63

Chapter Text

After witnessing Byakko slaughtering her peerage, Yura-Ann became subdued and compliant.

Without any obvious method of escape, it appears she's planning to simply ride this out.

She didn't even complain when Seiryuu pulled out a bundle of thick braided rope, wrapped in talismans, and bound her hands. Though from the expression on her face, she wasn't happy about it either.

Yet despite having Yura-Ann captured, there is still more to be done before we can call this matter settled.

"Are we in agreement then?" Sieryuu says, "Byakko and I will deliver our prisoner to the Shinra Clan where she will be held for the time being. Suzaku and Ibaraki will clean up the remnants of Ms Shax's peerage and retrieve further evidence of Ms Shax's misdeeds."

Byakko glares at Yura-Ann and huffs, "I hardly need an escort."

While the woman in question isn't a threat to Byakko, nobody here is under any illusions that Seiryuu was concerned about Byakko's safety.

Suzaku gives him a sympathetic look while Seiryuu rolls his eyes, "You know exactly why I'm escorting you, don't be obtuse."

"Will you two be contacting the Foreign Affairs Department of the Devil Faction right away?" Suzaku cuts in before Byakko can snipe back.

"Not today," Seiryuu responds, "This grievance is primarily concerning the Shinra Clan but all of our clans will need to have an input on what reparations we're aiming for. It's too large of an issue to deal with without proper planning."

He looks meaningfully at me, "We also need confirmation on who else will sit in on negotiations."

I wince internally due to his pointed statement.

As much as I want to pretend to understand how this will affect the inter-factional relations between the Shinto sub-factions and the Devil faction as a whole, the dynamics are far beyond me.

Even my mention of the West Yokai Faction and the Shinto Faction being involved in this dispute is a potential overstep on my part.

I'm fairly sure that Yasaka would be happy to use this incident to gain leverage over the Devils. As for Susanoo, he would be interested in an opportunity to sit in on the discussion if only to entertain himself.

Still, I don't know what their actions will be or what specific goals they would want to achieve.

"I'll talk to Yasaka about it," I hesitate for a moment then continue, "And Susanoo."

Seiryuu nods in understanding, knowing it isn't as simple as me giving a definite answer right now.

Now that what needs to happen next is clear, both he and Byakko teleport away with Yura-Ann in tow.

On the subject of Susanoo, I don't have a way to contact him directly so I'll have to ask Yasaka when we talk.

Alternatively, I could try praying to him or going to a temple dedicated to him. I'd rather not give him any worship though. If he can call me his minion all the time, I can be petty and not use a potentially easy means of contact.

The more immediate issue is dealing with the remaining members of her peerage that she sent to attack the Golden Boy while I was distracted. Since Kintoki and Yaeko are there, I'm not that concerned, but I was playing up my nonchalance earlier.

Unless the Queen of Yura-Ann's peerage is far stronger than the rest of her peerage or has some incredible artefact in their possession, there won't be an issue.

To put it simply, it would be annoying to deal with the aftermath of even a semi-successful attack.

Deaths mean finding replacement members, structural damage means shelling out a ton of money on repairs, and the damage to trust in our organization's strength are all issues.

"Should we head out then?" I ask Suzaku, wishing to hurry the more I contemplate.

"Of course." She replies with a frown and a determined set to her expression.

She's probably worried about people dying in the conflict between my gang and the peerage members that Yura-Ann sent.

I also promised that she could see documented evidence of the crimes they've committed before this especially stupid move.

In a flash, Suzaku teleports us away from the ruined estate back into Kyoto proper.

As we arrive, I'm immediately assailed with heavy scents of blood and smoke, while muffled thuds shake the ground.

The street around the Golden Boy has turned into a warzone, the ground pockmarked and filled with debris. Building entrances have collapsed and fires are slowly burning among the rubble.

The most noticeable feature is the bodies littering the street. At least a dozen corpses are strewn along the road, most wearing the colours of the Hell King Legion, though two that I can see are from my group.

The sight causes me to grimace.

