The sound of something colliding, and breaking, against the wall could be heard. He was furious. They had lied to him, and no one lied to him. He had left the small town to chase a lead for the one thing he was looking for, and it turned out to be a dead end. The Oni, who told him the lead, head rested against the palm of his hand, dead eyes staring into pitch black ones. It was the price he paid for lying to Nobunaga, and Nobunaga collected what was due to him. The Oni was lucky he had no other family, otherwise; Nobunaga would have slaughtered them as well. Though, perhaps he would have made the Oni watch first. He shuddered, the silent rage radiating from him as he turned to face Sakaki.
"What news do you have, Sakaki?" he spoke, his voice unnaturally calm. He was not in the mood for much, but his appetite would be sated later. He needed to vent one way, and it was the reason he had her. That one could do wonders, and just the thought alone was enough to send a small tremor down his spine. His eyes met Sakaki as he waited for the Oni to update him. He had been away from his post for a few weeks, not much seemed to have changed since. The humans, as they were, were still terrified of his family, and that was how he intended to keep it. He had no need to interfere with their pathetic lives at the moment. When the time came, there would be nothing left for them, and he would relish in it.
The suffering of others is what he thrived on, what he lived for. And causing them just that would give him insurmountable pleasure. He could do worse... a lot worse. For now, he would let them be as they are, idling, fearing their inevitable doom. "And do tell me something interesting. Or perhaps, you wish to end up like Keitaro," he added as an after thought, speaking of the Oni whose head he was still holding.
Sakaki did not react to this in any overt fashion; he was by now quite used to the fits of temper his boss struck out with. That heād managed to work this closely with the man for so many years and was himself still alive spoke to the fact that he had no problems delivering under extreme pressure, and the benefits of his position were more than enough to mitigate the risks. The lieutenant behind him was not so used to the whole thing, however, and appeared to be turning faintly green. That was the way of it with the young ones these daysāmany of them had never seen a proper battlefield, bloody and ripe for the plundering. They didnāt understand the way it called to the blood, awakened the real monster in every oni. They were soft, almost humanlike.
It was something that, in the yakuza, they grew out of or died still possessing. He had high hopes for the boy behind him, but the lack of stomach was truly embarrassing. Not for Sakaki, of course, but for him. Not that the older oni really cared all that much. Heād get over it, or heād be burned at his funeral. The adviser crossed his arms over his broad chest, cracking his neck first one way and then the other, arranging his words the way he wanted them. He didnāt lie to his boss, but the way information was presented could make a big difference, especially when he was in one of these moods.
āAs we have discovered, the woman is not in Hokkaido. At least, not where Keitaro said he would be.ā His lip curled with disdain for the dead oniāSakaki liked being run about without purpose no more than Nobunaga did. āThere is time yet before she births the whelp, but perhaps not more than a few months. She wonāt be able to move much in that time, and so it stands to reason that sheās somewhere well-protected. Somewhere she believes she is safe. Have you considered looking into the other clans? Not all of them respect you as they should, and many of them have fortresses. As though they have forgotten how easily we storm them.ā
Nobunaga stared at Sakaki, sighing heavily through his nose. He did have a valid point. The other Oni clans feared him, that was a given, however; some of them still thought themselves impervious to his influence. The fortresses they hid behind were not impenetrable, and as Sakaki had stated, could, and had, been destroyed. Though, giving the woman enough time to birth the child wasn't something Nobunaga wanted to do. His patience wasn't exactly a strong point, however; he wanted that child, needed it. There were, however, a few clans he could pay a visit to. One of them being the Koga clan, and perhaps the Fujiwaras. The Fujiwaras, however, were loyal to him and his father.
There was not a single one of them who would defy him, though there had been that one. Perhaps he should not have spared the Oni his life as he had. But the oaf was better use to him alive. He'd let the Oni think he was free from the Yakuza's grasp for now. But when he called, he would come. Dogs always do. He fixed his attention back to Sakaki. "The sooner we find her, the better it will be. We cannot afford any complications," he stated. A woman carrying a child, especially an Oni woman, was at a higher risk of having a miscarriage. The stress he was undoubtedly causing would not make matters any better, however; it wasn't something that really concerned him.
