Chapter 12 - Opposing Tides

Ichirou pov:

"How is it possible for her to have known that you were following her? Surely you couldn't have been so noticeable!" I hollered at Fourteen as he sat on one knee in front of me and His Highness.

"I have no excuses, Shogun." He said with his head down.

"No excuses?! You fool!" I bellowed making him cringe slightly. "Is this how you serve His Highness? Is this how you show your dedication to the Blood Emperor?! How could you be so careless?!"

"I apologize for speaking out of line, Shogun, but I was not careless. I have never been so on any mission you have ordered me to fulfil. And I remain loyal to His Highness, the Blood Emperor. I am his humble servant and I have sworn to never change my alliance."

"Humble servant?! If you were all you boast you are, you would not be here in front of us with your head down in shame for being spotted by a mere child!"

"She is not a child, Shogun, and she is much better than what I expected her to be."

"Much better than what you expected? Are you trying to make a fool of yourself even more than what you've already been made of by her?" I seethed.

"She is quite skilled, isn't she, Ichirou? Unexpectedly quite skilled." His Highness interrupted in a low voice. He sounded amused though – amused and not in the least concerned about the matter.

"Your Highness...." I spoke bowing my head, not happy that he seemed to be taking this so easily. "What do you propose we do about it? We can't just leave her be....not when we do not know what she can to do and perhaps what she can try to do as well. This is not a matter we can be careless about."

"Are you saying that I'm being careless in this matter?" His Highness asked challengingly. I cringed and bowed lower.

"I-I did not mean that, Your Highness. I apologize if I said something out of line."

The Blood Emperor was silent for a minute, perhaps thinking. I looked up at him confused when he chuckled. There was amuse and excitement swirling in his eyes – expressions that I didn't understand and felt wary of. He stood up and walked towards us and I once again gave a shallow bow with my head in deep respect.

"I will look into this matter on my own, Ichirou. I have already made a deal with her – quite an interesting deal too, I have to say. It's been a very long time since I have felt this eager and entertained by someone in the palace and I don't plan on losing out on the opportunity to lessen my boredom of the monotonous palace life." He mused with another chuckle.

"A deal, Your Highness? So....I can assume that you have met her in person?" I asked, hoping that I would be let in on a few details.

"Yes, that's right. And I must say that she is much more charming than what you described her to be, Ichirou. She will be very useful to the Elite Division and also in that matter."

I resisted from reacting when His Highness mentioned using her in a matter that was confidential and known only to me, Haji and Asahi. It was a matter of the Royal Family after all and any information about the Blood Emperor, the Royal Family and the governance of Nihon was not spoken about unnecessarily. Secrecy was at the highest level in the palace, especially in His Highness's plans and strategies to maintain order in his Empire.

As much as I knew well not to refuse an Imperial Order, I couldn't help but feel mildly concerned for Izumi. His Highness was a ruthless man, merciless enough to use anyone he found useful as a pawn to success and discard those he thought as unnecessary to him. He was seeing Izumi as a pawn now – a pawn to use in his plans to secure his place on the throne even more than before. He was interested in her because she was foolishly brave and impulsive – quick to snap at people who annoyed her even in the least. I had heard about her encounter with Prince Araishi and it was definitely a dangerous move. If the Blood Emperor was fond of Prince Araishi like he was of Prince Shichiro, Izumi would not have been spared from dire punishment.

"If I may ask, Your Highness, is it really necessary to use her in that matter? She is but a mere young fighter, headstrong but unaware of the politics of the Royal Family. Will she not become a target?" I asked tentatively.

"She will, obviously. And it will be quite enjoyable to watch her fight and defend her honor in the midst of wicked politics she's unaware of." His Highness said while walking back to his throne. "However, I believe what happens to her is not any of your concern. She is but a mere distraction, bait for those fools who have their eyes set on my throne to play my game my way. And while my plan is being executed, she will serve as an interesting person to pass my time with."

"So...she hasn't really interested you in any way besides as a 'pawn'?" I pressed.

It wasn't my concern whether she was considered as a pawn or romantic interest but much against my better judgement, I did feel that she didn't deserve to be used as a tool. It would be even worse if His Highness got even the slightest romantic interest in her. She may be strong and caution provoking but it was clear that she was unaware of the politics this palace was clouded in. In some corner of my heart, I wished that she wouldn't get dragged into it unnecessarily and instead remain as any other regular, and perhaps, virtuous member of the Elite Division.

