Takemura Itsuki

“This day… has been such a long day… was it not?”

“Truly… a fascinatingly long one… it seemed. Those were not just twenty four hours, and I’m damn sure of it.”

“Yeah, it was… HUFF. HUFF.”

Tadashi had his frightened and shocked eyes at Katsuki as he panted in and out with his open mouth. “Especially for you, Takemura-kun.”

I smirked a little. “Yeah.”

Tadashi then moved his left hand up and wiped his forehead. “Let’s finish it, then.”

“It’s gonna take a fucking long time, newbie,” I replied. “I’ve fought this shitty face before. He’s not someone weak.”

“Why are ya both talking right in front of me?” Katsuki questioned as he stood in front of the two of us.

“You’re better at close combats and swords,” Tadashi commented.

“And you’re better at kazi and fighting from a distance,” I replied. “You know what to do then, right?”

“Yeah, Takemura-kun.”

“Then let’s do it!” I said as I started to run at Katsuki. Tadashi, on the other hand, turned back quickly and started to run the other way. Katsuki moved his sword up and started to fight me as I approached him. I stood right in front of him and started to wave my sword at him. Both of our swords clashed numerous times as they struck each other in the middle of our figures. Both of us were fighting more aggressively and quickly.

“Ya think ya can beat me alone?” Katsuki asked with that same sinister grin on his face.

“Hell yeah!” I shouted as I continued to glide my sword in the air at him, matching his speed and power this time.

When the noise of the clashes reached Tadashi, he was running at Irimi. He ran at her, quickly stopped right beside her by loosening his body, moved his sword inside his scabbard as he turned his body at her, and then crouched down. He seeped his left arm under her back and his right arm under her knees. Seeing this, Irimi said, “Suzuki-kun, you should be fighting the sinner, and—”

“Takemura-kun will handle him,” He confidently replied as he moved her body up from the ground. He then started to stand up on his legs, trembling a little. But, he soon stood up straight, turned to his left, and started to run toward the carriage quickly.

In between the clashes of the swords, Katsuki commented, “Ya are a real pain in the ass, hero. But, your dumbness makes my work a lot easier.”

“Whatever you think, Katsuki, but tonight, you’re gonna get back home crying!”

“That’s never gonna happen.”

“That shit will happen tonight!”

“We’ll see!”

The clashes continued as the two of us continued to glide our swords at each other. Sparks were coming out off the two metallic blades as they clashed with each other. I had my neutral face and my eyes fixed on him, and he had his streamlined, dominant, and confident ones looking at me with a grin.

The footsteps of a figure coming toward me from my back hit my ears. The figure then jumped up in the air, with his arms on the handle of the sword which was raised up his head. He then slashed its sword down. It released kazi again as I twisted my body to my left as soon as I heard it. Katsuki suddenly turned his head to the top, looking at the kazi wave coming at him.

KABOOOOM!

Another explosion took place right on top of my head as another kazi wave from behind hit the primary one. I then turned my head to the front as I looked at Ayato, standing behind Katsuki, looking behind me with his sinister grin. “I’m still here, just that you know!”

“Good that ya are here,” Katsuki commented back as he looked at me. “I guess we gotta end this now.”

“NEIIIIIGHHHH!”

THUDUK! THUDUK! THUDUK! THUDUK!

Just like the hooves of this single horse, a dozen more horses were running in toward the battle speedily. All of them rose up clouds of dust beneath their backs as the strapped horses ran. All of them had riders on their backs, people in black coats and trousers with white shirts. They were police forces who were approaching the battle at a great pace, creating havoc on the otherwise-silent street. They had long thin muskets in their hands along with the straps of the horses.

The one in the center of the marching horde was Daisuke, who was looking toward them with his expressionless dominant eyes, his chest lifted up.

“They… have muskets…” Kurayami commented as he glared at the policemen approaching.

Both I and Tadashi were glaring at the forces coming in, a little shocked and confused. Katsuki and Ayato too had their heads to their backs. “I guess this fight ends here,” Ayato commented.

“It was just reaching its peak, but these filthy asses just had to interfere,” Katsuki commented as he looked at the horses approaching. He then turned to the front and looked at the two of us looking at the horde approaching us. “It’d be better if we end this here,” Katsuki commented. “Those guys, as ya can see, have muskets. They’re gonna kill ya.”

“Plus, if they see our faces here, the newspapers are again gonna question us,” Ayato added. “It’s better for both sides to step back.”

“Like Ayato must have told ya two, we don’t wanna kill ya two right now. So, our fight might never end. Just go back and run away, just like us,” Katsuki told. He then turned to his back and started to run toward their horses and Renji.

“But… Ichika…” I said in a low voice, lost in my thoughts and confused that what had suddenly happened. I then shouted at Katsuki, “Hey! Return Ichika ba—!”

BANG!

My right shoulder jerked back. I covered my right shoulder with my left hand. My right foot too stepped back due to the impact as I turned my head to the front, looking at the policemen moving their muskets up and aiming their tips at us. I then turned down at my right shoulder, looking at my left hand completely soaked in blood which was drooling out of my shoulder. Tadashi turned at me, looked at the mess, and then took my left hand. He then turned back and started to pull my body. I too started to move backward and started to run the other way.

As I was running to my back, my eyes were wide open. I was shocked and frightened by the blood. “WHAT THE FUCK! WHAT THE FUCK! WHAT THE FUCK! WHAT THE FUCK! WHAT THE FUCK! WHAT THE FUCK! WHAT THE FUCK!” I chanted in my head as I ran speedily at the carriage. Airi was waving her right hand at us, gesturing us to get in quickly.

Just as I was running, with Tadashi on my right, I turned my head to the right, and looked at a bunch of horses running away. Two-three horses had standing figures of Katsuki, Ayato, and Renji, and others had other sinners—all lying unconscious on the backs of their horses as they ran. Just as I was watching them getting further and further away from us, I looked at Ichika’s sleeping figure behind Renji’s back. She was strapped up, with both her hands and legs tied up tightly. Her eyes were sleepy and narrowly open. “Ichi…ka…” I murmured as I looked at her. I then turned to the front, looked at Airi’s back getting on the carriage, and then the two of us stepped on inside too in just an instant, moving our body in quickly without stopping.

Koma then jerked the straps in her hands and the horses started to run quickly. The horses picked up the pace in just a second as the carriage continued to run. Koma was frightful too, with her eyes opened wide and her face scared to hell as she ran the horses in front of the carriage.

***

“At last… we were unable to get Ichika back from the hands of the sinners.”