"I think it's time we pay the Kogas a visit. They have neglected to send envoys, and I do hate being uninformed," he spoke, his lips tilting up ever so slightly. "We leave in two weeks," he added. It would be plenty of time to gather a small army to enter the Koga's fortress. Not that he would need it, but there was a point that needed to be proven. And if there was anything he liked more than his woman, his power, it was proving his point. "What of the shrine?" he inquired. The object of which he needed was said to be near the shrine, however; he has yet to hear any news of it.
Sakaki cracked his knuckles, more from habit than anything else. āThe place has a very strong holy auraāitās difficult for the men to stay on the grounds for more than a few minutes at a time. Iāve had them searching in shifts, though, while the priestess is gone, so she doesnāt know weāve been.ā The holiness might also prove fatal if she happened to be there at the same time. āThey found a few relics, but not the object weāre looking for. Thereās another shrine, further in the city, run by a priest. Itās not as likelyāhis holy power isnāt as great as the girlās. But he was her teacher, so if anyone knows where it is, and it really is here, it would be him. I was planning on sending a few of ours to have a talk with him in a few days, once theyāve recovered from the aura poisoning.ā
While not exactly common, aura poisoning was a danger for their kind when in prolonged proximity to holy items, or on sanctified ground. Especially if they had not been invited there by the priest or priestess in charge of the place. Thankfully, the strength of the holy aura around the forest shrine at least had the benefit of erasing all trace of their presence fairly quickly, so the priestess would likely have no idea they had even been there at all.
Nobunaga contemplated the statement, rolling a stick through his fingers. The priest, he knew the man, if only slightly. He was not a threat, there would be no need for more than two Oni, at most, to go and talk with the man. His lips tilted downward. The object was not amongst the relics, and that only served to fuel his disappointment. He'd have the next Oni's head who provided him with false information again. Though, the next Oni who did, better have a family. He was in need of torturing others on the behalf of the incompetent Oni.
"You and your subordinate do it. We do not need more than two capable Oni to interogate a human priest. If his holy powers are as small as you say they are, you should have no problem dealing with him. Do not disappoint me, Sakaki. You haven't...yet," he stated, shifting his gaze away from the blue Oni. He knew the General would not disappoint him, and he doubted if he ever would, however; he did not trust Sakaki. He didn't trust anyone, and for good measure. If they ever knew... it could be disasterous for him. He was not about to lose his power because he decided to become sentimental.
āOf course, my lord,ā Sakaki replied, bowing before rising to his feet, beckoning the lieutenant, who had been wisely quiet the whole time, to rise behind him. The two bowed once more and exited, and as was routine by now, their exit was the cue for the woman sitting outside the door to rise and enter. The lieutenant was unabashedly staring, which wasnāt exactly unusual around here, but Sakaki shook his head.
āDonāt even consider it if you want to keep your head, boy,ā he warned. āThat oneās Lord Nobunagaās, and you donāt want to know what he does to people who touch whatās his.ā Sakaki has seen such retribution only once, and for something much less significant than the woman, and suffice it to say everyone who had would never lay a finger on anything that their lord desired to possess.
Naomi heard the exchange, inwardly bristling at being referred to as an object to be owned, but in truthā¦ here in this situation, she was, simply because she didnāt have the power to be anything else. It was a sacrifice she made for the thing she wanted above all other things in the world, and for that one chance, she would endure whatever she had to. It mattered that much to her. Raising her chin slightly, she smoothed the sleeves of her deep red kimono and took the subsequent silence as invitation to enter. Sheād learned his habits by now, and knew well that this was expected of her.
āMy lord sent for me?ā she inquired, sweeping an elegant bow. Her voice was a throaty half-rasp, half-purr, the one sheād been taught to cultivate for years she did not desire to count.
He watched, dreary eyes following after Sakaki and the lieutenant as they left. He rubbed his forehead with his index finger and thumb, circular motions trying to soothe the headache that was coming. His anger was getting to him, and he needed to find something to relax him. That was when she entered, the image of elegance and beauty all wrapped up in a sultry visage. Though he knew about the wandering eyes, that was all they could do. They could only see what he possessed, what was his and his alone. They could never hope to touch, taste, nor even smell the woman as he did, and had multiple times before and would continue to do so after.
