as if to make sure no one else could hear what she was about to say. "Fuuko-chan, you are friends with Tokiya-kun," she said. It wasn't in anyway a question.
"I guess, yeah," Fuuko answered, feeling utterly self-conscious and wholly guilty.
The shorter girl chewed her bottom lip as if second guessing herself before finally deciding to continue. "I wasn't sure if I should ask. I don't want to put you in a spot but I really didn't know who else to turn to." Yanagi took a deep calming breath before she proceeded. "I never really had the chance to ask him…well I just wanted to know why? I know, in a sense we were never really together. We were thrown into this by our parents but I had thought that he was alright with it. I guess, I just wanted to know why he changed his mind."
Yanagi fiddled with her fingers, thoroughly self-conscious at all that she had just revealed. Sometimes it made sense to her, sometimes it didn't. She knew that their coming together wasn't natural, in a way. They had never courted or dated even, just knew from the beginning that they were to be married. They met each other briefly when they were younger and exchanged polite letters through the years. He never had to woo her and she never really made an effort to make him like her. But they had been together; at least they went through the motions of being together. They held hands, went out on dates, texted each other good night. She wasn't sure exactly how she felt for Tokiya but she liked him well enough, she guessed, to be content with the thought of marrying him. So when she learned from her parents that he had asked to break off the engagement, she had felt a loss. And the fact that he had not felt the need to come to her personally, it had hurt. She had thought that however little it was that they had shared, that at least it had been real. But the way matters had been handled, it seemed that all this time he had never thought of it as more than a business deal. His rejection had left her feeling inadequate. All her life she had struggled to do everything perfect, to make sure she never failed anyone's expectations. She just wanted to know what it was that she did wrong.
Fuuko looked down and pulled at a loose thread on her skirt. She didn't know how to act or respond. She had come to accept her feelings for Tokiya, and his feelings for her but it didn't stop the gnawing guilt that seemed to have taken a permanent residence in her heart. She didn't think she was a bad person…but here she was willingly hurting her own cousin. "I'll see what I can do, Yanagi."
…
Fuuko clutched the front of her thick coat close to her body in an attempt to lock in the warmth within. The weather had been getting chillier with the winter season fast approaching. She regretted her decision to walk to her destination now that the cold seeped through the tips of her fingers and settled all over her skin. She was on her way to meet Tokiya and his sister Mifuyu in a small at a rather obscure café outside of the metro, a place they surmised their schoolmates would not likely frequent.
Fuuko spotted the café as soon as she turned the corner. There was no mistaking the dark purple canopy hooded over the glass panel doors. The bell hanging above the door clanged scandalously as she entered. It wasn't difficult to spot Tokiya and Mifuyu, there were only three other people inside the café; the old couple who owned it and a male straggler who appeared to be quietly enjoying his hot cup of tea. The siblings were seated in a booth towards the back, enjoying a cup of coffee and some pastries. Tokiya smiled as soon as he spotted her. He patted the seat beside him and she promptly slid into the booth next to him.
Tokiya placed a chaste kiss on her cheek before he spoke. "Nee-san, this is Fuuko. Fuuko this is my sister, Mifuyu," he introduced, his nerves made his voice crack the teensiest bit. He motioned to the drink in front of Fuuko. "I took the liberty of ordering for you. Cappuccino, wet, one sugar and no cream?"
Fuuko nodded. They'd studied together often enough for him to memorize how she liked her coffee.
"You know her coffee order, that's adorable," Mifuyu said. Her voice was flirty and whimsical, a far cry from her brother's rather serious and perennially bored tone.
Fuuko looked up and finally had the chance to observe the woman's face. She tried to control the gaping of her mouth; Mifuyu Mikagami was practically her cousin's twin.
"We study a lot together, so my dependence on coffee is rather well-documented," Fuuko said shyly.
Mifuyu scrunched her eyebrows. "You two share classes? But I thought you were a junior?" she asked, looking genuinely curious.
Fuuko took a sip of her warm coffee before answering. "Well, technically I am a junior. But I've been taking advanced classes since I was in second year in preparation for my early admissions to the military academy next year," she explained.
"Impressive. I take it you also wield a Madogou like my brother?" the female Mikagami asked.
Fuuko nodded eagerly. "Although I must say I'm much more skilled than Mi-chan here," she said teasingly.