"Are you suggesting anything otherwise, Ichirou?" He asked while giving me a sharp look. "You are well aware that I have no interest in women – all those of my harem from political marriages are not even worth giving a glance and yet I grace them with my presence once a week just to hold up appearances in front of those old oafs I have as my ministers. I had no interest in courting and I still feel that having a harem is unnecessary."

"I do not mean to pry into your personal matters, Your Highness, but surely you are aware that your ministers, siblings and subjects of your country are expecting news of the arrival of an heir. It has been more than five years since you brought in your first consort but you are yet to chose an Empress and announce the arrival of an heir."

"I believe I told you that have no interest in such political ploys. I will not choose an Empress from any of my harem and end up with an in-law family thirsting for authority they do not deserve." His Highness seethed. "And do not attempt to stray my attention away from Izumi. Are you so worried for her that you're questioning your Emperor's decision?"

I clenched my jaw feeling momentarily tense under his sharp scrutinizing gaze. I was worried for Izumi as her commanding officer but nothing more. I did have my doubts on her being a threat to His Highness but at the same time, I knew her skills could be very advantageous to us if she were our true ally. Then again, His Highness was the one who took all decisions and we were to just follow them without questioning him. We were yet to know if Izumi was an ally or an enemy and who better to decide that than His Highness himself?

"In no way, Your Highness. If you see her fit to play that role, then that is what she will do. I apologize if I sounded impertinent in any way. Is there any order that I must give her to begin the execution of your plan?" I asked and he smirked slightly.

"No need for that, Shogun. I will handle everything in this matter. The two of you are dismissed." He said and Fourteen stood up to give him a deep bow. Before we could leave the throne room though, we were stopped by his icy tone. "Ah, and do keep in mind that another failure like this will result in your permanent dismissal, Fourteen."

Fourteen tensed for a moment beside me before regaining composure. He clenched his fists and took a deep breath before turning to face His Highness once again and bow his head.

"I understand, Your Highness. I will not disappoint you again."

As we exited, I shut the doors behind me. I dismissed Fourteen and walked to the training room in the barracks of the Elite Division. I wasn't surprised to find everyone training, including Izumi. It was her day off from guarding Prince Shichiro and she seemed to be making the best use of her time to train. I narrowed my eyes for a moment as a thought went through me.

"Everyone, gather around!" I commanded as I entered the training room.

Everyone stopped training and fell in line, standing straight and alert while facing me and awaiting further orders. Izumi was the shortest of the lot, and not to mention the youngest as well, and looked not even in the least intimidating like the others. But the expression she had on her face was very different than that of all the others – instead of having a frown in concentration and alertness, she had a barely visible playful smile on her lips and she looked absolutely relaxed. However, her eyes were a complete different story. They were sharp and observing, seeming to take in details that no one else could see.

"We're going to have a sparring trial today." I announced as I stood in front of them. "I want to see how well you all have progressed in your hand to hand combat skills. It will also help me decide which level of missions you all can handle and which one of you will work well in teams."

"Alright! It's been ages since we did anything fun like this!" Haji was the first to react. "So what does the winner get??"

I couldn't stop from deadpanning at him. "Surely you don't think this is a children's competition with prizes in the end."

"C'mon, Shogun! You have to give the winner something! It's for motivation!" He complained.

"Yeah! Like maybe saving the winner from doing chores for a week." Asahi suggested with a grin.

"Nah! The prize has to be something unique!" Haji said with a shake of his head and then grinned mischievously. "How about the winner getting a kiss from either Koharu or Izumi? They get to chose who they want to peck."

"Haji, you pervert! I'm going to kill you!" Koharu reacted instantly and started to fight with Haji who easily dodged while laughing.

I brought a hand to my temple with a sigh, not sure what to make of this childish lot I called my Elite Division. I looked at all of them – they were howling and hooting, cheering on either Haji or Koharu but Izumi was watching silently with an amused smile.

"That's enough, Haji, Koharu!" I finally snapped, making everyone fall silent.

I narrowed my eyes and yell at everyone of the Elite Division to get back in line and not waste my time with anymore silly squabbles. Nonetheless, I agreed to spare the winner from a week of chores, as a point of motivation as they all put it. I had them pick out random chits to decide who would spar against who and wrote it down on a piece of paper.

"Alright, here are the teams for the sparring trial. We will start with Yukoto and Iwase. Now remember, I want you all to fight at your peak without holding back. I don't mind broken bones and ugly bruises but you are forbidden to give fatal blows during your spar. Whoever takes even one step out of the mat loses their match. Am I clear?" I said sternly.

