Chapter 20 - Gathering Intel

Izumi pov:

"Alright the first thing we have to do now is raid the major bunkers Taheji's men are using to stay in the Capital. They are influencing people into going against the Blood Emperor so they have to be stopped first. From what the assassin samurai have gathered, some are camouflaging themselves as regular civilians and spreading unnecessary negative rumors about him while those who are actually going around threatening the civilians into following Taheji's wishes are living in these three inns." I said while pointing out to three locations on the map of Sei'an spread out in front of me. "The Elite Division will be responsible for raiding these places without the enemy having heard anything about it. Once they are in your custody, the Blood Emperor will decide how to get information from them."

"Your idea seems a bit too risky. We cannot just barge into those inns – we'll be noticed. That would give the enemy the chance to escape." Ichirou san commented.

"That's why I said you have to make it so you are not noticed." I said with a roll of my eyes. "If you ask me, I think you all should flow in at random intervals as if you are guests in the city and use some time to observe those living in the inn. I'm sure the enemy will be easy to spot from their body language as well as the length of their stay and the weapons they carry. As for the bunch spreading the rumors, I think you can figure out who they are too with some observation."

"I think we should be able to find the enemy easily." Koharu said with a nod. "But what about you, Izumi? You're not going to come with us on this mission?"

"No. I have something else to take care of." I answered with slightly narrow eyes.

"And what might that be?" Ichirou san questioned in scrutiny.

"That's for me to know and you to find out. Now let's get back to the main point." I said curtly. "Once you guys are done rounding off the enemy in these places, you should look around for the civilians who have been brainwashed – ones who have been influenced to stop supporting the Blood Emperor. When you meet them, you will have to find a way to 'un-hypnotize' them and bring them back to their senses. Of course, it's not going to be easy and..."

"I don't think you need to be telling us what to do till this level, Izumi. We are neither foolish to let the enemy get away with what they are doing not unaware of what to do about the civilians who have been influenced by their threats." Ichirou san said sounding quite annoyed.

"Oh? What's the matter, Shogun? Are you feeling embarrassed that your supposed-to-be subordinate is the one commanding the Elite Division now?" I said with a chuckle before narrowing my eyes responding rather roughly to his complaining. "Well, suck it up, because it the Blood Emperor's orders."

"Watch your words, Izumi! His Highness might have ordered you to command this mission but it does not mean you have authority over the Elite Division." He snapped back angrily.

"For your information, Shogun, I have been assigned to command this mission and the Elite Division because I was able to get information on Taheji's charades by myself, much before you could, that has avoided any major damage to His Highness' place on the throne." I said with a scoff and narrowed my eyes. "You don't know what I am capable of and this isn't the time to be getting all jealous or insulted. So clear your mind and concentrate on the mission."

It wasn't just the Shogun who was absolutely dumbfound by my words. Everyone in the room, everyone of the Elite Division were staring at me like I had grown a second head but as usual, Haji san was the first to chuckle and clap in amuse.

"What a speech, Sweetheart! I'm so impressed right now!" He said. "And not to disrespect you in any way, Shogun, but Sweetheart here did find out information before things could get out of hand. I mean, we all know what kind of person Taheji is and what he's capable of doing so...."

"Shut up, Haji. I didn't ask for your opinion." Ichirou san hissed, obviously feeling even more insulted than before.

"Okay, enough of this argument. Can we please concentrate??" I pressed.

Ichirou san complied reluctantly so we went back to strategizing. In one hour, all preparations to leave were ready. Asahi san and Koharu decided to head out first along with two other two man teams to the three different inns where the enemy were gathered. I, on the other hand, made my way back to the palace and to the royal chambers I had been sharing with Ryuusei after changing into a not-too-fancy Empress dress. Just as I had expected, he was waiting for me and came to stand in front of me the moment I had closed the doors of the room. Much against my liking, he put an arm around my shoulders to hold me to himself while looking piercingly into my eyes.

"Are discussions over?" He asked and I forced him to let me go.

"Yes, they are. Three teams have already set out to progress with the first step on the plan." I said and walked to my huge cupboard to rummage through the clothes there.