Tokiya scoffed arrogantly. "Please, I'm a gentleman. I let you win most of the time," he drawled.
The Fuujin master tapped her chin thoughtfully. "So you were letting me win last Wednesday when I had your face slammed to the ground while you cried uncle?"
He playfully pinched her cheek and said, "You're getting awfully cocky, maybe I shouldn't be so nice to you next time."
Fuuko laughed heartily at the irony of his statement and Mifuyu joined her.
"I see your ego is as healthy as ever, little brother," Mifuyu joshed.
The afternoon went on rather pleasantly. Still, Fuuko couldn't help but feel as if she was inside an interrogation room as Mifuyu threw a slew of questions her way, asking about everything from her Fuujin to her favorite movie. As the sun began to drop and the sky turned into a somber shade of red, Mifuyu announced that she needed to go on her way if she wanted to catch her flight. She had moved out of their home two years before Tokiya moved to Nashikiri and now lived with her husband on the northern part of the country.
The trio walked out of the café together. Mifuyu's car service waited outside. Fuuko stood by the door to allow the siblings a private farewell.
"So?" Tokiya let the obvious question hang in the air. It wasn't like it really mattered what she thought, but he was curious about his sister's opinion of Fuuko.
Mifuyu daintily arranged her silk gloves on her hand as she spoke. "Well, she wasn't what I expected," she began honestly. "To be honest I'd thought Yanagi was perfect for you. She's prim, pedigreed and well-spoken."
"Fuuko's very intelligent and probably even more ambitious than I am," Tokiya said, unable to control his defensive stance.
The elder woman's eyes twinkled with amusement at her brother's irritation at her seeming insult of his girl. "I never said she wasn't. For someone her age, she's incredibly focused and motivated. Which I think really is a good thing for you, now that I think about it. You need someone who keeps you on your toes," she assessed honestly. "And I can see now why you would be beguiled by her from the beginning; those legs are glorious."
Tokiya rolled his eyes at her teasing. "You make me sound like a shallow schoolboy," he retorted.
"I have a decade on you, little brother. I know these things. I'm pretty sure you've spent a lot of time admiring those legs…among other things," she chided.
Tokiya turned back to look at Fuuko who was doing a little jog in her spot to keep herself warm. Well, his sister was right about those legs. He looked at his sister once more. "How do you think mother and father will react?"
Mifuyu took a moment to consider his question before answering. "Mother will be easy; you just need to mention her last name and she'd be all over it. Father, will be a bit more difficult to win over, I think. He and Ichigo-san are rather good friends, he genuinely wanted to join our families. I think he still believes that you might change your mind down the line. Just hang in there, he'll come around once he sees how much affection you hold for her," she finished supportively.
Tokiya gave her a genuine smile. "She's very precious to me."
Mifuyu reached up to ruffle Tokiya's wayward fringe. "Who'd have ever thought that of the two of us you'd be the romantic one?" she voiced thoughtfully, her eyes misting as she thought of her own arranged marriage. "Take care of her, she's a keeper."
"You don't need to tell me twice."
Tokiya leaned down and kissed his sister's cheek before opening the car door for her. The siblings said their final goodbyes before he watched his sister drive off.
…
The most gruesome and terrifying scenes in cinematic history flashed on the television screen but the two teenagers on the couch barely took notice, both rather pre-occupied with each other's lips instead.
It had started out innocently, really. Fuuko had mentioned that she had never seen 'The Exorcist' which was a film that gave Tokiya nightmares for months when he was seven years old. He just happened to have a DVD of it at his apartment, and since it was a Friday, Fuuko agreed to come over and watch it with him. They were settled on the couch, with Tokiya leaning on an armrest while Fuuko was cuddled up to him. One minute he was tracing circles on her exposed thigh and the next Fuuko was on her back and Tokiya was hovering on top of her, their mouths glued to each other.
Her white school blouse was unbuttoned down to her navel and he had long gotten rid of his shirt, allowing her to run her hands across the sinewy muscles of his back. Their lips and tongue moved sinfully against each other, their warm breaths mingling together. Fuuko squealed into his mouth as a hand made its way under the cup of her bra and squeezed her plump breast. Her eyes shot wide open when she felt him push her bra upwards, exposing her breasts to the cold air before he disentangled their lips and immediately swooped in to suck a pert nipple. His left hand that had been massaging her thigh slipped under her skirt and rubbed her through her panties. Even through the hazy pleasure she realized that things were very quickly spiraling out of control. She forcefully pushed his shoulders to get his attention and weakly asked him to stop.
