God bless Cha's Aegis' insane ideas. Banana joke was all her idea.
unicornmeat3 - Patience, young grasshopper. They'll learn. In fact, I hate to break it to you, but how they find it is the exact opposite of what you just suggested. Unlike with the guys finding out Chizuru was an oni at the same time in canon, I'm taking a different, if not slower route. Don't worry, though. I'll keep the action up until one of the boys finds out.
ArchimedesAckermann - You hit the hammer right on the nail. It's gonna be awhile, but hey, we'll have fun with the guessing games until then, right?
And to the two guests and reviewers on tumblr and Ao3, I THANK THEE FOR THY BEAUTIOUS (I know that's not a word, shuddup) WORDS!
Also, Kaoru fans, look out! Kaoru's in this chapter!
And to Mocha, your cake is in chapter 8. Which will be up tomorrow. Look forward to it!
NOTE: THIS IS THE CENSORED VERSION. YOU CAN FIND THE UNCENSORED VERSION ON AO3!
-::The Unfortunate Werewolf::-
-:Chapter VII – The Mystery Thickens:-
~*August 20, 1864*~
The Change began right as they were walking through the gates of headquarters.
Her spine suddenly snapped, beginning to reposition itself for the upcoming transformation. Stumbling forward, she excused herself hurriedly before darting inside, sprinting into her room and slamming the door shut.
"Chizuru!" She heard Hijikata shout her name as her spine snapped and popped. Grinding her teeth, she resisted the urge to scream. She couldn't even use her old trick, either. Her hands flew over her clothes, nearly tearing them off as she desperately tried to remove the garments quickly. Her shoulder blades were already bulging out and her hair was turning white by the time she removed everything.
"Oi, Chizuru!" Hijikata was already in front of the closed door. Chizuru snatched the blanket off the floor and threw it over her.
Don't come in, don't come in, she thought, pleading with any god to hear her.
"Hijikata-san, let's leave her be." It was Nagakura. Chizuru bent over, crunching her sides as claws grew over her fingernails, cutting into her hips and drawing blood. Chizuru then tried to ease herself down to her knees as Nagakura and Hijikata talked right outside her door.
"She saw a lot today. Just give her some place, okay?" It was Nagakura again, speaking in a low voice. He must not want Chizuru to hear him, even though she technically could.
Hijikata replied with, "… Fine. It's been a busy day, anyway." He then raised his voice, addressing Chizuru through the screen, "Oi, Chizuru. Get some rest. We'll talk in the morning."
She hissed in a quick breath before forcing her voice to sound as normal as possible. "A-alright!" Her voice hitched at the end a bit, and she quickly bit her lip, hopefully no one noticed.
Thankfully, Hijikata and Nagakura had already left. She sighed before letting out a strangled grunt. Changing here was too dangerous. Yet she couldn't just leave…
Or could she?
Xxxx
When she jumped over the fence of the compound, no one stopped her. Naked and alone, she made a mad dash for an alley, before scaling the walls onto the roof. There she transformed into her monstrous form under the cursed light of the moon.
But hell wasn't over yet. The images of her deeds flashed in front of her eyes again and again, torturing her, reminding her of what she had done.
The Wolf had been satisfied with the kill. The death of one of Alpha-jiji's murderers had brought a cold chill of pleasure down its spine. But it thirsted for more. It craved the flesh of Alpha-jiji's other murderers, the whole group of men who took its alpha from it.
But The Oni wanted no more bloodshed. She pled with The Wolf to calm itself, to be satisfied with one death. The Oni reminded The Wolf it had slaughtered other men along with the killer. Were those deaths not enough?
But none of them had been Alpha-jiji's killer. Only one of them bore the sin, and the rest were in the way. They were also a threat to the Shinsengumi, a threat to her. The Wolf had seen the fire from the mountain, had felt the heat on its fur, a familiar yet faint sensation that it had seen this image before.
It hadn't, but The Oni had.
The Oni had seen her village burn. She had seen her family slaughtered, and her mother and father taken from her. Not too shortly after that, she lost her twin brother, and her mentor attacked her in his lupine form, infecting her with The Wolf's curse.
