Koko finally made it back to the inn. The voices of her crew reached her ears, helping her release a sigh of relief that she was keeping in. She slid the door open, her arm holding her bruised side. The juggernauts paused the loud chatter to stare at her.
Elvia jumped up and hugged the girl, causing Koko to release a scream of pain. Elvia quickly let go apologising profusely.
Stephan came into the room, a glass of water in his hand. His locks were pulled back in a bun, and he was shirtless, bandages covering his torso.
"You look like you've been through shit." He joked, his chuckle slowly
dying when his sister stared at him with a deadpan expression. She quickly ignored the rest of the crew, and headed to their room.
She needed to rest and reevaluate her anger, which stemmed from her insecurities.
She flipped on her bed, her eyes locked on the ceiling like it was the most interesting thing in the world.
"Yo." She side eyed Magnus, who pulled a stool to sit beside her. The gold earrings complimented his face really well. His green eyes had flicks of crimson, an effect that came with using thrill mode.
"Want to share the battle details?" Koko groaned and faced the wall, ignoring the screams from her body. "Don't wanna." Magnus decided to not press any further, already understanding the outcome and her feelings.
He got up, placed the stool by the door and exited. When he entered the lounge, all eyes were on him again. "She needs first aid and silence." They all understood. Mina stood up with the first aid kid and entered the room.
Ryu, who was busy playing with Mortale, looked at Magnus, calling him over to continue their session of random games that involved a wooden cube.
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Location: The Hinode Family Castle
The bustling sound of old men shouting, and giggling from women filled the air. Live music was playing, sake and food on the tables. The interior design of gold and black was beautifully done.
A large golden dragon statue twirled around the shogun seat was the centre of everyone's attention. It was recently built. Lord Hinode had hired some of the best architects to work on it, and it came out perfect.
Sitting on the shogun's chair was none other than the lord himself. His cheeks flushed from the alcohol, a large grin on his face and his wife under his arms. His laughter and words remained the loudest out of everyone's in the room.
Appointed by the emperor after the subsequent execution of the previous shogun, Toji Kajiyashiki, Torakichi Hinode was a man of both pride and cruelty.
Renowned for his beauty, he had long silky black hair.
The most beautiful sage coloured eyes that appeared puppy like and fair skin. He was tall and lean built, the finest jewellery and clothing covering his body. His wife, Yuko, was his seventh wife and definitely not his last.
A fear that hung over her head, and caused her to inch toward madness day by day. Not because of the idea of being divorced. It was because of the fate his other wives had faced after it.
The door to the hall burst open, halting the live music and yelling in its tracks. A policeman entered, his eyes wide and breathing coming out heavily. His jitte was in his hands, touching his knees as he bent down to catch his breath.
With the visible irritation painted on the lord's face, everyone held their tongues, causing a thick tension to start spreading across the hall.
"Well what is it?" The police officer stood up straight again and began talking. "Lady Chau's people have come to the island, and so has Pukabarn." This paused Torakichi in his tracks. "Who did you say came?" His voice quivered at the end of the sentence.
An altered image of what Magnus could look like flashed through his mind. "Lady Chau's people and Pukabarn have arrived." Torakichi finally paid attention to the mentioning of the busters.
Sakurasou Island was still under her rule, and the Hinode's was to make sure they helped with her goals, no matter what. "Report what has happened!" He ordered frantically, now sober and ready to start instructing his men.
"The busters have come here to retrieve the Pukabarn under the order of Lady Chau." Upon hearing this, Torakichi bit his lips. He had already made plans of using Magnus to awaken the island's dragon to grant his ultimate wish.
He needed Magnus, but he needed a way to get him without angering Lady Chau. He motioned for the police officer to continue. "The busters' Anne had engaged with one of the Pukabarn's crew members. However, Mai Hisagi and Kiyoshi Nakamura intervened, subsequently killing Anne." A wave of horrified gasps filled the Hall.
A member of the great four's elite was murdered on his land whilst he was living it up. A feeling of rage filled him upon hearing Naoto's minions. Of course they were somewhat involved.
"Why wasn't I informed of their arrival sooner? Matter of fact, why hasn't the ronin and his whores not been captured yet?" Sweat started dripping down the policeman's head. Torakichi walked up to the officer with an unsheathed katana in his hand.
His expression unhinged, sending shivers down everyone's spine. "How fucking hard is it to catch one man and his minions, huh?" The poor man started stuttering, unable to form any words.
It was okay. Words weren't needed when your throat was slit in a blink of an eye. He held his next, a frugal attempt to stop the bleeding. This was the kind of man that the shogun of Sakurasou Island was.
He turned back to his mortified guest, blood all over his clothes and the side of his face. "Kuro squad!" A group of a dozen people dressed in black came through the other hall's door. Their faces draped over with a black veil, not revealing much of who they individually were.
They kneeled before the mad shogun. "Hunt down Naoto Kajiyashiki and his minions, then dispose of them. Bring me Pukabarn and annihilate his crew. Last but not least, quietly get rid of the rest of the busters. We'll blame Kajiyashiki for their demise."
They vanished to carry out their task. A war was on the brink of beginning, and there were still many secrets that needed to be unveiled.
"Yuko, let's get divorced."