Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Koihime Musou and Kamen Rider Gaim. I only own my OCs and plot twists.
Chapter 19: First Blood
The rising tension between Shoku and Sou Gi did not went unnoticed by other factions around China. Knowing that the two titans were about to clash, some of the smaller factions decided to ally themselves with either of them so they would gain protection and hopefully some territories once one defeated another. These days, it was a common sight to see the troops of Shoku or Gi patrolling around their borders led by one of the generals of respective factions. Everyone could see the grim and determined expression on their faces, which caused no small amount of worry to those who lived near the borders of the two kingdoms. Even Shoku had slowly relocated those who near its borders with Gi so they wouldn't caught in the middle of the war. Some were grateful for Yamato's forethought and gladly relocated somewhere else safe, but there were some who chose to stay even if that meant they could be killed. While Yamato and his generals respected their choice, the fact still worried them.
Meanwhile, Son Go also prepared themselves for the upcoming conflict and was ready anytime to support their allies in Shoku. A slightly happier news for the Go faction was that Sonsaku finally recovered from her assassination attempt by the late, and not missed, Sonsei. It was nothing but a sort of miracle when Shuuyu brought a medicine that she got from a monk. While she was somewhat wary of it, but the fact that her beloved was now on good health was all Shuuyu cared about.
Sonsaku was now in the middle of sparring with Kannei to hone her swordsmanship which she admitted had rusted during her sickness. The eldest of Son Sisters was wearing a strapless, low cut, gold-trimmed red dress with opening on the sides and slits near the leg that accentuated her womanly figure while nowhere hid her deadliness as her fighter. Her sleeves appeared to be detached from the rest of her dress and her yellow high-heeled sandals had golden straps that criss-crossed on her calves. Her pink hair was held together by an ornate golden hairpin. Sonsaku was wielding the sword that she inherited from her mother and was temporarily held by Renfa, the Southern Sea Conqueror.
"Haaah!" Sonsaku shouted as she unleashed a series of swift, yet powerful slashes at Kannei who weaved between the attacks and parried the blow when she had to.
As much as the purple-haired woman was reluctant to admit it, Sonsaku was always the better fighter of the two and her swordsmanship only dulled a little when she was forced to recuperate from her assassination attempt. Kannei was supposed to be the bodyguard of the Son Family, yet her pride was stung a little when one her supposed charges was better than her in combat. She resolved to train more diligently in the future.
Kannei deflected a blow to her left before lashing out with a palm strike which Sonsaku avoided. The Empress of Go then retaliated with a series of fast jabs that meant to distract her adversary which worked as Kannei overreached when she deflected a stab. Sonsaku then closed in fast before disarming Kannei with a powerful backhanded slash and smirked victoriously as she pointed her sword right at the jugular.
"It's my win, Shishun-chan," stated Sonsaku.
"I concede my defeat, Sheren-sama," Kannei smiled wryly.
"Sugoi~! Onee-sama's skill didn't seem to be dulled at all!" Sonshoukou clapped excitedly.
"As expected of Sheren-neesama. She is one of the best warriors in the land after all," Renfa smiled.
"Haa~h, it feels so good to be able to spar like this again," Sonsaku sighed and took the towel Shuuyu offered to her. She dabbed her face and neck from sweat as she spoke, "The medicine you got is really effective, Meirin. I feel like a whole new person now!"
Meirin smiled at her beloved, "Believe me when I say I have my doubts about that medicine at first, but the result spoke for itself."
Yuki, though, thought the medicine and the monk was too good to be a coincidence. The timing for this all was too perfect. Sonsaku was about to recover from her poisoning attempt and a passing monk had a medicine that could cure and brought her back to prime condition? Right in the middle rising tension between Shoku and Gi? Perhaps she was too paranoid, but her instinct told her there were more behind this.
She watched the elder strategist of Son Go with hidden suspiciousness. Shuuyu was too careful and would not risk Sonsaku just for a 'miracle' medicine, so it left the younger strategist in confusion and wariness.
Where did Shuuyu get that medicine? Who was the monk that managed to convince her so easily like that?
"Yuki? What is the matter?" Sonsaku asked when she noticed her honorary little sister was staring intently at Shuuyu.
"Ah, it's nothing, Sheren-aneue," Yuki shook her head. "What will you do now?"
"Should you ask? You should know it better than anyone else with the current situation ," Sonsaku smiled ruefully at her.
Yuki sighed, "…I know that, but I need it to hear it from yourself. You are the Empress of Son Go, after all."
"We will support our allies in Shoku when the time to confront Sou Gi comes. We will do everything we can to help them not just because they are our allies, but also to pay the debt we owe them for liberating the territories that were taken by the En Clan," Sonsaku answered resolutely before she smiled mischievously. "Plus, I can finally meet with my future brother-in-law face to face."
"Onee-sama!" Renfa protested with fierce blush.
"Yamato is really handsome and very cool too! He has this presence, like, like a warrior king!" Sonshoukou gushed out excitedly.
"Oh, is that so?" The smile on Sonsaku's face nearly split her face in two before turning to Renfa who took a step back in reflex. "No wonder he can make my Renfa who is usually so uptight be very naughty~! And Renfa? The next time you're having your private time, keep your voice down okay? You don't want everyone to hear you screaming the name of your future husband, right?"
Renfa's expression was a mix between embarrassment and mortification when she realized that Sonsaku heard her when she was…'comforting' herself. "Y-You heard that!?"
"Oh yes, I heard you loud and clear. Yuki also heard it when we passed your room," Sonsaku replied, still smiling mischievously.
The middle daughter of Son family whirled to Yuki who was now resembling a ripe tomato, "You too, Yuki!?"
"I-I didn't mean to," Yuki answered. She took a long cold water bath right after she accidentally heard Renfa during her private time. She really didn't need the image of her childhood friend doing the deed with her sister figure.
"I guess Kusanagi-dono really rubbed on you, Renfa-sama," Kougai smiled teasingly at the young woman. "But I can't blame you. He is a handsome young man and a very capable person. He will make a good husband for you."
"Not you too, Sai!" Renfa felt like she wanted to dig a hole where she can hide herself from the embarrassment. Gathering what was left of her dignity for the moment, Renfa cleared her throat and tried to steer away the conversation. "A-Anyway, I have read from the reports that there are increased activities in Sou Gi's borders. It seems that they will launch an invasion to Shoku anytime soon."
The news seemed to turn the mood sombre. It was no secret that Sousou's ambition to rule China far eclipsed Sonsaku and unlike the Queen of Son Go, the Empress of Sou Gi was far more ruthless in her conquest.
"What of Shoku? Have they make their own preparations as well?" Sonsaku asked.
"They have. They even relocated the villagers that lives near the borders with Sou Gi as a precaution," Renfa replied.
"That's a reasonable move since Sousou can strike anytime and anywhere. It could prevent the unnecessary bloodshed," Sonsaku nodded before she looked deep in thought for a moment. She nodded to herself as if she had decided on something before stated, "I think this is a good time to meet with Kusanagi in person. Renfa, Shishun, and Yuki will come with me, along with some of our soldiers to go to Xizang."
"Understood. I shall prepare the horses," Kannei bowed before she left.
"Ashe, Sai, Minmei, and Non wil follow us later once Shoku decided their next action," Sonsaku ordered next. "Please prepare the soldiers to sortie if Shoku does end up to act first or to retaliate."
