Saved by A woman In a Corset and Overly Tight Trousers(Hajime Saito a New start)

Her blood ties, His Awakening

Crackling, crackling was all that Koyo heard around him. The feel of the heat from the burning city below made him relish in the warmth as it caressed his face. Finally, they could leave, they could move on from this war ridden ground to a better and more quiet place.

"Koyo, help me with our lady," Shou called to him in an exasperated tone. The boy turned his back to the city of ash and flame, as he rushed away to his partner's side.

"What's happened? Has she woken up?" Koyo questioned as he made it past the trees and bushes to Shou's side.

"Nothing's gone wrong, but she is awake," he said as he began gatherings branches. Shou glanced to Koyo then back to his task.

After a moment he spoke again, "She said she wants to save the fake demon...the fury" Koyo's eyes widened and felt his body go instantly cold. Both boys knew what that meant, their lady would be feeding the creature continual amounts of blood, for the next few days, weakening her body close to the point of possible death.

"But why?! She's already given it quite a lot-..."

"I don't know why!" Shou cut him off "But if it is something that'll help her break the ties and she'll-..."

"Him," two pairs of eyes snapped to a darkened corner among the sides of trees. In the shadows a faint slender and frail like figure could be made out, by both boy's Oni eyes.

"Him, not it," Their lady shuffled into the moon's soft light while a soft breeze of air passed through shaking the leaves, giving off the presence of that of a timid, delicate, small girl among a dark and eerie forest, with her wearing a white dressing gown and her brownish-red hair down to her waist flowing in a slight wave. She took a step more into the light, and pushed off from the tree she leaned against for support.

"He..." she starts to say breathless from the movements. Her body had been so weak that it had just about taken all her energy to get herself off the ground and to move towards the sound of voices.

"He...I want to.....save...him," Their lady told them right as she went to her knees in a fluffy cushion of grass.

"HIME!" Koyo yelled. Shou ran to her side, feeling her face then her pulse.

"She's got a fever!" Shou shouts and begins attempting to lift her from the ground. Soft footsteps perked Koyo's ears, along with the hissing sound of swords being drawn from their sheaths.

"Shou!" In a flash Shou had stabbed the fury, then with a single swish of his blade, had sliced the body in half. Koyo drew his blade then decapitated the fury that had hoped to strike him from behind.

"We need to get her out of here, somehow," Shou said as he and Koyo surrounded their hime. Snarls, and groaning growls from shadows of the night all around made their conversing stop short and had them gripping their own weapons tighter.

Koyo scanned around the fury for an opening for them to escape back to their camp, grab Saito and run.

There isn't an opening, damnit! Koyo cursed in frustration.

"Take Saito Hajime and run..." Shou and Koyo looked down at their lady in surprise, and as soon as what she had uttered registered in their minds, they became mortified.

"We swore an oath, Hime," Shou told her. "We will not abandon you!" Koyo yelled in a rage.

Hime shakily rose to her feet and stepped away from them putting distance between the boys and herself. Then she unsheathed her hidden sword. Rough pulses of wind passed through the forest. The trees and bushes moved with every strong gust, giving off the feeling of a beating heart. As gusts of wind came one after another, it swayed her hair, giving it the scene of the strands floating on the air.