Gyaaahh! I'm sorry for the super delay! anyways~ here's a long update! and I've played through a bit of Hakuouki Urakata..which is SO AWESOME! waaay better than the horrific excuse for a hack-n-slash Hakuokui: warriors of the Shinsengumi was _ , like I cleared the whole thing in one day on max difficulty without getting hit once *facepalm*Ahh! I'm blabbing again...Izo-kun is now my new squishy! *squishes him* aaand chapter start!

* I've changed the story title (cos Mei is indecisive :3...)

~The moon's gradual darkening ~

"-and I was like 'come on, that all you can do?" and then *pfft* the Roshigumi guy just starts crying and begging for mercy!" Shiranui-san roars with laughter and smacks Shin-chan heartily on the back as everyone else, including me laugh along with him. The mood in the room feels more like a party or something, mostly since whenever Shin-chan and Shiranui-san are together they end up fooling around like idiots. These afternoons when we all do nothing but just relax and enjoy the moments of temporal peace are the best. Personally, I like them because we're all together, but obviously it'd be too embarrassing to say that out loud. "Honestly, don't you think if they wanted to recruit proper fighters, they'd have only picked the strongest men?" I pour myself another drink and help myself to some manju from the bowl , swallowing it quickly before I continue speaking "It's like they've gotten so desperate to boost their numbers that they're picking poor kids off the street and parading them around with new uniforms and swords.!"

"Nah, it's just that you're too strong your judgement is warped." Shiranui-san laughs loudly and pours Shin-chan another drink before leaning back against the wall "Even I'd have trouble against someone of your calibre. Reminds me, we should spar again sometime. Hmm?"

Before I can make a witty comeback, the door slides open softly as an elegant woman dressed in a fine furisode steps into the already crowded room. "..." She dips her head in greeting and delicately begins removing the makeup on her face as soon as she sits down at the table. "Sorry for the intrusion."

The moment that unnaturally low manly voice emerges from her red painted lips, smirks fly around the room as everyone exchanges a look and snicker discreetly. That is, except for Shiranui-san and Shin-chan. "*pfftt* AHAHAHAA! Katsura, that you?" The half full bottle of sake in Shiranui-san's hands drop to the floor, (only to be snatched from smashing by Shin-chan) as he cracks up with laughter while pointing a finger at the unamused looking Katsura Kogoro. "*sigh*" the 'woman' moves from next to Shin-chan to next to me and undoes her kimono so that the upper half hangs downwards, exposing 'her' well sculpted body. Suppressing the urge to spit out my drink, I scull the rest of my cup and jab a finger towards Katsura Kogoro. "GORO-nii! That's my missing kimono!"

I shake with rage as he smiles calmly and removes the ornaments tying his hair up and letting his beautiful silky hair flow gently down his back. "There was some information Shin urgently needed confirmation for, so I had no choice but to hastily disguise myself. Forgive me for borrowing your clothing without permission. " He reaches a hand into the obi and withdraws a pretty looking hairpin "Here, as compensation Yugiri. It was a gift from a customer."

The hairpin is finely made, and despite how nice it is, it's something a person like me would have no use for; after all, what's the use of prettying yourself when all you'll be doing is killing and maiming others? Even when I dress up for Shimabara spy work, or at least used to, all the dressup and accessories were, in the end for a bloody cause. "No thanks. Give that to someone else who'd appreciate it more." I push it back towards him and press it into his palm "Those sort of things are wasted on me. Why not give it to Setsura instead?" I shove it back as he once again attempts to give it to me and grab Shin-chan's freshly filled up sake cup "besides, since that's one of my favourite kimono, a nice new gun would be a much better gift. Don't you think Goro-nii?"

"*Sigh* Still as boyish as ever Yugiri-kun. Honestly, I thought all girls your age were into that sort of thing." Kogoro-nii shakes his head disapprovingly at Shin-chan "Being around someone as carefree and irresponsible as Shinsaku-san must be a bad influence." Shin-chan just laughs and shrugs "Hey now, stop acting like an old aunty. Anyway, shall we get down to business?" Kogoro-nii hands him a small box from which he takes out a tiny vial containing a red liquid. Everyone inches closer for a better look as Shiranui-san chuckles and shakes the tiny vial teasingly in front of us "Ever seen this before? Looks harmless eh?"