"Very well. We will remain here until further orders," Kougai nodded.
Sonsaku then turned to Shuuyu, "Meirin, can you look over Shaoren and our kingdom in my leave? Someone has to stay and make sure everything is in order."
"Of course. I will look after everything in your leave," Shuuyu smiled.
"Why can't I go with you? I want to see Yamato too!" Sonshoukou protested.
Sonsaku bend down to her sister level and patted her head, "This is not a social visit, Shaoren. We will go into war after this to support our allies in Shoku. I don't want you to participate in battles just yet."
"But I'm not a child anymore! I can help too!" the youngest daughter of Son Family insisted.
"I know, but you have to stay here for now. Please? Do it for me?" Sonsaku begged to her sister before she leaned close to whisper to Sonshoukou's ear. "...Besides, if anything goes according to my plan then we will have Yamato as our brother-in-law and you can visit him anytime you want."
"Really?" Sonshoukou asked and her eldest sister nodded. "Okay! I'll hold to your words, Onee-sama!"
"Good girl," Sonsaku patted her head once again. She then turned to Renfa and Yuki, "We will move out once I finished taking a bath. Make sure you bring everything you need and complete your own preparations."
"Yes, Sheren-aneue/Sheren-neesama," Yuki and Renfa replied as one.
The situation in Shoku was quite tense. The other generals had heard from Touka, Shuri, and En'ya about Karin's declaration of war and were left baffled. They couldn't believe that she would seek to control the power of Helheim for her ambition of conquering China. Knowing what kind of disaster that awaited their world if Karin ever succeeded in her goal, everyone in Shoku was doing their best to win their war against Sou Gi. Day in and day out, they trained, practicing formations, planning various strategies and countermeasures, and having mock battles.
Shoku practically had pulled out the stops in this. The fate of the world was literally on their hands. They had to stop Karin's ambition to conquer the land with the power of Helheim on her beck and calling or the tragedy that befell Zawame City would happen to their world.
Still, the Shoku Faction took a day off in-between their preparations for war. As Yamato said to them, a bowstring could only be pulled so far before it snapped. It wasn't much, but it did help them to relieve the stress they had to a level.
Although, the same couldn't be said for Yamato and it began to worry his retainers. That was why today the officers of Shoku decided to have a day out on the garden pavilion together with their sworn lord in hopes to make him relaxed.
"You should try to relax too, Yamato-sama," Yue said as she served a cup of milk tea for him.
"I know I should, but I can't for some reason," Yamato replied, sighing as he massaged the bridge of his nose.
"You really should. You have worked harder than any of us combined," Aisha chided with a frown.
"Aisha-chan is right. You're going to burn yourself out in an important occasion at this rate," Touka added.
"Like when Sousou launched her first attack," Sui scowled as she crossed her hands under her breasts. The Ba Clan survivors were very not amused to hear Karin's declaration of war. To them, her ambition of conquest was going to create an endless cycle of revenge that Yamato told them when they first joined Shoku and more people will suffer the same fate as they did.
"What should I do to relax then?" Yamato asked for second opinion from his generals.
He usually went sparring to blow off some steam, but his generals were very insistent on him not doing anything strenuous on this day off. There was also taking a hot water bath, but considering the half of his generals wanted to get inside his pants, he quickly discarded the idea. That left taking a stroll around his capital and surrounding areas, but that begged the question who he should go with.
"Oh, it's not you who should be doing anything, Yamato-sama. Rather, it is what we can do to alleviate your stress," Sei smirked. "And I can think of several interesting activities."
"Nothing involving sexual activity, Sei," Yamato deadpanned, his eyebrow twitching.
"I was thinking of giving you a massage Yamato-sama, but if that is what you want then I shall comply," the smirk on Sei's face widened significantly.
The King of Shoku palmed his face when he realized he walked right into Sei's trap. He really needed to relax now.
"W-What!? Sei! You can not do that! It's too indecent!" Aisha retorted, her face was flaming red. Her expression was also shared by Sui, Ruo, and Pairen.
"Aisha is right, Sei," Shion concurred before she smiled, "If there is anyone that gets her first time with Yamato-sama first, it would be Aisha."
"S-Shion-san!" Aisha stammered out and her face was now getting redder and redder.
"Isn't it so? Aisha will be Yamato-sama's first wife, after all," Shion inquired.
"Then Aisha should've hurry and sleep with Yamato-sama so we can get our turn too!" Tanpopo urged, rather gleefully which a blushing Sui immediately responded with bopping her head. "Ouchie!"
"The hell are you saying, Tanpopo!?" Sui cried out in embarrassment.
Aisha tried to say something but stumbled on her own words, much to the others' amusement.
Yamato just sighed and took a sip from his milk tea to hide a smile that graced his lips. Perhaps having a polygamous relationship wasn't too bad after all. At least the entertainment was worth of it. Now if only he wasn't included in the said entertainment.
"Well, I was thinking about having a walk around the capital to see how everyone is doing. Is there anyone want to come with me?" Yamato asked.
"I'll go with you, Yamato-sama!" Touka waved her hand expectantly.
"Eh~, no fair~! Touka-chan already spent a lot of time with Yamato-sama!" Tenhou pouted.
"Yeah! Let us spend our time with Yamato-sama too!" Chiihou added for her sister.
"Don't you all already spent a lot of time together with Yamato-sama too?" Ruo asked rhetorically.
"C'mon! Don't hog him like that!" Sou protested.
Yamato sweatdropped as his generals bickered with each other about who will accompany him to the capital. It looked like he was making his judgment too early about his unique relationship.
He felt someone tugged on his sleeves and turned to see Rinrin, Ren, and Nenene. "Ne, Onii-chan. Let's go while everyone is bickering!"
Ren nodded silently to show her agreement with the younger redhead while Nenene watched the 'adults' bickering like a group of children exasperatedly.
"…And to think they're supposed to be the adults," the verdette sighed.
"Just let them at it. They are stressed too, but tried to not show it to me," Yamato laughed lightly before downing the rest of his milk tea, ignoring the burning sensation on his throat. He used to drink hot beverages anyway. "Now let's go before they realized we've gone."
The three girls nodded and walked away silently, ignoring the rest of the Shoku Generals who were too busy bickering with each other.
Meanwhile in Sou Gi, Karin had gathered her generals for war council in their preparation for the campaign against Shoku. Since her first visit to Helheim with Shun, Karin had ordered him to take several soldiers to harvest more Lockseeds. It wasn't easy for sure since Shun had to actually kill several soldiers who ate the Helheim Fruits and got turned into Inves. The soldiers of Gi were understandably shaken by the sight of their comrades turned into mindless beasts, but they had no choice to follow Karin's orders.
It was that or facing death for deserting their tasks.
"How is the preparation of our army?" Karin asked, leaning her chin over her steepled fingers.
"Everything is going as planned…for the most part," Shun got out. "I'm still thinking showing the soldiers Helheim Forest is a bad idea."
"But you can only take so many Lockseeds by yourself. I don't see the reason to hide what we are aiming for," Karin pointed out.
"You're right, still…" Shun then shook his head. "Anyway, when are we going to launch the first attack?"
"Are you so eager to cross blades with Yamato?" Karin asked, smirking.
