[IC] Seigi no Futaken [Jakeozzy n' Demon Shinobi]

[Jakeozzy]

"Maybe attacking head on wasn't the best idea. What do you think?" Kaori panted, drips of red sliding off the edge of her sword every few seconds as she stood in a defensive stance, shoulders pressed against Yomi's. They were surrounded in the middle of a small army, but the gangsters and bandits were too afraid to attack even with their superior numbers. Kaori was terrifying them on her side with that blade-like crimson glint in her eye, and Yomi was a fearless and powerful Samurai - anyone who messed with them so far was in a bloody mess over the once-green grass.

"I guess we've already killed too many of these boys to start negotiating..." Kaori said more calmly as she began to control her breathing. "Yomi... You ready for round two?" She asked whilst she drew one of her kunai. This was her more 'serious' style, dagger and sword, and they worked together so well... Not so well for the poor sods on the receiving end though.

[Demon Shinobi]

Yeah I think negotiations ended the second blood was drawn." Yomi said with a chuckle as he and Kaori faced off against the enemy. "So you got a plan to get into the little fortress?" He them asked Kaori since he didn't really have much of a plan himself. Not yet anyway. There were just too many to handle by themselves.

[Jakeozzy]

"Well, we could cut our way through without stopping, even if we get shredded to fuck." Kaori suggested sarcastically, although she did eye the mobile fortress. Or rather.. she eyed the path she might end up cutting through. The enemies standing in that path all looked at each other, looked behind them at their overly-secure prison, and then looked back at Kaori's eyes. If she was serious... They could take her, right? But how many people would die before that happened!? "...Screw the odds, let's do-"

"RAAAAAAAAAHH!!" The mighty roar of soldiers filled the air, and the many trampling hooves of horses. Before Kaori could even look to see the charge, a group of cavalrymen had overtaken the two young Samurai as they began tearing deep through the enemy. In their focus on Yomi and his companion, the entire force of bandits had been blindsided and driven back into a defensive formation around the fortress.

"Milady~! I came to rescue you!" Akira Seigi chanted as he rode up alongside her and Yomi. "Oh, and you. Thank you for keeping her safe, you have my gratitude!" He said in a more serious fashion, as if to show he were the better man here. Kaori leaned upwards using the horse as support and motioned with her finger for Akira to come closer. A kiss?! Leaving no time for debate he leaned down to Kaori, and was subsequently pulled the fuck off of his horse by the ear.

"Thanks for the backup, Akira. But I'm not marrying you... Remember? I kicked your ass once and I'll do it again if it'll help you remember the deal. I win - you keep your distance!" Kaori said in a cold manner at first, but it grew into a delightful tone later. And then she threw a whining Akira face-first into the dirt, again, by the ear. "Yomi, this is our opening!" She exclaimed before running off towards the fortress, cutting down any of the dazed and confused bandits that got in her way.

Akira looked up at Yomi from the ground, "...What are you doing right that I'm not...?"

[Demon Shinobi]

"If you think i understand women anymore than you do then you're out of your mind." Yomi said before running off after Kaori. He made sure that no blades were able to get too close to her. "Almost there Kaori." he said as they neared the fortress. "Lets hurry and get the Daimyo's wife out of there."

[Jakeozzy]

"I still can't believe we met the Shogun!" Kaori laughed, eying the guards to the entrance. They looked more organized. They were in armor and had top-quality weaponry, but that just made Kaori think they would be slower on their feet. She swept the katana at one of them, and unlike the rabble they had faced until now, he flawlessly blocked it with his naginata. In fact, he pulled out a wakizashi and drove it at her chest! The blade slipped into her shoulder as she tried to dodge it from making contact with her heart. Then with her free arm which still held the kunai, she stabbed up into the guard's neck where he hadn't any armor to save him. The guard was tossed aside, and assuming Yomi was already finished on his side, Kaori went on inside apparently not giving a damn about her blood-gushing shoulder.

This is how the young vigilante had always made her way in life; it was the talent she was praised for. She fought and killed, it was all she knew.

"Almost there..." She repeated.

[Demon Shinobi]

"Geez... I try so hard to protect you and you go and take a blase to the shoulder." yomi said as he suddenly over took Kaori. He was now running in front of her. If anyone suddenly came he would handle it. "What would I do if something happened to you before we really got to have a good fair battle?" He then said as the began to climb the steps to the top of the fortress.

[Jakeozzy]

"I thought you forgot about that!" Kaori chuckled as she began to keep pace with Yomi, "Well, fine. After we're done here we'll have to decide who's stronger!"

As the two entered the hall at the top of the fortress, there were five men. Four men in red armor with demon masks, and one in thick black robes wielding some kind of decorative staff. His face was hidden underneath the long hood, but there was a kind of dangerous aura surrounding him. Kaori slowed down and began to walk as she and Yomi approached them. The four demonic-looking soldiers carefully drew one large sword each, Nodachi. The blades were red steel, like they were made out of a material from the bowels of hell itself. Each of them prepared themselves in a defensive stance, while the obvious leader stood aside to reveal a woman in a cage.