"Yes, Shogun!" They all responded in unison and I nodded, signalling that the sparring trial could begin.

The trial was quite unexpected. I wasn't surprised that Asahi, Koharu, Haji and Mamoru found it easy to fight their opponents and make their way to the final rounds of the trial because they were the strongest of the Elite Division. After all, they had been training for several years to become top notch. But I was thoroughly surprised that Izumi kept up with them with ease. She even managed to beat Koharu and Asahi and make it to the final round against Haji.

She stood in front of Haji now smiling confidently. She had suffered a few bruises, even one on her jaw that had started to turn into a dark bluish purple color. But she was unfazed by the injuries and looked pumped to win this trial.

Haji looked at me also seeming mildly surprised by how well she had fought. Well, rather than fighting directly, she was fluid and dodged most onslaughts easily. She fought almost delicately and as if she was putting in almost no effort to fight but the obvious power and precision of her every move was clearly visible to me. She landed simple but highly effective hits on weak points of the body to make her opponent impossible to continue fighting. She was definitely a master of taking out opponents without landing even a single fatal blow. She was, dare I say, almost as good as Haji – our palace's unmatched soldier.

"Not bad making it to the final round, sweetheart!" Haji said to her. "And you seem confident that you're going to win against me too."

"I wouldn't say that, Haji san. I'm confident of my skills but I still won't underestimate you." She responded with a smirk in return. "But I am looking forward to a week without chores."

"Let's see who'll win then, shall we?" Haji said and got into a fighting stance.

Izumi nodded and got into her grounded stance as well. They stared at each other for a moment in silence before Izumi took the initiative to start the final match. She started off with a series of kicks to Haji's shin, torso and head, all of which he blocked. He did so easily but not as easily as he had done with any of the others. He continued to block all of Izumi's direct hits but gasped in surprise when instead of doing another three sixty degree turn to land a kick, she crouched and punched him in the gut.

He stumbled back for a moment but launched his own set of attacks this time. Izumi dodged each and every one of them without getting even close to the edge of the square mat on which they were fighting. I was surprised that she even managed to dodge a sneak attack that Haji sent at her – trying to get behind her and kick her at the lower back. She didn't just dodge but did a back flip and landed a kick on Haji's back instead. But Haji stood his ground and didn't let it make him lose balance.

He turned around and sent more kicks and punches at Izumi, quick and sharp movements that rewarded her with a busted and bleeding lip as well as a painful kick on her left side. She gasped for air for a moment and barely avoided another kick that was sent at her head. She cursed under her breath for a moment and slipped forward to trip Haji and make him fall to the ground. She then took a hold of his neck between her legs to hold him down. Being physically stronger though, Haji got out of her hold and threw her aside.

She landed close to the edge of the mat with a grunt in pain but stood up once again, not ready to give up. She wiped the blood from her busted lip and narrowed her eyes at Haji. The two of them bolted towards each other and exchanged several more blows that seemed to cause both of them pain. But Izumi was slowing down and ended up getting hit several times instead of blocking or dodging as easily as she had done so before.

She held her arms up in front of her in an X formation to block a kick Haji sent her way. The kick was powerful though and she was thrown back slightly. She stumbled and fell onto her back outside the fighting mat. She stayed lying on her back on the floor, sprawling her arms and legs out while breathing heavily. She had her eyes closed as well and she was sweating profusely.

"H-hey Izumi! Are you okay?! I didn't mean to kick you so hard!! Please be alive!!" Haji cried dramatically while hurrying to her side.

"No need to be so dramatic, Haji san." Izumi answered with a light laugh through her heavy breathing. She opened her eyes to look at him with a smile which Haji returned with a grin. "That was a really good spar. You're really strong, Haji san, and I couldn't beat you. Looks like you're free from chores for a week."

"You're really good too, you know? You blocked many of my hits and landed some pretty painful hits on me too, Sweetheart." He said and held out his hand to help her up.

She took it with no hesitance and let Haji pull her up. She winced though and held her side that was most probably bruising up from the kick she was unable to block or dodge. She also looked over her arms that had a few scratches and bruises from the kicks and punches she had blocked.

"By the way, do I still get a kiss? I'd really like one from you, Izumi chan." Haji said with a cheeky smile to which Izumi merely raised a brow.

"Keep dreaming, Haji san." She answered with a chuckle and walked to the side to join up with Koharu.