I'm going to need to pay for the repairs of the entire street and support the families of any members of the Golden Dragons who died here.

My thoughts are interrupted as Suzaku waves her hand, extinguishing the fires in the area.

"What a waste of life." She mutters to herself solemnly.

With narrowed eyes, she scans over the destruction, stopping briefly on each of the bodies.

I can't really comfort her because I carry some fault in this occurrence. Besides, my condolence would be empty if I tried to give it.

In my eyes, there's no injustice here. While I consciously limit innocent deaths from my actions, I don't avoid them. I kicked off this gang war knowing it would cause innocents to die because ultimately those deaths weren't enough to dissuade me.

"Come on, there are people still fighting up ahead." she sighs and loses some tension, the reminder of her purpose here snapping her into focus again.

As we head closer to the Golden Boy, the roar of battle rises; the thuds and crashes grow louder and the clash of steel begins to be audible.

Impaled on some rubble outside the entrance is the remains of one of the Oni who left the village recently. His arms and legs have been severed, while the bleeding from the wounds has slowed to a gradual drip.

Suzaku gives him a brief sad acknowledgement like the other bodies and continues walking past.

While it is nice to see that she treats his death the same as the humans that died here, she underestimates the vitality of the Oni.

Suzaku hesitates once she realizes I'm not following her and after glancing back at me, watches me in surprise.

I pull the Oni off the rubble that is impaling him and start healing him. This would be a futile measure for a human, but this guy hasn't quit living yet.

The small spark of life inside him that was slowly dying out is rekindled as I pump Ki into him. The bleeding from his wounds stops and his eyes open shortly after.

He blinks slowly as he wakes up, "Man, I really thought I was dead this time. That devil didn't hold back, hacking me into pieces like this."

He laughs heartily at his description of the maiming he had undergone, already brimming with energy again despite being on death's door a moment ago.

I snort in amusement at his blase response to his previously imminent death, "If I hadn't arrived now that would've been the case."

"Any chance I'll be able to get back into the battle?" He asks with a wry grin.

I snicker and shake my head, "How about you rest up for a bit and let others finish the battle?"

I could heal him but it would take a good minute or two. I doubt Suzaku would want to wait that long with others possibly dying.

"Sure thing, Boss," He sighs in disappointment, "It's not like I can give you a hand right now."

He rocks his shoulders to punctuate his statement, waving the remnants of his limbs.

Suddenly, his expression brightens, "I think I remember where my limbs went flying earlier. If I can wiggle over there and pop 'em back on."

I roll my eyes at his plan to quickly get back in on the action. Never underestimate the stupidity of a battle maniac, I suppose.

"Good luck," I remark dryly as he starts dragging himself off by the chin in a manner that could almost be called dignified if you ignored the spectacle and focused on his desire to get back into battle.

"I had assumed that you were an outlier for your race in terms of durability." Suzaku reflects quietly, a hint of awe colouring her tone.

I shrug, "I still am, but most Oni can shrug off injuries that would be fatal to humans for a time."

"It's healing from those injuries that are difficult," I continue, "I'm the best in that regard."

She shakes her head and schools her features, "As interesting as that is -and it definitely is- we should head inside quickly."

I nod in agreement and follow her inside the ruins of the club.

The inside of the Golden Boy is even worse than the outside. While you could still tell what the street outside used to look like, the inside of the Golden Boy is unrecognizable from its prior form.

The furniture and general structure have all been demolished, and the source of the destruction becomes clear immediately.

Two devils are locked in furious combat with Kintoki and Yaeko, and the mere aftereffects of the battle are enough to destroy their surroundings.

Thick coils of lightning are leaping off Kintoki's body as he swings his axe at the comparatively small male devil. Each bolt of lighting contains a hint of draconic power, lending them a majesty beyond simple electricity.

His arms are coated in thick golden scales which are covered in scratches; the scales flare with the movements of his joints and rippling as his muscles flex.

The devil looks calm as he parries the strikes with a black longsword but his pale, refined features show a hint of exertion with each parry.

