Genzui is back in his room, awhile later, with Sword. She was apparently nominated to 'fill him in' on everyone on this 'base'.

Gen: "So...you named me Soldier and you, the expressive one; your name is Sword."

Sword: "Yup! You finally remember my name without me telling you!"

Gen: "So you're...good with swordsmanship...even though you're...a woman."

Sword: "Hmph! Never be stereotypical in this world you just got yourself wrapped into. You might loose your head for it!"

He still can't exactly tell if she's kidding or not and that scares him.

Sword: "Okay, keep going."

Gen: "The always irritated one and the second oldest is Wolf....why?"

Sword: "Well, honestly, ALL of us can take the name 'Wolf', but she has herself a 'special case', heh."

Gen: "Special...case?"

Sword: "Go on, go on!"

But...you didn't really tell me why she's named 'Wolf'! What do you mean you guys could all be named 'Wolf' for?!

Sword: "...Hello~?"

Gen: "Um...uh, yeah...the quiet one from earlier was named Snowy, I heard that one. She's also the youngest."

Sword: "Yeah, she's snow-prone."

Gen: "What does that mean?"

Sword: "Keep on going, Soldier, boy."

Gen: "Uh...the...what was it...fourth...? Oldest? Second youngest? The rough voiced one...who thinks I'm a hostage...her name is...Claw...?"

Sword: "And she's apparently the one your most unsure about, huh?"

Gen: "You knew that from my voice, didn't you."

Sword: "Typical. Typical. You're observant and a human-wise survival pro on the battlefield and in tight life or death situations, aren't you?"

Gen: "You-!"

Sword: "You even got that idea that we were foreign. From me speaking Colegion to her otherworldly knock-out bomb. Take it that your a doc, yourself, with a slight suspicion against foreigners?"

Gen: "Sword!"

Sword: "Oh, right, yeah, last one."

...that little. How did she...?!

Gen: "...Lastly, the third oldest and modest one is Flower."

Sword: "Flower power, black-out baby."

Gen: "...And you keep on saying she's the one who knocked me out."

Sword: "Another little useful tidbit, Flower's like the doc, here. She has a way with medicine and the sorts."

Like...fast-acting, gas-bomb sedatives? That smell like...well, that could explain her name, 'Flower'. Maybe she works with floral remedies and such. But...didn't they say she...emitted that stuff last night?

Sword: "Is your space case-iness a thing, or are you just escape-planning again?"

Gen: "...?!"

Again...?! She could tell from last time?! But...how, she can't even see my eyes. Genzui had always grasped that a man (well, typically anyone for that matter) showed their thought process and/or true intentions to something by the looks of their eyes. His eyes are practically gone, now.

Sword: "Mm, you can try to escape. But if you live one day outta here, I'd be impressed. A puny human like you living outside the base from where we are, surviving without protection against them...well..."

Sword's voice trailed away in an unusual tone. It didn't sound sneaky or her trying to sound scary. Or making her or the women in the base sound scary. Something told him that this was her version of saying 'Don't leave the base. Even if you had your sword and your eyes, you wouldn't last long'. That was the vibe he was getting from her voice. As powerful as he found himself to be, he'd usually scoff it off, thinking that she has no right to underestimate him so lowly. But some truth behind his mind was firmly telling him that she might be right.

Gen: "Them...?"

Claw: "Sword! You gonna go on patrol or NOT?!"

Sword: "Whoops, COMING! Soldier..."

Gen: "Uh...huh?"

Sword: "I gotta go, we'll continue this flashcard thing at dinner, maybe. Nice to have everyone at the table talking, ya think?"

Gen: "Uh...right, yeah. Everyone's a sister here."

Sword: "Yeah, as the oldest, I gotta be there to supervise."

Gen: "Oldest?!"

Sword: "Bye!"

Genzui, still sitting on a cushion in his new room, heard the shuffling of fabric from Sword's pants and tied sleeves flit in her rush and the pounding sound of her bare feet against the woven reeds. Once he heard the fusuma's thin, wooden boarder of the paper door snap shut, he crawled toward the door and softly pressed his body close, and strained to listen. It sounded like everyone was getting ready to leave.

Claw: "What about the hostage?"

Flower: "Claw, dear sister, I am sure that Soldier, is it, and all of us would appreciate it if you wouldn't call him that."

Claw: "Then what is he?"

Sword: "If you want something more blunt, Flower power, how about 'What about the human'?"

Human...there's that 'human' word again. Though Sword's tone of voice was different again. It had that warning vibe that he felt from earlier. It did have her usual hint of teasing in it, and he took that as the let down to chase away his uneasy feelings.

Wolf: "We will not bring that up to him."

Flower: "Wolf..."

Wolf: "A regular civilian like him would faint at the mention. Or if best, he'd go mad."

Snowy: "Best...? We didn't even expect for him to even show up."

Claw: "YOU guys took him IN."