"I'm eager to test my new toys," Shun grinned, showing her the Lemon Energy Lockseed.
Jun'iku, Kakouton, and Kakouen shared a look. Ever since the first visit to Helheim, Karin had become closer to Shun, much to Kakouton and Jun'iku's jealousy. Kakouen though, saw their closeness wasn't that of a boyfriend with his girlfriend. It was more along the line of an older brother and his younger sister. That made the younger Kakou sister smile. At least Karin had begun to open up to others, in this case Shun.
"If that is the case, then take Fuu, Nagi, Sawa, and Mao with you to attack the closest Shoku outpost. I will also be there to watch with Shunran and Shuuran a bit further," Karin ordered.
Shun grinned and pocketed his Lemon Energy Lockseed. This was his chance to put his new power to the test. "You got it Your Loliness."
*BOP!*
"I thought I told you not to call me that…" Karin growled, her fist was smoking and Shun got a lump on his head.
"Sorry…but it's sticking with you for the rest of your life and the next, imouto-chan…" Shun replied remorselessly.
Karin's eyebrow twitched before…
*WHAP!*
"Itete!" Shun cried out in pain, holding another lump on his head. 'Yeah…definitely worth the pain to see Karin act so tsun-tsun…'
"And how many times do I have to remind you that I have not given permission to address me as your little sister?"
The senior generals of Gi sweatdropped in disbelief. To think that their empress could act so childishly because of a man…It was unbelievable, yet it was happening right before their very eyes. Shun Murayama was indeed the man that could change people by just existing.
Yamato, Rinrin, Ren, and Nenene were walking down the streets of Xizang and watched as the villagers were doing their daily activities. However, there was a subtle unease feeling around them, like they were wary of something.
"Looks like even the villagers are so tense with the upcoming war," Yamato observed.
"Not their fault," Ren added.
"It is to be expected, Yamato-sama. After all, we are about to face Sou Gi and Sousou Motoku," Nenene supplied.
"Everyone isn't smiling very much anymore," Rinrin said sadly.
"Then it's our job to make them smile, right?" Yamato smiled as he patted her head.
"Yeah! Onii-chan is right!" Rinrin grinned up at him.
"So what do you girls want to do for now?" Yamato asked.
"Let's eat," Ren answered and Rinrin nodded eagerly.
"Yeah! There's this delicious dim sum restaurant Rinrin went the other day. It was soooo good!"
"Food is the only thing you ever thought, Rinrin-san," Nenene commented, sweatdropping.
"Wha~t? I can't help it if I'm hungry!" Rinrin pouted.
"Alright, alright, let's just go eat. At least we'll have a full stomach when we go to battle." Yamato said trying to be peacemaker.
"Okay!" Rinrin grinned while Ren nodded silently.
Nenene sighed, "Mattaku mou…"
The group of four were seated on table inside the dim sum restaurant. It was packed with customers , but they managed to get a table and made their orders.
"Right, so while we wait for our orders, why don't we talk about ourselves?" Yamato suggested.
"Like what, Yamato-sama?" Nenene asked.
"How about a little bit of your past, Nenene? I already knew about Ren and Aisha told me about Rinrin," Yamato answered.
"Well okay, but… it's kinda boring and sappy." Nenene said. "I was an orphan and I don't know who my parents were. I was raised by an old couple who lost their son in a war. They raised me like I was their own grandchild and I was really happy, she smiled fondly in reminiscent before she sniffled and her eyes became misty. "T-Then one day, they became sick. I-I tried to make them better and I even had a healer to help, but… but… mmmmmmm…"
Yamato placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and so did Ren. "I'm sorry to hear that, Nenene."
"I-It's alright," she sniffed once more and wiped her tears with her sleeves. "It wasn't long since their death when Yue and Ei found me and took me in as Yue's retainer. At first I was scared that they would replace Ojii-chan and Obaa-chan as my family, but they became the closest thing I have as sisters."
"Like me and Aisha-aneja!" Rinrin chirped in.
"Um," Nenene nodded. "And sometime after that, I found Ren passed out when I was out for a walk. And the rest is history."
"Your orders are here!" A waitress called out and placed steaming baskets with piping hot meat buns, dumplings, and spring rolls along with pot of tea on their table. "Please enjoy your food!"
"Right in time. Thank you," Yamato flashed a grateful smile that left the waitress flustering and blushing. She then left with a stammer, much to his amusement.
"You know… I'm beginning to think that you are doing that by purpose," Nenene observed with squinted eyes.
Yamato blinked in confusion. "Excuse me?"
"Nothing," the verdette shook her head. "Alright, let's eat! Itadakimasu!"
"Itadakimasu!"
Soon everyone was digging into the food and like Rinrin said, it was delicious.
"Sooo gooooood!" Rinrin gushed out before eating with more gusto.
"Slow down, Rinrin. You don't want to choke on your food, right?" Yamato chuckled. "I have to say, it is delicious like you said."
"See? Rinrin told you so!"
*Munch* *Munch*
His attention however shifted to Ren. For some reason… Yamato couldn't look away from her. Her twin ahoge bobbed up and down by their own accord and her eyes had become so wide and sparkled with something. And let's not forget the way she took a bite from her dumpling and the way she chewed it.
'What is this feeling? Why can't I look away from Ren while she's eating? Just seeing her eat like that makes looks so… so… so…' Yamato then sighed and smiled dopily at the dark-skinned redhead. '...Adorable~..."
Ren looked up to Yamato with questioning gaze.
"Ah, you want some more Ren?" Yamato offered and she nodded without any hesitance. He then gave her more meat buns and steamed spring rolls. "Here you go. Enjoy it."
Ren then proceeded to eat the dish in the same way as before, much to Yamato's inner delight. 'K-Kawaii…!'
Nenene noticed this and couldn't help but chuckle at his dopey expression as he watched Ren eat. "So not even you are immune to this, huh?"
Yamato blinked at that. "Uh, what do you mean, Nenene?"
"This," the petite verdette gestured to Ren who was obvious to her surrounding. "Ren always does this whenever she eats. I don't know how she does that, but she will always attracts people's attention when she is eating her food."
True to her words, some people in the restaurant was staring at Ren who had somehow fallen for her adorable expression. "Hawawa~"
"…That kind of cuteness must be illegal...It's practically a weapon of mass…mass…" Yamato muttered before he said, "A weapon of mass moeness…~!"
"What's a moeness?" Rinrin asked, seemed to be oblivious to Ren.
"A measure of someone's level of cuteness. Ren here," Yamato gestured to Ren who paused and blinked confusedly. "…has somehow gone beyond the scale. And I told you, it is illegal to be that cute."
Ren blinked again before she resumed to eat, much to everyone's delight.
'I wish everyone could see this…' Yamato sighed internally as he resumed to eat. He didn't forget to leave some for Ren so he could enjoy her adorable expression. 'So moe~…'
When Yamato and his entourage returned to the palace, he was surprised to hear from the gate watcher soldier that Sonsaku and her entourage from Son Go was here to see him. He then sent the word to let them in while he had Rinrin to gather everyone in the antechamber.
Now Yamato was sitting in his throne with his generals on his sides. Before him was the familiar faces of Yuki, Renfa, Kannei, and a mature woman who he guessed to be Sonsaku Hakufu.
And what a woman, he thought to himself.
