"O... Oogami-san?" Erica asked, worried by the grave look in his face. Slowly, his hold started to loosen. "Oh!!" she gasped, going to help support him, "Someone help!!"
"Taichou!?" Kanna exclaimed, going to take Sakura away from him as he slid to the floor on his knees. "What's wrong with you?! You could've dropped her!"
Oogami could only reply, "Adia-san is behind this all...?"
"Aa," Yoneda replied, "She was a spy from the beginning. She sold information about the kinematron and koubu to the dark society trying to destroy the Secret International Defense Corps. Not only that, but your journal has been recopied with information about our battle strategies and the Majinki."
"Majinki?" Coquelicot asked, "What's that?"
Kaede hit a switch to show a close up of the precious treasures. "The Majinki were the three talismans used by the ancients to either banish or generate evil. Depending on the user's heart, the power could take either turn. The real Majinki were destroyed a couple years ago..."
Yoneda crossed his arms. "Seems the enemy somehow made an reproduction of the Majinki and trying to reenact the First Demon wars... but how in the world did they find so many men with spirit to power the armor?
Kouran nodded. "Their advancements in our technology is beyond anything I've ever seen... Even I don't know what to say about it... It's like they copied everything and made it better..."
Reni lowered her face and uttered, "But it's hard... fighting people ... soldiers like us... who are just following orders... who somewhere have a family and..."
"Reni-chan..." Airisu uttered, taking her hand, "It's okay. We all feel like that... Airisu too... Airisu doesn't want to kill anyone..."
Maria glared at the floor. 'It's been a while since I last killed someone... but this is war, what can we do? Sure we've killed demons and people possessed by evil... but...'
"Oogami," Yoneda said, turning to him, "I must end your leave of duty and appoint you to the position of Taichou to the Teito Kadekidan once again..."
"NO!" was his sudden response. Everyone turned towards him in shock. "Ore wa..." he uttered, standing, his hands clenched, "I cannot be the Taichou!"
"Datte!" Sumire exclaimed, "You're the only one for the job! It can only be you, Chuui!!"
"No... I'm the one responsible for information being leaked about our secret corps... the reason why the enemy has taken our strengths and used them against us... the reason Saku--" He stopped himself, shaking his head. "I don't deserve to be Taichou!"
"Oogami-kun!" Kaede gasped as he turned and ran out of the battle room. Airisu and Sumire were going to go after him, but Kaede stopped them. "Let him be for a while... a lot has happened to him."
Everyone sadly nodded their heads and turned away from door, after the one who they looked to, now lost in his own problems. Only Erica stepped out the door and watched him disappear down the hallway. 'Oogami-san...'
* * *
No one knew where Oogami had gone off. Sakura was put in the medical room and Kaede offered to stay with her. Silence now filled the cafeteria. Yoneda lifted his head from his meal and gazed around. The split had been obvious, the Paris troops on one side of the room, the Tokyo troops on the other. 'Chikuso... we can't beat the enemy if we're like this...'
"Minna-san! Taihen desu!" cried Tsubaki, she and the other Sannin Musume came running. "Terrible news! Hayaku!!"
Everyone followed them to the front entrance of the theater. Outside on the steps, crowds of people were rallying and yelling. "What the hell is this?!" Kanna exclaimed, "Oi oi!! Why are they so mad?!"
Yuri explained, "They blame today's disaster on us... Half the city is in burnt ruins... hundreds of businesses and homes destroyed!"
"Nan desu no?!" Sumire grumbled, "You make one mistake and the entire town turns their back on you?! Hmp! Such commoners! Let's go teach them a lesson!!"
She and Kanna were about to charge out the door, when Maria grabbed them by the arms. "Stop it, it'll just make it worse!"
"That's not the worse part." Kasumi said, "Already we've received 50 calls of patrons pulling their funds away from us..."
Kouran clenched her fists. "How are we going to function without money and the support of the city? And we still need to repair the koubu... this is the worst that could happen!"
