But how?
This is the first question that popped out in her mind.
How did they know this place? Were they followed or... betrayed?
Her eyes turned colder at the latter.
—no, Umi was captured by the Oni, so was she forced to divulge the location? That's the only answer she came up with. Not daring to think otherwise because Prime trusted them wholeheartedly. The Kitsune gang is her second family, doubting them even for a second would only means she does not believe them, so she immediately crushed the idea of betrayal.
"Give me my sword," Prime said, her voice weak.
Chikyuu glanced at her with worry. How can she be so stubborn? Can't she see that we are here to protect her?
"Leader, you need to stay still!" Mori tried to reason with her but was ignored again.
"Just get my sword! The Oni has already surrounded the place," Prime explained, "I can't be a burden. I'll fight with all of you."
They can only sigh in their hearts and let their leader do whatever she wants. She has always been stubborn so this is not new to them, but they also hope that Prime should be selfish sometimes— to save herself and not them. She always think about other people and tend to forget about her own safety. How can they not be disappointed?
In the end, Kasai gave her the sword and had helped her sit at the edge of the bed. She just waited silently, the sword serving as a support so she won't fall forward. Her body is still heavy and it is getting harder to breathe as time passes by.
The five people inside the room waited patiently. All of them not daring to miss even the smallest sound or movement, they are akin to a hunter waiting for the prey to fall into the trap, or a lion waiting in its den with all its senses active.
The doorknob finally moved. It slowly turned before the door was opened from the outside. Before Kasai could attack the intruder he was stopped by Yama who is standind beside him.
He was annoyed at first but when he saw the intruder he was stunned. The intruder is Umi. Her hair is a bit disheveled but her face is still as serious as ever.
"Help!" she muttered, "Jikan and Kaze is surrounded by the Oni. We can't fend them off! There are too many of them!"
"D*mn! I'll go with you!" Mori volunteered. He glanced back at their leader to get permission and she only nodded at him.
"Protect leader well," He quickly headed towards Umi, but he was just about to reach the door when Prime's cold voice rang out.
"Wait."
In just a second, her figure moved. She stopped a few feet away from the door, her sword pointing at Umi's neck.
Everyone was shocked to see this kind of scene. They wanted to ask their leader what's happening, but her pair of eyes just got colder and darker as if the person in front of her is her greatest enemy. However, that person is Umi. Their sworn sister. A member of the gang.
"I can sense it," Prime said, her voice unusually calm, "You are lying but why?"
Though she already knew the answer that she don't want to accept, she still needs to hear it. Just to confirm that she's wrong. That she was not betrayed. That 'they' were not betrayed.
Umi can feel the tip of the sword in her skin. She knows that the sword is very sharp that one small movement from her then it would pierce her flesh, so she didn't dare act rashly.
"Sis Prime, what do you mean?" she asked.
"Do you take me as a fool? Koan just told me that you were captured by them and now you're here."
"I escaped."
Prime laughed. "Forgetting what I'm capable of? Umi, shall I remind you that I have a very sensitive nose. I can smell the scent of the Oni radiating from deep inside you."
She has always been curious of her weird scent. She thought that maybe it was because Umi wears a very strong perfume. Everyday she would not fail to spray some on her body, but it seems that she forgot to do it today— blowing off her cover.
"You have been hiding your scent all along. But why befriend me?"
Umi tapped the sword pointed at her with her finger. "Prime, your are already marked. Now, we have to claim your body. It belongs to the Oni."
The others inside the room watched in puzzlement. They don't know what Umi meant, but one thing is clear, she betrayed the gang. Their heart might feel heavy, however, they can't let their emotion affect their thinking. Protecting their leader is the main priority.
"So you are admitting to it?" Prime asked her.
"Yes, I betrayed you. It's not my fault you are gullible." Umi answered, she was full of mockery.
The next moment, blood seeped out from her neck. There was a prickly pain when the tip of the sword slightly pierced through her skin. It alarmed her, but before she can retaliate Prime fell to her knees.
"Sis Prime!" The three simultaneously called, but before they can get near her, a group of black cloaked people enter their vision.
"Kitsune gang ends here." Umi smiled as she watched the fallen leader breathing rapidly.
Prime clenched her teeth, the grip on her sword tightening. No, this can't end in here! She won't accept this outcome!
She wants to move but she knew it was too late. In her peripheral vision she can see how Chikyuu fight with all her might, of how Kasai and Mori were being restrained, and how Yama's body hit the wall like a snapped kite.
They were all at a disadvantage because they were schemed against by the person they trusted the most.
Prime smiled bitterly before her body finally fell at the floor— darkness surrounding her.