"Fuuuaaa..."
Lying in bed, Kaede rolled over on her back, yawning. She still didn't feel all too well. Her sleepy eyes gazing up at the ceiling, she stretched her arms up and then folded them behind her head. The room felt so cold and empty.
"Hmm...??" she wondered as suddenly she heard some noises. All of the windows were opened and sunlight poured into the room. She then heard footsteps, and saw a hand reaching over her face. "Haaah?" she gasped as the hand rested on her forehead. "D-Dare?!" she exclaimed, sitting up.
"Atsui naa~!" Kayama uttered, feeling her forehead and his own, comparing their temperatures, "You're much too hot, better stay in bed for the rest of the day..."
"...Yu...i...chi...??" she stammered, feeling his arm to make sure he was real and not a figment of her imagination. "Yuichi!!" Brown eyes full of tears, she leapt at him, throwing her arms around his neck and pulling him into a tight hug, "Okaeri nasai!!!"
"Sou da na," he whispered, pressing a kiss on her temple, "I'm home, Kaede..."
* * *
At the Teigeki, everyone had gathered in the medical room where Sakura was placed. "She had passed out just as we picked her up with Shougeimaru." Yuri explained, "It must have been from her wounds..."
"Not only that," Kasumi uttered, "According to Kayama-san, she had been fighting for over an hour... and began to use the majinki method."
"Usou desu wa...!" Sumire gasped, "If Sakura-san used the majinki method... she would've...!!"
Yoneda nodded. "Sakura's father, Kazuma, died three months later from the wounds he got using the majinki method... it's a good thing Sakura didn't go through with it."
"Still, she's weakened by the battle and attempting it." Tsubaki sighed, "Even though these aren't the real majinki, there might be some side effects."
Maria clenched her fists and stared to the floor, "Sou desu ne... Sakura will suffer from the consequences..."
"Daijoubu!" Kanna exclaimed, going to pat her friend on the back, "Sakura is strong! No doubt she'll pull through! There's nothing to worry about!!"
But, everyone else in the room didn't appear as hopeful. ".............."
"It's too gloomy in here," Kanna noted, "Let's all have a snack!!" She then pulled Maria out of her chair and put her arm around her, dragging her towards the door while encouraging the others to come by listing the things she wanted to eat.
Eventually a crowd started to follow her. "Onigiri de-su!" / "Caki! Caki! Caki!" / "Yakisoba!" / "Mmm... curryi!" / "O-cha..."
Yoneda turned to see Oogami still gazing down at the sleeping face. "Oogami, let's go. Sakura ain't going anywhere and you need to get something in your system. You'll need it if you want to lead everyone..."
"I want to stay here." Oogami uttered, his hand covering her cold one, "I want to be the first person she sees when she wakes..."
"Oogami..." Yoneda said, sounding a bit hesitant, "You mustn't forget... you are the Taichou of the Teikoku Kagekidan..." His voice drifted off as he saw that this young man wasn't even listening to him. He knew all his talk about putting aside feelings for duty wouldn't work this time.
As Yoneda quietly left the room, Oogami closed his eyes, his fingers intertwining with hers. "I don't want to lose you..."
* * *
Meanwhile, everyone else settled in the cafeteria while Kanna and Tsubomi brought out all the food.
"A snack was all I needed!" Tsubaki sighed, munching on some rice balls, "Yet, we still have the second performance tonight. What are we going to do?"
"We have no choice." Kasumi replied, "We'll turn to Sakura-san's understudy..." All eyes turned to Hanabi. "Is it okay with you?"
Hanabi blushed. "E-Eh, zehi!"
A murmur of voices came from one of the tables. Sumire, Kouran, and Orihime were giving her the evil eye and making their ill predictions of the performance. "Ignore them." Lobelia assured the girl, "You'll do all right."
"Curtain call is a couple of hours...!" Coquelicot gasped, "Aren't you nervous, Hanabi?"
Glcyine patted her on the back. "As a member of the Paris Kagekidan, you're representing us. We'll show them tonight."
Hanabi nodded her head, now turning to her co-star Erica, who seemed extremely quiet this whole time. "We'll all try hard... demo..." Her voice trailed off as she looked down to the table and sipped her tea.