It took him a moment to realize that the girl underneath him had stopped responding to his touches and soon her breathy whispers requesting him to stop reached his foggy brain. He lifted his head and relinquished his hold of her and she quickly righted her bra and sat up, compelling him to follow.
"Baby? Why are we stopping?" he asked breathily. His hair had tumbled free of its neat ponytail and his eyes were still glazed over with lust.
Fuuko sighed as she buttoned up her school shirt, much to his disappointment. She should've expected his actions in a way. This was the first time they had been truly alone since that night she came to his room and they lost their virginities to each other. They hadn't exactly talked about that aspect of their relationship since.
"Look, Mi-chan I know you have certain expectations. After all we've already, well, you know."
He smirked at her bashfulness. "We've already had sex, Fuuko. I think you should be able to say it without turning seven shades of red," he joshed.
She slapped his arm and he yelped because damn it, that actually hurt. "What I'm saying is, I know we've already had sex. Don't get me wrong, that night was special but I'm not sure it happened for the right reasons or at the very least neither of us we're thinking straight. It was a very emotional time and everything just sort of happened. I just think we went a little bit too fast. I don't want you to think that I'm second guessing us or that I'm being a tease. I mean I like kissing you and being intimate but sex is just a bit much at this time, I think. I mean we're not even out in the open yet-"
He pinched her lips together with his fingers to shush her. She was babbling and it didn't seem like she would stop anytime soon so he felt the need to help her pace herself. "I get it. Sex is a big deal. It doesn't have to be part of our relationship," he paused to consider his statement and quickly added, "at least for now."
She shoved his fingers away from her mouth. "Thanks," she said with a smile.
Tokiya tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "We should probably stop then," he said. He was a little worked up and it was probably going to be painful for him in a while but he wasn't going to be a jerk and tell her that. "We can just watch a movie or talk and have dinner. It's up to you."
Fuuko smiled at his thoughtfulness and consideration. It enamored her that sometimes he would act like a typical eighteen year old boy but when it counted he was mature beyond his years. "Dinner sounds good, I'm starving. And the bits and pieces I saw of 'The Exorcist' seemed interesting," she said. She turned her head and saw that the credits were already rolling on the screen. "We kind of missed that boat though."
"Well, there's this technology we like to call rewinding. I'm not sure if you've heard of it," he deadpanned.
"Haha, funny," she returned sardonically.
Tokiya handed her the remote control. "Why don't you rewind that to the start, if you can handle it," she punched his arm for that, "and I'll go order some Italian gourmet."
"Is Italian gourmet your fancy term for pizza?" she said with an impish grin.
He smirked and nodded.
"Then go get me some chicken wings while you're at it," she ordered.
They watched 'The Exorcist' together and suffice to say it scared the living daylights out of Fuuko. Because it doesn't matter if you're the strongest and toughest warrior that ever walked the planet, 'The Exorcist' will get to you. Tokiya was sure he would have to buy a new couch with the way Fuuko was clawing at the leather upholstery. After the movie ended he decided to treat her to a viewing of Alfred Hitchcock's 'Psycho'. He had quite a penchant for classic horror movies. And to be honest, it was amusing to watch the usually gutsy female ninja cower behind a throw pillow.
"Why are you making me watch this?" Fuuko asked hysterically as she watched Norman Bates argue with his "mother."
"It's genius film-making Fuuko. I'm just trying to inject a little culture in your life," he answered innocently.
She never had a chance to retort as she involuntarily let out a girlish scream when the private detective Arbogast had his face slashed before being pushed down the stairs. All this time he had been trying to hold back his snickers but finally gave in when she jumped up and the bowl of popcorn on her lap tumbled over her legs.
"I hate you," she pronounced venomously though her eyes remained glued to the screen.
"No you don't," he said, ruffling the top of her head.
It was at that moment that a loud ringing penetrated the air. Fuuko clutched her heart as if she was afraid it would jump out of her chest. It was only until she realized that it was her phone that she was able to breathe again. She reached inside her pocket and pressed the call button.
"Hello?"
Tokiya could hear the muffled sobs on the other end but couldn't make out what the person on the other end was saying.