Thinking back to the encounter, The Wolf had only gone up the mountain to kill Alpha-jiji's murderer. Once it did that, The Wolf had calmed down, that is, until it saw the first wisps of smoke. The Oni, still haunted by the memory, wailed in terror and sorrow, and The Wolf, sensing the danger, charged into the clearing.
These men were responsible for the fire. They had told their omegas to burn, burn, burn until nothing was left. So The Wolf took it upon itself to protect The Oni, its friend, and kill them all. The destruction had only gotten that bad because they had all struggled and tried to flee. If they had really wanted to die, they would have let The Wolf slice their throats open. Slitting throats was a faster way to go then slitting stomachs, anyway.
But no, no, The Oni kept repeating over and over that the killing was wrong, that they should have been arrested for their crimes. It was not The Wolf's duty to enact vengeance or justice. This was none of their business.
The fight continued on her mind, The Oni and The Wolf fighting for control. Frustration, Chizuru howled to the sky, both sides cursing their unfortunate, cruel fates.
Xxxxx
Chikage looked up from his sake cup, tilting his head slightly to the side and listening carefully.
The wail was unlike previous nights where he would catch a wolf howl. In fact, it sounded enraged or frustrated. Once the howl faded, Chikage stared out the window of the room he was temporarily lodging it.
On the subject of animals, Chikage's mind drifted to this afternoon, where he crossed blades with the Shinsengumi's vice commander. He had continued to play with Hijikata Toshizo until Amagiri came, sadly spoiling the fun.
Although, admittedly, he had gotten slightly bored without the female oni around. There was so much mystery surrounding her origins. After all, female oni were rare; he couldn't think of one female who wasn't safely guarded by her family.
Yet there she was, protecting a human from him, a fellow oni. And again, near Mount Tennou.
Chikage did wish he had some more time in talking with the girl. Perhaps he would have figured out her identity if he had demanded her surname. There were two things he could surmise about her thus far; one was that she came from a direct family line and, she possessed a kodachi crafted by oni hands.
But that was all he knew, and that frustrated him. A female oni of pure blood was especially hard to come by, and when one is practically dropped on his lap, he felt it was his duty to remove her from her current situation. Most likely she or a member of her family was indebted to someone in the Shinsengumi. Why else would she be there? Especially, with what Amagiri told him, there was so unsavory rumors about the Shinsengumi.
One particular rumor that caught his attention was the apparent creation of demonic beings incapable of dying. That rumor seemed to hold some ground, and Amagiri was currently looking into its validity. Another rumor had just begun today, over the mauled corpses from Mount Tennou.
Chikage himself didn't know what had happened in that clearing. A (rather small) part of him had felt pity for those warriors who had gone up there to cut open their stomachs. It's not like he cared about humans, but he was willing to acknowledge a man's desire to die in a certain fashion. Still, it had been a fleeting feeling, lasting only for a few moments before another emotion took over.
A sense of dread.
Judging by how the corpses were handled, they were dealing with something ruthless. Even the hagureoni (rogue oni) had standards, and he had never heard of something capable of tearing a person limb from limb. Well, except from old wives' tales and ghost stories.
Either way, Chikage picked up the sake cup, a smile slowly forming on his lips, I can't let this just slide. For the sake of fellow oni, I will get to the bottom of this.
Xxxx
Heisuke touched the banana he had hidden under his night gown again, making sure it was there. He felt somewhat ridiculous for carrying it around, but after having tried and failed on finding any traces of the beast, he had attempted to work on his style of tracking it down.
Three days ago, he had snuck some smelly leftovers from dinner, something Souji had cooked up that, in all honesty, shouldn't even be fed to dogs, much less people. He had hoped, however, that the smell would lure the creature out.
It hadn't, and he had been stuck explaining to Hijikata when his clothes stunk that morning.
This time around, he had grabbed a banana, relieved he wouldn't have to be dealing with rancid food if he fails.