"I see....when do you plan to go? Or do you even have to? I would prefer not having you get stuck in the midst of fighting." He said, his voice getting soft at the end.

"I'll be going out tonight too but not to the inns." I answered flatly.

"Then where are you going? Will you have to fight anyone? Perhaps I should have someone go with you to protect you." He pressed, making me sigh and look at him.

"I'm just going to scout the Capital and see if I can sniff out any other information on Taheji and if there's something else that he's doing that we don't know about. I'm planning on visiting the warehouse specifically because that's where there is a high possibility that his spies may be hanging around."

"Do you mean the Royal Warehouse? Why would Taheji have spies there?" He questioned, his eyes narrowing. I merely shrugged though and went to rummage through Ryuusei's cupboard because I wasn't able to find the kind of clothes I was looking for at the moment.

"It's just a thought, actually. Since the warehouse is where a lot of trade happens and all kinds of people keep flowing in and out of the place, there is a chance that I can pick up any rumors going around in the Capital and neighboring cities. If Taheji's influence had spread more than just in the Capital, we'll have to kick things up a notch, right?" I explained.

Ryuusei was silent for a moment, perhaps lost in thought. I heard shuffling as he walked closer to me and I stopped rummaging through his clothes when he wrapped his arms around my shoulders and hugged me to himself with his chin resting on my shoulder. I raised a brow and glanced sideways at him, not really surprised to see him watching the empty space in front of him with narrow eyes.

"How is it possible for you to think so much ahead of things? I already sent out assassin samurai to neighboring cities to gather information but I am the Blood Emperor, a cunning strategist who is always a step ahead of the enemy. Yet, this time, it is you who went a step ahead of not just the enemy but me as well and you are already thinking as far ahead as I would. How do you have such knowledge?" He asked, his voice soft and deep and with a hint of authority. It made a shiver of thrill go down my spine.

I sighed though, understanding very well that he was holding back from demanding me to tell him about my true self. It was wrong on my part too to be hiding the truth when he knew that something about me wasn't....normal. But it had to be done, at least for now.

Gently tugging his hands to make him let go, I turned to face him. He was looking down at me, scrutinizing and yet with a hint of uneasiness. I chuckled with a shake of my head and punched him on the chest in a playful gesture.

"Relax, Your Royalness. You trust me, don't you?" I said though he merely twitched. "I know that I should be telling you about myself and I will....but not right now. After we deal with Taheji and I'm able to get the information I seek, I will tell you everything. Can you wait till then?"

"I will wait." He responded almost instantly. "And I do trust you, Love. More than I should."

I couldn't help but laugh at his words. How did this guy manage to sound so cheesy every time he confessed his feelings for me? More than that, how many times was he going to confess to me anyway? Or perhaps....he was only trying to overcome his hesitance of trusting me, let alone anyone else, by voicing out his feelings of affection and yearning for me over and over again.

"But I do have a condition." He said after a moment. "I do not wish to send you alone to the warehouse. It's too risky and I wouldn't know what to do if you got hurt, or in worse cases, captured by the enemy. I cannot lose you, Love, and I will not send you alone into a place so dangerous."

"As much as I appreciate your concern for me, it won't be necessary for you to come with me. I'm more than capable of handling this myself – I won't get caught and I'll be back before you know it." I said confidently.

"I'm afraid I won't listen to you in this matter, Love. I will not send you there by yourself unprotected." He said and held his hand up to silence me when I opened my mouth to protest again. "And what is it that you are looking for in my cupboard? Surely you do not plan to go to the warehouse disguised as a man. Just a glance at your slender physique would be enough for even an idiot to figure out that you are a girl."

I huffed in annoyance, blowing some hair strands out of my face. Jeez this guy was stubborn....well, I suppose it was fine if he tagged along – as long as he kept up with me.

"I'm not going to dress up as a man, Ryuusei. I need completely black attire – so I can camouflage well in the dark. Since you have mostly dark colored robes unlike the rainbow assortment I have been provided with, I'm hoping you have something black that I can borrow for a while."