I shook my head, still disapproving of their childish behavior. But I was in no mood to lecture them about it because there were more important things to be taken care of at the moment.

"That was a good sparring trial. You may all wind up training for today and get your injuries looked at by Tamotsu sensei. Haji, come with me. I have something to discuss with you." I said and walked out of the barracks and to my quarters with Haji following close behind.

Haji pov:

"So, how did she do?" Shogun asked. I watched him dumbly for a moment, not quite sure of what he was talking about.

"I'm not sure what you mean by that, Shogun." I confessed sheepishly.

He gave an exasperated sigh and looked at me unhappily. "I'm asking about Izumi's fighting skills, Haji. How well did she fare against you?"

"Oh!" I said, finally understanding. "I would say that she's a really good fighter. Unlike the direct offensive strategy we use, she has a more fluid retaliation technique. It proves that it's not just brute strength that can win a battle."

"Agreeable. However, I want to know if you were holding back when you fought against her."

"Well, you told us not to hold back so I didn't. I did stop from harming her too much though – you know, if it were a real enemy, I would have been sure to use fatal hits." I said with a shrug.

"So you did hold back." Shogun stated.

"Just a little, I suppose."

Shogun was silent after that. His eyes were slightly narrow, as if he were thinking about something deeply and assessing the situation. I ruffled my head for a moment and decided to break the uncomfortable tension in the air.

"Um, Shogun? Is something the matter?" I asked.

"Haji, how well do you know Izumi?" He questioned instead of answering my question.

"Well enough, I suppose. She's a straightforward person with good stealth and hand to hand combat skills. She's fun to hang out with – she sometimes helps me prank the others in the barracks! Not to mention she's beautiful too; totally my type! And you know? There was this one time that..."

I didn't ask about your pranks or your ideal type of woman, Haji." Shogun said seriously and I immediately dropped my casual facade. "She is far too good at being stealthy and fighting, considering her age and background. Do you not feel that way too? No wandering peasant should have such skills in combat, let alone stealth. She is hiding something about herself – she is not someone we can trust."

"Your observations may be true, Shogun, but I beg to differ on your opinion." I responded equally serious. "There is every possibility that she had to learn such tricks to survive on her own in this dangerous world. It may sound careless to you but I trust Izumi. I trust her and know that she is loyal to the Blood Emperor."

"That's quite a confession coming from the Blood Emperor's right hand man." He mused, making me narrow my eyes. "You have such a big secret, Haji. Don't you think that it's possible for others to have such secrets as well? The rebels too, perhaps? She could be a spy sent from their side, pretending to be our alley and strike when we least expect it. If I were you, I would be more cautious."

"I would appreciate it if you don't talk about her that way, Shogun. I'm sure you are aware that I have seen much more of the world than what you have. I know how people can be, how they lie and behave to cover up who they really are and what they could possibly think of doing. It is the reason why I am His Highness's right hand man, as you put it." I said, causing his smile to falter. "She may be hiding things about herself just as we all do but I can assure you, she is thoroughly loyal to His Highness."

"How can you be so sure? Even if you do say that you can read ones face and behavior, how can you be sure of whether a person is good or bad or neutral in any situation? It is the Blood Emperor she guards, Haji, not some country aristocrat – we cannot take any risks." Shogun said sharply.

"I know that well enough, Shogun, and I don't need you to tell me that." I snapped back, narrowing my eyes challengingly at him. "I know you are just being cautious but Izumi is not the one you should be worrying about. With all that's going on with the rebels, you should be concentrating more on suppressing their rioting instead of worry about Izumi's loyalty unnecessarily."

I turned around to leave, silently telling him that this conversation was over and I didn't want to talk about it anymore. I was the Blood Emperor's right hand man – his direct subordinate. I almost always served as an ordinary member of the Elite Division and no one could doubt me to be anything otherwise but there were times when I took orders directly from His Highness – for missions that needed me to be a mindless assassin samurai, a soulless beast with no thoughts besides eliminating those His Highness wanted out of his way. I knew all secrets of the palace and that of His Highness as well, including his plans, his goals and how ruthless and sadistic he could be. I knew him so well and he was so transparent with me that I could tell what he was thinking with just one glance at the expression on his face.

I was, in a way, at a position much higher than that of the Shogun and no one besides Shogun and Soutarou sama was aware of this. We all did well to maintain utmost secrecy in this matter.