"Airisu doesn't feel good. Reni-chan, what should we do?" Airisu asked, looking to her friend for some comforting words. Reni couldn't say anything, turning away to hide her own fear.
"I have a suggestion." uttered Hanabi. They all turned towards her as she timidly stepped forward, "If we all pool our money together, we can get your koubu fixed. And when our koubu arrive, we'll fight for you until it's ready."
"What are you saying?!" Glycine replied, "Why should we help them? We're not here on duty - we came for vacation. Besides, this isn't our city... why should we care?"
"Sou de-su! Mind your own business!" Orihime argued, "We'll figure it out on our own!"
"We don't want to help you anyways!" Lobelia snapped.
"OI! EVERYONE, SHUT UP!!" Yoneda exclaimed angrily, "Look, all of you are Hanagumi! The only way for us to get out of this mess is to work together!" He turned to the Paris troops, "From this moment on, you are on duty - and you cannot go home until this battle is over!" He then turned to the Tokyo troops, "And you still have a play to prepare for! You need all the help you can get, so don't be ungrateful!"
"Demo... shihainin..." Maria stammered, "What about...!"
"Maria, until Oogami gets it together, you are Taichou. With Sakura out, we need all the fighters you can get. Please handle this team as your own." he simply replied, "I'm counting on you."
"H-Hai!"
"Now all of you!" Yoneda said, looking around the lobby, "I want to see teamwork, I want to see training for battle and the upcoming play!" He then started to walk off. "Maa na, time for sake..."
"EEEEH?!" everyone face faulted onto the floor.
* * *
Oogami sat on the roof, watching the sunset. He stared into the disappearing sun as the sky turned dark and the streetlights flickered on. The day had finally ended.
'And yet... this time yesterday... I thought our new life was beginning... 24 hours ago, I told you I loved you always... but now...'
(flashback)
Standing in the corridors of the basement, Oogami gazed at Sakura. He just couldn't take it anymore. Without another word, he took the three Majinki and placed it on the floor, proceeding to break it all into pieces. "Oogami-san?!" Sakura gasped.
"HAAAA!!" The magical talismans crumbled, emitting a blast that sent him flying. "Uwaaah!!" Oogami struggled to his knees, glad to have succeeded. He then turned towards the one he did it for, her tearful eyes looking ever so lost. "Sakura-kun..."
"Why... why did you do it?" she stammered, "The Majinki... what we've strived to protect... what this whole battle has worked up to... why?!"
"Because..." he said, standing and facing her, "I don't want Sakura-kun to die... I don't want to live without Sakura-kun..."
"Oh Oogami-san!" she cried, running into his arms and crying into his chest. He let her sob for a while, slowly lifting his arms to embrace her. "Somehow... I feel relieved... is it okay? Am I being selfish?"
"No... you're not." he assured her, tightening his hold, his own eyes turning glassy, "Sakura-kun...everything is going to be all right."
(end of flashback)
Oogami clenched his fists. 'The Majinki I thought I protected you from... it's back because of me... the enemy is stronger than imagined because of my carelessness...'
"Yoooo Oogami!!" said a voice that startled him so much that he nearly fell off the roof. Kayama stood behind him in naval uniform, playing his guitar. "Maa maa maa, what are you doing here?? Everyone is worried about you!"
"I can't face them." he replied, "Not after what I did."
"Oogami, no one blames you." Kayama insisted, his voice becoming serious, "We already told you that we forgive you. It wasn't your fault; you were used."
"I know... but I should've have been so trusting. Now everyone will pay for my mistake... I just can't forgive myself..."
"Everyone makes mistakes. It's up to you to move on from it. Look, time is ticking. We've got to be prepared to meet this again someday."
"But I..." Oogami stared into his empty hands, "I just don't know if I want to do this anymore. For the first time in my life, I want something different... not a lifetime of fighting... but to..."
