4. Storm clouds
3 1/2 Months After Being Drafted
"I've been here for almost four months now".
Sakura sat on the steps waiting for her expedition team to return. She started to grow a little worried when it was getting late; Hasebe, Mitsutada, Ookurikara and Tsurumaru were all involved, along with Kashuu and one of her newest men(and Yama-chan's brother)Yamabushi. The citadel was definitely busy now; its mistress was FINALLY getting used to everyone and their personalities and learned to deal with them. However, the whereabouts of Yui had never left her mind, though on more than one occasion, she had wondered whether she was alive or not.
(She might be dead...I didn't see her moving after all)
"Hard to believe, but you have done very well", her guide, Konosuke, congratulated her, "the hardest battles are ahead though."
"There's still been no sign of Yui..." She sighed.
"I'm sorry, Sakura-sama." The fox climbed on her lap, catlike. "Perhaps something might come up."
"Well...I haven't given up on looking for her. Even if she is...gone." She pat his head, "but right now, my mission is to beat these Kebishii guys and gain more allies right?"
"Hai!"
After a moment of silence, she then asked, "hey Konosuke...what happens to them when this is over?"
"What do you mean?"
"I already almost lost a few of them. Do they die as humans or do they die...do they revert back to being swords?"
She never got her answer. Just then, the expedition team returned.
"The time will come when you will lose some of them on the battlefield", the fox stood up. "They are swords."
"But as long as they're alive and under this roof", she stood up to greet the team, "they're my co-workers. Uh-oh...someone got knocked out. I think Mitsutada is carrying someone...or is that Hasebe?"
####
"The missions were getting more tense. Konosuke wasn't wrong about that".
"Did you lose people?" Yamano asked as Matsumoto scanned the scrapbook.
"I did find out what happens when they died", the older woman sighed. "They die as painful as people do on battlefields."
Sensing some tension, Matsumoto held up a picture of one of the men. The eyepatched one. "He's the best-looking one of the bunch...though the blonde is hot too. So is Mr. Blue over here."
"Munechika Mikazuki." The elder saniwa chuckled. "The most rare. He was absolutely a sweetheart..."
"I sense a 'however' (Matsumoto)
"He really was the grandfather of the group. More like the great-grandfather..."
####
"Ssssaaaaaakkkkuuuurrrraaaaaa", Tsurumaru, Ookurikara and Kashuu were in the refinery with Sakura looking at the newest member of the team: a smiley youngish man wearing beautiful blue clothing was standing before them. "Oh, another comrade?"
"I'm out." Ookurikara began to leave. "I'm taking a nap for awhile."
"Sorry about that", she bowed, "he's not a people person."
"That's putting it lightly" (Kashuu)
"It's fine." The new tachi looked at Sakura. "I've been looking forward to meeting you, Sakura-chan."
(Another one who makes me blush like a teenage girl)
"Huh?" She then realized what he said. "I'm sorry?"
"Never mind." He laughed, I apologize for taking you offguard. Hello Tsurumaru Kuinaga." He faced the white tachi, "it has been awhile".
"What's up, Mikazuki?" And Tsurumaru slung his arm over her. Kashuu at least was friendly.
####
"I think I like Mikazuki's game already", laughed Yamano.
"It was around this time that I started to realize that in between the battles, I suddenly found myself aquiring a harem, like something out of manga or one of those novel things I used to play on the computer when I was young." The elderly saniwa sighed, "Mikazuki was cute, but he...he and Tsurumaru fooled around a lot."
"He...he was gay?!"
"For privacy sake", the older woman smirked, "I'll take that to my grave. Let's just say that some doujinshi got things right in some departments...and honestly, I really didn't care if they were. They loved whom they loved..."
####
"Sakura-chan?" There was a knock on her door, "are you all right?"
Mitsutada's voice rang through. She looked at the small clock she kept by her bed. 10:00.
"Ohhhhh" she opened the door. "I'm sorry, Shokudaikiri-san. I'll be down to eat something in a bit. Just...let me take a shower."
"Of course!"
Later, she went to the kitchen and began to make herself something to eat when the cook himself stopped her immediately. "That's not healthy you know."
"It's okay. You don't need to go out."
He smiled...and for some reason, Sakura felt...attracted. "I want to go out. Besides", he met her eyes, "I don't mind showing off for you."
"You play your cards right and I might have to marry you", she joked. Once again, their eyes met. They both turned pink this time.
"Ah hem". Hasebe coughed as the two broke away. Mitsutada began to mix up pancakes.
"Mornin'" Sakura tried to break the tension, "Sorry I overslept. I take it things are running smoothly?"
"Indeed, Sakura-sama", Hasebe sat next to her and handed her some papers. "Just need you to look things over."
"Honestly, Hasebe-kun, couldn't you wait until after our poor master eats?" Mitsudada made his mistress up a plate and set it in front of her. She put the papers down.