Although, the concept of failure didn't matter to Heisuke. He had to find this creature, some kind of proof of its existence, to show that something had come to the Shinsengumi headquarters. He wasn't going to stop until he proved its existence, no matter what.
With the full moon as his only guide, he stalked outside the compound, occasionally checking the banana. He was about to round the corner to the Yagi bathhouse when Sano, looking slightly disheveled, stepped out. The spearman nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw Heisuke, but then again, Heisuke didn't fare any better, yelling and stumbling back.
It was only when both parties realized who the other was that they calmed down.
"Dammit, Sano-san!" Heisuke snapped, relief in his tone, "When did you become a ninja? You just came out of nowhere!"
"I could say the same to you," Sano replied, smirking. "Normally, you're a lot louder, Mr. Forerunner."
"Haha, very funny." Heisuke looked behind the tall redhead towards the bathhouse, his eyebrow perked. "What were you doing in there?"
Suddenly, a flicker of something, Heisuke didn't know what, flashed over Sano's face before disappearing back into a smile. "Stuff." His gaze cast downward, and the smile widened. "Hey, Heisuke, you got something in your gown, or you just happy to see me?"
"Huh?" Heisuke placed his hand on the banana, realizing the position it was in and how it was most likely looking like to everyone else. "N-no!" He jerked out the banana and pointed at it fiercely. "I'm just looking for the monster I saw a month ago! That's all!"
"With a banana?" Sano placed his hands on hips, unconvinced.
Heisuke nodded, shoving the banana out in front of him. "You bet! This is my bait. I tried using other types of food, but it never came out. But this time, for sure, I'll catch it in the act!"
"If you say so." Sano shook his head, then, suddenly, a thought struck him. He looked back at Heisuke, his voice now stern. "Heisuke, don't talk about this monster of yours around Chizuru, okay? Even if you do find evidence of it."
Heisuke lowered the banana to his side. "Huh? Why?"
"You heard about the conditions the bodies were in, right?"
"Oh." That's right. Hijikata had made a big hubbub about it, gathering the rest of the troops and informing of what the unit on site already knew. Heisuke had felt sick at the thought. And there was the detail of—
"Chizuru was the one who…"
Sano nodded solemnly. "Yeah. I'm guessing Hijikata-san wants to keep this issue hush-hush, not just for our sakes, but for Chizuru, too. She apparently took it pretty hard. Can't blame her."
Heisuke hung his head. Scratching the back of his head, he nodded and smiled up at Sano. "Don't you worry, Sano-san!" he declared. "I won't say a word of this to Chizuru-chan! This is my mission and mine alone!"
Sano laughed. "Yeah, it sure is. Well, I hope the best for you. Just, uh, make sure you don't traumatize anyone in your attempts, okay?"
"Hey, it was an accident! Don't get the wrong idea, okay?! Sano-san! Sano-san, don't you dare tell Shinpattssuan!"
Xxxx
Somewhere in Edo, at the same time…
"Kaoru! Kaoru, for kami's sake, slow down!"
In the darkness, said individual raised his lupine head, snorting before turning and trotting away on all four. His traveling companion sighed, shaking his head before continuing on following the wolf-like creature in the night.
The moonlight lit the deserted streets of the suburban area, allowing the older man to see where he was going with relative ease. His furry companion, Kaoru, had no need for the extra light, his keen yellow eyes glaring through the open street, occasionally pausing to sniff before moving on.
The man had, at first, been concerned with allowing Kaoru to roam the streets out in the open, but, from a distance, he could see why Kaoru had insisted it would be fine. From the back, and with the distance he had, Kaoru merely looked like a large white furred wolf. His feet and hands were positioned in such a way that they gave the illusion of paws if one bothered to not notice the long fingers and presence of a thumb.
Still, the only people at this time of night were the drunks and ill-willed, and neither would be believed if they decided to sprout out how they had seen a manwolf walking the streets of Edo. And Kaoru failed to show any signs of human-like intelligence, behaving perfectly like any animal. Civilians would be hard pressed to buy such a fable, especially with more important things to worry about, like how Kyoto had apparently been burned in a fire and the Imperial Palace attacked.
