Samurai's Blossom - A Hakuouki Fanfic [HAITUS]

Chapter 11 - Abducted

Kazama Chikage pov:

"Kazama, are you sure you want to infiltrate the Shinsengumi' headquarters? Can't we just wait for her to come to the market sometime? We could avoid unnecessary resistance," Amagiri said, his voice flat and devoid of any sort of emotion like always.

"We've been doing that until now without getting the results I want. I'm done waiting – Yukimura Sara will be my mate and those Shinsengumi fools will see today that they cannot fight a real Oni and live to tell the tale," I said calmly. I adjusted my overcoat while eyeing my reflection in the tall mirror. I then placed a hand on the katana I had at my hip and narrowed my eyes, "Besides, Sara needs to know that an Oni cannot be with those humans. They are nothing more than greedy, foolish creatures, dirt at the feet of us Oni, and shouldn't be bothered about by us, especially purebloods."

"Forgive me for asking, Kazama, but why did you suddenly choose Yukimura Sara over Yukimura Chizuru? They are from the same clan and Yukimura Chizuru is definitely an easier target to apprehend."

"Amagiri is right, you know?" muttered Shiranui in mild annoyance. "That Sara woman is a pain in the neck, being a fighter and all. Why don't we just stick to taking that Chizuru chic?"

Narrowing my eyes further, I glanced at Shiranui. He tensed and averted his gaze from me, his expression of annoyance being replaced by one of anxiousness.

"My initial goal was to merely have a pureblood mate that would continue the Oni bloodline but a woman who is not only mature enough to raise offspring but also has skills to protect offspring in an event of danger is preferable. Sara has those qualities and I would be a fool for not taking her as my mate – I am the most powerful Oni in existence at the moment and I will settle for nothing less than the best." I turned to face him and Amagiri and smirked, "Perhaps one of you can consider taking Chizuru as a mate now."

"Thank you for taking me into consideration, Kazama, but I have no interest in Yukimura Chizuru," said Amagiri, making me chuckle.

"Heh, I don't want that hassle of dealing with commitment with whiny women. I'll pass," Shiranui said with a wave of his hand.

"Then it's your loss," I said simply. "Now let's go – remember that you are not to hold back when you fight the Shinsengumi this time. I don't plan on leaving their headquarters until Sara is in my custody."

It didn't take us very long to get to the Shinsengumi's headquarters. There were four men standing guard at the entrance though were lying in pools of blood dead even before they could realize what had happened. As such, it spared us from having to deal with a swarm of troublesome foot soldiers that would have been called out as reinforcement. When we were in the courtyard, I narrowed my eyes and raised my senses high enough to locate Sara. Much to my dismay, she was not anywhere in the compound and I couldn't help but notice that even a few of the captains were missing too.

"She's not here," I stated, vexed.

"Chhe! Then we came all this way for nothing," muttered Shiranui.

"What do you want to do now, Kazama? We shouldn't be stirring any more trouble with the Shinsengumi – they are not our enemy. Making them our enemy just because you wish to take a pureblood Oni living with them as your mate will not end well," Amagiri said, frowning slightly.

I stared at him for a moment and then chuckled with my eyes closed. "Always the peacemaker," I mused, "but I'm not like you, Amagiri. My clan may have a debt to repay to the Satsuma but it does not mean that I was stop from keeping my personal matters as first priority. It doesn't matter to me if I have to deal with the Shinsengumi to make Yukimura Sara my mate – they're nothing more than a bunch of samurai dogs that can be replaced at any time, after all."