Flower: "Claw, we didn't ask you to kowtow to him. We just wish for you and, if possible, Wolf to accept him."

Snowy: "And well...it wasn't really our decision."

Wolf: "...Sword. Quit doing these things on your foolish whims."

Sword: "Well, you never know what Fate's gonna do, so we gotta spice things up before he tosses us to smoke."

After that he heard no more talking. Just the pitter patter of feet, rustling of fabric, their thumping footsteps, and the sliding open and snapping shut of the fusuma leading outside. Genzui waited until he could hear their prattle no more. He sat on the floor, slightly shaking with adrenaline. They left me here. Alone. What were they thinking? I don't know where I am exactly, but if I can get myself into a nearby town or something, I maybe get one of the locals to break this thing off my head.

*thump....thump*

Genzui started to plan out how he was gonna do this. Then he carefully stood up and pawed for the wall and the open window. He decided to leave his sword and maybe present the situation back to Takasugi when he got back to Otento to get a new and better one.

Gen: "Ah-! Oh, I found it, finally..."

He gently felt around for the bottom beam of the window and how open everything was. It was pretty wide and tall enough to ease his entire body through. It almost felt like it was wide enough to cover most of the top half of the wall. Then he carefully lifts his body over the wooden beam and steps out of the room.

Gen: "I'm...I'm...out...okay."

He decided not to celebrate now and do so when he reached a town. Doing so, he started in up a hill which apparently was a stone's throw pass his window.

*****

He had been running for awhile (a pretty good stop and go for about 5-6 hours) and started walking about 3 hours ago then began struggling to keep his stiff limbs moving. So right now, he's laying in the grass in the middle of nowhere. Since it might've been late in the morning when he left, it must be around nighttime now.

Gen: "I...wonder..."

*howl*

Gen: "....?!"

A wolf's howl echoed loudly in the distance. The most painful part was that the distance must've been pretty short to hear it so clearly. A wolf? Was it the same one from that night? Is it gonna take me now...?! He now instantly regretted leaving his sword behind. Suddenly Sword's warning tone of voice filtered into his mind. Either she was talking about something else, or she knew that these wolves were out to get him.

Gen: "Oh no....oh no...!"

???: "Now, now, calm down, dear."

Gen: "Huh...?"

An old woman's voice floated by his ears. Still not being able to see her, his head looked in the direction where the voice was coming from. Nice that a normal human being is here, he thought as a let down, but that was impressive that I never heard her footsteps. At least I could hear Sword's and the rest.

Gen: "Who...who are you...?"

Sakera: "You may call me Sakera, dear Soldier."

Soldier....!?

Gen: "*sigh*, if Sword sent you, you can admit it...."

At least she didn't yell at me and drag me back like I though they would. Maybe she's their elder, Sword's grandmother, or something. But instead of an admit, her voice hardened and the elder tone in her voice vanished. The sound in its place was the chilling tone of a very irritated and dark voice of what sounds like to be some female in her late teens. Sounded snobby and angry. Real quick.

Sakera: "Sword? As in...Sword Shinsengumi? That...Kametsu Kiminui Brakon...?!"

What the...? The way how she spoke those words...! What did Sword call it, Colegion? She was speaking Colegion?! And wait....

Gen: "....what...did you call her...? Sword what...?"

Sakera: "Sword Shinsengumi! You know her?! Oh, you little RAT!"

Genzui's mind was running a marathon, his adrenaline was pumping fast, and was trying to run away from the mysterious now-younger woman named Sakera, for she was grabbing onto his limbs, trying to hold him down. Genzui, was formerly suppressing it, but finding no more reason to do so, started screaming for his life.

Sakera: "Quiet, you FOOL! Do you want the WOLVES to find you?! I can defend myself pretty well from those mongrels! You on the OTHER hand have no weapons or SIGHT!"

But in the back of his mind, somewhere, he was thinking about what Sakera said about Sword. Sword SHINSENGUMI?! Shinsengumi?! She's involved with the Shinsengumi?! I never was aware there was a base in a desolated area with female MEMBERS! Was Sword planning on killing me there? Did she even know I was their enemy? Now that I think about it, yeah, she would. If she had 'saved' me when she saw my comrades come in and tried to save me from the wolf. But...Snowy and Flower for some reason don't, but....

*howl*

Sakera: "Fool, fool, FOOL! Do you know what those mutts ARE?!"

Gen: "...S-S-Sword...!!! Help! Help me!"

"GOTCHA!"

Genzui heard Sakera rear back and scream bloody murder. He then heard hissing, growling, and clawing. But what scared him the most was the explosions, the sharp smell of smoke, and clashing of more than 2 swords. After awhile, above the pandemonium, he heard blasting across the grasslands that voice that never fails to wear her heart on her shoulder. But now it was booming with more power, anger and warning than ever.