Perhaps it was a good thing these events happened the night Dr. Matsumoto Ryojun and his apprentice Kaoru decided to follow through with the request of a young Chizuru, daughter of Ryujon's friend, Dr. Yukimura.
Kaoru had been rather insistent on responding to Chizuru's call for help. Ryojun couldn't blame the boy either; it had been nine years since he had lost his twin sister, who ironically bore the same name as Kodo's daughter.
Kaoru and Chizuru had never met, sadly, due to Ryojun never officially adopting Kaoru until last year, and the lack of Ryojun going over to Kodo's clinic in the past year as well. Admittedly, he had found it first amusing to see Chizuru and Kaoru looking both very similar, and he been too foolish to not put two-and-two together when Kaoru mentioned how he had a twin sister named Chizuru.
The parallels were too suspicious to be coincidental, he had to admit. Honestly, what were the chances of there being two Chizurus out there that looked like Kaoru? Sadly, though, with Ryojun's job as a physician, he had little time to actually attempt to check in on Chizuru. Mishandling of the mail had led to a further delay, and now here they both were, searching for Kodo's house to see if Chizuru was alright.
Ryojun had already arrived during the day. Chizuru had not been at home, and one of her neighbors, a chattery lady, told him that she had left months ago. Ryojun realized that now he might be too late to try and attempt to contact Chizuru, but there was one thing that he had up his sleeve that could track her down.
The clinic was where Ryojun finally caught up to Kaoru. He was already nose to the ground, sniffing heavily so as to pick up a scent. Kaoru was no longer curling his fingers toward his palm, exposing long black claws and thick, furry fingers. When entering the empty house, Ryojun noticed the two little ivory horns sticking out of the boy's forehead.
Oni. That was what Kaoru called himself when he had met the boy. Thinking back, Ryojun couldn't shake the image of the mangy, skinny child he had found all those years ago. He could still see the various bruises and cuts on the small body that were slowly healing, with one large scar bolting over and around the left shoulder blade.
According to Kaoru, all but the scar was from his former family. They had apparently kicked him out when the full moon came out, when he became the thing sniffing around the empty home of his friend. The scar, however, was from an entirely different incident, involving his deceased sister and a giant wolf.
Werewolf, actually.
Ryojun never admitted aloud to anyone, but he was well versed in the knowledge of monsters and yokai. He knew that oni existed long before meeting Kaoru, and he also knew werewolves existed, long before meeting Kaoru and seeing the transformation himself.
In fact, he had been the one to teach Kaoru had to control his inner beast, to hone it and keep it at bay. In return, Kaoru would be living with Ryojun's family, until they could figure out just what to do with this orphan.
The two had a long history together, Kaoru and Ryojun. Ryojun didn't know what Kaoru thought of him, but he had come to think of the boy as a nephew left to him by a dear sister. Someone precious to treasure, yet also guide.
"Crash!"
Torn from his thoughts, Ryojun glared at Kaoru, who was standing upright, hands empty, with a broken vase shattered at his large, fur-covered feet.
Giving his mentor a shaky grin, Kaoru moved towards the back of the house quickly. Ryojun sighed, rubbing his temples. "Kaoru, the least you can do is clean up after yourself."
He heard a whine of protest, and he chuckled. Children these days.
~*September 15, 1864*~
The day was long and hot.
Hajime noted this condition, despite his tolerance to the heat. Then again, it wasn't his tolerance to the heat he was concerned about. His unit seemed to be fairing fine, but he took note to keep an eye on the ones he knew who were less heat tolerant. That included his charge, Yukimura.
Personally, Hajime had a hard time believing that Dr. Yukimura had a daughter, let alone one as… expressive as her. Yet the facts were as such, and Hajime saw no qualms with letting her patrol with him during the day.
In fact, thus far, Yukimura had proven to be useful whenever she was brought with the Shinsengumi. Granted, it had only been twice, but in both cases she had proven herself as being capable of watching out for her own wellbeing. Plus, her medical knowledge from watching with clients with her father had some uses, even if it was as extensive as, say, Sannan or, of course, Hijikata's family medicine.