I was a little different from the other assassin samurai though because I still retrained my emotions. I refused to become a completely blank slate, an emotionless killing machine, even though I did swear my life to serving the Blood Emperor. And that included not cutting off the ties that made me human that gave me the opportunity of having friends and people to care for and protect.

"You're words are strange today...and very much unlike you, Haji." Shogun said stopping me when I was just about to exit his quarters. "Don't tell me you've become fond of her in this short time. You know barely anything about her yet you stick close to her and constantly try to have conversations with her, even going to the extent of calling her 'sweetheart' even though you would have stopped doing so if anyone else told you to stop. And now you're defending her. Are you merely keeping an eye on her or have you started developing feelings for her? Surely the latter is not possible, since you're nothing more than a mindless assassin."

I clenched my fists at his question and narrowed my eyes while staring into the distance. I turned just my head to look at Shogun sharply. He cringed slightly under my stare but held his ground, showing me that he wasn't going to back down or apologize for what he had asked. He was tense, knowing very well that anyone who provoked me would not leave without a painful warning. But he was the Shogun and even though I was very tempted to retaliate, possibly with physical violence, I resisted.

"Don't compare me to your puppets that you call assassin samurai. I am not one of them and I am definitely not one of your subordinates. It would be best if you remember that well, Shogun. And what I think of or feel for Izumi is none of your concern. Just know that I lost the people I wanted to protect once before and I will not let that happen again. Ever."

I didn't bother waiting for a response from the Shogun. I walked out of his quarters and back to the training hall in the barracks where everyone was training. When I entered, I looked around for Izumi. Upon spotting her talking with Koharu while doing some stretches to relax after the sparring, my mood lightened and a small smile grazed my lips. I took a deep breath to ease out the tension that had built up between my brows because of the conversation I had had with Shogun and I made my way to them with a proper smile now.

"Hey Sweethearts! You're working hard even after such a tough spar." I said and took a seat next to Izumi who didn't stop stretching.

"Ugh, there you go with that nickname again..." Koharu muttered with a roll of her eyes. "And of course we're working hard! We're not lazy like a certain someone."

I chuckled with a shake of my head. "If you're referring to me, I'm afraid you're wrong. I'm not lazy."

"Not to sound biased in any way but yeah, Haji san isn't really lazy." Izumi said, having sat up with a barely noticeable wince. "He just has moments when he's so pooped that he has to crash and recharge."

"Izumi chan! You understand me!" I said dramatically with tears in my eyes. I held out my arms so I could hug her but, of course, even before I could get close enough, Koharu was pushing me away with a hand over my face.

"What have I told you about keeping distance, you pervert!" She hollered.

Izumi and I laughed and we were joined by Koharu soon after. When our chuckles had died down, Izumi and Koharu got up and walked to the changing rooms, unfortunately leaving me behind. I pressed my lips into a thin line instead of pouting and proceeded to reach behind me to tie up my hair with a sigh. I was feeling hot and the humid weather wasn't really helping.

I usually had an attendant tie up my hair because I myself hadn't quite learned to do so. I suppose anyone would say that if I wasn't even interested to learn how to tie up my hair, I might as well cut it short. But it was the only thing that made me feel connected to my passed on family – particularly by brother. He too had long hair and it always made him look charming and kind and gentle. I could never be even half of the gentleman he was, considering everything I did as the Blood Emperor's right hand man, but this could be considered as a slight similarity, right?

I grunted in annoyance, unable to tie my hair properly. I held all of it in place but the hair tie was impossible to work with. Some strands kept falling out of place before I could tie it or I ended up tying it too loose that it slipped down the minute I let go.

"Need a hand?" I heard a voice and looked up to see Izumi watching me with an amused smile.

I looked at her sheepishly while letting go of my hair causing it to sprawl out behind me. "Ah, I got caught while looking like a fool. But yes, I'd be really grateful if you could help me."

"Why don't we go outside? I don't want people to see me helping you and start some obvious rumors."

"That's true. Let's go outside then." I said with a laugh and got up off the floor to walk with her to the garden beside the barracks.