I shuffle slowly from my position right opposite the room when Shiranui-san tosses the vial towards me and I clap my palm around it with surprise, a deep red liquid almost like blood sloshes around inside the tiny glass container as I shake it around. "What's this meant to be? blood?"

"Ochimizu. It's an elixir I managed to get off Glover-san, the gaijin merchant. Anyway, the Bakufu have managed to get ahold of this and they've joined up with a certain doctor to manufacture more of these bad boys." Shiranui-san shakes his head as he shrugs his shoulders "seriously, what are they thinking? Anyway, basically drinking this will transform a human into an oni clone. You might know them as 'Rasetsu."

My head is currently swimming with confusion as I try to process all this new information. One, 'oni' are supposed to be mythical creatures like kitsune and tengu, right? If so, why then is everyone here just accepting Shiranui-san's explanation so easily? Two. Assuming oni are real , then if the Bakufu is trying to manufacture oni clones aka their Rasetsu, shouldn't we be doing something to stop it? "Shiranui-san, was that what Chikage-dono was talking about that time with Onii-sama?"

"Hey hey, just call me Kyo. it's easier that way. " Shiranui-san, or Kyo nods and points towards the bottle with a look of disgust on his face "Yeah, Chikage told Ryoma everything he knew. Long story short, these rasetsu can self-heal, are weak to sunlight and however injuries inflicted with silver won't be healed. Your best shot at finishing them off is a fatal headshot" he cocks his pistol mimicking the act of blowing a Rasetsu's head off " They're still much stronger than a normal human though, buut, you guys have a good chance."

I cross my arms and look at him "Ok, so assuming that Chikage-dono and you guys aren't messing with me, oni have the ability to self heal along with superior abilities compared to humans. and...that's why the Bakufu are trying to turn their men into Rasetsu?"

"Correct." Kogoro-nii speaks first and the atmosphere descends into silence. "..." If things weren't already difficult enough with human enemies, but now things like oni and rasetsu were involved as well? "argh...this is so difficult." I mutter under my breath as Kogoro-nii chuckles and shrugs "We're not entirely without help though, for we have true oni on our side. Finding a countermeasure should be simple. Besides-"

I never got to hear what he had to say since that moment the door goes flying open and a red haired ball of energy leaps onto the table. The new arrival helps himself to the remainder of manju and squishes himself between Kogoro-nii and myself. Nobody bats an eyelid since we're all used to Okada Izo's frantic and childish behaviour. "*munch* I was just killing some ronin before!" he licks his fingers happily and steals the manju I'm about to put into my mouth. "*munch* You know, the Roshigumi have been increasing patrols lately, *munch* that's why I've been so busy lately. But! They're so weak its kinda boring. You should join me again sometime Kiricchi" He wipes his sticky fingers onto Goro-nii's, or to be more accurate, my kimono and stretches leisurely , ignoring the fact that Goro-nii is frantically trying to get rid of the food stains from my kimono.

"You know, it still amazes me how someone as childish and transparent as you is one of the hitokiri." Goro-nii sighs and folds my partially destroyed kimono neatly across his lap as Izo-kun begins stacking the sake cups up high. "Anyway, regarding the matter at hand, I've heard rumours of internal unrest within the Roshigumi ranks. Basically, they're split into two separate factions. One side supports Serizawa Kamo, and the other is in favour of Kondo Isami."

Serizawa is a face I'm somewhat well acquainted with while Kondo is one who I've only caught glimpses of from time to time. Though based on the information I've heard, while Serizawa leads the Roshigumi, many members respect him either out of fear , intimidation or debt and Kondo on the other hand is a natural born leader who most of the powerful Roshigumi members are fiercely loyal towards. "So, in other words, there's a power struggle? I bet the Kondo faction will try to eliminate Serizawa at some point and take over the Roshigumi with Kondo as the new leader."

Izo-kun jolts upright as the tower of sake cups falls to the ground, rolling everywhere and blinks with surprise. "Ah ! I heard about that too. Maybe we should get rid of Serizawa and blame it on Kondo's faction. The Roshigumi will be in turmoil." He taps his sheathed sword gently on his shoulders, his eyes gleaming with excitement while Goro-nii and Shin-chan frown with concentration. "No. That's not something we should do in this situation. They'll probably use us as an excuse to declare an official war...and we can't do that. It'll put our comrades in danger."