He watched me blankly for a moment before breaking out into a small smirk. I wondered why he suddenly got that look but my doubt was clarified pretty soon.

"The thought of seeing you in my clothes is rather appealing. Are you finally trying to woo me, Love?" He teased and it surprisingly made a wave of embarrassment wash over me. My cheeks became warm and I took a step back while narrowing my eyes at him through my mild fluster.

"W-woo you?! Where on earth do you get ideas like that?!" I hollered and it only added to his amusement. "I said I need clothes to camouflage! Ca-mou-flage!! So don't get any other weird thoughts!"

I stumbled backwards more as he walked closer to me and I cursed under my breath when by back hit the separators of Ryuusei's cupboard. I shifted uncomfortably, trying to get the numerous robes hung there away from my head in vain. The situation turned even more against my favor when Ryuusei put his hands on either side of me to trap me and I glared at him as harshly as I could through the obvious blush dusting my cheeks.

"Hmm, it's hard to feel intimidated by your glare when your fluster is so obvious. But I have to say, that's a rather alluring expression, Love – one that I hope you will show to no one but me." He said and leaned in closer, unexpectedly making me panic slightly.

I got even more startled when his eyes softened and he glanced at my lips longingly. He looked into my eyes for a brief moment, as if asking for my permission. I didn't know what to do – whether to accept his gesture or refuse it out of nervousness – but he took my silence as an approval. Cupping my cheek with one hand, he closed his eyes and leaned down to my level while parting his lips. When his lips met mine, something inside of me just exploded. It was wild and powerful and exhilarating and I seemed to lose control of my mind. My eyes closed on their own and I lifted my arms to wrap them around Ryuusei's torso while holding his clothes tightly in my fists.

Ryuusei responded to my accepting gestures immediately, bringing his other arm around my waist to hold me flush against himself and parting his lips to caress me more passionately. It had my head spinning, my heart pounding and shudders of delight pulsing through my body. After a few minutes of the intense passion, we settled to slower, softer kisses that tenderly expressed the affection and care we had developed for each other. The entire time, I had my arms around Ryuusei in an embrace that I found to be both loving and comforting.

When we parted from the kiss, slowly, hesitantly and even mildly reluctantly, we gazed into each other's eyes deeply. The embarrassment I had had before had washed away by this moment we had shared – this moment that expressed the depth and purity and honesty of the feelings with which we saw each other. I saw it more than anything else in Ryuusei's eyes now – he was no longer uneasy and the smolder of affection in his eyes was overwhelming.

In this kiss, he had given me his heart completely and I had given him mine, and we had come to understand that we would be complete only in each other. He was the piece that filled the dark hollow in my chest that I had lived with – the feeling that I was alone and had no really family despite Juri san and everyone else of the PDST caring for me as if I were one of their own blood. And something about the expression in Ryuusei's eyes told me that I had finally saved him from the isolation and poisonous darkness he had always lived in since he was a child.

I finally blinked and broke from the trance of staring into his eyes. I was momentarily embarrassed at the thoughts I had just had while looking into Ryuusei's eyes – his cheesiness must really be rubbing off me lately. But I wasn't embarrassed or hesitant of being in love with him anymore. And I'm sure I wouldn't get flustered if he teased me or expressed his love for me either – well not much, anyway.

"I am uncontrollably in love with you, Izumi. And I can't even imagine living if you're not by my side for even an instant...." He said almost breathlessly.

His eyes got half lidded, as if he had been drained of energy and he slumped against me with his face in my shoulder while hugging me tightly. I tensed for a moment, but held him back whilst closing my eyes and, for the very first time, deeply inhaling his addictive cologne-like scent. There was also a mildly fruity smell that came off of his clothes, but it was very much masculine. Who knew that rather appealing perfumes were produced in the Edo Period too?

"Um, Ryuusei? As much as I would like to continue hugging you, we have to head out to the warehouse. I think you can let me go now." I said gently. Oddly enough, I couldn't sound sassy like I would have at any other time.

He chuckled softly and pulled away but cupped my face so I would look at him in the eyes. "Of course, Love. But remember, now that you have acknowledged your love for me, I will not let you go, ever. I will not let you leave me for another man....you are mine now."

