"I understand." Sakura said, bowing her head, "Please allow me to uptake this mission, Shihainin."
Yoneda smiled sadly down at the photo in front of him. Someday, he knew this day would come. "Sakura, you have my support."
"Arigatou gozaimasu, Shihainin! Jaa... It's late, so I should be going. Shitsureishimasu." The girl then went out of the door.
"Shihainin," Kaede uttered, standing behind him, her arms folded as she leaned down to his shoulder, "We're doing the right thing. Don't worry."
"I know... but old feelings never go away... this feeling, above everything, hurts the most..." he sighed, "My daughters... fighting to their limits... to allow it surely makes me a terrible father."
"Chigau yo." she said, patting his arm, "Giving these girls a home and place to belong, you're the best."
Yoneda just sighed and poured two glasses of sake. Pushing one in front of Kaede, he got up to the window and sipped his quietly.
'It's the right thing...' she thought, staring down at the picture of the Tai Kouma Butai, 'Nee-san...'
* * *
Sakura walked out onto the terrace and leaned down on the railing. Calming down in the cool night breeze, she felt footsteps behind her. "Hanabi-san?" she asked, turning around.
"We all heard from Yuri-san what's going on..." Hanabi stammered, joining her at the railing, "Personally, I think it's a brave act. Only I have to tell you something before you go and do this..."
"Nani?" Sakura asked, concentrating on the street below. "Whatever it is you want to tell me..."
"I love Oogami-san!"
"EH?!"
Hanabi frantically continued, though an outburst of emotion like this was unheard of. "If you do this, no doubt I will pursue him with full force... even if you die or don't come back... I won't give up on him!"
"Ha... Hanabi-san..."
"Dakara, I love him." Hanabi said tearfully, "In Paris, Oogami-san even told me I was special to him. We spent lots of time together, all of our memories I cherish in my heart... For Oogami-san's sake, I would do anything. He taught me about love and fighting for what you believe in... He helped me realize how precious my life is."
Sakura couldn't say anything, but stare in surprise. Just then the doors flew open and the others, who had been eavesdropping, poured onto the balcony.
"Sou de~su ka!!" Orihime exclaimed, "I knew Chuui-san wasn't faithful at all when he was in Paris for six months! Ano Japanese guy!" (Takeshi was in the background, pointing at himself; "I'm a Japanese guy...")
"You shouldn't expect much from Onii-chan! He'll never change!" Airisu cried, squeezing Jean Paul, "Always floating... that player! MOU!!" Blushing, she spoke in a sweet voice. "He's nothing like Airisu's 'koibito', Reni-chan!!"
While everyone face-faulted from that declaration, Erica stepped forward. "I understand what Hanabi-san has said... you see, before Oogami-san left Paris, he even told me I could be his girlfriend... I was so happy, I believed he loved me...I almost left the monastery for him."
Kouran excitedly waved her arms in the air. " Not to mention all that flirty talk he gave me in the hanger - 'Oh, your oily work clothes give me a good feeling...' This must be stopped ya! Maria-han, lead the way to revenge!!"
Maria calmly replied, "Now isn't the time to work out grudges; not when Teito is threatened and we need Oogami-taichou to lead us. We must work around this problem... although, I admit he is a great big pervert and we really should punish him... maybe another time, ne?"
"What the hell are we going to do?" Lobelia asked, "Here we have 50% of the team in love with this player... love isn't a game; we've got to make him realize that! VIOLENTLY!!"
As arguments over what to do with Oogami continued, Sakura sadly gazed down at the street. "Sakura-san," Sumire was at her elbow, "You're going to do this, aren't you?"
"Hai... I've already made up my mind."
Sumire lifted her chin with her fingertips. "If you die, I won't forgive you, so you must come back... promise me."
Sakura tearfully smiled. "I promise you, Sumire-san."
Just then, Sumire got nudged in the back and started arguing with Kanna. "OI!! WHAT OF IT, CATCUS WOMAN!?!"
"KIIIIII! DON'T CALL ME THAT!!"
Sakura couldn't help but giggle as the crowd on the balcony chattered in the night air. 'I won't die... I won't fail... not when I have everyone's love with me...'
* * *
Oogami was finishing up with his night watch, when he saw Jiru cleaning in the cafeteria. "Yaa, Jiru-kun!" he said, walking up to her and putting his lantern on the table, "So tomorrow you with Kaede-san are taking Sakura-kun to the Hana-Yashiki for tests?"
"Un, seems so." she said, staring down at the table. Her face was very stern since the meeting. Oogami reached over and pinched her cheek really hard. "ITAI!!" she exclaimed, blinking her eyes, "MOU!! What was that for?!?!"
"That's better. Back to the Jiru-kun I knew before." he chuckled, "But tell me, have you been the Taichou to the Yumegumi this whole time?"