Izo hangs his head in disappointment and groans "ahhh~ but I'm kinda bored here. Oh well, we can go hunting the rasetsu anytime right?" He grins widely and laughs "that should be ok since swords are used to protect and I'll be protecting people by killing them~" Shin-chan narrows his eyes and thinks for a moment "Hmmm. We still shouldn't make a move now. The chances of us being cornered are high."

"Agreed." Kogoro-nii nods his head in agreement "The best course of action at the moment is to wait and see. Though we'll need confirmation on when the assassination will take place." he rubs his forehead deep in thought and the atmosphere turns serious again "*geh*" Izo-kun chokes loudly and begins coughing as his face reddens. "Pssh! That's why you gotta slow down when eating, kid!" Shiranui-san, I mean Kyo laughs at him and everyone bursts out laughing with Izo-kun staring blankly at them.

"...I don't get it." he frowns and coughs a few more times. "was it something I said?"

~X~X~X~

"I'm sorry about borrowing your kimono like that."

I shrug and wave a hand carelessly "It's all in the past now. Besides Shin-chan was cracking up so hard! Kyo too! Onii-sama doesn't laugh as much as they do so it's nice!"

"...haha..." Kogoro-nii smiles and laughs quietly "You still haven't told him your feelings?" I freeze in place and whirl around to face him "..told who what?" My voice rises to a squeak as I feel my cheeks turning red against my will, Kogoro-nii just smiles and shakes his head knowingly "You like Shinsaku-san don't you?" He slows his pace to match mine and stays quiet while I stutter and mumble to myself "...uh...wha...ehh..well...i...maybe...bu...wa...how?" I lower my gaze at my feet, watching with concentration as my foot rises and drops onto the ground with every step I take. The usual sounds of people going about their daily business surrounds me as Kogoro-nii thinks to himself. Fine, ignore me while I'm squirming in embarrassment. I click my tongue and look around the streets, we've somehow veered off from the normal route and instead we're going the long way through the trading district. "..Hmm...well it's pretty obvious...from an outsider's perspective at least." He chuckles as I feel my face burn hotter than before and mutter some gibberish in response . "Only you and Shinsaku-san are unaware. He's always off in his own world and you're...dense." I open my mouth to protest but he waves a hand apologetically "I mean that only in terms of relationships...anyway, if you don't tell him soon, either one of you will be snatched away by another."

I laugh a little too loudly at this "*pfft* Shin-chan with another person I can understand, since he's the ideal man. but me? *pfft* nobody would be interested in a manly woman like me..who...whose only use is as a weapon against the Bakufu...besides..." I shove my hands through my sleeves and stare at the ground in embarrassment "I don't want to ruin our current relationship as brother and sister...I'm happy with things staying the same way right now...huh?" Kogoro-nii holds my hand gently and pats my head "You're a very kind person Yugiri-kun. Maybe it's time you were selfish for once." I snort and brush my hair back to normal while trying to hide the smile on my face "ah~ you worry too much Goro-nii! I'm a warrior before I am a woman." he sighs as I break free and skip off down the road, bowing in greeting to all the people passing by though the inside of my head is spinning. How...does everyone know I like Shin-chan? I don't behave any differently around him do I? and as for people liking me? the thought makes me laugh. The last man I had been with was a weirdo. Despite being told I was only using him to forget about my first love, he was still happy with it. Well, strange people do exist after all. If a woman as horrible, selfish and petty as Oyuki could get married and have a child as cute as Kosuzu, I suppose. Sighing to myself, I stop and stare as we pass a very familiar building. The red roof and the white front are still the same, though the sign at the front has been repainted and now hangs at a crooked angle. Quickening my pace as I walk closer to the entrance, I grit my teeth as the door slams open and someone I don't want to see notices me.