"Spit it out." Lobelia insisted, poking at her arm, "Don't you think we'll do all right? Aren't you on our side? We all got to stick together!"
Erica nodded her head, her hand clutched the cross which hung around her neck. Sighing, she gazed at her reflection in the tea. 'Lord, I have a bad feeling...'
* * *
In his office, Yoneda spoke with Kayama on the phone. "Sou ka... the nameless group comes from Western enemies of the International Defense Corps. You're working on more information?"
"Hai." Kayama replied, stirring a steaming pot while wearing a yellow apron. He was in his kitchen preparing dinner, the counter covered with fresh noodles and chopped vegetables. "We do know of their advances from the info we found on their underground facilities."
"The enemy has a stealth submarine in our Tokyo Bay..." Yoneda sighed, "I'll have the navy on standby in case they come back. We've already latched onto their defenses, so we can track them. They're right now in shallow Pacific. As for the defenses for Teito..."
Yoneda slowly turned towards the framed picture of the Tai Kouma Butai. He didn't know why he had this uneasy feeling; maybe it was because of Sakura using the Majinki. Or the idea that the enemy again had the upper hand in technology. Back then, they didn't have anything, but swords... but that all changed when Yamazaki created the koubu. But now, even the koubu...
Kayama's voice woke him from his daze, "Daijoubu. The koubu will be finished in time. And it'll be stronger than ever. Have faith in these girls, in yourself. And get some rest, Ojisan. Kaede and I will be there tomorrow."
"Aa... arigatou yo..."
After finishing his phone call, Kayama cleaned up and then brought the food out on a tray. Kaede was still lyin in bed, with a cloth on her forehead. Her temperature had gone done a great deal since the morning, but she still didn't feel well.
"Douzo," he said, serving her the hot soup. She sat up and he took a chair at her side. The afternoon was ending and the sky was turning red. Giving her a spoon and napkin, Kayama couldn't help but smile at his patient. "Think you'll be better by morning?"
"Un, with someone like you caring for me." Kaede replied. She gazed down into the soup and chuckled. "But I think this is the first in my life I've ever gotten sick. I have never missed a day of work before. Isn't it strange?"
"There's a first for everyone, as they say." Kayama said softly, wiping the side of her mouth. He lowered the napkin away, his expression turning serious. "Gomen na. I didn't mean to worry you, to make you suffer like that. I thought I was going to die and never see you again."
"Yuichi..." she uttered as he squeezed her hand, while trying to hide the tears in his eyes. "I understand; we both had that feeling. But thinking about it, I should've been more prepared. With all this fighting, for something like that to happen..."
"NO!" he blurted out, his grip tightening. He moved closer, his face inches from hers, "Kaede, I assure you, I won't leave you alone. No matter what happens to me, I'll always come back!"
Kaede's face filled with emotion. "Yuichi..." she started to say. But her nose twitched and she let out a sneeze. Giggling, she bowed her head with embarrassment, as Kayama lifted the napkin to wipe his apron. Laughing the couple leaned against each other, their suffering and worries fading behind them, even for a moment.
* * *
"Uwaa!" Kurisu gasped, clipping tickets later that night, "Ch-Chotto! Minna-san, please line up! I can't help you all at once if you're like this!! Onegashimasu!!" he cried over the crowds, but no one was listening. Swirly-eyed, he tried to keep his sanity. 'How in the world did Oogami-chuu'i do this?!'
"Waaa!" Jiru cried, having just arrived from helping an old lady to her seat, "Kurisu-chan, what in the world happened while I was gone??!"
"I dunno!! Please help me!!"
"Mou, I leave you alone for like 5 minutes." she sighed, picking up a hasami, "Aa, I can take customers over here, please!!" Slowly the crowds began to diminish and the lobby seemed to a bit more vacent. "See, that's not so hard."
"Easy for you to say." Kurisu argued, "You weren't here during the rush hour..." His eyes sudden caught view of someone walking in from the hallway. "S-Sumire-sama!"
"Ara, so everyone is to their seats already?" Sumire asked, turning to the blushing boy. She was in her nurse costume, hair and makeup all set. "Curtain call is in about ten minutes, I just wanted to see if Chuu'i had gotten it together, but I see you two taking over his job. He must be still in the medical room."