His eyes, however, narrowed slightly. The message he had received before Sakaki came in, was not one he was expecting, not after returning with failure. She had helped someone, and not just someone. It was him of all people, and he did not like that. The disappointment did not make it to his face, however, and instead, a devious smirk lay upon his lips. He stood from his chair, making his way towards the woman and placed a finger beneath her chin, raising her head so that she could look at him. She really did have a gorgeous face. It was a shame he'd have to ruin it, if only for a little while. His hand snaked through the back of her hair, raking his fingers through her hair in a combing fashion.
"There is," he began, his voice low, matching her purr with a hint of false innocence behind it. "A little bird," he continued, leaning his face down closer to hers, inhaling just her. "Who has told me something most unsettling," he finished, balling his fist in her hair, grabbing a large chunk of it and pulled, hard. It was enough to force her head back, exposing her neck to him as he stared down at her. And it had been most unsettling indeed. "You know the rules. You know the consequences for even so much as touching another," he stated, his breath warm and burning upon her skin.
His lips trailed along the smoothed, exposed, skin along her throat. His fist remained in place before he fitted his mouth over hers. He pulled back, his eyes now slitted. "You should have let them die," he spat, pulling her head forward and throwing her to the ground. He would rather destroy what was his, than allow it to be taken from him. He would rather break what was his, than allow it to be used by another. And if he had to do that, then he would. A shame, though. He was rather fond of his pet.
She was stoic through the whole process, though inwardly she cursed whichever sniveling creature had decided to earn himself points by reporting the incident to the boss. She resolved to discover whom, but for now, there was nothing for it but to endure what he chose to mete out, and thank her cursed genetics for the fact that she was not so frail as she appeared at first glance. She swallowed thickly, the skin of her throat tight against her windpipe with her head forced back the way it was. She endured the sticky heat of his breath at her neck, she endured the rough toss that came after, and before the day was through, she would endure much worse. She would endure it because what she strove for was worth even this pain, even this indignity. He did not love her, did not care about her, but he wanted her, and he was used to getting what he wanted. That was his weakness, and she would continue to exploit it without him noticing for as long as it took.
And maybe, when she was done and Sakaki was dead, she would tell him what she really thought of him.
Naomiās vision went slightly out-of-focus, and her mind drifted out and away to somewhere else, the place she always went when he thought she was with him. Safety, or close enough to pass for now. Close enough that she could live though the pain and the shame and the fear. That close, and far enough too.
"What news do you have, Sakaki?" he spoke, his voice unnaturally calm. He was not in the mood for much, but his appetite would be sated later. He needed to vent one way, and it was the reason he had her. That one could do wonders, and just the thought alone was enough to send a small tremor down his spine. His eyes met Sakaki as he waited for the Oni to update him. He had been away from his post for a few weeks, not much seemed to have changed since. The humans, as they were, were still terrified of his family, and that was how he intended to keep it. He had no need to interfere with their pathetic lives at the moment. When the time came, there would be nothing left for them, and he would relish in it.
The suffering of others is what he thrived on, what he lived for. And causing them just that would give him insurmountable pleasure. He could do worse... a lot worse. For now, he would let them be as they are, idling, fearing their inevitable doom. "And do tell me something interesting. Or perhaps, you wish to end up like Keitaro," he added as an after thought, speaking of the Oni whose head he was still holding.
Sakaki did not react to this in any overt fashion; he was by now quite used to the fits of temper his boss struck out with. That heād managed to work this closely with the man for so many years and was himself still alive spoke to the fact that he had no problems delivering under extreme pressure, and the benefits of his position were more than enough to mitigate the risks. The lieutenant behind him was not so used to the whole thing, however, and appeared to be turning faintly green. That was the way of it with the young ones these daysāmany of them had never seen a proper battlefield, bloody and ripe for the plundering. They didnāt understand the way it called to the blood, awakened the real monster in every oni. They were soft, almost humanlike.
It was something that, in the yakuza, they grew out of or died still possessing. He had high hopes for the boy behind him, but the lack of stomach was truly embarrassing. Not for Sakaki, of course, but for him. Not that the older oni really cared all that much. Heād get over it, or heād be burned at his funeral. The adviser crossed his arms over his broad chest, cracking his neck first one way and then the other, arranging his words the way he wanted them. He didnāt lie to his boss, but the way information was presented could make a big difference, especially when he was in one of these moods.