"ah! Yugiri-neesan!" A young boy in his late teens drops the sack of rice onto the ground, ignoring the yells of anger from the old man within the building and rushes towards us. I recognise him as Mimegumi Yukinari...Kazu's younger brother; and give him the brightest smile I can manage. "Yuki-kun! Have you been eating well?" Kazuo-ojiichan been well? and Mitsu-chan?" I pat him affectionately on the head and pinch his cheek while he whines with fake protest "yeah yeah, I've been fine nee-san. Jii-chan's back has been hurting so I've been helping out with the deliveries!" he rubs his nose proudly and puffs his chest with pride as I pinch his cheek again "That's amazing Yuki-kun!" he grins and smacks his chest "Just you wait nee-san! I'll be even manlier than ani-ue and marry you! ah!" his eyes widen at something behind me and I calmly stay where I am, waiting for the moment to strike. "KANCHO!" I swerve to the right as a set of tiny fingers fly past my leg and slam into the ground. "...uwaah!" The owner of the fingers, a little boy of around 8 years old pouts as he sits up and glares at me with tears trickling down his cheeks. "...you're too fast. " he sniffles and hugs the legs of Yuki-kun, his face peeking out from between his older brother's legs. "onee-chan...you're so mean!"

I bend down to face him and bow my head apologetically, children can be blunt and brutally honest. In other ways, he was right though, it was partially my fault Kazu had died that day so calling me 'mean' was an understatement. I bite my lip and clap my hands together to apologise "yes, onee-chan is very mean. so grow up strong and beat onee-chan up one day alright?" Mitsunari-kun puffs his cheeks and turns to face Kogoro-nii who waves "ah! The ani-neesan!" he screeches and runs off inside the house, peeking through the door with a pouty expression on his face.

"ani-neesan?..." Kogoro-nii sweatdrops and turns to Yuki-kun for an explanation "um, well since Katsura-san looks like a neesan but since I told him to call you 'ani-ue'...well Mitsu gets confused and just calls you that." Kogoro-nii nods slowly and glances at his reflection in the window while mumbling something about looking too feminine and not getting off all the makeup from before. "well...take care of yourself Yuki-kun. If you ever need help, don't hesitate to ask me. ok?"

He nods and disappears inside, hefting the rice sack onto his shoulders and nodding to me before the door slams shut. I guess it wouldn't hurt to check up on Yuki-kun and Mitsu-kun once in a while, since that's the least I can do to help. "Don't be so hard on yourself." Kogoro-nii pats my back gently and smiles "Come on, you've got a teahouse to manage now don't you?"

I groan and sigh "yes..yes..I haven't forgotten obaa-san. Hmm, didn't Izo say something about someone coming in to pass on some information?" I vaguely remember the redhead mentioning something along those lines in his usual deadpan voice while stuffing his face with sweets. Well, someone as responsible as Kogoro-nii would probably remember. "Ah, that completely slipped my mind. Well, then we should separate now Yugiri-kun." I wave as Kogoro-nii heads off down another road and he quickly rushes back "don't do anything reckless now."

"Ah~ you worry too much! I'll be fine!"

~Roshigumi Headquarters~

The atmosphere within the room the Roshigumi currently used for council meetings was tense as Niimi confirmed the number of Rasetsu had increased. A victorious smile was plastered over the faces of him and Serizawa as their goals of a powerful and hopefully undefeatable army were made closer. The other members present had clear disapproval on their faces, Hijikata's jaw clenched tightly as he rubbed his forehead and cleared his throat "...while this...may have some advantages, I don't approve of the methods used to achieve these results."

"Hah! As if you could come up with a better method!" A smirk crept on Serizawa's wolfish face as he pointed his tessen at Niimi " You can make more of those warriors quickly can't you? Just hurry up with making that elixir."

"Elixir?" Hijikata's eyebrows rose as he turned quickly to the mousey man seated next to Serizawa. Niimi's face twitched slightly as he grunted and crossed his arms "I'm not at liberty to speak with you on how I obtained the original formula. Besides, we have that man who studies western medicine to help don't we?"

"And that same man is currently gone. We also have his daughter here with us , hopefully her presence would assist in locating him." Serizawa only scowled "just how many stray dogs do you intend to house here eh? one mutt is already enough" he aimed a glare at Ryunosuke who flinched and stared at the ground blankly.