Speaking of Hijikata's family medicine, Hajime made a note to ask the vice commander for a dose. One of his men seemed to be having difficulty with his shoulder, most likely due to a confrontation earlier during the week. The medicine worked wonders, and it would surely give the soldier relief from his discomfort.
And since he was planning on requesting from medicine, Hajime needed to do several other things on top of that. All the while thinking of the things he needed to do when he returned from patrol, he heard Yukimura complain lightly about the heat.
Understandable, in Hajime's opinion. He placed his hand on the hilt of his katana, noting the heat could cause severe wear on his blade. He made note to clean the blade immediately, right after requesting the medical powder from Hijikata.
Just then, amidst his thoughts, Hajime caught the glint of something in the corner of his eye. Turning slightly, he found the source; a sword was set out on display in a shop.
His feet moving with little prompting, Hajime walked up to the display, scanning the details of the blade. The toshin (bare blade) seemed to curve elegantly, the ha glittering in the burning heat. The back of the blade reflected perfectly the images presented before it, with the center and edge of the sori was more matte, giving it a water-like pattern, resembling the rippling waves of the ocean.
Such a marvelous work of art, he thought, admiring the craftsmenship. It was most likely the work of a master, or a well-trained apprentice.
A giggle behind him alerted him to another's presence. Turning, he saw Yukimura looking back at him with a small smile on her face. "What are you looking at, Saito-san?" she asked lightly, glancing over his shoulder at the display case.
Embarrassment grasped his heart, and he coughed awkwardly, drawing attention back to him and away from the object in question. "Just admiring fine artwork," was all he said, moving away from the store, his ears burning red. He heard Yukimura plead with him to slow down as she ran after him.
Again. It happened again. He had spaced out and lost sight of his surroundings. It won't happen again, though. Nope, it most certainly won't.
Xxxx
Later that evening, Hajime was working on some files Hijikata had requested him to go over when he heard a strange sound.
It first came in the form of a thud. Hajime paused in his writing and glanced over his shoulder. Had Shinpachi collapsed from too much to drink again? When he heard nothing, he merely shrugged it off and went about to continue his work.
That's when the second noise came.
This one was much quieter, yet lasted far longer. It sounded like something being dragged along the floor boards. Something light, since it hardly made a noise.
Something must be in front of his door. Thinking back to the beginning of the year and their misadventures with the cat, Hajime set his ink brush down and stood up. Whatever it was, he should investigate in case it was something serious. Hijikata and Sannan were still investigating the mysterious deaths of the Choshu leaders, and with Heisuke still going on and on about seeing something, it would be in the Shinsengumi's best interest if he set out to settle every curious thing that happened.
Sliding his screen door open, he, at first, saw nothing. The blue light coming from the full moon lit the area up nicely, as his room faced the pale celestial body in the sky. Turning his head back and forth, he saw nothing noteworthy—
"Shhhhhh."
The sound again. This time, he found the source of the noise, only to double take at what he was seeing.
A dead squirrel lay on the floor board. A large blood stain marked the path it was being dragged. Its tail had disappeared over the edge of the floor, and it was then that Hajime witnessed something drag the carcass toward the edge.
Hajime watched, wide eyed, as the dead animal slowly reached the edge of the floor boards before half of its body hang over, and then finally disappearing entirely into a bush. The bush in front of his room rustled a bit, and Hajime chanced taking a step forward.
He knew that there was the rare occasion of one of their 'projects' getting out. Hajime honestly hoped it was one of the projects that had gotten on the loose and had developed a taste for squirrels. Otherwise, he had no idea what this was.
He blinked; at that moment precise moment, something large, something impossibly white, darted out of the bush and over the fence in one clear motion. It had moved so fast that Hajime could only remember catching the vague size and color of the creature.
Warrior intuition taking hold, he ran after it, struggling to get over the tall wooden planks before throwing himself over. Landing on both feet, he stumbled slightly before straightening. Looking around, he saw no sign of the thing.