"I'll look at things later", she promised him, "I actually have something else I want to do." Which was true...
She decided to ride into the town to find information on Yui...though a part of her knew she should bring someone with her. Who...she wasn't sure. She didn't want to bring in anyone to deal with something personal.
"Oh?" Hasebe looked at her curious, "an order?" Mitsutada put her pancakes down and smiled, "Enjoy!"
"Thank you for the food!" She ate happily. "Good as always!"
####
"So", Sakura continued, "I took a horse on my own to find Yui. Or at least what happened to her."
"You went", Matsumoto just stared at her, "alone?"
"I already knew where the village was, from supply runs...or once in awhile I'd help Mitsutada or Hasebe or Kasen with food supplies."
####
Late afternoon
"KAKAKAKA", Yamabushi's hearty laugh echoed thru the citadel. Sakura had been in the barn waiting for a chance to leave (though she told Yamabagiri that she was going out for supplies).
"Where's Master?" Izumi flicked his hair, "it was a bit of a pain to even get these materials."
"Oh, Kunihiro", Yamabushi spotted his brother, stubbornly avoiding his gaze. "Is the lady around?"
"She went off..."
"Where?"
"She said she would be getting supplies." The blanketed toudan then slunked away.
###
Somewhere about ten miles from the Village
Bodies were thrown everywhere. The Kebishii had easily slaughtered everyone present, including a young person, assumed to be the saniwa. Yui touched the body to look.
"It's not her." She sighed. "Why...why did you kill her? She couldn't have been more than sixteen!"
"She would've changed history to a whole other direction", explained the priest, "you might've not existed. Neither your friend."
"I understand about killing her men", Yui continued, "but do you feed on humans or something?"
"The simple truth is..." The priest looked at her. "I just want you to win this war. Bring history back to what it should be."
"You know this is just a government ploy to kill each other right?" One of the men spoke up. " It's all bullshit. I say, just kill this bitch and let us get on with it!"
"No." She looked at this towering monster of a man, whom had once been a samurai himself, "don't touch her!"
##
Sakura walked thru town, leading the horse she had taken, and had a small knife at her side...a kitchen knife (I can already hear the lecture I'd get from that one...).
The trees, all sakura, were starting to bloom. She stopped in front of an inn. Some of the men stopped for a second, then went back to whatever they were doing. "Excuse me", she asked the innkeeper, "I'm looking for someone..."
"I'll be to glad to take you Onee-san!" One of the men laughed.
"I'm not interested", she was about to continue when another man yelled, "she's dead!"
"Your daughter?" The innkeeper seemed to have known this person. The father began to cry about how his daughter's body had been found 'ripped to pieces' and then began to talk about her job as 'sage'. The innkeeper looked at Sakura, concerning lining his eyes. "I hope your friend is okay. Someone seems to be going after young women around here...perhaps a yokai or something else..."
(I wonder...)
She was about to get on her horse when she felt herself being grabbed. (Fuck...I should've gotten one of them to come) "Don't move, miss", the drunk from earlier hissed at her ear. He held his sword at her face.
"I have some gold you can take" she held up a small bag. "I'm diseased..."
"You heard her, brother..." A short member made an 'ew' face. "She's a filthy whore!"
"Just because I live with a bunch of men doesn't mean I'm a skank!" She kicked her captor in the crotch and started to run when her captor grabbed her hard by the arm.
(If I'm going to die here, it'll be on a battlefield, not shoving off a drunk guy)
"Let her go", a familiar voice pointed a sword. "Sakura-sama, shall I slay this man?"
Hasebe.
She felt another familiar presence help her up.
"You know, you're a pain in the ass to keep track of". Ookurikara.
By now Hasebe let the man go...and a figure in black rode up. "Sakura-chan...are you okay?" Mitsutada jumped down from his horse and rushed to his master's side. Their attention made her feel guilty. She began to cry, scaring all three of her protectors.
"Sakura-sama, allow me to burn this whole town down to avenge you!"
She wiped her tears, "if you did that, Hasebe-kun, people would think that I'm a monster...and we'd shit out of luck on supplies."
"You're a pain in the ass", Ookurikara hugged her tightly, "you had me worried...not that I care if you got yourself killed or not..."
She then found herself in the middle of three men hugging her. "I'm sorry...I'll tell you guys everything...but how did you all even find me?"
"Kunihiro-kun told Izumi-kun that you were out alone in town,but then Munechika-san said that we should go find you." Out of all three, Mitsutada looked the most upset with her, which made Sakura feel worse. "You should've bought one of us."
"I know...and I'm sorry. I just didn't want to distract you guys from our missions..." She then told them everything.
Note: I fixed it now. Whomever you are, that alerted me about this? Thanks! I apologize for that. Don't know why it looked so funky like that...