Hijikata's patience was running thin as he sighed again "The number of missing persons has increased. While we've been fortunate enough to allow you to experiment on the Choshu and Satsuma criminals, the fact that some innocent civilians may have been cut down by stray Rasetsu is a worry." He glared at Niimi and spoke slowly "I can't condone this sort of behaviour."

"Pssh. Who cares about one or two casualties." Serizawa grinned and waved his tessen idly at the close to exploding Hijikata "As long as the end result is satisfactory, that's all I care about. Gehahahaha!"

"Hey, did you know?" Okita Souji grinned , seemingly oblivious of the current mood of the room and leant back against the wall, his arms folded behind his head "I've hear rumours that Benigawa Oborodzuki has appeared again."

"Benigawa...Oborodzuki?" Ryunosuke narrowed his eyes with confusion and looked to Kondo for further clarification, to which the man kindly obliged. "There are currently 4 individuals who act as mercenaries, though from their past acts; it's safe to say they side with the Emperor. They've gained a reputation for being unparalleled as assassins, hence people refer to them as the '4 legendary hitokiri'. basically..." he scratched his head as Ryunosuke nodded intently for him to continue " Based on what I've heard, there are 3 men, Benigawa Oborodzuki, Okada Izo, Kirino Yukito and one woman, Niou'u Setsura. Out of the 4, the one known as Benigawa Oborodzuki; or the 'red painter' is the most dangerous and skilled."

"I'd like to fight against someone like that. Provided he's real of course." Sanosuke smiled with excitement at the thought of a potentially dangerous fight with a powerful enemy and grinned widely. "Oi, you better leave some for me Sano." Shinpachi laughed and elbowed his friend good naturedly.

"*sigh* So boring..." I idly polish the teacups and stack them neatly onto the shelf while several of the patrons chat softly amongst themselves. Since I don't see any of the familiar blue and white, I'm guessing that the Roshigumi are probably not coming by today. Makes sense since I heard rumours that Serizawa had been in an unusually foul mood lately. Busying myself with the task of preparing some more tea, I barely register the face of the new customer as I shove the teacup in front of them.

"Ara, the tea is just lovely. Perhaps it's because you know the sensation of death?." The tall woman in front of me smiles mysteriously and sips her tea elegantly "no matter where I go, your tea is unsurpassed Sho-chan." She sets her teacup down onto the table with a light 'clink' and runs her thin fingers around the rim of the cup. "It'd be nice if the girls down at Shimabara could make tea like yours."

"Please don't bother poisoning anyone today. You're just going to cause me huge problems again. Besides, Shimabara is just next door. You're not that lazy are you? " I snatch the cup away from her as she sticks her tongue out and takes another from the customer behind her. He turns bright red and hands it to her, murmuring a 'please , take whatever you like.' while she giggles and bats her eyelids flirtatiously "Niou'u Setsura. Aren't you listening to me, you loose woman?" The veins on my head and possibly all the women in the teahouse threaten to burst as Setsura basks in the envious stares of all the men who look transfixed at her. Not that I don't blame them, Setsura is an incredibly good looking woman and even I find myself staring at her sometimes.

"Oh please. You're no fun at all." She purses her lips and raises her finger slowly so I can see a faint blue hue on the tip of her finger. "I should be the one telling you not to call me by that name as well! " Her long black fringe casts a shadow over her eyes as her pale red lips curl into a smirk "...you know..." She closes her mouth abruptly and sticks her tongue out through the corner of her mouth, licking the tip of her finger like a cat "it's been awhile since all of us have been together in the same place. Kirino, you, me but Izo-kun isn't here right now ...fufufu he's probably cleaning up-"

" Why are you here? Natsumura Fujiko? " I slam the kettle lid closed loudly, making Ofuji-obaasan who is sitting in the front to jump in her seat with shock "I'm working at the moment and your presence is ...annoying."

"Forgive me for wanting to share some news." She speaks in a tone dripping with sarcasm and turns away slightly "It seems the wolves will hunt their leader sometime this week. 2 days from now." She pauses and fiddles with her obi as her voice drops to barely a whisper "Saito and Hijikata are in charge of the assassination. Harada, Okita and Toudou are charged with guarding the perimeter and ensuring the number of witnesses are kept minimal."