Since he had opened himself for polygamous relationship, Yamato had somehow learned to appreciate how a woman looked like. Not to the level of perverts, mind you, but enough to tell that woman was desirable enough.
"So we finally meet face to face, Yamato Kusanagi. I have heard a lot from Yuki and Renfa about you," Sonsaku said with a smile. She held herself with right self-assuredness, appearing confident without being arrogant, and her mature beauty wasn't enough to hide the warrior inside her.
"You are Sonsaku Hakufu, am I right?" Yamato stated rather than inquired. "I'm happy to finally meet you as well."
"We would've met earlier, if only my health had permitted," Sonsaku smiled amiably in return.
"So what brings you here, Sonsaku-dono?"
"I just want to see you in person, Kusanagi-dono. After all, I want to know about the person who have stolen my little sister's heart," the mischievous smile in her face was definitely not what he expected of Sonsaku Hakufu.
"Sheren-neesama!" Renfa exclaimed with embarrassed blush on her face.
"Oh come now, Renfa. You don't have to be shy around your future husband," Sonsaku told her younger sister.
"Onee-sama! This is not the time for that!" Renfa exclaimed exasperatedly.
Yamato turned to Yuki and silently asked, 'Was it always like this?'
Yuki shrugged and laughed awkwardly as if saying, 'You have no idea.'
"Maa, maa, calm down Renfa. I'm just teasing you," Sonsaku giggled before turning to Yamato, becoming serious once more, "I also want to tell you that Son Go is ready and willing to support Shoku in this campaign. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to tell us."
"Thank you, Sonsaku-dono. Son Go's help will be much appreciated. It may become the trump card that may win us this battle," Yamato replied gratefully.
"We are allies now, so it is to be expected for us to help each other. Also, you gave us back our territories that was once owned by the En Clan after our mother died. You can say we are indebted to Shoku and we intend to pay that debt in full," Sonsaku smiled.
"Please think nothing of it. No debts exist between friends," replied Yamato.
"Ara, you really are an interesting person, Kusanagi-dono. Hearing you from Yuki is one thing, but seeing you in person have truly shown me what kind of person you are. I am glad to have you as our ally," Sonsaku smiled earnestly.
"Thank you for your kind words. Now, is there something else I can do for you, Sonsaku-dono?"
"Hmm… I want to get know my new ally and future brother-in-law better. Are you free right now?"
The casual tone of how Sonsaku addressed Yamato as her future brother-in-law made Aisha's eyebrow twitched in annoyance, and so did Touka, Sui, and the Chou Sisters.
"I don't see why not," Yamato replied as he stood up. "How about we move into a more fitting setting? Yue, Ei, please prepare some refreshments for our guests. We will be on the palace garden pavilion."
As Yamato led his guests to the pavilion, Aisha and Touka volunteered to go with him. They wasted no time to stand on either of his side, as if they were not letting him out of their sights. Sonsaku just giggled at their behavior while Renfa looked annoyed with her sister's antics. Yuki, though just sighed and muttering about 'harem hero' under her breath.
To say Yamato was surprised to see that Sonsaku Hakufu of this world was a whimsical and playful woman would be a big understatement. He was expecting someone like Karin, but Sonsaku...She was complete opposite of her. She was a fun loving person who enjoyed the life the way it was. Sure she was somewhat ambitious, but it was balanced with her caring side which she showed to her sisters and generals.
"Ahahaha! So you beat up a lot of boys because they are after your sisters?" Sonsaku cracked up with a saucer of sake in her hand.
"Yeah, it's bad enough when almost all of them are unrepentant perverts," Yamato muttered before taking a sip of his milk tea. "An older sibling's job is to protect and watch over their other siblings who born after them."
Sonsaku nodded, an approving smile graced her lips. "How true. I can relate with that, Kusanagi-dono."
"Please call me Yamato. We're allies now, right?"
"And you can call me by my true name, Sheren," Sonsaku replied as her smile became more mischievous. "We're going to be in-laws after all, so you are a family to me too."
"Sheren-neesama…Please, just stop it already…" Renfa bemoaned exasperatedly while trying to ignore the dagger-like glares from Aisha and Touka.
"That engagement is not even official yet and we still have a more pressing issue on hand," Aisha managed to say through gritted teeth.
"Ara, are you jealous, Kan'u-san?" Sheren tilted her head to the side with faux confused look.
The Black-Haired War Goddess of Shoku didn't say anything, but the glower that escaped her explained everything.
"Calm down, Aisha. Sheren-dono is just teasing you," Yamato calmed his girlfriend down.
Aisha looked appeased, but she still gave Sheren the dirty look which the pink-haired empress giggled at.
Sheren took a sip of her sake before she spoke, "…It must be hard for you to fight against your friend, isn't it?"
"Yes," Yamato sighed and took sip of his milk tea. "All my life he and Yuki have been my only friends. When we all ended up here, I never imagined we would end up on opposite sides."
Renfa looked puzzled and surprised at the statement, "What do you mean by that, Yamato?"
"When I was a child, other children were always seemed to be intimidated by me. Some even got me into trouble because they picked a fight with me. While I have a lot of admirers and acquaintances while growing up, I can't call them as friends because they are keeping their distance from me," Yamato sighed. "Before coming to this world, Shun and Yuki are my only friends. But now…" a smile curved on his lips as he looked at Aisha and Touka who smiled back at him. "I'm happy to have more people I could call as friends and precious people."
"I see…" Sheren hummed thoughtfully before smiling, "That gives you more the reason to fight, right?"
"Yeah," Yamato nodded resolutely. "For their dream and mine, I will not hesitate. Their dream is to make a better world for everyone so they can live peacefully. I shared their dream with my own too: to free the world from the Rule of Reality."
Sheren nodded, knowing about the rule that Yamato spoke of from Renfa. She also didn't quite agree with that rule. It was like asking she had to choose between her family or her kingdom. She loved both and she couldn't choose either. That was why she was trying hard to balance things out between the legacy of her mother and her sisters' wellbeing.
"Anyway, since you have come all the way from your Capital, why don't you stay for the night here, Sheren-dono?" Yamato offered.
"That is my plan. That way, we can discuss matters for the campaign against Sou Gi," Sheren nodded before her smile became mischievous. "And you can spend the night with Renfa too."
"Sheren-neesama! Mou!" Renfa protested in embarrassment.
"We object! Yamato-sama has not sleep with any of us or Aisha-chan just yet!" Touka also protested, even if she meant it wrong.
"T-Touka-sama! T-That's not the point!" Aisha nearly shrieked, her face was flaming scarlet.
"I'm surprised you're still virgin at this point, Yamato," Yuki commented dryly.
"Don't start, Yuki," the King of Shoku glared at his best female friend. "I'm trying my damn best to keep it intact with almost all of my retainers wanting to get inside my pants. You do know how they all looked, right?"
Yuki nodded before looking down on her chest and sniffled. 'How come they become that big? The world is not fair…'
"Aww, no fun," Sheren pouted.
"Your definition of fun needs to change, Nee-sama," Renfa huffed, crossing her arms and turned to Aisha and Touka. "Please pardon my sister if she had crossed the limits, Kan'u-dono, Ryuubi-dono."
"No worries, Sonken-san. If anything, we need to step up our game too so Aisha-chan wouldn't left us behind," Touka answered, much to Aisha's embarrassment.
