Hakuouki: Dragon Circles in Quiet Summer

Chapter 37

~~3rd POV~~

"Which one can scream the loudest?" She asked again. Each one didn't want to attack. Fuyu looked to Souji and nodded. He would need an opening to get the blade even close to her face.

"Sakura-" Fuyu started.

"That person..." She chuckled humorlessly. "She's gone. She's dead. Hmm... How about I start with the one who loved her most to least. So does it go Okita, Fuyu, Yamazaki, Kondou... The Furies are here." She smirks. "Time to play."

She takes off, throwing herself in the middle of them, going after the Tatsumaru demons. She was going to kill them first before she could get to the fun ones.

On cue, white haired figures rushed into the Shinsengumi from one side. Shinsengumi men were on the other. No one had a choice, they'd have to leave her be for now.

~~~

Everyone was spread out throughout the base, Shizuka out of sight. No one knew where she, Takeo, or Dr. Osana was, not that they had even seen Osana.

Souji however cut down whoever got in his way. The furies had forced them all back, clearing the area where she was waiting for survivors to fight her. But everyone was getting in his way. Furies, his men, the captains. There was always a reason for him not to go to her.

As he clashed swords with a Fury, he felt it. The  feeling of something being pulled from him. Too late he realized that it was the Yukimura sword. The only thing to bring her back...

He got a hold of himself and followed the sword as the small figure ran through the battlefield, ducking and shoving others away. The white hair told him it was a Fury. A Fury ordered to steal the sword.

~~~

"Sakura..." The shy quiet voice whispered. The girl in question raised her head from her slumped position against the cherry blossom tree. The black eyes made the small girl hesitate before stepping out of the shadows. When she saw her, she smiled wide.

"Oh? You're the first one here. As a reward I'll let you wait here for the others so they can watch you suffer by my hands a second time, Mei." The smile made Mei want to run. The smile... There was a reason there were two sides of her, she was Futakuchi-onna maker of Ketsui.

"You're Futakuchi-onna, Dr. Osana wasn't the second mouth, was he? It was you." It makes her grin.

"I guess you can say that. Do you still want to learn?" She asks but Mei steps closer.

"No... Did you make Ketsui?" She takes a step closer.

"I helped inspire it. Sakura is the one who lost control, she couldn't take hurting others or listening to me. She forced me out and so they sent Furies and a few lower class demons. It was full proof but that's when she came up with Ketsui. She disregarded all things and only focused on killing the ones after her. She was wild and crazy. Her moves were shameless and desperate. It was so free and wild, only getting in her strikes mattered. But with that said, she didn't care about getting hurt. It was at least fifty furies and ten demons. Zero were left alive but in return she was impaled with swords arrows, spears. She even took the arrows and swords that they ran through her to use against her enemies. Everyone may think they know how to do a controlled Ketsui but they're wrong. Only she could do it. Worrying about yourself and others lives don't matter in that fighting style. Only defeating the enemy. If you do care about that then it's not Ketsui, you didn't break, and so you are just desperate. That is why she says you can't learn."

Mei was speechless for a moment. It made so much sense now. Sakura used that fighting style because she didn't care if she died. And if Mei did it, she'd die.

"Futakuchi-onna..." She began walking up to the lady.

~~~

He found the sword, discarded for him, under the stairs. But when he looked, he saw a slanted piece of the blade was taken. He followed the small trail of blood, left by the thief, probably from just holding the sharp object. Incidentally it was in the direction of where Sakura was.

~~~

"Yes, Mei?" Shizuka's black eyes seemed to sparkle.

Mei knew the only reason why she wasn't dead was because Sakura was in there. Sakura was making sure she wouldn't get hurt. She had to believe that as she stood right in front of the her.

"Is Sakura still in there? Can she hear me?" Shizuka was on guard now.

"Trapped by me but yes, she can hear you. See you. And all she can do is watch." Mei tried not to retreat from the sadistic female as she sat down beside her, looking up into the curious demon's eyes.

"Can I sing for her? When my mom died, she sung for her. Like saying goodbye when the person doesn't have enough energy to listen intently." Shizuka smirked.

"Saying goodbye? Hm... I guess it can amuse me for a while. You saying bye to her is like you're letting her go. Only proving to her there is no hope left for her. Yes, sing! I know the song you're going to sing. I won't kill you until I kill all the ones that she loved most and save you for last. If you stop, you rush to your death." Mei nodded, already having memorized the song long before.

"Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms,
In fields, mountains and villages
As far as the eye can see.
Is it mist, or clouds?
Fragrant in the morning sun.
Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms,
Flowers in full bloom.

Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms,
Across the spring sky,
As far as the eye can see.
Is it mist, or clouds?
Fragrant in the air.
Come now, come now,
Let's go and see... Them.'"

Mei's voice choked out the last word. Sakura's fan had slit her throat at the same Mei had dug her sliver of the Yukimura sword through the branding. Lately she had been listening in on all conversations. Like Souji's and Fuyu's.

"Mei, what did you expect? That I would just let you come sit next to me without knowing the possibilities of you trying to kill me?"

"My favor... For Sakura!" She screams, twisting the blade in the branding mark, making her scream. She was right. Sakura had kept her from completely killing her. She jumps back just as Shizuka strikes again. But it was a halfhearted attempt when she was still distracted with the searing pain that Mei saw that was happening to her cheek.

"Mei! What are you doing? Get out of here!" Souji yells, snatching her up as Sakura fell to the ground.

"I got it! I cut the mark!" She says proudly, showing him the bloody piece of the blade.

"But-"

"We let her. Desperate times call for desperate measures." Yui says, picking up Mei, barley concerned about the blood I her neck. "She understood what this meant. We will talk later, Sannan is waiting." She takes off before he can protest but now he was focusing on the collapsed girl on the ground.

"Sakura!" She looked up with wide fiery eyes.

"Run."