Her ability to gather information so well sometimes terrifies me. Especially since she's also the type of person who would gleefully use that particular information as a weapon against another. All those times I've been forced to do her bidding flood back to me as I shudder "How...did you find out all this, and in such fine detail?" Setsura only places a thin finger over her lips and giggles seductively as she stands up "fufufu..." As she points her right pinky towards me, her left hand rests gently on her curved hip as she smirks "Before my charms, all men are wrapped around this one finger. Siphoning the information out of them then is child's play...you should try it out sometime." Smiling seductively at me, she sits back down and flicks her long hair over her shoulders, causing the hearts of all her admirers to flutter madly. I facepalm and return to preparing tea for other patrons. I don't have to wait long since the door flies open as Serizawa marches in, flanked by a pissed off Hijikata and blank Saito on either side while Ibuki-kun tip toes meekly in behind them.

"Welcome honoured guests, please make yourselves at home." Reciting the standard greeting and plastering a plastic smile on my face, I bow and sweep my kimono back. "What would you like to order?"

"The usual, woman." Serizawa snaps rudely and sits down heavily, smacking Ibuki-kun as he hurries to the table and shrinks back in his seat. I bow politely and supress the urge to fuse his face with the table, after all I can't do anything to damage Kasamori Tetsu-sama's property can I? I trudge back to the stove and give Hijikata a polite nod. "Teehee...heee." Sitting behind the Roshigumi, Setsura giggles loudly and from the sparkle in her eyes, I just know this will be a difficult situation to control. I subtly motion for her to do nothing, but her smile widens as she winks at me. "Ara, such a handsome man." She swishes over to Hijikata and strokes his face as he almost chokes on his tea and frowns at her. "You must be Hijikata-sama from the Roshigumi..." her eyelashes flutter delicately as she covers her face bashfully and drops her hands slowly, drawing attention to her incredibly low cut kimono, and of course her very impressive assets in all their glory. "...Yes. I am..." Stone-cold Hijikata isn't reduced to a drooling heap as he clears his throat and closes his eyes "...do you perhaps have something you want to say?" Amazing. Even in a situation where a temptress like Setsura is practically forcing herself on him, Hijikata Toshizo can maintain his self-control. I stop what I'm doing and stare enthralled at the scene in front of me, along with everyone else.

"Mmm, I was just curious about this boy here." She swishes over to Ibuki-kun and ruffles his hair playfully as he spits out his tea. "Now why is this pure little boy playing with the men of the Roshigumi?" I pray desperately in my mind for some higher power to perform a miracle and stop the idiot from doing something to draw attention to me. "Hmph." Serizawa smirks and points at him mockingly "This is just a stray puppy I picked up. Useless as he is, he's a damn good artist. Gehehe!" he laughs heartily and smacks Ibuki-kun on the back each time "hey mutt, if you can paint something good enough to impress me, you're free to go."

Setsura giggles and places a finger on Serizawa's mouth as I shudder with revulsion and remind myself to keep my distance from her...ah! Setsura's fingers. Serizawa's mouth. Lips. Poison. Argh! What is that idiot thinking? Attempting to poison a prominent member of the Roshigumi, in broad daylight and in MY teahouse? Since she's the hitokiri known for stealth, I would have expected something far less noticeable than this. "That's a promise! Onii-sama!" she winks at him and turns to face Ibuki-kun who is staring open mouthed at her "...uh...um...I'll be sure to do so..that is...when I...intend to leave.." Saito smiles quietly to himself and sips his tea "I'll make certain to remember as well." Thinking about something to himself, he looks up at Setsura and blinks at her "...I don't suppose we've met before?" She purses her lips and crosses her arms thoughtfully "Ara, I would remember if it's a man as handsome as you, but I wouldn't mind leaving you something to remember me b-"

"FUJIKO!" I've had enough. My poor sanity won't hold any longer. Not with that fool doing whatever she wants like that. Throwing a pair of chopsticks towards her head, everyone turns to face me as Setsura casually catches them with a delicate hand and smiles innocently at me "...yes? Sho-chan? What seems to be the problem?" My knuckles threaten to explode through my fists as I clench the edge of the counter angrily "...this...isn't...Shimabara...so...plea-"