"Sou ne," Jiru replied, "Ichirou-kun has been in there the whole time. He won't leave Sakura-san's side no matter what."
"That's nice and all, but then who is going to be our Taichou. Sakura-san no baka... this is your fault..." Sumire sighed. She then shrugged her shoulders, shaking her head. "Maa~! There's nothing I can do about it now. I have a performance to put on."
"G-Ganbatte kudesai, Sumire-sama!" Kurisu stammered, "We'll come watch after we clear up around here. I really hope all goes well..."
In the background, Jiru was making faces and chanting, "Doki doki~! Doki doki~! Nyaa! Nyaa!"
"Ara, what are you doing, Jiru-san??!" Sumire questioned, as she hovered over the shorter guy. "Oh nevermind. I have to hurry back stage before the others have a fit. Best of health to you both."
As Sumire turned and went back down the hall, Jiru slapped Kurisu on the back. "Yaa! Let's finish up this work and go watch the play! It was cut short because of the attack yesterday, so we didn't see the ending! Ne, Kurisu-chan?"
"Uwah..." Kurisu fell on his face from the good whack. Sighing, he wearily nodded. "Hai hai..."
* * *
Oogami wearily gazed at the clock; it was already 7pm. "The second performance of "San Kagetsu" should be starting now." he said, squeezing the cold hand in his, "Sakura... you're missing it..."
More importantly, he missed her. Since yesterday, he had wanted to talk to her over their fight, over their relationship. He wanted to apologize, but he wanted to ask her... did she really mean it when she said she didn't trust him.
"Baka, baka, baka!" he sighed, smacking himself with his free hand, "Of course I shouldn't be trusted. I have women flirting with me non stop. I'm not stable; you can be transfered at any time. And I'm the most indecisive man to live. There's no reason for it all..." He sadly held her hand up to his face. "Demo, when I told you 'I love you', I meant it. Even if we're cursed, I don't care... Please wake up, Sakura... I'll find a way for us..."
"Oogami-saan!" called a voice from the door. He turned around and saw a frantic Kasumi and Yuri. "Come quickly, Oogami-san!" Kasumi cried, "There's problems backstage... and the play is going on... you must hurry!"
"Hah?! What's going on?!" Oogami stammered as they pulled him up and dragged him out the door. "Uwaaah! Chotto!!"
The door slammed shut and the room fell silent once more. Sakura's eyelids opened, her eyes glassy. "Oogami-san..."
* * *
Backstage, Maria tried to stop the arguing that had sparked up during the first act. Glycine and Orihime and Kouran were bickering, and so was Coquelicot and Airisu. "That's enough! We have a performance to put on!"
"Ara, what performance?" Sumire grumbled, "Already our lead actress has messed up on her lines three times in the first two acts."
"Give her a break!" Lobelia snapped, "Hanabi only had one rehearsal to practice her lines! Besides, you were add-libbing all your lines anyways!"
"I was COMPROMISING! Because my costars are such amateurs!"
"Chuu'i!" Glycine cried, running over to Oogami and grabbing his arm, "Tell these crazies to stay away from me! I refuse to wear that ridiculous hat!"
"This hat is part of your role ya!" Kouran exclaimed, as she held up the large feathered disc, "You can't just disregard it, Glycine-han, it's in the script!"
"So what?! I didn't have to wear that embarrassing thing yesterday!"
"Only because you hid yesterday and we couldn't find it!" Orihime argued, putting on her arms on her hips, "Would you stop being a child?!"
"Airisu is not a child!!"
"I wasn't talking to you!!"
Kanna was even joining the fight. "TEME," she growled, as she rolled up her sleeves and approached Lobelia, "I'm the only one allowed to insult Sumire!"
Sumire glared at her. "You stay out of this, Kanna-san!"
Maria covered her face and sighed, while Oogami tried to get everyone's attention. But his voice could not carry over the loud voices. Some people in the crowd could hear it, but weren't too concerned. Erica and Hanabi were in the middle of an intense scene.
"Ai kara~!" Hanabi sung, dancing around on stage, "Ai kara... Seiki-san~!"
There was a murmer in the crowd. Erica nervously leaned over. "I'm Saiki." she whispered. But while she was making that correction, her leg had gotten tangled with a loose rope. "Kyaaaaa!" As she tripped, the rope pulled down a curtain, which fell on them. The crowd burst out in laughter.