"Oogami, I understand your feelings. But you know you're the only one for this job. You're the one who can keep this team together and lead them. They only want you to lead them."
"I know but..."
"I think Sakura-kun would agree most."
'Aa!' Oogami lifted his head, thinking about the unconscious girl lying in the medical room. 'But Sakura-kun... because of me...'
Kayama put his hand on his shoulder. "Life is like putting on a play... even if you mess up a line, your fellow cast will support you. Oogami, the show must go on. Don't let the curtain fall without giving it your all. Sakura-kun and everyone... they need you."
"K... Kayama..." Oogami uttered, bowing his head. "Ore wa..."
* * *
Kaede sat in the medical room, looking over Sakura's face. Checking her pulse she then put her cold hand back under the blanket. "Hmm... Oh!" She turned to hear the door open. "Erica-kun..."
"Fujieda-san... is... is Sakura-kun all right?" Erica stammered, walking over, "I mean, the two of us... we just met and barely had a chance to talk at all... but, Oogami-san has said so many good things about her, I feel like I know her..."
"I'm sure Sakura-kun would be happy to be friends with you, Erica-kun." Kaede replied, "Don't worry. She'll pull out of this and the two of you will get to talk. Only..." She looked back down at the expressionless face. "I wish that Oogami-kun would come see her..."
"No one knows where Oogami-san went." Erica sighed, "Could it be true that he doesn't want to be Taichou anymore... it doesn't sound like him at all."
"Sou ne. Oogami-kun has a lot to think about. Maa, I have no doubt he will find his way soon. Demo, we've just got to give him time." Kaede said getting up, "I've been staying down here too long. Would you care to join me for a snack in the cafeteria."
"Yes, very much!" Erica said, following her out the door, "And could you tell me a bit more about Japan... I have a lot of interest..."
As the two went down the hallway, Sumire stepped out from the shadows, flipping out her fan. 'Sakura-san...'
* * *
"Wrench ya!" Kouran said, holding out her hand. Reni took the wrench out and handed it to Coquelicot who handed it to Kouran. "Yossha!! I'll be sure to take a good look at the koubu ya!"
Orihime crossed her arms. "Minna-san... maybe we shouldn't hang out the hangar when Kouran-san is working... we might just explode de-su."
"Explode??" Lobelia grinned evilly. "Sounds fun. I like that word."
"Baka de~su! No one likes to explode! It hurts! Itai de-su!!"
"Airisu is still sore from the battle..." Airisu sighed, "And the koubu are not working... what if the enemy attacks us tomorrow??"
Maria crossed her arms. "Daijoubu, Airisu. From the sound of it, the enemy will need to regroup themselves. You forget we finished off thirty of their soldiers."
"Demo!" Glycine said, "You mustn't worry! Our koubu should be arriving soon, so we can take care of the next attack! No problem!"
Kanna squinted her eyes at her. "You sound so sure of yourself?? What makes you think that your koubu would stand a better chance than ours?? We busted our butts, y'know!"
"Because... our koubu are MUCH MUCH better and MUCH MUCH stronger than your obsolete models!" she replied with a grin.
"NANI?!?" Kanna hissed, grabbing her over by the collar. Fortunately, Maria came over and restrained her. "Cheh! We'll see about that!"
"Fine! As soon as yours if fixed and my arrives - we'll have a koubu sparing match!"
"You're on!!"
"Minna!" Maria sighed, "We've got other things to worry about... like this play. According to Kasumi-san, fifty of our staff have walked off - so we will have to work extra hard... and we must be ready before the end of November."
"Ryokai, Taichou!" everyone chimed cheerfully. Maria smiled a bit, happy to have some cooperation. But then, without warning, there was an explosion. After the smoke cleared, everyone, covered with black soot and bruises, glared at Kouran.
"Yaaa, maybe I got a little carried away."
Lobelia grinned. "Fun..."
Orihime just yelled, "ITAI DE~SU!!!"