Magic circles constantly fizzle out in the air around him as he aborts half-formed spells.

The pace of the battle is too much for him to cast without a suitable opening, yet the threat of an unknown attack puts pressure on Kintoki.

Clearly, this inability to use magic wasn't the theme of the entire battle, as Kintoki's torso is bared.

Burn marks cover the golden scales protecting his core and extend upwards to his singed chin.

As their weapons collide, the air explodes with the discharged force, and the devil is consistently pushed back.

He is quicker than Kintoki by a fair amount yet never breaks through to inflict meaningful damage with his sword.

Case in point, during the slight window Kintoki leaves between each colossal swing of his axe, his longsword is barely able to dart in and scratch Kintoki's forearms.

Without the dragon scales that would be meaningful damage but with them it's hardly worth mentioning.

By the time an ineffectual strike touches Kintoki, his axe is already swinging back around.

The heavy axe seems as nimble as a rapier, despite its mass making such a comparison impossible for a normal wielder.

Kintoki's monstrous strength, combat instincts of a reincarnated hero, and burgeoning technique make him able to turn that impossibility into reality.

The Queen of Yura-Ann's peerage -what I can only assume is his position, given his strength compared to the devils we saw earlier- is being completely dominated by Kintoki in this fight, with no room to turn the fight around or even flee.

A smile works its way onto my features as I see a measure of skill in Kintoki's axe-play that wasn't present either time we fought. The effort he has put into growing stronger is evident in the fluidity of his swings and the precision of his tempo.

My instincts tell me that he can end the fight when he chooses but is instead drawing it out to refine his skills in a life-or-death battle.

Yaeko on the other hand is engaging in a bestial battle with what I assume is Yura-Ann's other Rook -or her only remaining Rook given what Byakko did to the other.

With her Touki brimming with her desire for battle, she's wrestling the much large Rook with all strength and no technique.

This devil is some sort of giant or ogre, not from a race I'm familiar with, and over twice the size of Yaeko.

Being around fourteen feet tall and a living wall of muscle, you would think he would have an advantage in strength over her.

The scene in front of me shows how wrong that assumption would be. She's brutalising the devil, treating him like a sandbag the way she's tossing him around.

It almost makes me feel some sympathy for him.

Almost.

"I'll end this." Suzaku murmurs, pulling out a talisman.

I place my hand on her shoulder, making her pause, "Why don't we wait a little?"

She frowns and closely scrutinizes the fights, "We didn't rush here to watch passively. Aren't we here to prevent people from dying?"

"Look around you," I gesture vaguely at our surroundings, bereft of people except us and the four currently in battle, "There's nobody here that needs saving at this point."

Suzaku huffs, "There could be survivors that we can't see."

"I can sense every living being in my surroundings. Everyone that was here is either dead or left." Suzaku bites her lip and clenches her fists as she hears that proclamation.

"You're sure?" She asks, though mostly rhetorically by her tone.

"I'm not fond of lying and I wouldn't lie to you especially," I say with utmost sincerity.

From the faint blush that warms her cheeks, she liked that statement a lot more.

"I believe you." She blurts out, quickly looking back at the ongoing battles after.

I resist the urge to laugh and do the same.

Kintoki has noticed our arrival by now, once the flow of his battle changed his position enough for us to enter his line of sight. From the look of things, he took my presence as an order to finish his opponent off.

The lightning that was randomly striking outwards from his body has now coalesced onto his axe. As a result, every clash of their weapons now sends sparks of that lightning into the arms of the devil he's fighting.

His opponent's grip on his sword has become far too tight, as every jolt of electricity tenses his muscles further. Where previously he was slowly losing ground, now he's quickly falling apart.

The devil's expression falls apart as he loses composure, freezing in a hysterical rictus as death comes near.

After a particularly vicious clash that causes blood to leak from the devil's cracked lips, Kintoki steps forward, crushing the devil's foot with a powerful stomp.

The Queen saw that coming of course, but his muscles have become too stiff, and he can't shift his footing swiftly enough.