"Touka-sama, how mean…"
Yuki then looked at her best friend with deadpan expression, "I still don't believe you are a virgin now, Yamato."
"Just don't start," Yamato replied, glaring daggers at her.
The night had come to Xizang Royal Palace and everyone was about to retire for the day. During the dinner, Sheren giggled like a madman upon seeing Enshou and Enjutsu in maid uniforms.
"What are you laughing at?!" Enshou snapped.
"I'm laughing at the fact that you got your just desserts, so to speak," Sheren giggled. "Not to mention that you're serving it too later on."
"Kuh…! Don't so act so high and mighty, you—Ite!" Whatever Enshou wanted to say was cut off when Ei smacked her head with a harisen.
"Don't be rude to our guests. Now get to work or I'll cut down your wage. Again," the bespectacled maid of terror threatened.
Enshou whimpered. Her wage had became so low with all the cuts she received, bordering to be debts even.
"Just do it, Reiha-neesama," Enjutsu suggested, but not before glaring at Sheren who smiled victoriously at her.
At one point in the past, Enjutsu was the lady that Sheren served under after the En Clan had taken Son Go's territories after the death of Sonken Bundai. While Sheren had finally became a warlord on her own, it was left unsaid that Enjutsu was embittered with losing an important vassal. And now the situation had turned upside down because of her cousin's brashness.
Oh the irony.
"So this is what happened to Enshou," even Renfa didn't bother to hide her smile. Enshou and Enjutsu always grated her nerves when they flaunted off they had taken Son Go's territory in the past. And now, she was very happy to see that justice was served.
"Shut up, you—Ow!" Enshou cringed after Ei smacked her in the head again with the harisen.
"I said, get to work!" Ei snapped at the former warlord.
"Hai…" Enshou whimpered before she and Enjutsu went to work.
"Mattaku, she still doesnn't learned anything…" Yamato sighed.
"The En Clan is known for their pride and stubbornness. I commend you for trying to stamp them out from Enshou and Enjutsu," Sheren said.
"Thank you. I'll do my best on this," Yamato grinned. "Now let's get some dinner before we rest for the day."
The dinner was quite eventful with all of Yamato's generals present. The Son Go contingent was treated with the sight of some of Yamato's generals fighting to feed him, Ren's utter moeness while she was eating (Yuki: "That level of cuteness must be illegal. It must be."), and Yamato's father-daughter interaction with Riri (Sheren: "Aww, look at that! Yamato-kun is a natural father!" Renfa: "Onee-sama, please be quiet."). The dinner was superb and very delicious in Sheren's opinion, much to Shion's gratitude.
Later that night, Yamato was walking on the garden to clear his mind off. He couldn't get to sleep. Not with each time he closed his eyes, he would see the army of Sou Gi invading his territory and razed down everything. What worst was, Baron was leading that invasion, decked in all of his crimson glory. He then saw how his best friend lived up to his name as the Crimson Bloody Knight Baron. It was enough to keep him awake.
Not to mention that he was thinking about Shun said during their time in Helheim Forest.
"You better give it your all Yamato, or else my victory will mean nothing."
"Shun, are you really…?" the young king questioned sadly. He then saw someone was also awake was looking at the moon. "Yuki?"
Hearing her name called, the Unrivaled Green Marksman turned to see Yamato approaching her. "Oh, Yamato…"
"You can't sleep?"
"I could ask you the same."
The two friends didn't say anything for a moment, just staring at the moon in contemplation.
"…Do you remember the opening scene for Gaim?" Yuki asked out of sudden.
"How can I forget? It is literally one of the coldest opening in Kamen Rider franchise," Yamato answered as he looked at his best friend in concern. "Why do you ask?"
The bespectacled girl didn't answer for a moment before she spoke in hushed voice, "…I have nightmares, you know? With you and Shun in Kouta and Kaito's place together with your respective army."
"What?" Yamato asked, startled.
Yuki nodded. "And I was in Mai's place instead becoming Ryugen. Both of you are fighting all out, not showing mercy or holding back. And all I could do was watch it happen. I…couldn't do anything to stop you both."
Yamato's eyes widened at that while she hung her head down and trembled.
"Please Yamato… you can't fight Shun! I don't want to lose my best friends! Not like this! I don't want you to end up like Kouta and Kaito too!"
"Yuki…" Yamato muttered before she suddenly hugged him much to his surprise and cried.
"Onegai…don't fight him. Don't let history repeat itself…" Yuki sobbed to his chest.
Yamato slowly embraced her as Yuki cried her eyes out. That nightmare must had shaken her so much. He had seen Yuki, who was always so strong and independent, became so fragile and weak like this only once. It was when her parents died in the traffic accident. He remembered he and Shun had done everything to cheer her up and eventually became the anchor of her world. Now that they were about to fight like bitter rivals, it terrified her. She was scared of losing any of them.
'Shun… I really hope you realize what you're doing…' Yamato thought to himself, his eyes sharpening dangerously. 'You made Yuki cry…You made the girl you love and the girl who loves you cry…'
"You know it is inevitable, right? Sooner or later, we will fight one another with us serving rivaling factions."
"But Yamato—" Yuki looked up to him, only for him to put a finger on her lips and smiled down at her.
"We won't end up like Kouta and Kaito. You can count on that," he assured the distraught girl. "It's because unlike them, we are friends. Our bonds of friendship are stronger than anything in the world."
"Will you? Really?" Yuki asked with a small voice.
"I promise," Yamato replied, letting her go as he extended his pinky finger. "Pinky promise."
Yuki giggled at his action. "You know how childish a pinky promise is, right?"
"It works on Riri, and I'm sure it works on you, imouto-chan."
Yuki blushed at that. "Mou~ seriously? You had to call me that?" Yuki was indeed the youngest of the trio. Shun was the oldest as he was born in February and Yamato was born in April while Yuki was born in the end of July.
"I couldn't help it." Yamato chuckled. "But in all seriousness, I'll make sure that your feelings reach Shun."
Yuki smiled back before intertwining her pinky finger with his. "Pinky promise. If you break your words, you'll have to swallow a thousand needles."
"You have my word, imouto-chan."
Yuki then slapped his shoulder playfully, making Yamato laugh. "You're the worst…"
"You feel better now?" Yamato asked.
"Yeah, thank you Yamato. Iie, Onii-chan," Yuki corrected herself with a smirk.
"O-Oi…" Yamato got out with a blush with Yuki laughing. "I'll get you back for that."
"Sure you are," she waved off. "I better going back now. Oyasuminasai, Yamato."
"Oyasumi," Yamato said and watched her leave. He stayed in his place before he called out, "You can come out now, Aisha."
Aisha walked out from behind a tree, her face flushed in embarrassment. "How did you know I was here?"
"I'm your boyfriend," Yamato stated off-factly
"My apologies, Yamato-sama. I didn't mean to eavesdrop on you and Yuki-dono. I was looking for you and couldn't find you in your room."
"It's fine. Don't worry about it," Yamato waved off.
"Still…are you really going to fight Shun-dono, Yamato-sama?" Aisha asked, concern was laced in her tone.
"If I have to, then yes," Yamato said. "But I made a promise to Yuki. To have her feelings reach out to that stubborn idiot. And you know that I don't go back on my promises."