* * *
Sumire stopped at Sakura's beside, staring down at the sleeping face. After a pause, she flipped out her fan.
"A~RA, SAKURA-SAN!" she exclaimed, "O HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO HO~!"
The insane laughter lasted for a minute or so before she closed her fan and then pinched at Sakura's cheek.
"It's so good to see you like this. You had a chance if you stayed at the edge of the world, hick town - but no! You had to pursue your precious Chuui, and now look at what's happened to you!"
Sumire leaned down, grinning at her slyly, laughing some more.
"It's best you stay this way. You know you can never be more than some second-class actress - you can never be a Top Star like me! And your military career isn't the most promising. We've got plenty of fighters now; we don't need you."
A long pause followed. Her face slowly saddened.
"Demo... watakushi... Without Sakura-san, it'll be so quiet around here. I won't feel any rivalry on the stage. And surely this upcoming play, Maria will make me play your silly role of that town-girl and I really don't want that. Soshite, Chuui... he finally opened up his feelings. After all you went through... hmp, what a waste."
Sumire stopped to wipe her eyes.
"Please wake up, Sakura-san. Honto ni, I will miss you all too much if you don't. Onegaishimasu."
She stared into that face for a bit longer. After a while, she turned away for the door.
"Fine! Don't wake up! See if I care!! But say goodbye to your precious Chuui! Surely, he'll go back to being a player! And the Hanagumi will forget all about you...!"
"Demo... I won't forget...about everyone..."
Sumire stopped and turned around. Sakura was smiling at her, her sleepy eyes partially open.
"I would miss them all too much..."
"Sakura-san! How dare you pretend to be unconscious!!" Sumire snapped, "You had me, er, everyone else worried! You shouldn't go tricking people!!"
"I wasn't pretending!!" Sakura argued, "Mou, Sumire-san, you're always making an accusation..." She slowly smiled. "Demo... arigatou gozaimasu... for your words."
"Let's keep it a secret."
* * *
'Sore wa...' Oogami thought, opening the door. He stepped into the dark room and switched on the light. 'Sakura-kun's room seems so quiet...I'd do anything to hear her voice again...' He sat down at her desk and gazed around at the framed photographs. 'What should I do from here...?'
Suddenly the door open. "O-Oogami-san...?!" Hanabi stammered, blushing, "W-What are you doing in here??"
"Oh! Sumimasen!" he gasped, standing up, "I-I didn't know someone was staying here... I-I was just looking around. It's nothing really important. I'll be on my way now..."
"W-Wait!" Hanabi said, taking hold of his arm, "I just want to tell you... I'm willing to do all I can to help the Tokyo Kagekidan." Oogami turned and looked at her bowed head. "Because you came and fought for our city regardless if it was your home or not. You were compassionate to others and I want to do the same... that's why I will fight alongside you, Oogami-san."
"Hanabi-kun..." he uttered, "Honto? Will you really help us?" A smile slid on his face. "Arigatou, Hanabi-kun..."
"Oogami-san..." she stammered, blushing as she slowly released his arm. "Jaa... watashi wa..."
The door went flying open once again. "Aa! Hanabi-san...!!" Erica chimed. She stopped to see Oogami standing very very close to her, and the blushing expressions on their faces. "Soshite... Oogami-san to?!? UWAAAH!!?" In her surprise she tripped on her skirt and facefaulted onto the floor. "Itai..."
"Erica-kun! Daijoubu kai!?" Oogami stammered, kneeling down to help her.
"Oogami-san!!" Erica cried, "What are you doing??! All alone with a girl in a room at this hour??! What kind of behavior is this?! In Sakura-kun's room no less!"
"Uwaah... don't misunderstand! I-I was just...!"
Hanabi cut in, "What were you coming to tell me about, Erica-kun??"
"Oh!" Erica exclaimed, "It's a miracle! Sakura-kun woke up!"