"...Hm, I didn't think you would get this far." The robed figure said calmly, "No one has ever fought the Yamibito and lived to tell the tale. Both of you should back down and let us take the Shogun's mistress to Emperor Meiji. It is... for the best."

...Wait, that lady in the cage is naked! Why did they have to strip her down like that?!
Kaori raised her eyebrows and looked at Yomi as if to ask, 'What now, glorious leader?'

[Demon Shinobi]

Yomi took only a glance. His cheeks reddened and his hand shook a bit. "Just... Let's destroy them." He said as he charged at them his sword at the ready. He didn't dare look in the cage. It just felt wrong for some reason.

[Jakeozzy]

"I bet the armor and big swords are just for show... Maybe overcompensating for something." Kaori mocked the four demonic soldiers indifferently. She dashed in alongside Yomi, and when the two were close enough, the four enemies attacked. Their swords were longer and heavier, their swings much more powerful - clashing with them wasn't the way to go, Kaori thought anyway. She rolled to one side as two blades were swung down on her projected path, and from their flank, she leapt at them ready to take at least one of them down with a quick attack. What she didn't expect was for the enemy closest to her to bring his sword out of the ground and up towards her within the blink of an eye! It shouldn't even be possible to lift a sword that heavy so fast.

What the hell, it's a nodachi not a fucking kitchen knife! Kaori thought to herself, bringing her katana up in defense rather than going to attack like she was going to earlier. The demonic soldier was just too powerful... Because she was in mid-air, the clash and overpowering force of the enemy sent Kaori flying back away from the fight. When the injured girl woke up, she noticed her shoulder bleeding much more heavily now from the impact. Her back was to the cage bars, and the robed figure was stood in front of her with his shaman-esque metal staff. Quite calmly, he smacked the bottom of the pole on the side of Kaori's head, immediately sending her to sleep as she was already half-unconscious from the blood loss. That left Kaori, and all the concealed kunai on her,and her katana right outside the cage. Well, not the katana - as soon as she let go of it the robed figure kicked it away - he wasn't taking any chances with the prisoner...

[Demon Shinobi]

Yomi grit his teeth as he dodged the first two downward vertical passes. "Idiots." He said as the stepped on one of the blades and thrust his sword forward into the face of one of the armored assholes. Still the other lifted his blade like nothing. "You've gotta be fucking kidding me!" Yomi shouted as he tried to push the man he was confronting backwards to avoid his partners attack. "Kaori be careful these bastards mean business.

The shoguns wife was chained to the ground by her hands and feet. If she tried to move the chains would keep her close to the ground. She couldn't move. "Hello? Is something wrong?" She asked unaware really of what was going on as she was blindfolded.

[Jakeozzy]

"Ow.. Y-Yeah.. Something is veeery wrong. Probably way in over our heads here..." Kaori said as she struggled awake and rolled away from certain death. The floor where she was lying earlier was torn open in one stroke of the strange soldier and his nodachi. Bastard nearly took one of the cage bars off! The demon Samurai pulled the sword out of the floor and swung it into Kaori, who rolled underneath the blade with a lightning quick reaction, thrusting her katana through the man's gut as she came up straight again.

"And that's a wrap..." Kaori grinned fiercely, sliding the blade out of her opponent and sighing heavily. Three to go.

"AGH!" Suddenly, pain shot through her back as she turned to go and help Yomi. That persistent son of a bitch refused to die! Fortunately it was only a wakizashi, so the damage was somewhat limited with the shorter blade. She pulled herself off the shortsword and drove her katana into the Samurai's mask, collapsing to the floor with him. He didn't breathe, he was finished. Kaori on the other hand was barely conscious. All she could hear was one of the enemy slowly approaching, unsheathing a weapon.

She only found herself able to think about one thing as death's boots trampled against the floor, ...well, it was one person. If she died here, she wouldn't be able to spend any more time with him. Her only real friend, despite their rivalry. That guy she pulled off the street, giving herself some kind of purpose. As much as she fought against her body's will, she felt herself slipping further into darkness. "...Yomi..."

(Feel free to unleash the Kuroyasha! ^_^)

[Demon Shinobi]

Yomi heard Kaori. As quiet as she seemed he heard her voice over the sound of the screaming man who's face he'd so recently impaled. The look on his face had transformed from one of determination and seriousness to anger and blood lust. "Don't worry Kaori. It'll be over soon." He said as he turned his blade which was still in the man's face and lifted it with enough force to break through the top of the skull as it was halved. "Now." He said as he turned and leaped dodging the incoming swing of the second man. "You're next." He seemed to analyze the man's armor for a moment. He charged at him and shifted himself to avoid a downward slash from his opponent. Yomi smirked and thrust his blade into the man with what seemed to be a joyful almost sadistic smile. He pulled the blade out and then maneuvered himself to the opposite side of the man and kicked him forcing him to slam into the bastard about to try and strike he down. With that he lunged at them stabbing his blade into one head and straight through to the other's. "Damn bastards thought they had a chance." He said as he allowed their now lifeless bodies to fall to the ground. He turned and walked to Kaori. "I remember another." He said quietly to himself as he knelt down beside her.