Aisha nodded, a little saddened at the fact that her beloved had to fight his best friend. War was always terrible and that was why she, Touka, and Rinrin looked for the Messenger of Heaven because they believed he would lead everyone to an era of peace.
"Now why were you looking for me, Aisha?" Yamato asked, causing Aisha to shift where she stood.
"A-Ah, about that…" she started, suddenly feeling so very conscious of something.
"Aisha?" Yamato asked as he approached her.
"A-Ano…" Aisha stammered out, unable to form the sentence she wanted to say. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she said, "I know this is might be not the right time to say this, but I couldn't think of any other time before…" She shook her head to dispel the image that came from her worst nightmare.
Upon eavesdropping on her beloved and his best friend/younger sister figure, she was reminded of her own nightmare several days ago. It was the same as Yuki said, only it ended with Baron burying his spear into Gaim's chest. It was so scary that she did her best to forget that. Admittedly, her reason for seeking him was out of jealousy and protectiveness at first due to Sheren's teasing, but it had changed quickly.
She wanted to affirm he was right here, staying by her side. That Yamato wouldn't leave her and the others just yet. That was now why she wanted to do this.
"What are you—?" He was cut off when Aisha suddenly kissed him deeply and pulled his body so it was pressed against hers.
After what seemed like forever Aisha broke the kiss and Yamato looked at her stunned, "What was that for?"
"I…" Aisha got out before she added, "…I am ready, Yamato-sama."
Yamato looked confused at first before his eyes widened upon hearing that. "Aisha? Are you sure about this?"
She nodded and rested her head on his chest. "…Yes. I admit I was doing this because I was driven by my jealousy at first because of what Sonsaku-dono said, but now…I'm doing this because I love you. I don't want to lose you. I want to affirm you are right here by my side."
"Aisha…"
"It might be selfish of me, but you said it yourself," Aisha looked up to him with a smile. "Being selfish is a part of being a human. I may have to share you with Touka-sama, Shion-san, and the others, but my selfishness wants me to be your first and you to be mine."
Yamato didn't reply instead he leaned down kissed her once more. Their tongues danced against each other for a whole five minutes before they separated as they needed air to breathe. "Aisha... You know there is no turning back after this, right?"
"Yes, I am ready for anything," Aisha answered.
Wordlessly, Yamato scooped her in his arms and carried her in a bridal style carry. Aisha squeaked in surprise, but eventually calmed down as her beloved took her to his room. Yamato closed the door with his leg and put her down gently on the bed.
They stared at each other before their lips met once more.
(Were you expecting a lemon? Too bad! =P)
Unknown to the couple, someone was standing outside Yamato's room and heard everything happened inside. As soon as she heard they went to sleep, she quickly left the vicinity, leaving only a puddle and wet stains on the floor. Once she reached her room, she wasted no time to close the door and covered herself with a blanket.
"I'm so sorry, Yamato-sama…" the girl whimpered sadly and looked at her stained hand. She then went to sleep, feeling uneasy and guilty of what she had done.
"There's the outpost, sir," Gakushin informed Shun as she handed him the spyglass. He looked through it and focused on the Shoku outpost in the distance.
The army of Sou Gi had departed from Luoyang near midnight and arrived near the outpost an hour before the sunrise.
Shun could see it was pretty well manned as the reports said, but nowhere as full as other outpost. This particular outpost was located on the border of the Three Kingdoms and no one would expect that Sou Gi would attack it. Son Go would retaliate too as they would see it as an attempt of invasion from Sou Gi.
Big risk yielded better results, they said.
"Hmm…Looks like the guards are not as tired as we expected," Shun commented.
"Must be because they just had their shift," Tei'iku spoke through her doll.
"Either way, they're going down hard!" Riten punched her palm in excitement.
As they were heading to battle, Gakushin, Ukin, and Riten were all wearing their battle outfit with armors added on. Ukin especially had swapped her pink dress with a short blue battle dress that bared her much of her midriff and long green skirt with slits on either side. Her weapons appeared to be a pair of swords sheathed on her sides.
"Shun-sama, are you really going to do this?" Ukin asked concernedly.
Shun took a deep breath before saying, "To be honest a part of me doesn't want to do this, but in the end, the selfish part of me really wanted nothing but to prove myself to Yamato whatever it takes wins."
Ukin only nodded in response.
Shun strapped on his Genesis Driver and announced. "Girls, I'm doing this battle solo."
His lieutenants and Tei'iku were understandably surprised with his announcement. "Please wait a second, Boss! Are you serious?" Gakushin inquired.
"I do. Besides, my new form should be more than enough to handle those soldiers by myself. Sending anyone else won't be necessary," Shun answered.
"Too risky," Tei'iku spoke with concern laced in her tone. She felt a hand patted her head and saw Shun grinned at her assuringly.
"Don't worry, Fuu-chan. I will be alright and back in jiffy, okay?"
Tei'iku didn't say anything as she stared at him for a moment before she nodded.
"Will you really be alright, Shun-sama?" Riten pressed. She was really curious with the new gears he had obtained somehow. He didn't reveal from whom he got them, but the fact he was confident enough to take down an outpost by himself meant that his new gears were that strong. She couldn't wait to study them for later.
"Absolutely. Now let's start this party," spoke Shun as he unlocked his Lemon Energy Lockseed. "Henshin!"
"LEMON ENERGY!"
A Crack opened above Shun's head and the Lemon Energy Armor Parts descended from it. Shun then locked his Energy Lockseed in place before pressing the Seaboll Compressor on his right hand-side.
"LOCK...ON!"
"SODA! LEMON ENERGY ARMS!"
The Lockseed's cover opened and yellow juices flowed through the Vascular Ducts and filled the Concentrate Pod right under the Driver Bay. The Lemon Energy Arms split open the bottom and the sides before lowering itself to cover Shun's head.
"FIGHT, POWER! FIGHT, POWER! FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT FIGHT, FI-FI-FI-FIGHT!"
Energy rippled across Shun's body and formed his Ride Wear, however it was slightly different. Instead of chainmail-like material on the torso, it has black padded suit instead and his gauntlets and greaves gained black chevron-like markings. The Armor Parts then retracted and formed the new Arms. The opened sides moved backward to form a three-pieced cape and the top part flipped down to the right side to form a shoulder armor in shape of a lemon's top. The inner parts folded down to form sparkling yellow chestplate with Baron's personal symbol on the left side and also revealed his new helmet. It looked slightly different as the faceguard gained a more futuristic look with cables that linked with the yellow headpiece that has lemon shaped decorations. A Sonic Arrow formed in Baron's hands as his armor generated yellow 'juice' and his visor lit up.
"Oh wow! You look sooo awesome in that, Shun-sama!" Riten gushed with sparkling eyes. Now she really couldn't wait to study this bad boy!
"Whoa…" Ukin breathed out
"Amazing…!" Gakushin managed to say. As the most experienced fighter of Shun's lieutenants, she could feel the power coming from Baron's new suit and armor.
Even Tei'iku's usual sleepy-looking eyes widened upon the sight of Baron's new form.
Baron examined his new form and whistled, "I guess this is what Sagara meant with an extra addition. It's much better looking than Kaito's slap-dashed Lemon Energy Arms anyway. I guess a new name is in order for this form."
"And what are you going to call this form, Shun-sama?" Riten asked eagerly.