The pain from his foot being crushed dims his consciousness and the stiffness of his muscles cause him to miss his next block.

With a clean horizontal swing, the Queen loses his head before he can fully process it.

As his head rolls along the floor, Kintoki flicks his wrist, cleaning the blood from his axe and lets the tension leave his shoulders.

He blinks and then immediately turns his attention to Yaeko's battle, sighing in relief as he processes her utterly dominating her opponent.

The Rook piece infused into the devil must be augmenting an already incredible vitality for the devil to survive the beating he's suffering.

His entire body is crushed and bruised, limbs twisted and bleeding, as Yaeko drags him along the floor while laughing wildly. The hot blush that paints her cheeks as she pants in excitement is disturbing to witness.

My smile becomes strained as she slings the devil into a distant wall, obliterating it on impact.

Especially when I feel Suzaku's unimpressed gaze boring into the side of my head.

"Maybe we can end this now," I remark with an awkward laugh.

Before Yaeko can chase after the Rook, his body erupts into a pillar of flame and turns to ash -Suzaku not wasting any time putting him out of his misery.

"Who the hell dares!" Yaeko exclaims, turning to us with a look of madness at being denied… whatever that was.

As I raise my eyebrows and cross my arms, Yaeko's indignation melts away. Her expression shifts from incandescent rage to contrite extremely fast.

"I mean… Thanks for helping me?" She hides her bloodied hands behind her back and tries to look innocent.

I just pinch the bridge of my nose, more than used to her personality by now.

Shaking my head, I address the two of them.

"You both did well defending our base." Yaeko brightens up again while Kintoki grimaces.

"How can you say we defended anything when it's now a ruin?" Kintoki coldly assesses our surroundings.

"I only saw a couple of corpses belonging to our guys outside, and assumed you had something to do with the lack of them. Was I wrong?" I ask, rolling my eyes.

Kintoki grunts in acknowledgement, "They wouldn't have been helpful so I had them evacuate people."

"There you go," I nod and catch Suzaku smiling, "I'd say you did well then."

"Besides, you defeated the attackers handily which is a big win. Considering they were the only remotely dangerous members of the Hell King Legion left; we've essentially won the gang war with their deaths." Suzaku's expression sours at the reminder that this was all part of a gang war.

While she found the notion of me conquering the local underworld forces amusing when we were hanging out scant weeks ago, the scenario is far more real now.

Kintoki looks uncomfortable at the praise but Yaeko is shameless enough to revel in it.

"It was nothing," Yaeko states 'modestly', "In fact, 'you point us at those Black Feather Bastards, we'll deal with 'em too!"

"Not today." I shoot her idea down immediately, "I doubt it will even come to that."

She looks confused but Kintoki understands if his expression is any indication.

"We've defeated the gang that was their equal. Beyond that, they've shown no willingness to fight openly thus far. More than likely they'll pack up and leave quietly." He explains to Yaeko who just shrugs in response.

She glances between Kintoki and me for a moment before speaking up, "Do you need us anymore, Boss?"

"No?" I tilt my head as I respond, not understanding the question.

"Awesome!" She links hands with Kintoki and starts dragging him off before he can protest, "Don't come knocking then, Boss."

I watch her leave in disgust as I realize why she's leaving in such a hurry. I can clearly make out what she's whispering to him and my grimace deepens as I shudder.

Seriously, why am I the only Oni who can think beyond fighting, fucking, and food?

Suzaku laces her hand in mine, drawing my attention. "Should we go too?"

I blush as my previous thoughts lead me to a singular conclusion, "Of course!"

Rather than dragging me off somewhere private, Suzaku waits there with a questioning look.

I cough in embarrassment and shake my head to clear my thoughts, "You want to look at the evidence we've collected regarding Yura-Ann's crimes in Kyoto, right?"

She looks confused and tilts her head, "Yes. What did you think I meant?"

"Ah, it was nothing, don't worry about it," I respond before segueing, "We'll have to go to a different location. All the computers here are destroyed."