He was about to see if he could find the thing in the near vicinity when his eyes caught something beneath his feet. Squatting down, he placed his hand on the indention made on the ground. It was only when he spread his hand out and noted the differences in scale that he rushed back to the compound, out of breath and demanding to see Hijikata immediately.
~*October 15, 1864*~
Tonight was a full moon.
It was also a few weeks since Heisuke had left for Edo, back in September. Chizuru had remembered that conversation with Heisuke, with him promising to see if there was any news of her father being sighted or returning to his clinic. Honestly, Chizuru hoped that was the case. If that ended up happening, there was a good chance she could finally leave the compound and return home.
When Heisuke left, however, Chizuru had become very lonely. Heisuke happened to be one of the people she identified as an ally, and with him gone, she felt like she was missing a piece of armor.
Heisuke wasn't the only to head off to Edo. Kondo, this morning, left for Edo to join up with Heisuke. Apparently, according to the other captains, the two were attempting to increase their ranks, as the Shinsengumi was given permission to pursue all the criminals behind the Kyoto burning, and they needed more soldiers to fill in the gaps.
They were also seeking to add a military advisor, a man named Itou Kashitaro. Apparently, he was a very well educated man and, according to Kondo, would make an excellent addition to the ranks.
Chizuru herself didn't know. The other captains seemed reserved about the idea of Itou joining the Shinsengumi. Something about different political beliefs and such, but that mattered little to Chizuru. As long as this Itou did not case suspicion on Chizuru's true nature, she was fine. Besides, if he could help in the search for Chizuru's father, the more the merrier.
Thinking back to Heisuke, she thought maybe it was for the better. She did remember how he was hung up on trying to find the creature he saw several nights ago, his ambition seemingly fueled by some kind of commotion. A few weeks away would distract him, and hopefully, make him forget all about those few full moons ago. Perhaps even having this Itou man here would help calm him down.
Thinking back to the last full moon, she admitted she had been a bit clumsy in handling her food. She had caught the squirrel and was planning on eating it when it had fallen from her hands onto the ground below. Immediately, she jumped into the nearby bushes and grabbed hold of the squirrel, nudging it carefully towards her.
She had been careful on not being seen. She had listened carefully, waiting for any noises to come. When none came, she dashed up and over the fence, through the city to a nearby roof and finish her midnight snack.
She was sure she had not been seen. Yet the captains seemed oddly on edge. Not around her, thankfully, which, at the end of the day, was what really mattered. So as long as they never suspected her, she was safe.
She had taken to going on nightly trips around Kyoto since the incident on Mount Tennou. She had cooped herself up for too long, and now her wolf side was antsy and out of control. And since running free around the city, she had found herself having an easier time controlling her behavior and urges. She would catch small game while out and about, such as mice, rats, various birds, and the occasional squirrel. She didn't touch the human owned animals, knowing too well what would happen if someone's livelihood went missing, and she had a personal stance against eating cats and rabbits, wild or not. Also, and this was probably a werewolf thing, she could never get herself to think about eating a dog. Not that she ever would, but still, her own body seemed resist against the concept, and Chizuru happily went with it.
Chizuru sighed happily, rolling on her back, a gentle breeze ruffling her milky white fur. It felt so nice to be outside, taking in the open air and gentle breeze. The entire city was opened to her at this point, and it gave her a perfect chance to seek out her father.
She had made sure to stay on the deserted roads and stick to rooftops. No one bothered looking up, and if a particular scent happened to take her to the main street, so as long as she remained skyward, she could avoid complete detection.
Rolling back to her stomach, she lifted her head and sniffed the air. Booze, sweat, perfume and sex. She was most likely near the red light district, judging by the various scents mixing in. The area was also heavily crowded, making it hard to pick out individual markers.
Scrunching her nose, she huffed and left the area. No good would come from this place. Even if her father was there, she could not pick out his scent from her position. Perhaps she could find his lodgings. She couldn't find his scent anywhere near the main street, and she had explored a small inch of the backend alleys. Surely, if he had been kidnapped, his kidnappers would have been smart enough to keep him away from prying eyes.