"I'm not an object for you to call me yours." I pointed making his smile falter. "But I suppose I'm okay with what you said about never ever letting go of me."

That brought the smile back on his face and he leaned down to kiss me softly on the forehead – an expression of true love and care. He lingered there for a few moments before pulling away. He pushed me to the side a bit so he could look through his cupboard and he pulled out a set of black clothes. He held it up in front of me and chuckled amused because there was no way that it would fit me – it was way too big in both length and width.

"I'll have Ichirou bring in something that will fit you. If there is anything you wish to pack for this little excursion of ours, you may do so until your clothes are here." He said and walked to the door so he could summon Ichirou san.

"Right. I'll just do that." I said with a nod.

I packed a few things that I thought would be helpful for this mission in a small black bag – rope, a catapult and some stones as ammunition and a dagger. I strapped a dagger onto my waist as well and kept aside a pocket knife to hide in my shoe. I expected not to have any unnecessary run-ins with the enemy because we were just going to gather some information but better safe than sorry, right?

I also checked my smart glasses, making sure they had enough charge in them to hold out for a couple of hours. The zoom feature would be helpful during infiltration, after all. I bit the inside of my cheek as I stared at my smart glasses, a few thoughts running through my mind. Well, it looks like Ryuusei was going to see the first unusual thing about me today. I wonder how he would react....

Shrugging, I put my smart glasses in my bag and pulled the sleeve over the items.

When Ryuusei was back with clothes, we had a light dinner before quickly changed into them, covering ourselves from head to toe and with just our eyes visible. Ryuusei had strapped a katana to his waist and wore metal gauntlets on his arms for protection. I was sure that he had more weapons hidden in his clothes but I decided not to ask about it.

Now ready, I nodded to him and we began our getaway from the palace. It was easy enough and Ryuusei ran a step behind me, as I had asked him to, while I led our hidden passage through the Capital. Using the skills I had learnt since I was a child, I maneuvered stealthily through the dark alleyways and towards the Royal Warehouse on the eastern side of the city. Ryuusei kept up easily, as expected.

As we got closer to the warehouse, the foot traffic increased as well. Even the dark alleyways had people walking through them – shady characters who were huddled in groups and engrossed in serious discussions. No matter which side we tried to approach from, there were too many people that we had to get through. If Ryuusei and I ran past them dressed as we were, they were sure to find us suspicious. And if they were Taheji's men, it was sure to be reported to him. We didn't want that to happen so our best choice at the moment was to get onto the rooftops where we wouldn't be seen.

When we came to a stop at another corner, I glanced back at Ryuusei and pointed to the roof. He nodded and we found a good part of the wall with jagged edges to climb to the roof. Just as we got there, we stayed low and in the shadows while looking around to make sure no one else was on the rooftops – not even Ryuusei's assassin samurai. I wanted to double check so I pulled out my smart glasses from my bag and put them on.

I lightly tapped the power button and smirked behind my mask as the various functions of it popped up. I looked around us once, slowly and taking in every detail while occasionally zooming in and out of locations that appeared suspicious. When I was sure that the coast was clear, I looked at Ryuusei, only to find him watching me with wide curious and awed eyes. My smirk widened because I was sure he had picked up on something and I winked before beckoning with my hand to follow my lead.

We ran quietly on the rooftops and as we jumped from one building to another, I rolled to make sure I didn't get hurt by the impact. There was even one time when we jumped from higher to lower ground and I did so with a side flip just to show off in front of Ryuusei.

Unfortunately, just as we closed in on the warehouse, we were confronted by four people dressed similar to us but having a golden brown sash tied on their upper arms. They narrowed their eyes at us, which we returned with no hesitance.

"Assassin samurai?" I questioned, not taking my eyes off the toughest looking guy who was eyeing me.

"Don't compare us to those weaklings." He responded in a gruff voice, deliberately altered to make sure he didn't give away his real identity. "Who are you and what are you doing here? The Blood Emperor's rodents won't be left to live if you take even a step further. Then again....with what you're wearing over your eyes, you might be something to add to his collection."