"I noticed," She grins, "Shall we?"

"Mhm," I tell her the coordinates for a different location and once more we leave in a flash.

The location we went to next was the primary location where the under-boss of Downtown Kyoto ran our operation.

I hadn't interacted with the under-boss here often since the executive meeting I called earlier in the year. That was more because there wasn't a reason to, than any dislike of the old man.

No, Watanuki Soseki was an excellent under-boss and despite not being happy with the regime change was diligent and competent as ever.

He greeted me upon arrival with honest respect, a far cry from the begrudging acceptance he submitted to my rule with.

Apparently, the progress I had made on my promise of having the Golden Dragons become the rulers of Kyoto's underworld has engendered a fondness within him for my leadership.

When I told him that the Hell King Legion had their executives slaughtered he even let out a deep chuckle, slapping his knee in excitement.

He immediately had his heir Momoko pour us drinks, despite Suzaku's embarrassed refusals.

I could tell she wanted to get on with her investigation but couldn't refuse wholeheartedly out of propriety. I may have let her suffer a little out of residual shame at my earlier misunderstanding.

After a round of drinks, Old Man Watanuki handed us a USB with everything we needed and we left.

Once outside, Suzaku rolled the USB over in her hand pensively, "You would think it would be heavier. What with the weight of their crimes."

Her melancholy philosophising aside, there is an extensive list of crimes inside the USB.

"Crimes are easy to commit and easier to summarise. They're only difficult to endure." I shrug awkwardly at my lame summary.

Suzaku sighs at that, "I don't know why this is weighing on me today."

I assume the crimes of Yura-Ann and her peerage aren't the real source of her issue. Neither do I think the death of Byakko's cousin is directly affecting her. Otherwise, she would've been less composed earlier.

"Did those devils need to die?" She asks of me suddenly. Likely the question she couldn't answer herself in that brief pause.

My first instinct is to shrug and respond with something flippant but the intensity of her gaze makes me reconsider.

It's that intensity that tells me she's once again not truly referring to the devils. Instead, she's making a comparison to her own retributive slaughter of the Himejima elders and Suou Himejima with Byakko's slaughter of the devils.

"I think that deep down you already know your answer to that question." I slip her hand into mine to provide some measure of comfort.

I don't think she's impulsive enough to walk down that path of slaughtering the elders of her clan unless she was committed to that. Even in the heat of the moment, I'd wager she erased any doubts she had.

She sighs and leans against my shoulder as the pedestrians drift along the street.

"If you're really asking me though, I'd be a hypocrite to say revenge is wrong. I enjoyed mine far too much to suggest otherwise." I feel her nod and give my hand a gentle squeeze.

"If it's any comfort, I've met the local Death God and she didn't chew me out about killing people so I think we'll be fine." Suzaku giggles at that and flashes me a smile.

"A compelling argument if I've heard one." She teases me.

"Any other heavy existential questions you'd like answered?" She pretends to think about it for a moment before sticking her tongue out at me.

"Rude," I say and lean in close, playfully snapping my teeth.

She pulls her tongue back and her eyes sparkle with mirth.

"It isn't an existential question but would you like to go somewhere?" My interest piqued, I make a show of considering her offer.

"That depends, where are you taking me?" She huffs and bumps my shoulder with hers. "Somewhere I meant to take you after asking you more formally."

"Well, I can hardly refuse now." She rewards me with a soft smile that shows her relief.

Our surroundings shift once more as Suzaku teleports us again.

This time we land upon soft grass and I'm immediately enveloped by the gentle embrace of nature. The feeling of the Ki is so different to that of the city; the harsh negative emotions dampened due to separation from humanity, and the breath of the planet is tangible in the flow of energy.

Looking around, I notice the small hill we are standing atop is surrounded by forest and a wide, shallow river runs along the forest floor.

The scents of flowers, the quiet splashing of the slow river, and the faint buzzing of insects fill my senses.

A gentle tug on my hand brings me back to the present.

"Lie down with me?" Suzaku asks with a smile.