* * *
In the medical room, everyone had gathered around the now awake Sakura who sat up in her bed, with a cup of tea on her lap. "Minna... I'm really sorry for worrying you all."
"Daijoubu daijoubu ya!" Kouran chimed.
"Wai wai! Sakura is awake and that's all that matters!" Airisu happily said, waving her hands. Next to her, Reni silently smiled and nodded her head.
"All it took was the sound of this Snake woman's voice." Kanna chuckled, getting a glare from Sumire. "I swear it could wake the dead and deafen healthy people if ya not careful!"
"NAN DESUTTE, KANNA-SAN?!?"
Maria couldn't help but laugh, "Futari tomo, knock it off... it's already too late for this."
Glycine crossed her arms and leaned in to Sakura. "You really knocked out a great number of those soldiers today with your Haja Kensei... very impressive! Let's have a sparring match soon!"
"Arigatou gozaimasu! Demo... sore wa chotto on the sparring match. I still don't have full strength yet. Eheheh..." Sakura then spotted Oogami standing at the back of the crowd. Smiling warmly towards him, she felt to overwhelmed to speak.
'Sakura-kun... yokkata...' Oogami thought, gazing back at her, the two of them looking into each other's eyes, 'Can our new life together begin after all? I just can't give up, not now... not when I have you so close... I won't let them take you away from me... I won't let anyone harm you or the Hanagumi...'
Erica patted him on the arm. "Why don't you talk to her, Oogami-san??"
"H-Hai..." he stammered, going towards the crowd, "Sakura-kun... welcome back."
* * *
In the hallway, Kaede and Kayama listened to the happy chatter coming from the room. "Arigatou for talking to Oogami-kun." Kaede said, taking his arm, "Somehow I feel the Hanagumi is going to be all right."
"Aa, most definitely!" Kayama replied cheerfully, "As long as Oogami doesn't lose faith in himself and the Hanagumi - everything will always turn out for the better!"
"Sou ne..." Kaede smiled and kissed him gently.
"Pwaaah!! Ii kara ii kara!!" he chimed, turning bright red, "Fujieda-sama, you mustn't hold back either!"
"Baka," she giggled, pulling him along, "Let's go home. You haven't seen what I've done with the place. The apartment looks so nice with all of our belongings together. You haven't even stayed one night in our new place."
"Gomen gomen!" he replied, "Been busy as usual! The ocean calls me and I must answer! Tonight surely, I'm at your disposal, Fujieda Kaede!"
"Yuichi..." Kaede uttered, but was caught off by a beeping noise. "Are wa... kinematron...??"
"Oh, it's mine. Sumimasen." Kayama said, taking it out, "Aa, what is it now?"
"Taichou!" said Tsukigumi member on the screen, "Hayaku na! We've picked up something on the radar... we think it could be... IT..."
"Are you sure?" Kayama asked, "Jaa... I'll be there in a minute!" He closed the kinematron and then slowly lifted his head. "The ocean calls... gomen, Kaede."
Kaede clutched her arm, frowning at the floor. "Maa, it can't be helped. Please take care of yourself, Yuichi. I'll wait up for you."
Kayama nodded, smiling as he saluted her. "Teikoku Kagekidan - Tsukigumi, Kayama Yuichi moving out!"
Kaede watched him disappear down the hall. 'Yuichi...' She then turned back into the medical room and peered through the door. Everyone was still lively even at this late hour. 'Everything will always turn out for the better...'
"Waaah! Minna!!" Oogami exclaimed, "S-Shouldn't we all be going to sleep!? It's way past midnight!!"
"Just a bit longer!!" they all insisted, "A little more time please!!"
**********************
Preview!
Kaede: 'Life is too short... live for each moment... as if it is your last...' This is what Ayame-neesan told me... soshite, Yuichi...
"Sea of Tears" next time on Sakura Taisen. A storm of romance in Taishou cherry blossoms!
I know I should be strong... demo... the tears won't stop falling...