"Gomen for lying about being a cadet... I really used my real personality around you." she replied, "I was pretty surprised when Ayame-san appointed me to this job... I mean being a Taichou to an all-male butai is a bit difficult!"
"Hah?" he uttered, looking interested, "All-male butai you say?? Sounds like something Ayame-san would do."
"Shikashi, we have lots of fun creating new technology for the Hanagumi, and researching other things. Although, all I ever wanted to do was drive one of the koubu... Someday, ne?" she sighed. Oogami nodded, thinking how fortunate he had been, and that he had been taking for granted too many things. Jiru then lifted a cheerful face, "I'm going to make some lunch to pack for tomorrow. Want to help?"
"Gomen, I'm a little sleepy from this tiring day." he explained, turning for the stairs, "Aa, why don't you ask the Paris Kagekidan to help you. I'm sure they'd like to learn Japanese cooking."
"Good idea! Oyasumi, Ichirou-kun!" she chimed after him. But he stopped and saluted her instead. After he left, Jiru looked to the floor. "Demo... someday sometimes doesn't come... I wonder where the wind will take me this time... and where it will take you, Ichirou-kun. Whatever happens, I'm sure it'll be for the best."
* * *
Oogami could hear some racket in the halls as he came up the stairs. "ANO PLAYER!! / We've got to do something!! / His head is MINE!! "
Oogami frowned. 'Here they go again... hopefully they'll cool off soon.' He turned and went for his own room, thinking, 'I'll talk to Sakura in the morning before she leaves...' But when he opened the door, he saw that his light was on. "Hah?!"
"Honto..." Sakura uttered, sitting at his desk, shuffling through a pile of bromides. "You really have lots of girlfriends..."
"C-Chigau!" Oogami closed the door behind him and approached her. "As Taichou of the Hanagumi, I have to hold everyone's feelings in order for the team to function as one. I'm a fool to place this part, but my role can't ever change. But no matter where I go or what I become, I know this for certain - my feelings won't ever change."
"Oogami-san..."
"Demo, Sakura-kun... this mission sounds dangerous..."
She smiled up at him. "Don't worry. I will not fail, not when I have everyone's love. And with Oogami-san's love, I won't be afraid."
"Sou ka..." he uttered, blushing in the face. "Jaa... it's late and tomorrow you have to leave early with Jiru-kun and Kaede-san... perhaps you should go rest...?"
"Can I stay here?" she blurted out. Oogami became dumbstruck, but her cute pout got back his attention. "You let Airisu! Please??"
Oogami went bright red. "S-Sakura-kun...! Oh... all right...!"
* * *
The next morning, Sakura slowly opened her eyes. "Fuuaaa..." She looked around at her surroundings and saw Oogami sitting in the chair by the bedside. They must've fallen asleep when they were talking, because the lamp was still on.
She didn't want to wake him up, so she quietly tiptoed across the room and reached for the door. 'I have to meet Kaede-san and Jiru-san! I'm so late...!'
But the moment she opened the door, she had been caught. Wearing her military uniform, Kaede dropped her notebooks and stared in surprise. "Sa-Sa-Sakura-kun??"
"Aa, Kaede-san...! I-I can explain this...!"
"You didn't do anything wrong. Yuichi and I used to sneak around all the time... even with Shihainin holding a death threat over my poor Yuichi. When you're in love, it just can't be helped."
"Chigaimasu! We didn't you know," Sakura tried to explain as she knelt down to pick up the fallen notebooks. "Even if nothing really happened, I still feel like I've betrayed the other girls..."
Kaede cheerfully patted her on the back, "Daijoubu yo! They'll understand. We're all supporting you two in getting together!"
"Iie... not everyone..."
* * *
Oogami woke up. Sitting up, he gazed around the sunlit room. 'So, she's gone.' he sadly thought.
After stretching, he changed into his work clothes and went downstairs. Kurisu, Kayama and the Teigeki musume were sitting in the cafeteria with breakfast. "Ohayou, Minna~!"
"Oogami...san..." Tsubaki uttered, she and the others' eyes narrow, "Masaka... you... Sakura-san... last night..." Oogami's face went pale. "Mou, stop playing dumb and tell us the truth!!"
Yuri excitedly pointed at him. "My network said she had been in your room all night long! This scandal is too much and I must tell everyone right away!!"
"What network?!" Oogami gasped. Kayama and Kurisu nervously scooted their chairs away from him. "Sonna! You guys had the security system on, didn't you!!"
"... maybe for a little bit." Kurisu stammered, blushing really hard, "D-datte! It was for security reasons..."
Kayama happily struck a chord on his guitar, "Oogami, kawaii ne... snuggling with his loved one. Ii na, ii na~!"