"Oh?" I mused and glanced at Ryuusei. "You take those two. Leave these two dunces to me."

"No, they look like really tough opponents. Let me...."

I didn't let him finish because I bolted forward at the brute in front of me. I spared no energy as I fought him, throwing punches and kicks at him and even crouching and trying to kick him off balance. None of it worked – he was a tough guy indeed – and the fight was soon made even harder when my second opponent joined in. They were just a bit better than the thugs I had fought on the day I landed in this world. However, there was one crucial advantage here for me – no guns.

I crossed my arms in front of my face like an 'X', bracing myself for a kick the tough guy sent at me. I was pushed back and skidded to a halt before propelling myself forward to fight back with the same amount of gusto. As I fought, I observed his movements – he had a very slight limp in his right leg and that was his weakness. Smirking slightly, I aimed attacks on his right side, pushing him back while fluidly blocking or avoiding hits sent from the second guy.

However, it seems that I was too quick to assume that his limp was a weakness. He had noticed that I was targeting his right side so he retaliated effectively. At one point, he pulled out a dagger just as I threw a punch at him and I gasped as he left a bleeding gash on my forearm. I jumped back while clutching the wound but the guy didn't give me time to recover. He was in front of me in an instant, trying to jab me in the gut with his dagger. I cursed under my breath and unsheathed my dagger to block him. He had brute strength though and I was being pushed back easily, my arms trembling at the strain I felt.

I glanced behind me as the second guy came charging with a dagger of his own and I knew that if I didn't get out of the way right now, that weapon would go through me. However, I doubt tough guy over here would just let me get out of the way. Calculations and possible retaliations rushed through my mind in an instant and I settled for one that I instinctively felt to be foolproof. It wasn't one that I liked but it had to be done.

Just as the sidekick reached me, I stopped resisting the tough guy and skidded down the roof and out of the way. The two of them met head on, piercing their daggers through each other. They gasped before slouching on the roof dead.

I was breathing heavily and I grunted as I stood. I hissed as the wound on my arm burned and I looked down at it. It was bleeding and quite an area of my clothes around it had soaked up the blood making it sticky and very uncomfortable. I also felt mildly queasy having seen two men kill each other – it was indirectly because of me and that didn't sit very well with my conscience.

"I'm impressed, Love." I heard Ryuusei say and I looked at him as he made his way to me.

He tore off a part of his clothes and motioned for me to hold my arm out to him. He wrapped the cloth over my arm tightly so the bleeding would stop and the wound would be covered enough until we got the right treatment for it.

"You didn't get hurt while fighting them, did you?" I asked when he was done temporarily tending to my wound.

"Of course not. They were good fighters, I suppose, but not good enough. They barely lasted two blade swings against me – nd I didn't even have to use both hands to block their sloppy blows." He said with a shrug. "But seeing that you won against two tough men while suffering such a minor injury is quite impressive."

"How long were you watching me fight?" I asked tentatively.

"I watched most of your fight, actually. The time I took to take care of those you left me to handle was just short of a heartbeat."

My eyes went a little wide at his words. I had to put up a good fight to win against the two I fought and in the end, it wasn't even me who finished the fight. I narrowly escaped them by using the simulation that played out in my head. But Ryuusei....he had finished his opponents off so easily! I suppose one reason was that he didn't hesitate to kill them but I just came to realize how physically powerful Ryuusei really he was. The brute strength of his that I had experienced several times was no joke – in fact, he was probably stronger than what he had shown me on our beginning encounters.

I looked away, feeling mildly overwhelmed by the thought. However, the causes behind it made me understand the reason for the differences in our strengths. Firstly, he was an Emperor surrounded by people who wished him dead, this was the Edo Period where the concept of live-and-let-live couldn't be followed and he had trained much harder and for much longer than I had and for reasons much different than mine. The time and place of living had made him this ruthless and powerful person he is. In that sense, I had no reason to feel afraid or in any way inferior to him.

"Love? Are you alright?" He asked when I didn't respond, sounding just a little anxious. I looked back at him and nodded, smiling behind my mask.