*clap* The sound of someone clapping their hands interrupts me, fortunately for Setsura since I was planning to ram the kettle into her pretty face and hopefully cause a burn or two. "Now now, a pretty girl like you shouldn't be so quick to fly into rage." A man sitting at the back removes his straw hat and winks at me " Sorry about my sister, I'll take her away before she causes trouble and punish her for misbehaving. That sound good? Osho-chan?" I open my mouth wide and quickly snap it shut as I instantly put a name to the mysterious new man. Haha, a small smile escapes my lips. To think that all 4 hitokiri would be in Kyoto right now. Now that Kirino onii-chan had arrived, I'm guesing something big is going to happen. I bow lightly to him and signal 'get rid of her' before responding casually "Ah...yes. Of course. I should also apologise for losing my temper like that..ahahaha..."

As the man walks briskly to me, he places a small bag of coins onto the counter and mouths a 'pass this on quickly.' before grabbing Setsura by the hair and dragging her off. Hijikata eyeballs the two and murmurs something softly to Saito who nods and stares blankly at me. "..." I stare back and bow awkwardly as I tuck the bag into my obi for safekeeping.

~Mt. Kurama~

"...so.." The woman reclining casually along the bed cast a scornful glance at Osen and Kimigiku who bowed politely and entered the room. "To think an oni would trouble themselves coming to Mt. Kurama . Hmph." She lit the pipe next to her and frowned with annoyance. It was hardly cause for celebration when someone came to visit, however when the visitor in question was a damned oni it was a different story. "Speak. "

Osen nodded respectfully, her long earrings swaying as she moved and bowed low in front of the woman, who could be inferred to hold a position which commanded respect and humility. "Hanamizakura no Ankou...uh...Ankou Gozen." Lifting her head up high, she laid her hands in her lap and looked directly at the bored looking young woman in front of her "I simply felt it was the only polite thing to do, since I'm an outsider it is necessary to pay my respects to the Mt. Kurama tengu empress and the leader of the Kyoto Yokai."

"...Stating the facts won't get you anywhere." Blowing a cloud of sweet smelling smoke from her pipe, Hanamizakura no Ankou shrugged and tapped her pipe thoughtfully against the small vase she used as an ashtray , as she cast a glance at her guests. The brown haired girl carried herself with the grace required of a high born lady while the other woman, despite being much prettier; knelt behind Sen in the same manner as a bodyguard would. "...even through death you continue to annoy me Suzuka." muttered Ankou as she saw the similarities between Suzuka and her descendant, Sen. "Cheh, you're exactly the same as Suzuka. Huh, reminds me, how're Nadeshiko's brats? the Yukimura whelps I mean."

Sen cast a glance down at her hands and sighed "Kaoru is with the Nagumo clan in the north, from what I've heard he's joined with the Tosa clan...and as for Chizuru..." She looked up at Ankou's dull violet eyes and blinked with surprise "..ah, Chizuru is currently in Kyoto. Actually, that's the reason I've come to visit you."

"Huh. Figures." Ankou rolled from her side to her back and examined her fingers carefully " I knew you had an ulterior motive. Forget about it." She sat up suddenly and cast a serious look at the two female oni, her dull violet eyes sharpening to a deadly purple gleam. "Why should we tengu involve ourselves with matters of the oni world? It doesn't concern me." shrugging her shoulders, she reached for her pipe and placed it leisurely between her teeth with a smug look on her face. "Now then, begone."

"it is something that concerns you! " Sen's voice became louder as her patience began to wear out, the elders back home had told her that requesting the help of the Kurama Daitengu was a hopeless task, but she had reassured them it would be fine. This was something she couldn't back down from now. " Chizuruhime is being involved with humans who have gotten their hands on the forbidden Ochimizu. As of this moment, they are transforming humans into Rasetsu which are running rampant along the streets of Kyoto."

That got Ankou's attention. " . Dare. They. Kyoto is my domain. " slamming her pipe onto the bed, she rubbed her forehead and scowled "Brat. What else?"

Keeping her urge to dance victoriously suppressed, Osen smiled and relaxed a little " Kazama Chikage is also here in Kyoto. He's allied himself with the Choshu and is threatening the Roshigumi...who Chizuru is being protected by. The Choshu are dangerous and yet...he's.."