Baron thought about it for a moment before he grinned behind his mask. "It's Sieger. Baron Sieger."
"Sieger?" Tei'iku questioned.
"It means 'Victor' in German, one of the languages in my time," the newly christened Baron Sieger then leveled his Sonic Arrow at the outpost. "Let's see what this bad boy can do!"
(BGM: "Never Surrender" by Team Baron)
He unlocked his Energy Lockseed from his Genesis Driver and loaded it onto his Sonic Arrow, locking it in.
"LOCK…ON!"
Baron Sieger pulled on the Sonic Arrow as it syphoned energy from his Lemon Energy Lockseed. He then twisted the knob of the shaft before he released it. "This is our…no, my first strike in this war!"
"LEMON ENERGY!"
The charged-up energy arrow soared high into the sky. Its radiant glow caught the attentions of the guards in the outpost, but they were too late to react as it morphed into a giant lemon projection before it burst into volley of energy arrows that fell upon the outpost.
Baron Sieger watched as explosions rocked the outpost, sending the unfortunate soldiers to oblivion. The Genesis Rider got off from his horse and calmly walked toward the battered outpost. "Remember girls, I'm soloing this. Don't send our men to help unless necessary," Baron Sieger reminded.
Gakushin sighed resignedly. "Alright, boss. But please do be careful. Karin-sama would hate it if something ever happened to you."
"You should worry for those guys instead. Tell her we're having a feast once this was over and done with," Baron Sieger waved off before sprinting toward the incoming Shoku soldiers. "Alright boys, let's party and get wild!"
Baron Sieger slashed his Sonic Arrow widely at the first group of soldiers he encountered before parrying a sword with his gauntlet and struck down its wielder. Another group of soldiers were coming at him with spears ready to skewer him, but Baron Sieger acted first by strafing several energy arrows at them and killed the soldiers. Several more tried to avenge their comrades, but the Crimson Bloody Knight spun on his place and struck down several soldiers that tried to surround him.
"Such power!" a soldier gritted his teeth in frustration.
"Is this the power of Gi's Messenger of Heaven?"
"Don't let up! He is only alone! We still can defeat him! For Yamato-sama!" a captain rallied to his comrades.
The soldiers roared their agreement and charged at the lone Rider.
"Heh, cute but not good enough!" Baron Sieger then pressed the Seaboll Compressor once.
"LEMON ENERGY SQUASH!"
"Take this!" Baron Sieger spun on his place and slashed widely. The energy created a giant spinning lemon slice that struck like a buzzsaw blade.
The soldiers screamed as the finisher cut through them and easily mowed through their ranks.
"There's more to come from me!" Baron Sieger pressed the Seaboll Compressor twice to activate the second finisher function of his Genesis Driver.
"LEMON ENERGY SPARKING!"
Baron Sieger jumped high and fired an energy arrow that formed projection of lemon slices. He then kicked his right foot out and leapt through the slices.
"Cavaliend!" Baron Sieger shouted as his Rider Kick bulldozed through the soldiers as if they made of papers.
"This is too much! At this rate, we wouldn't last long!" a soldier sweated coldly as Baron Sieger massacred the stationed soldiers with practiced ease. Now they began to see why he was called as the Crimson Bloody Knight during Gi's invasion to Ryoushou.
The Guard Captain growled before turning a soldier. "You there! Quickly! Return to the capital and alert Yamato-sama!"
The appointed messenger quickly took his horse and gallopped away. Baron Sieger spotted him and tried to stop him by leveling his Sonic Arrow. "Oh no, you don't. You won't get away that easily!" However, he had to move away from the incoming arrow volley from the guards. He shifted his attention to them and fired a volley of his own, killing the archers before they even had the chance to take cover.
"C'mon! Is this the best you all can do!?" Baron Sieger goaded. "I guess Yamato must've been wasting his time for you guys!"
The Guard Captain gnashed his teeth angrily at the insult. "Do not insult us, Baron! We prided ourselves as his sword and the shield of our people! We won't let you to trample on that pride!"
"Good answer, but your pride isn't enough to take me down!" Baron Sieger replied as he readied his Sonic Arrow for melee combat. "Show me that your words are not empty!"
"Attack!" the guard captain ordered as the surviving soldiers charged at Baron Sieger to take him down with them.
"Those are good eyes you guys have," Baron Sieger commented with an approving smile behind his mask. "I'll give you my respect as a warrior…by putting you all out of your misery!"
Baron Sieger charged and slashed his weapon at the front most soldiers before kicking a soldier that tried to get him from behind, hard enough to rupture his inner organs. A spearman came at him with his spear ready to skewer his head, but Baron Sieger tilted his head and crouched low to gut him out. The Knight-themed Rider quickly stood up and strafed several energy arrows at the incoming enemy soldiers before parrying a sword that was about to sever his head from behind. He shoved the weapon away before he struck down the swordsman and killed his comrades with well aimed energy arrows.
Another group of archers fired their arrows at him, but Baron Sieger rolled out of the way of their volley. That however put him right in front of an axeman who immediately brought down his axe at the red Rider. Baron Sieger blocked the axe with his Sonic Arrow and slowly pushed the axeman as he stood up. He then pushed him away before decapitating the soldier. He then turned his attention toward the archers and fired several energy arrows, not at them, but at the platform they were standing on and caused them to fall to their death.
"Seriously, is that all you got?" Baron Sieger asked. "Man, for Yamato being vigilant, his soldiers have been pretty lax as of late," He then parried a sword blow and saw the furious expression of the guard captain.
"I will not allow you to mouth off any insults more than this! We maybe only lowly soldiers, but we are still a part of Shoku Kingdom that Yamato-sama and his generals built from scratch! We will do whatever it takes to protect it!" the captain declared.
To his surprise, Baron Sieger chuckled. "Good, that's a good answer. Let's see if you can back up those words."
The Red Armored Rider shoved the captain backwards before gesturing to him with a come hither. The captain roared and swung his sword at Baron Sieger who dodged and parried the strikes with his Sonic Arrow. Baron took a swing at him, but the captain backstepped quick and retaliating with a fast thrust. The Genesis Rider blocked the attack and lashed out with a roundhorse kick. The captain ducked low before he roared and struck Baron Sieger in the chest with a rising uppercut. Baron Sieger staggered, in surprise rather than pain, as the captain landed more blows against his chestplate. A powerful spinning slash sent the Genesis Rider tumbling.
"Alright! The captain got him!" the soldiers cheered.
The captain then charged at Baron Sieger once more, holding his sword high before swinging it down with a roar. A gloved red hand caught the sword's blade before it snapped in two. The captain gasped as Baron Sieger stood up and regarded him coolly.
"I'll give you an A for your best effort, but you can't beat me. You want to know why? Because there is an unwritten rule in a fight against a Kamen Rider: Only a Rider can defeat another Rider," Baron Sieger told the captain.
The captain felt fear for a moment before resignation seeped in. "It looks like I have been doing a fool's errand. Very well, kill me if you wish but let my men go. There have been enough lives lost in this place."
Baron Sieger stared at him for a moment before he said, "No."
(End BGM)
"W-What?" the captain asked dumbfounded.
"Like you said, there are enough lives lost today in this place. While I enjoyed a good fight, I'm not into a senseless massacre like this. I'm just making a statement here and trying out my new Arms," Baron Sieger answered.