Sword: "SOLDIER! GET YOUR BUTT OUTTA HERE! I'LL. TAKE. THIS ONE!"

There was an explosion after her sentence and blasted Genzui across the field. His muscles were screaming to stay stiff and still, but Genzui was practically army crawling with his arms and hands only to escape.

Sakera: "A human casualty, I SEE!!!"

Smaller explosions rained near him and pecked him like fire sparks. They stung all over his body, as if she sent a swarm of mosquitos after him. He crawled away faster and the stinging subsided.

Sword: "Put ONE filthy finger on him AND YOU'LL REGRET YOU WERE EVEN FLIPPING BORN!!!"

Sakera: "You honestly think you can take ME on all by YOURSELF?! How LOW has the Saiyakuto fallen?!"

Sakera's cackling laughter could easily be mistaken for an old, warty witch. He knew that creepy laugh was going to scar him forever. Stop laughing...stop laughing... He pleaded inside his heart.

Sword: "Oh, so we're doin' the SAIYAKUTO nicknames, HUH?! Who gave you the right to call me SAIYAKUTO?!?!"

Sakera: "Well! The human had said Sword! So I had gotten the NICKNAME vibe from-"

*fwoosh*

Sakera: "-THAT ONE!"

Everyone felt the atmosphere heat up and Genzui found it hotter. He knew Sakera shot something straight for him.

Sword: "NO YOU DON'T...!!!"

*BOOM*

Some one got hit. And it wasn't Genzui.

*****

Gen: "...ack-! Augh...ah...Sword...where's Sword?!"

After having felt the tatami reeds, once again, and the enclosed, familiar feeling of his room, he immediately jumped up, with a searing pain in his legs and shoulders. Flower's voice rang out in worry, surprising him a little.

Flower: "Hey, hey! Why do you rise so suddenly? Ah, get back in bed, please. Sword will not-"

Gen: "Sword! Yes, her! Where is she?!"

Flower: "You're...looking for Sword?"

Gen: "Yes! She got hit because of Sa-!"

Genzui stopped in midsentence. He started wondering. Did she really get hurt because it was all Sakera? No, more like it was because I escaped to begin with. I didn't even know creatures like that existed. Sword wasn't kidding when she said what she said.

Flower: "Soldier...?"

Gen: "There was...someone else there...who attacked her..."

He eased down back into his laid out futon. Flower adjusted the covers over his lap, while his sits up.

Flower: "Who was it? Wolf and the others are out looking for whoever."

Gen: "Someone named Sakera. And she..."

-called her Saiyakuto. The nickname stuck in his throat. Saiyakuto? What did that mean? It sounded Japanese, though had that Colegion vibe that was similar to the language.

Flower: "...supposedly hit her with an attack? No, Sword came back with nothing more than a few scrapes. Nothing serious, surprisingly. She isn't exactly the type to self-heal."

Gen: "No one can self-heal."

Flower: "Haha...I suppose you can say that."

Gen: "But...then who got hit?"

Flower: "According to Snowy, it was Sakera."

Gen: "...What? But...Sakera tried to attack me and...wasn't it Sword who stepped in her way?"

Flower: "Well, Snowy told us, from what she saw, that she came in around the time when Sakera was about to attack you. Then Sword shielded you and reflected the attack. Also, she had it pegged that the attack was heat-based."

Gen: "...What?"

Flower had been bandaging his arms and patching the spark damage on his face. How could she reflect an explosion? What is she, a yokai?

Gen: "Urgh...she can't even be human, now..."

Flower: "Hm?"

Gen: "Human! How the heck can Sword be human?!"

Flower: "Um..."

Flower's hands stopped and dropped a little. She then resumed treatment with a hushed voice, unsure and nervous.

Flower: "Uh, hate to break it to you, but...she isn't."

Gen: "Yeah, she-wait, what...?"

She doesn't sound like she's...lying...more like she's...unsure how I'll take this...

Flower: "Sword isn't human. Neither of us here are."

Genzui's heart stopped for a second.

Gen: "How...how can..."

Flower: "Well, Sword she's...a...let's say and fire-based swordswoman. She can...swap forms...from her original."

Gen: "You can tell me, I'm already scarred as I am."

He moans in frustration as he hunches down, his head bowed low. How is this possible? How is ANY of this possible? Am I still dreaming? Is this all just a painful dream? Did I eat something weird or fell down some high height? Is it? Was it? Somebody tell me.

Flower: "Did...Sakera call her...anything...weird...?"

Gen: "Besides the Shinsengumi name and the Saiyakuto-"

He stopped short again. Flower's hands secured the bandaging to his arms and urged him to lay down.

Flower: "Saiyakuto..."

Gen: "Wait...what was that supposed to mean?"

Flower: "Please don't tell me that she was looking for her for that reason..."

All he heard then was the light thumping sounds of footsteps, slow and tense, and the almost silent sound of the fusuma screen.