"I'd love to." She pulls me along with her and I don't resist, simply following in her wake for the moment.

With the grass brushing the back of my arms and neck, I stare through the treetops at the clouds drifting by. It's getting close to the evening and the clouds are dyed a faint red as the sun starts to set.

"I was going to ask you on another date soon," Suzaku starts, "and at the shrine, I could tell you loved the gardens."

"That's why I was trying to find the best place to take you. I wanted you to be amazed when I brought you here." She sighs lightly, more an exhale than the burdensome sigh from before.

"It is beautiful here," I remark, having a hard time verbalizing how much I'm already enjoying my time here.

"I'm glad," Suzaku says quietly as though for fear of loud speech ruining the moment.

"I was trying to convince Seiryuu to grow more flowers here, grow some different trees, or anything to make the clearing more scenic. That's why we arrived together when you called." The wind picks up and the treetops sway gently above us.

"That and asking him for dating advice." I turn my head slightly and catch Suzaku blushing.

"What did he say?" I ask, curious about his advice.

I had assumed his marriage was an arranged one and that he hadn't 'dated' in a traditional sense.

"Mostly to have fun and be honest with my partner. He can be very candid." She shrugs and after a moment turns to me with a serious, if nervous, expression.

"I… I'm new to dating and despite never expecting to have a choice, I think I'm happy with the one I'm making." She shyly admits.

My stomach flutters in response to her proclamation but she isn't finished, "I may struggle sometimes or seem hesitant… and my position may make things hard for us."

After pushing her nerves down, Suzaku flashes me a radiant smile, "What I mean is, thank you for asking me out."

"You're welcome," I respond with a lopsided smile, thinking about our rocky first meeting.

"A little bit of difficult isn't enough to deter me," I reassure her, only to scrunch my nose at my statement. "As in I'm fine with sharing struggles, not anything weird."

Fighting giggles, Suzaku nods, "I figured that out thanks."

"How about rather than telling me how you feel, you show me instead?" She asks coyly, to which I readily obliged.

In a smooth motion, I'm above her, my hands pressed flat against the grass beside her.

She bites her lips and her eyes spark with hot desire as I dip downward to meet her.

The pliant flesh of her lips, tenderly brushing against mine sets my body aflame. Along with our burgeoning excitement, our pace intensifies.

Slow languid kissing gives way to a scorching dance as more emotion is poured upon the blaze.

My tongue swipes along her lip, asking for entry and receiving enthusiastic permission. From there, she begins to follow my motions, allowing me to take full control of the kiss.

Suzaku's fingers flicker across my shoulders and down my back when that suddenly isn't enough. She pulls insistently, dragging me closer into her embrace until my breasts bump into hers.

"Mm!" Suzaku makes a sharp noise of protest and I pull back.

My eyes flutter back open to see her red-faced and panting beneath me. "Are you alright?"

She makes an aborted nod before she shakes her head, still panting as she holds her finger up asking me to wait a second.

After she regains her breath she pouts at me, "Do you ever need to breathe?"

Even that question comes out labouriously and I blink blankly causing her to pout harder. "I only noticed how out of breath I was getting when I stopped you!"

I can't help giggling at her affronted expression which causes her to waver. Her pout struggles to assert itself as a smile threatens to take its place.

"It isn't funny." She tries to glare, only for her eyes to crinkle showing her own amusement.

Leaning up on her elbows she gives me a quick peck, "There's no rush, just enjoy this with me."

After brushing my hair back she grins, "And try not to make me pass out. I liked everything up to that."

"I can handle that," I say, and move to prove it.

Notes:

Hey everyone, I'm back again with a fresh chapter. As I previously mentioned, I took some time off writing to finish off the school semester and then to get work sorted out. Tuition sucks, rent sucks, and money in general sucks. Something something, proletariat, something, seize the means of production, something, the bourgeoisie are keeping me down. Anyway, I'm hoping to get back to regular updates and I'm excited to hear what you all thought of this chapter. It may have taken far too long but I think it was pretty good.