"I was just thinking of how your life must have been for you to have become so strong and cutthroat. I also feel a little bad that you've had to become this ruthless just to ensure your safety." I confessed, mildly crestfallen.

"Do you regret what you did? Do you regret that those two men killed each other because you got out of harm's way?" He asked, easily seeing past the facade of confidence I held up. He sighed softly, getting his answer from my silence and pulled me into his arms. "You have no reason to feel bad about it. You were only ensuring the safety of your life. And I can tell that those men have much blood on their hands, possibly of innocent people who only wished to live in peace. Besides, if they didn't end up killing each other, I would have killed them once you had put them out of commission."

I nodded slowly and took a deep breath before pushing away from him. "I still don't feel good about what happened but I will try to understand your point of view. We should continue to the warehouse now."

"Yes, we should." He agreed and reached out to touch my smart glasses gently, curiously.

With another nod, we proceeded to the warehouse. Even though Ryuusei was an excellent fighter, I thought he would be really good at being stealthy too. Much to my surprise, he was unaware of how to get into the warehouse when it was so heavily populated and guarded, even saying that it was probably impossible to get in until the crowd cleared out – I suppose he didn't find it to be the same as getting past a dozen palace guards. So I had him follow my lead while I took in the surroundings with my smart glasses.

"Two, three, five, nine....there are eleven men on guard in total besides the civilians flowing in and out of the main and rear entrances. There are three guards in front and the others are spread out around the warehouse. The security's blind spot as well as our way in is over there, through that window." I said while pointing to an open window on the side of the building.

"That is not a blind spot, Love. The guards walk past it every few minutes." Ryuusei pointed.

"Exactly. They're not standing anywhere close to it for a few minutes every now and then. That's when we break in." I said. "Now c'mon."

We climbed down the roof and waited for one of the guards to pass the blind spot. When the coast was clear, confirmed by my view with the smart glasses, we made a run for the window. We peered in through the window to make sure we could get in without grabbing any attention. The window was behind some crates stacked one on top of the other so it gave us the good cover to get into the warehouse. We then proceeded through the crates in hopes of finding something or someone useful.

"Shh!" I said and Ryuusei immediately crouched along with me when two men passed the other side of the crates we were behind.

"Did you hear? Those men have even started threatening people of the Jin Province." One of them spoke as they came to a stop a little away. "And they're bribing the high ranking officials with gold bars."

"Are you serious? Aah, things are really getting crazy by the day. And how do you know about this anyway?" The other asked.

"My wife's cousins stay there. We received a letter from them only recently....man, it's scary being stuck between the Royal Family's fight for power. I only hope Prince Taheji and the Blood Emperor don't end up fighting each other in a war. I don't want to live through another era of bloodshed."

"Yeah, I remember those days...." The second responded with a shudder. "That was when the Blood Emperor just came to the throne, wasn't it? He showed no mercy to those he found traitorous and killed them all. He's killed so many people and I sometimes wonder how he sleeps at night with all the blood he has on his hands."

I glanced at Ryuusei behind me and felt a jolt of fear at the malice in his eyes. They were dark and narrow and the very air around him had become as cold as ice. I clenched my jaw though and placed a hand on his upper arm. It seemed to snap him out of his moment of bitterness and he met my eyes, his gaze softening.

"Oi you two!" We heard a third voice and we hid more behind the crates upon seeing a man dressed similar to the ones we had just fought on the roof. "What are you doing here, slacking off? And what are you talking about?!"

"N-nothing! We were j-just....w-we just...." The first guy stuttered, his face going pale in fear.

"It better not be about supporting the Blood Emperor. If His Highness Prince Taheji hears about it, he'll have me behead you!" The guard threatened. "We have enough trouble finding those of the Crimson Rose and we won't have any more fools joining up with them to rebel against the true Emperor of Nihon!"

"The Crimson Rose?" I mumbled to myself. What were these guys talking about? What rebels? What was going on??

I wanted information and there was just one way to get it.