āAs we have discovered, the woman is not in Hokkaido. At least, not where Keitaro said he would be.ā His lip curled with disdain for the dead oniāSakaki liked being run about without purpose no more than Nobunaga did. āThere is time yet before she births the whelp, but perhaps not more than a few months. She wonāt be able to move much in that time, and so it stands to reason that sheās somewhere well-protected. Somewhere she believes she is safe. Have you considered looking into the other clans? Not all of them respect you as they should, and many of them have fortresses. As though they have forgotten how easily we storm them.ā
Nobunaga stared at Sakaki, sighing heavily through his nose. He did have a valid point. The other Oni clans feared him, that was a given, however; some of them still thought themselves impervious to his influence. The fortresses they hid behind were not impenetrable, and as Sakaki had stated, could, and had, been destroyed. Though, giving the woman enough time to birth the child wasn't something Nobunaga wanted to do. His patience wasn't exactly a strong point, however; he wanted that child, needed it. There were, however, a few clans he could pay a visit to. One of them being the Koga clan, and perhaps the Fujiwaras. The Fujiwaras, however, were loyal to him and his father.
There was not a single one of them who would defy him, though there had been that one. Perhaps he should not have spared the Oni his life as he had. But the oaf was better use to him alive. He'd let the Oni think he was free from the Yakuza's grasp for now. But when he called, he would come. Dogs always do. He fixed his attention back to Sakaki. "The sooner we find her, the better it will be. We cannot afford any complications," he stated. A woman carrying a child, especially an Oni woman, was at a higher risk of having a miscarriage. The stress he was undoubtedly causing would not make matters any better, however; it wasn't something that really concerned him.
"I think it's time we pay the Kogas a visit. They have neglected to send envoys, and I do hate being uninformed," he spoke, his lips tilting up ever so slightly. "We leave in two weeks," he added. It would be plenty of time to gather a small army to enter the Koga's fortress. Not that he would need it, but there was a point that needed to be proven. And if there was anything he liked more than his woman, his power, it was proving his point. "What of the shrine?" he inquired. The object of which he needed was said to be near the shrine, however; he has yet to hear any news of it.
Sakaki cracked his knuckles, more from habit than anything else. āThe place has a very strong holy auraāitās difficult for the men to stay on the grounds for more than a few minutes at a time. Iāve had them searching in shifts, though, while the priestess is gone, so she doesnāt know weāve been.ā The holiness might also prove fatal if she happened to be there at the same time. āThey found a few relics, but not the object weāre looking for. Thereās another shrine, further in the city, run by a priest. Itās not as likelyāhis holy power isnāt as great as the girlās. But he was her teacher, so if anyone knows where it is, and it really is here, it would be him. I was planning on sending a few of ours to have a talk with him in a few days, once theyāve recovered from the aura poisoning.ā
While not exactly common, aura poisoning was a danger for their kind when in prolonged proximity to holy items, or on sanctified ground. Especially if they had not been invited there by the priest or priestess in charge of the place. Thankfully, the strength of the holy aura around the forest shrine at least had the benefit of erasing all trace of their presence fairly quickly, so the priestess would likely have no idea they had even been there at all.
Nobunaga contemplated the statement, rolling a stick through his fingers. The priest, he knew the man, if only slightly. He was not a threat, there would be no need for more than two Oni, at most, to go and talk with the man. His lips tilted downward. The object was not amongst the relics, and that only served to fuel his disappointment. He'd have the next Oni's head who provided him with false information again. Though, the next Oni who did, better have a family. He was in need of torturing others on the behalf of the incompetent Oni.
"You and your subordinate do it. We do not need more than two capable Oni to interogate a human priest. If his holy powers are as small as you say they are, you should have no problem dealing with him. Do not disappoint me, Sakaki. You haven't...yet," he stated, shifting his gaze away from the blue Oni. He knew the General would not disappoint him, and he doubted if he ever would, however; he did not trust Sakaki. He didn't trust anyone, and for good measure. If they ever knew... it could be disasterous for him. He was not about to lose his power because he decided to become sentimental.
