Sou pressed his foot harder into the guard’s neck. He let out a choke.

“You have three seconds. Two. One.”

Sou let his foot up and dropped his sword. He held both hands up in the air. The guard sat up slowly, coughing. He grabbed a sword and held it level at Sou’s throat. Something moved behind them. It was Kazu, crouching in the darkness. His hand moving slowly to his hip, trying to grab the dagger tied there.

“Tell your little pet monkey there to drop his knife or this pretty young thing will soon take her last breath.” Unfortunately, Izue had seen him too. Kazu stood up and stepped out of the shadows, smiling. Izue eyed the state of him. “I suppose we have you to thank for all this?”

Kazu shrugged, the smile never leaving his face. “Come over here sweetie and perhaps we can discuss it a little more.”

Izue refused to dignify him with a response. “Kill him.”

The guard looked between Sou and Kazu. There was only one of him, and two of them.

“Oh for the love of…” Izue muttered in Ayane’s ear. She grabbed her own dagger with her left hand and threw it. It zoomed past Sou’s head towards Kazu. As though in slow motion he fell backwards, hitting the ground with a dull thud.

“No!!” Sou punched the guard while he was distracted and took his sword. He ran at Izue but she pressed the knife harder into Ayane’s neck. Ayane screamed out as blood started to trickle down her throat.

“Down boy,” Izue warned him. “There will be other pet monkeys, but only one Bitou heir. Now drop that sword and submit to me and I’ll let her live.”

Sou’s arms were shaking, he was clenching the sword so hard. He was fighting the urge to crush Izue with all he had.

“Just do it, Sou!” Ayane yelled. “Don’t worry about me, kill her! ” The knife pressed harder into her neck.

“I… I’m sorry, Ayane. I can’t. I won’t.” Sou dropped the sword. It was the first time Ayane had seen him defeated.

Izue laughed in her ear. “Well well. I must admit, I’m disappointed. I never thought you’d give it all up over a girl, a hostage no less.”

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This time Sou laughed. He removed his mask and stood up to his full height. His smile was terrifying. “That’s where you’re wrong.” His eyes drifted to Ayane’s right, and she heard a loud thwack. Izue’s head collided with her own before the witch hit the ground, knocked out cold.

“What the-”

Riko was standing there, holding a long spear. She smiled. “I’ve been wanting to do that for a while now.”

Ayane laughed. Not out of joy but out of panic, confusion and fear. Battle wasn’t really her forte, she understood that now. Horses were big and scary and just as likely to kill her as man was. The battlefield stank of blood and excrement and death, and oh boy did she hate the smell of blood. There was something about it that made her skin crawl. Then there was the constant rush of people trying to end her life, but most of all she was sick and tired of being a pawn, used by others to get what they wanted with little regard for her own feelings, her own life. She turned around and, seeing Izue’s prone body on the ground, booted her in the stomach.

“Next time it’ll be your stupid face,” she said, trying to wipe the blood on her hand off on her armour. It did nothing. She sighed.

“Well, I didn’t know it was in you, Bitou.” Riko grinned at her.

Ayane bowed her head. “Thank you for your assistance.” She turned to Sou. “There’s your witch. Now kindly remove her before I’m no longer able to keep my promise.”

Something started to move behind him. “Sou, watch ou-” He turned and grabbed the man before she even had a chance to finish warning him. The guard was still alive.

“You’ve lost. Don’t make me kill you.”

“Why don’t you?” the man choked out. Anger flared to life in his eyes. He was humiliated and his mistress defeated. He had little left to live for.

“Because I hate to see good talent go to waste.”

The guard frowned, confused. Another groan nearby drew their attention. It was Kazu. He sat up, pulling the knife from his shoulder. He was still alive.

“Who is she calling monkey?” he muttered, dropping the bloody knife on the ground.

Toshio rode through the courtyard and pulled his horse to a quick stop before Sou. Both he and his horse were covered in blood.

“We’ve rounded everyone up, sir. Those that resisted were killed. The castle is yours. The Wada are defeated.”

Sou smiled, a smile unlike any Ayane had seen before. Once again it terrified her. Sometimes, just sometimes, she felt like she was looking at a stranger, not someone she had spent nearly every single day of the last year of her life with. She trusted him with her life, but she also feared him. Perhaps that was a good thing. Perhaps she was finally starting to think like a daimyo in training.

Riko dragged Izue through the dirt and dropped her unconscious body at Sou’s feet. Toshio snarled at the sight of the witch before him, but Sou put a hand on his chest and pushed him back. Toshio snorted and stormed off, the unspoken message loud and clear. Don’t touch her. She’s mine.

A figure appeared in the doorway, yawning loudly.

“What is all this commotion about? Can’t a man get any sleep around here? And what is it that you’re doing with my daughter?”