Even before Ryuusei could figure out what I was doing, I jumped out from behind the crated and kicked the guard in his gut. He gasped but recovered quickly to fight back. I didn't want this fight to take long enough to attract attention so I jumped onto one of the crates and then onto the guard with his head locked between my legs. I used the inertia to bring him to the ground and I hit the back of his neck sharply with the side of my palm to make him unconscious. When he would out, I looked at the two men who looked terrified of me.

"P-please spare us! W-we were j-just following him so w-we could live! W-we mean no disrespect to the B-Blood Emperor!" They stuttered in unison before falling to their knees to the floor in begging.

"You do know that was a very dangerous thing to do, Love, don't you?" Ryuusei said as he stepped out from behind the crates.

"I do. But it had to be done and you were with me for backup." I said and looked down at the quivering men. "Oi, you two. Stand up."

They stood up, still trembling and holding onto each other for some reassurance. They kept their eyes closed through and I was almost sure that they were wishing that this was just a dream they would wake up from soon.

"What was this oaf talking about just now? What is the Crimson Rose?" I asked curtly and they flinched.

"T-that's....w-we're not allowed t-to talk about that." One of them stuttered.

"If you don't tell me, you're going to experience the same thing this guy did." I said in a sickly sweet voice causing them to pale again.

"T-the Crimson Rose is an organization f-formed by those who support the Blood Emperor. T-they're rebels of the rebels. T-they're refusing to submit to the threats from P-Prince Taheji and keep doing things that hinder his plans to overthrow the B-Blood Emperor. T-They're being led by t-two men – I think I remember hearing one being a young man named Haruko."

I huffed out a soft laugh, both amused and happy to hear that Haruko and, most definitely, Kanzaki san were leading the original Crimson Rose to support Ryuusei and oppose the rule of Prince Taheji. We had supporters flowing in and that was a good backup.

"I see....what about what you said about Jin Province?" I pressed.

"My wife's cousin told us that there are similar samurai going around telling them to stop supporting the Blood Emperor and vouch for Prince Taheji instead. They are initially being promised better job salaries but upon refusal, they are being threatened. One family that stays next door to my wife's cousin lost their son to the samurai because they refused to change their alliance." The second guy said, now seeming confident and not so afraid anymore. "And many of the government officials have changed sides because of the bribes they've been offered. They handle government affairs well and are unbiased but it would seem that they're still attracted to money and luxury."

"Hmm....his influence seems to have gone pretty far. It's not just in Sei'an after all." I mumbled to myself before addressing the two men again. "So Prince Taheji's samurai are killing those who refuse to support him?"

"Yes. It's terrible....everyone is living in fear. We're wondering why the Blood Emperor isn't doing anything despite all that is happening!" The first guy said and looked down anxiously. "We're just helpless civilians and we just want to live a life of peace! So why are we being dragged into the fight of the Royal Family?"

"Are you saying that you're alright with Prince Taheji coming to the throne? You don't support the Blood Emperor?" I asked with slightly narrow eyes. I knew people feared Ryuusei but did they fear him to the extent that they didn't want him as their Emperor anymore?

"No!" they hollered together. Ryuusei and I were momentarily startled and the two men looked away embarrassed by their sudden outburst.

"We support the Blood Emperor." The first guy said. "We always have. We are terribly afraid of him and we know that he has killed many who he deemed as traitors or enemies so we don't want to ever get on his bad side. He is strict and ruthless but he has done so much for us, for his people. We believe that he is good at heart and truly cares for the people of his Empire. After all, it is thanks to him that we have proper houses, enough food for three square meals a day and good medical facilities. If it wasn't for the medical center he had built in Sei'an, my wife would have died during childbirth. We are grateful to him even though we are afraid to show it."

I looked at Ryuusei, curious about his expression upon hearing these words and boy was I satisfied. His eyes were so wide that they could fall out of their sockets in shock along with a sense of pride swirling in their depths. I resisted a chuckle and looked back to the men.

"I hope you're not saying this just to stay safe from the Blood Emperor. After all, I know you two are aware of us working for him." I said, wanting a stronger confession from them.

"Of course not!" The second guy said. "We truly support the Blood Emperor – he has done so much for his people, more than what any other Emperor has done in the history of Nihon. We are lucky to receive his generosity but we would be happier if he were a little less strict and scary."