"Ka... ya... ma..." Oogami turned pale and crumbled to the ground. "Please don't tell Shihainin..."
Just then, the other girls arrived. "Did Sakura already leave?" Coquelicot asked, sleepily rubbing her eyes, "Mou, we didn't get to see her off..."
"Daijoubu!" Kanna said, "We'll all see her later today. It's not like she's going anywhere! Ehehe, I'm hungry..."
"You're always hungry." Sumire grumbled, still groggy, "Sakura-san has the most awful room, I must say! I was tempted to just tear her wallpaper off the wall and burn everything... how anyone could sleep in that barnyard is a mystery!"
"Chotto matte." Reni uttered, turning to Sumire, "If you slept in Sakura's room, where did Sakura sleep??" This raised a high question. Everyone turned to the Teigeki Musume for answers.
Yuri was about to say something, when Kasumi pulled her over and covered her mouth. "Ahahaha, she stayed with us! Sakura-san said she couldn't worry you guys about her problems and wanted to get a full night's rest. Demo, she'll be back later today so don't worry about her~!"
Everyone nodded and went along with their business. Yuri angrily snagged Kasumi over and whispered, "(How dare you lie to everyone!! We should just tell them the truth!)"
"(Iresai! The truth is too disgusting! Everyone is having their breakfast, do you really want to bring up this obscene news??!)"
Tsubaki joined in the argument. "(Oh, when shall we tell them?! When Sakura-san comes up with child?!)"
Kayama walked up to the girls, waving his hands. "(Maa maa maa, nothing of that sort happened! Oogami was innocent! Kurisu-kun and I even got bored and shut it off after awhile...!)"
As those three argued, the others were getting suspicious. "What's going on over there?" Glycine muttered into her coffee, "They're being so loud."
"Iya, it's nothing to worry about!" Kurisu gasped as he paused from serving their breakfast. He then knelt down to the dazed Oogami, still lying on the floor. "Daijoubu desu ka?"
Suddenly, Yoneda came running into the cafeteria. "Oi, minna!! Taihen da!!" He stopped when he had stepped on something. "Oh! Sumanu, Oogami!!"
* * *
At the Hanayashiki, Jiru prepped the equipment. "Let's begin the tests! Sakura-san, could you please have a seat here while we connect you to this machine and read your power gauge."
"H-Hai!" Sakura said, as crew of the Yumegumi escorted into a chair and stuck some wires to her arm. Jiru then hit the switch. After a pause, the machine shortcircuited and all the glass broke. "I-Is that bad??" Sakura nervously asked.
"C-Chigau...!" Jiru stammered, her face blacked from the blast, as well as everyone else, "It's a good sign! It means that you were perfect for this job!!" As Sakura cheerfully proceeded into the next room, Jiru turned to Kaede. "It's higher than I ever expected..."
"Maa, ii kedo." Kaede uttered, rubbing her chin, "This was what the enemy was thinking: that the only way for these mechanisms to work was to have someone of this high power. And this majinki is worthless without her."
They then went into the next room where the Baragumi were holding the majinki. Kaede saw that already they had started to respond to Sakura. 'Because she has the haja blood..."
* * *
Oogami ran into the hidden passage in the hallway and slid down the chute. 'What's going on?! Why the emergency meeting? Masaka... has something happened to Sakura?!' He was too deep in thought to realize that the end of the tunnel was coming soon. "UWAAAAAAAAAAH!!" he yelped as he landed outside on his face, already in uniform.
"Oogami-san, daijoubu desu ka?" Hanabi gasped, running to his side, "Did you hurt yourself??"
"Cheh, he does that all the time!" Lobelia sighed, "Taichou, you could be a bit manlier every once in a while... You're a disgrace!"
Staring around the battle room, Oogami noticed that Yoneda didn't look too happy. He then looked to the screen, where the report read. Oogami jolted forward in shock. "Usou! The enemy has started to move already?! But it's too soon! I thought we had more time!"
"They must've heard of Kazu." Kayama replied, "Once they learned that we caught onto their insider, they figured we knew of their plans and decided to move it up to catch us off guard. The navy couldn't stop them from entering the bay. It's a matter of time before they reach the port."
Kasumi, she and the other Kazegumi members in uniform stepped forward. "The Tsukigumi will evacuate and barricade certain areas of the city. We'll transport your koubu to the front lines via the Goraigo. Then, we shall assist you from the air with the Shougeimaru."
"Ara, what about Sakura-san?" Sumire asked.
Yoneda noted, "From the Hanayashiki, Sakura will attempt to falter the enemy's defense by using the technology the Yumegumi has developed. It might not work, so you all will still have to fight your best. The enemy is tough, but with these new koubu, we should have more of an advantage than last time."