"Calm down, tell me where you are," Fuuko said, concern dripping in her tone. "Stay put okay? I'll be right there."
Fuuko ended the call and turned to Tokiya.
"You need to go?" he asked, not hiding his disappointment.
She nodded. "That was Recca, he's not in a good place right now."
"Oh."
"Don't give me that look," she said, just a little bit incensed. "Recca's my best friend. We've been friends since we were in diapers. He needs me right now, as his friend. That's all there is to it."
"I understand," he said with a sigh.
Fuuko looked at him suspiciously before deciding she really didn't have the time to coddle his ego at the moment. "I'll call you in the morning." She leaned over and kissed his lips softly before standing up.
He helped her put on her coat and walked her to the door. Just as she was about to leave, she turned back to him once more. "Mi-chan, while I'm out, maybe you can call Yanagi."
Tokiya furrowed his eyebrows at her odd request. "Why?"
"I just think it'd be good if she heard from you. I'm not sure if it's a good idea for her to know about us while everything's still so fresh, but I think it'd make her feel better if you assured her that it's not her fault, what happened," Fuuko said.
"She talked to you?"
"Yeah," she replied honestly.
Tokiya nodded, never betraying any emotion on his face. It wasn't like he had anything to hide. He just wanted to shield her from his own guilt, he felt as if she shouldn't have to feel responsible for the mess they were undoubtedly making. He wanted her to be happy and just keep her happy.
"Don't worry about it, I'll take care of things," he said. He pulled her in for a last lingering kiss.
"Be safe," he whispered in her ear just before he gave it a little nibble.
"Good night, Mi-chan."
…
Recca's hands shook as he finished telling the story his mother had relayed to him days before. His eyes were red and his hair clung to his forehead. He probably smelled like shit too, considering he'd been locked up in the cheap motel room for four days and he had run out of clean clothes two days ago. He needed time alone, to think, to figure things out for himself. But when he couldn't stand it anymore he called the only two people he could trust at this time.
Fuuko rubbed his back, the two of them sitting on the edge of the bed. Domon leaned against the battered dresser in front of them in stony silence.
"It's like my entire life is a lie," Recca mumbled.
Fuuko looked to Domon but the big guy just shook his head. Neither knew what to say, both were still shocked after hearing the truth about Recca's family and consequently learning the role both their fathers had in it.
Recca ran a hand through his grimy black locks. "You know the strange thing. I can't hate my brother for what he did."
"What do you plan to do now?" Fuuko finally asked.
"I haven't really thought it through. All I know is that my brother wants a war, but I can't let that happen. These are my people now, and I need to protect them," he said determinedly.
Domon moved up to them and placed a heavy hand on Recca's shoulder. "Whatever happens, I'm here for you man. I'll do anything for you."
"You sound like you're about to confess your undying love for me," Recca deadpanned.
Domon backhanded the side of his head. "I'm being serious here, jackass."
Fuuko giggled. "You two are hopeless," she said with a roll of her eyes. She focused on Recca once more. "But it's true though. We're both here for you. We're the tripod."
Fuuko held out her pinky. Domon immediately hooked his pinky with hers. "Nothing can break us apart."
"And together we're unbeatable," Recca finished as he joined his pinky with theirs.
The three settled in for the night; neither Domon nor Fuuko were willing to leave Recca alone. Domon shifted uncomfortably on the lumpy bed which irritated Recca to no end.
"Damn it, Domon. Stop wiggling; you're giving me a headache. Fuuko switch places with me," he whined from his position in the center of the bed.
"No, I told you I am not sleeping beside Domon. He has wandering hands," Fuuko harrumphed.
"Well that doesn't bode well for me," Recca said fretfully. "Domon go sleep on the couch."
"No! It has bugs!" Domon squeaked.
"Seriously, Recca, you couldn't have checked in to a nicer hotel instead of this dump. A love motel? Honestly? You should've seen the looks I got from the lecher down at the front desk when I told him I'm coming up to this room. He probably thinks we're going to have a three-way," Fuuko complained.
"Well I wasn't exactly thinking of your comfort when I ran away from home. It's the bright neon lights, okay? They attack your retinas and pull you in," the flame caster retorted.
"You two need to shut up, I'm trying to get some sleep here," Domon reprimanded.
"We would if you would stop fidgeting you big oaf," Recca returned. He turned to his side to try and create some space between him and Domon and slithered an arm around Fuuko, cuddling her back.