"This isn't good..." Oogami stammered, as the rest of the cast looked on in shock. "It's time we all pull together to make it through the rest of the play!" he said as he rushed over to the edge of the stage and pulled the curtain off the stunned Erica and Hanabi. "Keep singing!" he told them, while urging the composer to strike up the orchestra. "Keep the show going!"
"H-Hai!" they gasped, getting on their feet to face the astonished crowd.
* * *
"Even with Taichou's help to pull us through the final acts, the performance was a disaster." Maria sighed, all of them in the dressing room after the show.
"It wasn't that bad." Kanna sighed, "I mean, at least we finished the play. The reviewers might think this was a comedy..."
"Drama, drama de-su!" Orihime corrected her, "But it turned into a circus show with these clowns as the lead!"
"W-What did you say?!" Hanabi had actually highered her voice. "We did the best we could, considering the poor management and assistance we were offered!"
"Hooh?! So you're blaming us for the disaster?!" Kouran cried, "I can't believe you guys! How low can you go!"
"Actually..." Everyone turned to see Erica. She loosened her necktie and bowed her head. "We didn't do so well. Hanabi-san messed up several lines, I destroyed the curtain, Glycine-san was out of character, and Lobelia and Coquelicot didn't even come out on cue. I apologize for this poor performance we gave."
"What do you have to apologize to them for?!" Glycine snapped, "They have been nothing but rude to us when we got here. They brought this on themselves!"
"Still... I'm sorry..." Erica uttered, "I know we could have done better if we all settled our differences... and I personally think that Hanabi-san just wasn't made for that role... the role she had before was better for her... and I think that we have to..."
"Who cares what you think! I hate you, Erica!" Coquelicot cried, breaking away and running out the room.
Hanabi sadly stared at her. "You don't think I'm good enough for this role." She then went after Coquelicot, on the verge of tears herself.
"Traitor.... Who's side are you on?" Lobelia grumbled, she and Glycine leaving as well.
Erica frantically cried after them, "The Hanagumi... demo... I...!" She lowered her head, unable to say anymore. It happened as she predicted it would be. She then felt a hand on her shoulder. "Hah? Sumire-san?"
"Your performance tonight was pretty good, with the exception of the curtain falling. Still, it wasn't bad at all... for an amateur."
"Arigatou..." she uttered, blushing a little, "Demo, what are we going to do now?"
"What else can we do after a performance has flopped." Kouran said, getting up from her chair and picking up the feathered hat and putting it on, "We work even harder till the sweat comes down our faces!"
"The Hanagumi never says 'Die'!" Reni noted, "Even after a defeat, we're up for battle once again. Tomorrow is our second chance."
"Sou de-su!" Orihime said, standing on her chair, "I say we practice all night until we get everything perfect!"
"Airisu wants to stay up all night!! Wai wai!!" chimed the little French girl, who had climbed on the table excitedly waving poor Jean Paul about.
"Yossha!!" Kanna chimed, rolling up her sleeves, "Let's get started, Minna! I'm in such a good mood, I could wrestle gorillas!"
Everyone, having cheered up, nodded and went for the door. Erica lingered a bit, smiling to herself. 'This is how it is to be part of the Hanagumi... how I wish the others could understand...'
"Ne, are you coming or what?"
"H-Hai, Sumire-san!" she cried, breaking into a run. She then tripped and fell over. "Ite ite..."
"Mattaku... we've got to fix that..." Sumire said, eyeing her over.
* * *
After practicing for hours into the night. Oogami made sure that all the girls stopped and got some rest. 'We've got to go through this again tomorrow...' he thought, stepping into the lobby. Sighing, he rested his hand on the railing. 'But without Sakura?'
All of a sudden, someone pinched his cheek. "UWAAH!" he cried from the surprise. Rubbing the sore, he turned to the culprit. "Jiru-kun?"
"Ne! Don't walk around like that; you look like a zombie!" the spirited girl chimed, despite the late hour, "Please cheer up, Ichirou-kun! Everything will be all right!"