The shogun's wife was quiet. Trying to grasp what was going on no doubt.

[Jakeozzy]

As blood sprayed over the wooden floor followed by a lumbering corpse, Kaori's eyes opened a little more. She was lying in her own pool of blood, turning pale with dark circles forming under her eyes. "It's.. the s.. second time I.. got hurt like this.. looking out for.. for you.." She whispered with a weakened smile. At least her sense of humor and pride was still intact. Though, deep down she wasn't really lying or being prideful even if it seemed like it. That could be addressed another time though.

"I feel.. real sleepy.."

---

As Yomi remembered, there was one more. The leader of the little group, who looked like some kind of completely covered shaman. He was gone. Disappeared in the middle of it all. One could assume without his guards he was just a coward. But surely he had time to end a critically wounded Kaori during all that? Or take the prisoner, or.. anything to complete his goal. He'd let them take the Shogun's mistress back.

[Demon Shinobi]

"Come on. You can't sleep now." Yomi said with a small smile. He stood up and helped her on her feet. "We have to have a match so I can kick your ass right?" He said thinking a taunt would spur some life into her. "Now lets get the shogun's wife back to him."

[Jakeozzy]

"I don't.. need.. your help..!" Kaori struggled to say after getting all prideful again. She pushed away from Yomi and threw a punch at him, but seeing double meant one had to be fake. And like the better fighter of the two, Kaori hit the bastard right in the nose! But she was carried by the weight of the punch past her damnable rival and landed faced down on the floor. She just punched Yomi's blurry double.

"Okay, I need help..." The prideful young lady whined, feeling around for Yomi's hand. "Carry me~..."

[Demon Shinobi]

Yomi looked down at her. "Hmmmmm... I think you can manage." He teased her as he opened the door of the cell. "Well... I guess I can let it go just this once." He said laughing a little as he grabbed her and lifted her up. "Besides I can't leave my precious partner here." He joked a bit holding her over his shoulder. Maybe not the most elegant way, but whatever. He tried not to look at the Shogun's wife since she was naked. "You still have the clothes for her right?" He then asked Kaori.

"Who... Who are you?" The woman asked sounding exhausted and a bit fearful.

"We're here to help." Yomi answered simply.

[Jakeozzy]

"Hmm, yeah... I got the clothes..." Kaori murmured after feeling around her belt, weakly pulling the kimono out and dropping it on the floor. Unfortunately it was a tad bloodstained from her injuries, but it's not like it could be helped. "I don't remember it having red flowers on it..."

[Demon Shinobi]

"It didn't." Yomi sighed before cutting the Shogun's wife free and allowing her to dress herself. "Oh thank you!" She said as she pulled the blindfold off and hugged Yomi. When she pulled away she looked at him for a moment. "You..." She paused. "Yes?" Yomi asked a bit weirded out. "Oh nothing. We should escape though. Who know's how long we'll have." She then said moving passed the young man.

[Jakeozzy]

Akira entered the room with his sword drawn, flanked by two men wielding a naginata each. Four dead demon-ish looking warriors, the Shogun's mistress, that Yomi guy and... and... "MILADY~!" He cried as he broke into a sprint to save his bride-to-be. Unfortunately for him, Kaori's fist got rammed in his face with a power unnatural for somebody so badly injured.

"Prepare us some horses and escort us back to Edo, damn it... I'm not in the mood!" Kaori growled from Yomi's shoulder.

Akira started to rub his face as he stood up, trying to keep a straight face as blood poured from his nose. Why the hell wasn't she killing Yomi?! She looked so uncomfortable! "...Yes, right away! Ready the spare horses! ...Actually, just one. Lady Kaori can ride with m-" A kunai seemed to appear out of thin air and got stuck in the wall behind Akira, just below his crotch. The young General's eyes inched downwards and grew wider as he realized where Kaori was aiming. "Scratch that order! I'm afraid I won't survive the trip if it goes that way. Just.. just get some horses ready."

---

After they left the mobile tower, there were Akira's two brothers. But not their father... He was nowhere to be seen amongst the Seigi Clan's small army. Considering the Imperials attacked Shizukesa with many cannons, it was more than likely he died when his castle was struck as the first target. Akira, Hibiki and Daichi and their troops looked war torn. They must've been fighting up until now... Was the war really this close to Edo now?

There was a set of spare horses arranged. Obviously Kaori couldn't ride on her own in this state, so she'd have to hold on to Yomi. Akira offered for the Shogun's mistress to ride with him, or take her own horse.

[Demon Shinobi]

"I'm perfectly capable of riding on my own young man. But thank you very much." The Shogun's wife said with a smile as she climbed onto one of the spare horses. "Well you heard the lady. Let's get a move on." Yomi said as he sat on his horse with Kaori nestled safely in front of him. It might seem embarrassing for her or maybe on lookers would get the wrong idea, but he wasn't bothered by it in the slightest. "And you hold on. This is the safest way to travel with you." Yomi said to Kaori sternly. Can't risk you passing on and letting go of me if you sit behind me."