"Why's he allowed to cuddle with you?" Domon pouted in the dark.
"Because he's not a pervert." At the exact moment she said those words, Fuuko felt Recca's arm cushion the underside of her breasts. She hit his nose with the back of her head. "Seriously, Recca, at this time?"
"Heh." The boy was absolutely unapologetic about it. "You didn't mind last summer."
Fuuko's cheeks reddened before she elbowed his stomach. "Shut up!"
"What're you two talking about?" Domon asked curiously.
"Nothing," they replied in unison their guilty flushes hidden in the dark.
"Let's just go to sleep, okay. I think we're all knackered," Fuuko finally said, not wanting to let the conversation go down that path.
Domon finally found a comfortable position on his side, facing the night stand. Fuuko let Recca hug her back as long as his hands remained on neutral ground.
"Hey guys," Recca said after a minute. "Thanks."
Fuuko patted his hip and Domon reached back a hand to slap the flame caster's back in a friendly manner. Recca smiled contentedly, whatever happened the three of them were in this together.
…
The fire lights danced across his face as he turned the page of his book. It was an old one, from one of his favorite fantasy authors. He'd read it a hundred times before but every time he still got sucked in to the narrative. He never quite got over his love of adventure books even as he'd gotten older and more jaded.
"Still the nerd, Kurei-kun."
Kurei looked up and saw Raiha leaning against the open doorway, his arms crossed over his chest and an amused smirk playing on his lips. Kurei earmarked the page he was on and placed the book on the table beside him before he got up from his comfortable chair and walked up to his friend. Raiha met him halfway and they greeted each other with a tight embrace.
"I missed you, my old friend," Raiha croaked.
"And I, you," Kurei answered sincerely. "When did you get here?"
"Just a few minutes ago. I needed some time to lose the trail behind me. I knew Fujimaro-san would have had me followed," the Nashikiri ninja said.
"I'm glad you're here now. We can begin the next stage of our plans," Kurei said.
"What exactly is the plan?" Raiha asked. Kurei's motives had always been shrouded in secrecy but Raiha trusted his friend enough to follow him blindly.
Kurei motioned for Raiha to come sit with him by the fireplace. He poured them each a glass of bourbon from a canter.
"With your help we were able to gather and build a powerful team of Madogou masters. Come Monday, while the element of surprise is still on our side and the country is still in chaos with the death of Ouka Hanabishi, we shall march to the gates of Nashikiri and peacefully demand that they hand over the throne to its rightful heir. If they do not comply, I will be more than ready to force them," Kurei explained.
Raiha tapped his glass in thought. "You shouldn't underestimate Nashikiri's army. It's true that we have acquired many of the most invaluable Madogous but a lot still remain with some private ninja families."
"Like the Ensui and the Fuujin, you mean?" Kurei returned knowingly.
Raiha nodded his assent.
"From what I hear they're in the possession of two very young fighters. I doubt that they will be able to overpower ninjas twice their age," he concluded.
"I don't know about the Ensui master, but Fuuko is extremely skilled, not just for her age. There's also the matter of your younger brother. He has not completed his training but he is very powerful and even more determined," Raiha argued.
Kurei dismissed off his worries. "Regardless, I doubt three neophytes can ward off our attack so easily. Even if we do not fully penetrate the city, we most definitely will weaken their army. And we will keep coming at them. Our main advantage is that they have civilians to protect, and we have nothing to lose."
Raiha smirked malevolently at his friend's genius. He raised his glass in the air. "To your victory."
Kurei clinked their glasses together. "To ours, my friend."
To be continued…
End Author's Notes: I hope you guys enjoyed that. I loved writing the friendships in this chapter. I kinda cracked myself up with Recca, Domon and Fuuko. And YES I went there with RecFuu! I couldn't help it, the sexual tension between them is hard to ignore! But don't worry, it's in the past but it will play a bit part in the story down the line. I can just imagine Tokiya's reaction. Hahahahhahaha. Kurei/Raiha is still love!
Tiny Promotion: I wrote a little ditty called 'Save Room' while taking a break from this fic. SHOW IT SOME LOVE! (It's Rated M)
THANKS SO MUCH FOR READING AND PLEASE DO NOT FORGET TO REVIEW! BECAUSE I AM A GLUTTON FOR REVIEWS!