āOf course, my lord,ā Sakaki replied, bowing before rising to his feet, beckoning the lieutenant, who had been wisely quiet the whole time, to rise behind him. The two bowed once more and exited, and as was routine by now, their exit was the cue for the woman sitting outside the door to rise and enter. The lieutenant was unabashedly staring, which wasnāt exactly unusual around here, but Sakaki shook his head.
āDonāt even consider it if you want to keep your head, boy,ā he warned. āThat oneās Lord Nobunagaās, and you donāt want to know what he does to people who touch whatās his.ā Sakaki has seen such retribution only once, and for something much less significant than the woman, and suffice it to say everyone who had would never lay a finger on anything that their lord desired to possess.
Naomi heard the exchange, inwardly bristling at being referred to as an object to be owned, but in truthā¦ here in this situation, she was, simply because she didnāt have the power to be anything else. It was a sacrifice she made for the thing she wanted above all other things in the world, and for that one chance, she would endure whatever she had to. It mattered that much to her. Raising her chin slightly, she smoothed the sleeves of her deep red kimono and took the subsequent silence as invitation to enter. Sheād learned his habits by now, and knew well that this was expected of her.
āMy lord sent for me?ā she inquired, sweeping an elegant bow. Her voice was a throaty half-rasp, half-purr, the one sheād been taught to cultivate for years she did not desire to count.
He watched, dreary eyes following after Sakaki and the lieutenant as they left. He rubbed his forehead with his index finger and thumb, circular motions trying to soothe the headache that was coming. His anger was getting to him, and he needed to find something to relax him. That was when she entered, the image of elegance and beauty all wrapped up in a sultry visage. Though he knew about the wandering eyes, that was all they could do. They could only see what he possessed, what was his and his alone. They could never hope to touch, taste, nor even smell the woman as he did, and had multiple times before and would continue to do so after.
His eyes, however, narrowed slightly. The message he had received before Sakaki came in, was not one he was expecting, not after returning with failure. She had helped someone, and not just someone. It was him of all people, and he did not like that. The disappointment did not make it to his face, however, and instead, a devious smirk lay upon his lips. He stood from his chair, making his way towards the woman and placed a finger beneath her chin, raising her head so that she could look at him. She really did have a gorgeous face. It was a shame he'd have to ruin it, if only for a little while. His hand snaked through the back of her hair, raking his fingers through her hair in a combing fashion.
"There is," he began, his voice low, matching her purr with a hint of false innocence behind it. "A little bird," he continued, leaning his face down closer to hers, inhaling just her. "Who has told me something most unsettling," he finished, balling his fist in her hair, grabbing a large chunk of it and pulled, hard. It was enough to force her head back, exposing her neck to him as he stared down at her. And it had been most unsettling indeed. "You know the rules. You know the consequences for even so much as touching another," he stated, his breath warm and burning upon her skin.
His lips trailed along the smoothed, exposed, skin along her throat. His fist remained in place before he fitted his mouth over hers. He pulled back, his eyes now slitted. "You should have let them die," he spat, pulling her head forward and throwing her to the ground. He would rather destroy what was his, than allow it to be taken from him. He would rather break what was his, than allow it to be used by another. And if he had to do that, then he would. A shame, though. He was rather fond of his pet.
She was stoic through the whole process, though inwardly she cursed whichever sniveling creature had decided to earn himself points by reporting the incident to the boss. She resolved to discover whom, but for now, there was nothing for it but to endure what he chose to mete out, and thank her cursed genetics for the fact that she was not so frail as she appeared at first glance. She swallowed thickly, the skin of her throat tight against her windpipe with her head forced back the way it was. She endured the sticky heat of his breath at her neck, she endured the rough toss that came after, and before the day was through, she would endure much worse. She would endure it because what she strove for was worth even this pain, even this indignity. He did not love her, did not care about her, but he wanted her, and he was used to getting what he wanted. That was his weakness, and she would continue to exploit it without him noticing for as long as it took.
And maybe, when she was done and Sakaki was dead, she would tell him what she really thought of him.
Naomiās vision went slightly out-of-focus, and her mind drifted out and away to somewhere else, the place she always went when he thought she was with him. Safety, or close enough to pass for now. Close enough that she could live though the pain and the shame and the fear. That close, and far enough too.