"We will make sure we convey your good regards to him." Ryuusei said this time in an even tone. "And please stay strong. We will tell the Blood Emperor of what is happening and we are sure he will put an end to Prince Taheji's tyranny soon."

"Really?" The second guy said with a hopeful smile. "A-ah, and if you're going to tell him about our gratitude, please do tell him that we will always support him even if we do not have to power to help him in any way."

"Supporting him is the help that you give him." I said. "An Emperor can only be so much without subjects who support him."

"A-ah, I suppose so." The second guy said with a blush. "But please do not forget to tell him of our thoughts and gratitude for all he has done for us."

"We will." I said and then smirked devilishly. "Now you two are going to have to pretend that you never met us and never had this conversation. You're going to have to say that you were knocked out along with this idiot lying here, alright?"

"W-what? We don't understand what y-you're...."

Before they could finish their sentence, I hit both of them on the back of their necks to leave them unconscious on the floor next to the guard.

"I would say that went well, don't you think?" I said and looked at Ryuusei. However, he was staring at the two men in mild awe.

"Never before did I think I was seen this way by my people. I suppose being ruthless and cruel still gave me good things in return." He said softly. He looked so glad to hear that he was appreciated and respected, not just because he was cold and ruthless and feared, but because of his noble wish for a prosperous Empire.

"You give yourself too less credit, you know?" I said and crouched next to the guard to untie the golden brown sash on his upper arm. "An Emperor has to be strict – perhaps not as tough as you but still tough enough. But you had to become this tough because of the deceitful people you were always surrounded by. Besides, even though you are tough and merciless on the outside, I know that you are very kind at heart and always worry of the happiness and prosperity of your people. That's what your people will remember most."

"I suppose so....thank you, Love. I was able to hear the honest thoughts of my people thanks to you."

"Eh, I didn't really do anything." I said while standing and trying to pass off the slight embarrassment I felt at his words of compliment.

He chuckled and looked at the two unconscious men again. "But I have to say, Love, you're quite harsh – forcing them unconscious like that. I really pity them for having to go through this at the hands of such a beautiful young lady."

I rolled my eyes at his teasing but felt a blush rise onto my cheeks as his smile was reflected in his eyes – and here I thought I wouldn't get affected by his teasing anymore. Not wanting to let any more embarrassment surface, I held up the sash I had taken from the unconscious guard with a smile behind my mask for Ryuusei to take. His eyes were filled with curiosity when he looked at the sash. He stared at it for a moment before meeting my eyes again.

"Why are you giving this to me?"

"Wear it and go have some friendly conversations with Taheji's men. You can get some more information that can help us deal with him." I explained. "Besides, there's one more thing you have to find out – something I believe Taheji is doing in super secrecy. It will help not just you but me as well."

"And what is it that I have to find out?" Ryuusei coaxed and my smile turned into a smirk.

"What's happening in that barricaded fort on Yokobu Shore."

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

Woooo!! That was a super long chapter, wasn't it? 8D Ryuusei and Izumi finally kissed! They KISSED!! TwT *throws rainbow confetti into the air* Were you all jumping with joy at that? Or screaming loud enough to shatter house windows?? XD

And finally, there was some Izumi action too ;)

Isn't our Blood Emperor quite a strong guy? O.o Izumi has come to realize just how tough he is in reality and that she has probably not seen anything of him yet. Well, he did mention in the last chapter that he has trained so hard that he can barely feel anything with his palms and his body is kind of immune to pain. Poor guy....sure has had a tough life, hasn't he? I wonder when we'll get to see him in a serious fight....

But it's good to see that the people of his Empire support him ^////^

Anyway, coming back to our dearest Izumi, there goes her sass again XD Ichirou couldn't say anything against her, could he? She always leaves the people she argues with speechless. And she used her smart glasses! And Ryuusei's interest has been piqued! And he's curious about it and may even know something about it! And....

....

Am I the only one making these comments? XD I'll stop so I can let you all express your thoughts on the chapter!!!

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