"So this is all just a game to you?" the captain growled angrily.
"Of course not," the Genesis Rider retorted snappishly. "I'm doing an order from that loli of a warlord I served. And if I attacked with my soldiers, then all of you will be killed. To live is also to fight and to die means to give up. I'm sure Yamato has told you that before."
The captain nodded reluctantly at that.
"Besides, my real fight is with Yamato. I have no problem with his soldiers and generals," Baron Sieger added.
The captain was silent for a moment before he sighed resignedly. "Very well…I surrender."
Now Baron Sieger only needed to wait. The messenger would reach Yamato soon enough. In the meantime, he and his soldiers could take over the outpost. He raised his hand and gave a thumbs up. Tei'iku saw it through the spyglass. He had taken the objective.
Tei'iku responded with her own thumbs up and a smile.
"Wow, Shun-sama really did it!" Ukin said in amazement. "He took down the outpost by himself!"
"I guess I really shouldn't worry about him after all," Gakushin commented with a smile.
"Did you see that!? Oh, now I really can't wait to study Shun-sama's new gears!" Riten gushed excitedly.
"You'll get your chance later, Mao," Gakushin placated her friend.
A messenger on a horse bearing Sou Gi's flag then approached the group. "Excuse me, ma'am. I have a message from Sousou-sama to Baron-dono!"
"From Karin-sama to Shun-sama?" Gakushin questioned.
"What's wrong, girls?" Baron Sieger asked as he approached. He already had his soldiers apprehended Shoku soldiers and their captain as well.
"Ah, Baron-dono! Sousou-sama has a message for you!" the messenger spoke up. "You are to return to the capital together with your lieutenants. Leave the outpost to General Kakouton, General Kakouen, General Kyouchou, and Tactician Tei'iku."
"Is that so?" Baron Sieger replied as he cancelled his transformation. "Alright, tell her we'll leave as soon as we completely secure the outpost for our use."
The messenger nodded before galloping away in his horse.
"Alright, tell our boys to hurry up so we can head back to Luoyang," Shun ordered out as Ukin nodded and relayed it to the soldiers. The brunette then turned to Tei'iku and asked, "Are you going to be alright here?"
"I have Shuuran with me. Don't worry," she answered via her puppet.
Shun nodded and grinned at her, "I'll leave this place to you then. Be careful, okay?"
The sleepy-looking strategist nodded affirmatively. Shun then turned toward the direction where Xizang was.
'That was my first move, Yamato. Now what will you do, buddy?'
Everyone noticed that there was something different in Xizang Royal Palace that morning, even the Son Go contingent felt it. Perhaps it was because of Yamato looked happy and relaxed when yesterday there were traces of stress on his feature, but noticeably absent today. But the biggest clue of something had happened was Aisha. The Black-Haired War Goddess was practically glowing. Despite she looked a little tired, she looked really happy, even happier than Yamato, and content for a reason that escaped her comrades.
Yuki, the ever observant one, couldn't help but questioned, "…Did something happen?"
"Whatever makes you think of that, Yuki?" Yamato questioned back innocently.
"…So something DID happen," she muttered.
"Please do not think much of it, Yuki-dono. I assure you it is not something that you should be worried about," Aisha assured her with a small smile.
"Both of you are practically glowing," Yuki pointed out. Yamato forgot how sharp she was.
"Hawawawa, Yuki-dono is right…you both look so much more…relaxed?" Shuri asked with a curious head tilt.
"Ano, is something wrong, Yamato-sama, Aisha-san?" Hinari asked when Yamato and Aisha suddenly got nervous for no real reason.
It was all Sei needed to confirm her suspicions. With a mischievous glint in her violet eyes, she stated, "It's because they're no longer virgins."
Yamato and Aisha did a perfectly synchronized spit take while almost everyone else gawked at them disbelievingly.
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!?"
"Ara, noticed it too, didn't you Sei?" Shion inquired.
"How couldn't I? Both of them, especially Aisha, were practically glowing, as Ryugen-dono put it. Also, she walked with a slight wince in her steps. It is subtle, but someone well trained can see it in her body language," Sei pointed out with a smirk before turning to Yamato and Aisha. "So, I think a congratulations is in order, Yamato-sama, Aisha."
"Nya? What's that supposed to mean?" Rinrin asked in confusion.
"You'll get it when you're older, Rinrin," Sui offered with a weak laugh.
"There's no need for that, really," Yamato responded to Sei's word, his eyebrow twitching violently.
"T-True. This is a private matter between Yamato-sama and I. I see no reason why this has something to do with all of you," Aisha concurred with blushing cheeks.
"Oh it definitely has something to with us, Aisha-san. Since you finally bedded Yamato-sama, we can finally get our chance too!" Tanpopo chimed in and Sou nodded in agreement.
"…You make it sound like I'm a sexual predator or something," Yamato deadpanned. "I still have morals, you know…"
"You're not a sexual predator, just a harem hero surrounded by beautiful women," Yuki stated with deadpan expression.
"…Don't start, Yuki," Yamato warned his best female friend with a glare.
"So… How is Yamato-sama in bed, Aisha?" Sei asked slyly.
"I see no reason to tell you. Did you not hear when I say that this is a private matter between Yamato-sama and I?" Aisha glared at the bluenette.
"Ah, I see. So he's that good, judging from how you are this morning," Sei teased, causing Aisha to sputter irrecognizable denial. She chuckled as she added, "Ah, I can't wait for my turn already."
"Please don't tease Aisha, Sei. Like she said, it is a matter of privacy between her and Yamato-sama," Shion chided, with a chilling smile that sent shivers to her spine.
"R-Right, I won't tease her again ma'am!" Sei stuttered. Shion could be really scary if she wanted to.
"Well! At least I know Renfa will be very satisfied on her wedding night!" Sheren clapped her hands in delight.
"Sheren-neesama! Will you cut it out already!?" Renfa nearly shrieked with flaming face.
Just then, a soldier entered the throne room in a hurry. "Gaim-sama! Gaim-sama! I have an emergency report!"
"What is it soldier?" Yamato asked, going all business immediately.
The soldier kneeled and reported, "It's Sou Gi, sir! They have launched their first attack at our outpost on the border with Sou Gi and Son Go!"
Everyone's eyes widened at that and the good mood seemedly evaporated in an instant.
"More importantly, Baron was attacking the outpost by himself and winning when I received this news! I'm afraid…by now we have lost that outpost."
The second part of the report shocked everyone to the core, more so Yamato and Yuki who were visibly affected. Yamato's eyes widened as he clenched the armrest of his throne tightly while Yuki gasped and paled in horror.
"No…Shun…" the bespectacled girl whispered. A part of her wished this was just a nightmare…But it was real. Shun, the boy who she loved had spilled the first blood on this war.
A/N: This is it for Chapter 19. Things got heated from this point on, in more than one way. I hope you all like the little modification I give to Baron's Genesis Rider form. Baron as the main rival Rider should get more than his suit with Duke's armor and belt in the original series. In a way, it is similar to Zangetsu and Zangetsu Shin. Also, as you noticed, there is a lemon on this chapter, but I purposefully left it because of the site's regulation. If you want to read the lemon, PM me with your e-mail address so I can send it to you. That is all for now. Thank you and have a nice day.