"Yoshi!" Oogami said, waving his fist in the air, "Teikoku Kagekidan - SANJOU!"
* * *
"Nan desutte?!" Kaede gasped over the kinematron, "The enemy has started to move... then we have no choice but to proceed without further testing..."
"Seems so." Kurisu said on the other line, "The Tsukigumi and the Hanagumi have already taken orders and going to rendezvous with the enemy. You have the order to proceed as well." He then bowed his head. "Please tell Jiru-san... iya, Taichou... not to do anything dangerous."
"Wakarimashita." Kaede replied, as the screen flickered away. Her own worries clouded her mind. 'Yuichi... please be careful. I lost you once...I wouldn't be able to bear it again... not when there's something I have to tell you...'
"Kaede-chan!" Kotone called, Yokohiko and Kikunojou nervously grabbing onto his arms, "What's the report? Tell us what's going on?"
Kaede turned around to face everyone. "Minna, the enemy will be arriving in Teito in approximately ten minutes. We have been given the order to proceed."
Jiru rolled up the sleeves to her lab coat. "Chotto!Only one person can allow us to go through with this." All eyes turned to Sakura. "What's it going to be? It's up to you."
Sakura bowed her head for a moment, heart beat pounding as she thought about her decision. Her eyes burning with determination, she nodded. "Let's do it." Jiru returned the nod, then lifted up a large hammer and broke through the glass, to get to the activation switch. 'There's no turning back.' Sakura thought, 'Demo... I'm not scared...'
* * *
"Please keep your arms and feet in your koubu at all times and do not attempt to do otherwise." Yuri announced on the intercom as the Goriago took off from Ginza. "We shall be arriving at your destination shortly. Thank you for riding!"
"Japanese bullet trains... daikirai de-su!" Orihime sighed, holding a paper bag to her face, "I really hate them; they make me nauseous all the time~!"
"Hoooh?? I think they're kind of like a rollarcoaster." Kouran cheerfully said, "A lot of fun ya?"
"I hate rollarcoasters." Glycine grumbled, "They make me nauseous all the time. Like that time Oogami-chuui dragged us to an amusement park... not to mention how filthy the place was!"
"I hear Asakusa has the best amusement park in Teito." Coquelicot said, joining the conversation "Nee nee, can we go there after this battle?"
"Wai wai!!" Airisu happily chimed, "Airisu wants to go! Airisu can ride the 'lovelove' swan ride with Reni. Ehihihi..." Reni turned pale and fell over in her koubu.
"Asakusa is where Sakura-san is..." Erica uttered, "I wonder what kind of procedure they're having her attempt. I pray it won't be dangerous. Ne, Sumire-san?" Sumire didn't answer, her face shadowed as she crossed her arms and looked away from the screen.
'Sakura...' Oogami closed his eyes, trying to calm down. 'I'll take care of everyone... I'll protect Teito... as I promised... I won't let you down!' Suddenly a face flickered onto his screen. He quickly forced a smile to hide his worries. "Yaa, Hanabi-kun... what's up?"
"Ano... Oogami-san..." Hanabi uttered, blushing really hard, "We've got to talk."
"Nan da? What about? Is something wrong?"
She bit her lip, gazing at him. 'I have to know the truth. Even if we're all friends now... and Sakura-san is risking her life for us... for me to walk away from this chance... to lose a loved one again without going after them... I have to... I must!'
"Hanabi-kun?" Oogami was getting worried. "Your face is really pale. Are you sure you're up to this, the battle I mean. Please tell me what it is."
"I'll tell you..." she uttered, looking him in the eye, "After the battle."
Oogami nodded his head, just as the Goraigo was slowing to a stop. "We've finally reached it! Please exit out to your left!" Yuri said.
Tsubaki added, "We'll see you all later! Ganbatte, Hanagumi!"
Once the koubu marched outside and got into position, they saw the onslaught arriving before them. "Sonna..." Maria uttered, "There must be over a hundred or them...!"
"You nervous?" Kanna chuckled, from next to her, "Don't worry. We won't fail. Since we're all together... because we're all Hanagumi, we absolutely cannot fail."
"Sou yo." Maria replied, smiling on the screen. "Oogami-taichou! Please lead us into battle!"
Kayama appeared on the screen as well. "Oogami, all preparations are finished. Please proceed without hesitation. Whatever happens, we're right there with you!"
Oogami nodded, gazing at the hordes of soldiers and demons coming out of the sea. 'This is it...'
*************************
Preview!
Yokohiko: The city of Tokyo bursts in flames as screams fill the air. Kyaaaa! How scary! Hold me, Ichirou-chan!!
Kikunojou: "The Maidens' Battle" next time on Sakura Taisen.
The Baragumi: A storm of romance in Taichou cherry blossoms!
Kotone: Ganbatte, Oogami-taichou.