"Sou desu ne!" Kurisu said, holding a flashlight and wood pole. "We finished the nightwatch for you and locked up the Gekijou. Feel free to go rest with ease, Oogami-chuu'i."
"Aa, I will." Oogami said, but then Jiru tugged at his sleeve, "Hmm? Nan da?"
"You'd rather go stay by Sakura-san's side. Go ahead, we won't tell on you." Nodding, he smiled and turned for the hallway. Jiru waved at the boys and went for the stairs. "Oyasumi~!"
"Honto desu ne!" Kurisu sighed, shaking his head, "She's cheerful regardless of the situation. I guess we need all the cheering on we can get. The battles and fighting never end, demo with spirit like that I know we can presevere." He paused for a moment, letting out a heavier sigh, "And I have to share a room with Yoneda-shinhainin... talk about presevering!"
Oogami grinned at the young cadet. "Ganbatte, Kurisu-kun." They then parted at the stairs, Oogami going to the basement. He was surprised to hear gunshots. Then not surprised. There would only be one person to be in the shooting range at this hour. 'Ganbatte, Minna.'
* * *
In the shooting range, Maria concentrated on the target, her gun not ceasing its fire. The head of the target went flying off as the bullets rendered the neck. Whatever was left of the head fell to the floor as Maria wiped the sweat from her brow and went to reload.
"Cheh, you're working too hard." chuckled a voice. She turned her head to see Kanna leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, "Go get some rest, we've had a long day."
"Can't sleep." Maria replied, putting her gun down and staring at the floor, "I keep thinking 'what am I doing wrong'..."
"Maria," Kanna stepped forward and faced her troubled friend, "It isn't your fault we're falling apart like this. Everyone has their off days, we're going through that now. At least you know that regardless what happens, we're still all Hanagumi."
Maria shook her head. "No, we're not. We're not all the same. Each of us have our own differences and own different problems. After Shihainin left me in charge, I can't to handle it."
"Sure you can! You're the most reliable person I know; don't give up on yourself so easily." Kanna insisted, putting her hands on her shoulders, "Demo na, don't put all this responsibly on yourself. We all got to work together to pull out of this."
"Still," Maria said, turning towards the target that had bullet holes all over it, "The one who is behind all this trouble, I let her get away. I let her continue to threaten everyone!"
"Yaa, that demon lady is a problem, but it's not your fault...!"
"Still... I had that chance." Maria sighed, picking up her gun again and taking out the empty cartrige, "I sometimes wonder if that's how things are. If this occurance happened just as the events that led up to the death of my Taichou from the Japanese-Russo War... Nothing happens without reason... this mistake of mine will lead to something... it's fate."
"Oi oi! I don't think so!" Kanna exclaimed, "I don't believe that someone is pulling the strings and telling us what and where to go! This is my life and I'll live it the way I want! Even your mistakes are of your own doing; it's up to you to move on from it!"
"I know that!" Maria argued back, "But I keep asking myself - 'what am I doing here?' especially when I feel like I have no control of the Hanagumi or my own destiny...!"
"What ever happens depends on us." Kanna cut in, "Being with the Hanagumi feels right, so I won't bother with the reasons how I ended up here... I'm with the Hanagumi because I want to. It's not fate, it's my wish."
Maria slowly lifted her head, her expression softening. "Sou yo.." she uttered, "We're going to all right as long as we will it to be..."
"Heh! Now you're listening to me!" Kanna chimed, putting her arm around her and dragging her out the room, "Let's go get a light snack and call it a night, heheh!"
"Kanna..." Maria chuckled, "You never change..."
* * *
Oogami's eyes slowly opened in the dark medical room. He had been there all night, the clock now read 5am in the morning. He was kneeling on the floor, his face lying down on the edge of the bed. Lifting his head, he noticed that the blanket was on his shoulders and that the bed was empty.
"Sakura-kun..." he uttered, standing and gazing around the room, "Where did you go...?"
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Preview!
Orihime: The enemy could attack Teito at anytime. There's no way we can't face them as we are now... we need strength, unity and leadership, sou de~su ne?
Hanabi: Somehow, someway, it can be done. We mustn't give up!
Both: "At Your Side" next time on Sakura Taisen. A storm of romance in Taishou cherry blossoms!
Hanabi: The flower petals may scatter in the wind... demo....