When we were out of sight, I took a seat on the grass and she stood on her knees behind me to help tie my hair. I was mildly surprised when she did so in less than a minute and took a seat next to me while breathing out deeply. She dabbed off beads of sweat on her forehead and moved stray strands of her hair out of her eyes. She looked beautiful at this proximity – not that I hadn't seen her in this proximity before but I had never got the chance to observe her in silence as I was doing now. Her dark hair accentuated her small heart shaped face, her brown eyes were bright and so full of life, her cheeks still flushed from the sparring trial and her lips were small and rosy. She said she was eighteen but unlike the eighteen year olds that I had come across in my life, Izumi had an aura of childlike innocence. Sure, she was a skilled fighter, but she was pure, untainted. I'm sure she had never killed anyone before since she clearly stated that that was one this she would not do on any mission she was sent on. That itself was more than enough to make her seem like nothing more than a high-spirited, honest and transparent young woman.

"Is my face so interesting to look at?" She asked teasingly and I finally blinked. I snapped out of my thoughts as well and looked away with a sheepish smile for getting caught.

"Ah, sorry about that. I was just...admiring your beauty." I teased in return and she rolled her eyes.

"That sounds really corny, you know that?" She said while looking at me with a raised brow. "Then again, I'm not really surprised to hear that from you."

I held up my hands in defense and shrugged. She laughed again and looked ahead with a deep sigh. She narrowed her eyes slightly, not in scrutiny but as if she were thinking deeply about something. I had noticed that she was distracted for most of the day – she hadn't trained to her full potential like she usually would have done. But her concentration was at its peak during the sparring trials. She fought well, precisely and effectively, quite close to beating me despite not having the same physical build and strength.

"Hey, is everything okay? You seem to be kind of distracted today." I said and leaned forward a bit with my arms resting on my upright knees so I could see her face.

"Do I?" She asked, looking at me with a smile for a moment. "I guess I'm just restless because I have such a boring job. Not that I don't like being with Prince Shichiro or anything but there's nothing for me to do per se."

"Ah, no adventure for an adventure-lover." I mused.

"Exactly." She responded. "Not to mention, I also have some weirdo keeping tabs on me."

She muttered the last line to herself in a barely audible voice, probably not wanting me to hear what she said. I narrowed my eyes just a bit wondering who she was talking about but decided not to press her for details for now. I would keep an eye on her to make sure that whoever it was who was following her didn't hurt her in any way. I had my doubts on Shogun since he had thoughts of Izumi being an enemy. But I saw nothing that made her seem that way.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get to do something fun soon." I encouraged and stood up. "Now why don't we head back, Sweetheart? I'm sure you wouldn't want anyone to think that we've gone off on a date."

"Oh, so you're not worried about it?" She asked and stood up as well.

"Not one bit! I'd be happy if people thought that I'm courting someone as pretty as you!" I teased and was rewarded with a playful slap on my arm.

Izumi dusted her clothes and walked towards the barracks. I stayed as I was and watched her for a moment. I wanted to protect her because she was a spark of purity in this bloody and dark palace, in this bottomless sea of lies and deception. She could fight well, she could defend herself against almost any opponent – I was sure of that. Yet, somewhere in my heart, she seemed like a delicate flower that had to be treated gently so not even one petal would be damaged.

Why did I think of Izumi like this? I never thought this way of Koharu even though I had known her for many years now. Yes, I saw her as a woman, a person softer and gentler than men but not as delicate as what I saw Izumi to be. I saw the women of the Blood Emperor's harem as weak and protected them because it was my duty but that wasn't the case with Izumi at all. I had known her for such a short time and yet, I felt the need to put her safety first over that of everyone else's.

Perhaps Shogun wasn't entirely wrong about what I was beginning to think of Izumi. I was developing feelings for her – but how strong they were, I'm not sure.

I inhaled deeply to regain some composure. I shook my head and fell in pace with her, ruffling her hair that resulted in her glaring at me while trying to set her hair in place again. I chuckled and looked to the side, my smile faltering when I saw Shogun watching us from a distance away.

I tilted my head up just a bit though, showing him my dominance over him for reasons he knew very well. Satisfied with the suppressed expression he gave at my obvious dominance over him, I turned and stepped into the barracks' training hall with a smile.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So things have finally been revealed! The stranger that Izumi met, aka Ryuu, is in fact the Blood Emperor himself! And he seems to have some very interesting plans for her >w> I wonder what he's planning and what 'that' matter is all about....hmm....suspense, suspense! XD

Ichirou doesn't seem to trust Izumi though and his doubts have only increased after how well she was able to hold out during the sparring trail. But Haji seems to trust her....and perhaps feel more as well? ;) Now some serious drama is beginning to unfold! Stay tuned for lots more twists and turns in the future!

P.S. Don't the Blood Emperor and Haji look totally dashing?? X)

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