"So?" Ankou merely raised an eyebrow with boredom "You should know as well as I do that we are supposed to side with Amaterasu's descendants no matter what." she trailed off and chuckled softly "Speaking of the Choshu... that ingrate is hanging around there...ufufu...oi. What's the whelp doing here in Kyoto?" A pair of black wings slowly unfurled from behind her back as she stretched an arm and rubbed her shoulders "I hardly think he's here for sightseeing."

"You're correct about that...Ankou Gozen." Osen twisted her fingers together in her lap. This was the main reason she was here and how she went about this would determine many things. "Kazama intends to kidnap Chizuru and forcefully make her his bride-"

"*pfft* AHAHAHAHAHA!" Much to Osen's dismay, Ankou found it hilarious and roared with laughter as she rocked in the air, her wings flapping around and creating a storm of wind and feathers. "Huh. I never realised the Kazama whelp was such a cherry boy. Do what you want. My only concern is the removal of Rasetsu."

"..." Osen turned red and covered her face bashfully at the tengu's statement but gasped in surprise as a sheet of paper flew right onto her face. "eek! W-what is...this?" On it, a detailed map had been drawn along with a list of instructions.

"Brat." Ankou smiled and stood up slowly, her kimono trailing along the ground as she pointed her pipe at Osen "Do what it says. There's someone you should meet." Chuckling to herself, she smirked with amusement "As infuriating they may be, this person may be extremely helpful. Also, tell them exactly what I've written down." she paused to exhale another cloud of smoke and chuckled " When it comes to cleaning up, that ingrate is unparalleled."

"...so who is this person?"Osen couldn't help but ask out of curiosity. Ankou exhaled another cloud of smoke and smirked "Benigawa Oborodzuki."

Lots of new faces in this chapter~ :D, since its kinda confusing, here's a little something XD (kinda like a regressed version of my database in BDTM XD) Thanks to everyone who favourited/followed/read/reviewed!

~ Records from Kurama Shrine~

Hanamizakura no Ankou (aka Ankou, Kakouryuryoku)

The temperamental, cold and arrogant Kurama daitengu who also rules the Kyoto yokai. Always acting on her whims, she constantly neglects her duties as a leader and makes it clear she cares little about matters of the oni or human world. Despite her youthful appearance, she is far older than she looks (1560 years) and likewise, her speech and smoking patterns reflect this.

-she looks like Suzunoha from Wagakki Band

-her name Hanamizakura no Ankou means ' fleeting cherry blossom scent' and her other name Kakouryuryoku means ' beautiful scenery'

Niou'u Setsura (aka Natsumura Fujiko)

Beautiful and mysterious, she is renowned as the hitokiri specializing in stealth assassinations due to her mastery of poisons and hidden weapons. Combined with her confident and enchanting personality, her ability to gather accurate information makes her a useful ally and a deadly enemy. Unfortunately she is more suited to be an oiran rather than an assassin.

-looks like Nyotengu from Dead or Alive

-Niou'u means ' fragnance' and Setsura means ' killing beauty'

Okada Izo (based on the Izo in Urakata..so he's basically your ultra cute resident yandere who has a sweet tooth and is a deadly assassin. Lovely.)

Kirino Yukito

His laid back appearance and cheerful demeanor contrast sharply to his disregard for lives of those he considers enemies or his targets. Is renowned among the hitokiri for being the most skilled though many scorn him as the 'unfaithful swordsman' due to his mastery of more than one sword style and complete disregard for Bushido. Since he is the oldest among the 4 ( aged 45) he has the most experience on and off the battlefield which has enabled him to blend in seamlessly with society and be on close terms with Bakufu supporters and their enemies.

Benigawa Oborodzuki (Oboro)

Considered the hitokiri most shrouded in mystery, his existence is debatable and thought to be mere rumours by many. Known to be the fastest and most deadly among the 4, he is a master at long distance fighting and is a disciple of the Kurama daitengu. As for those who have crossed his path, he is a man of little words, always wearing a Hannya mask and prefers to speak with his blade.

-Benigawa means 'Red lake' and Oborodzuki means' hazy moon'