Padding along the roof tops on all four, she sniffed the air, trying to pick something up. Then, she caught something. Something familiar.
She peeked her head over the side, sniffing eagerly. The road was completely void of life, with no one in sight. Directly below her were two barrels, a perfect place to hide in case someone were to come walking by. At least they would give her some cover until the individual passed, should someone stumble down this road.
Taking the chance, she leapt down the roof. Landing on the ground on two feet, she crouched down, sniffing the dirt road.
Her father! She could smell him. A recent trail, as the scent was still fresh.
Her heart swelling with joy, she kept her nose glued to the ground and followed the trail, oblivious to all other surroundings. Nothing could contain her excitement, not even her cautious nature. Her father was at the end of the trail, or, worst case scenario, a clue to his whereabouts. She couldn't believe her luck, especially with how everything was going at the Shinsengumi headquarters. Things were finally looking up for this unfortunate werewolf.
Xxxx
Things were most definitely not looking up to this unfortunate werewolf.
Her back arched and hair standing up, she let out a growl, threatening growl, baring glistening white teeth.
Three ronin surrounded, drunk and stupid, one barely able to stand up straight without leaning on his friend's shoulder.
Her encounter with these men had happened so fast that Chizuru didn't know where exactly she went wrong. She had merely been following her father's scent when she reached a corner. Then, out of the blue, these three men had appeared. They didn't react quite as she expected, as instead of running and flee at the sheer size and appearance of her wolf form, they had gawked, pointed, and laughed.
The Wolf had become immediately offended. Laugh at her, will they? They certainly won't be laughing for long once she torn one of their throats out.
However, The Oni had no interest in repeating what had happened on Mount Tennou. If The Wolf attacked, the slaying would be even worse, as she was now in werewolf form, not her werewolf-influenced oni form. Her claws would do far more damage than sharpened fingernails, and her razor sharp teeth tore into flesh far easier than four sharp canines.
Still, as she made herself bigger and meaner by arching her back and growling, her opponents did not waver.
One even stupidly reached for his sword, saying something along the lines of skinning her and wearing her fur as a coat.
To increase the level of danger, she rose on two legs and bared her claws. Her form towered over all three men, and the tipsy one was now beginning to look scared. His friend with the sword, though, seemed to take her stance as a challenge, and, yelling out a battle cry, he charged at her, jamming his sword into her side.
She felt no pain. She only felt rage and animalistic power. She saw red before her claws dug into her attacker, tearing him to bits and letting the body fall down in front of her.
The non-tipsy friend cried out in anger and unsheathed his blade. But before he had a chance to strike, he was dead as well.
The tipsy one screamed like a girl and ran for it. He only took two steps before stumbling, and he never got the chance to get up, the monster on top of him, completely destroying his head.
Once the carnage was over, and Chizuru regained her senses, she panicked at the sight of the bodies. Not again, was all she thought as she scrambled away, forgetting her hunt, forgetting to be quiet. She just wanted out.
Xxxx
The next morning, the Shinsengumi unit out on patrol came upon the three maimed bodies of three Satsuma samurai. While the manner of death varied among the three victims, Souji, the one leading the group, noted they had bore similar wounds.
Claw marks riddled the corpses, all in different places, yet with the consistency of size and general shape. Souji also noted the rather large prints on the ground, not too far from the crime scene. Looking up on the wooden walls, he saw bloody claw mark, showing that whatever did this had scaled the walls and fled via rooftop. A terrifying notion, seeing as how much power the creature possessed. And while the prints did not match the ones found in front of HQ, Souji was pretty damn sure they were dealing with the same creature.
Putting two-and-two together, Souji realized that Heisuke might not have been lying. After all, this was the second time a heinous killing had happened, and Souji felt that this was not the actions of their secret experiment.
Either way, he had to speak to Sannan privately over this. Maybe one of those things had gotten loose and went completely ape shit. He knew just what those things were capable of. There could still be a chance that it was their experiment and not something else.
Even though, in Souji's gut, he was having a really hard time believing it.