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If my hands can't reach you, I hope my words will, was what ran inside Arataki Itto's mind as he posted the note on the bulletin board. Every afternoon she passes by this board as she makes her way down to Hanamizaka. Surely she would read this right? This is where the daily news is posted like an announcement for lost kids in a mall or a call out for a missing person in a newspaper.
Itto's heartbeats violently as he stands, hands sweating profusely, in front of the bulletin board. If he stands there long enough will she come sooner? If he stands there will time spare him the agony of waiting? No, it doesn't but he couldn't help it. It wasn't like this was the first note he's ever posted on the bulletin board. Of Course not. He has posted more than one, maybe a couple dozen, notes on that board.
"You just can't get enough of that, can't you?" A voice snickers from behind itto, followed by a rumble of laughter from a few others. Rolling his sweating palms into a fist the oni turns his head at the members of the Tenryou commission. A bunch of arrogant yorikis who use the name of discipline to enact violence. They have always made fun of him since he arrived in Hanamizaka.
Outnumbered 1 to 5, Itto planted his heel in a battle stance, earning him a malicious grin from the Tenryou Commission yorikis before they spread out to surround him. Itto could take them, right? He was an Oni, He even had a vision! Surely he can take five measly soldiers, right?
"We have made it this far. Please don't give the humans any reason to fear us anymore"
Oh yeah, that's right. He can't fight back.
Itto felt something hard hit the back of his head before he was tackled to the ground. Biting his lower lip was all he could do as he curled at the blows they did on his body. Kicking him, stomping on him. Gritting his teeth as he felt a rib snap.
He shouldn't fight them. He can't. Granma Oni has had enough rocks thrown at her window every morning. They won't have enough money for food if they keep buying supplies to repair the windows. The Gang has had enough of shops turning them away, not giving them a chance to work, just because they're connected to him. He can take it. He has to.
"What. do. you. think. you. are. doing?!" The sakura blossoms huddled as electro fizzled from the ground around them. Itto coughed and blood spurted out from his mouth instead of saliva. Electro cackled like snakes crawling its way towards its prey before lighting finally struck, the hard concrete shook and the men were flung by the intensity of the strike.
It all happened so fast. The scene lay before Sara as she ran up to the bloody Oni, the ground was still fizzing with electro energy and the air was filled with groaning. Ignoring the sounds of her men, she kneels to inspect itto. It might look biased for outsiders to see her attacking her own men over a supposed criminal but this just isn't right.
Itto flinched as Sara placed a hand on his side. How long have they been doing this? Helping the Oni up, Sara slowly guided him away and to his house. She will have a word with her men later.
~♡~
Sara sighed as she leaned back, stretching her arms while her eyes roamed to the window and the city beyond it. It had been quite sometime after her adoptive father had been replaced as the head of the Tenryou commission by Kamaji.
Albeit only his adoptive daughter, Sara was subjected to clean up his messes within the soldiers of the tenryou commission. After uncovering the deceitful letters to the shogun, who knows what other horrible lies and unjust orders he's given to the men of the commission.
After checking rolls and rolls of report scrolls from lost animals to kidnapping, Sara is drained. The sunlight of high noon seemed so inviting. It wouldn't hurt to take a walk outside right? she'll be back to finish reading the reports. This could also be her chance to check the recent arrest of a certain oni whose family name is mentioned multiple times under the suspicion of robbery.
An entire clan was shunned for false accusations based on racism. Despicable. No one even bothered to do an investigation. As the general of the tenryou commission, it is Sara's job to ensure order and justice in Inazuma City.
Sara felt the heat of the afternoon sun touch her skin when she stepped out and walked down the stairs and along the bridge that connects the Tenshukaku to Inazuma City's shopping district. The shogunate samurais at the Police detention centre stood in attention as she passed.
Sara missed these sights. The smiles on the faces of the Inazuma people. Back when the sakoku decree was still in place a lot of these faces were looking at her in contempt. Who wouldn't be mad if someone tries to take something important to you?
Sara sighs, in the end, it was all a ruse, a trap to bring Inazuma to its knees.
"ack!" Sara's head turned in a flash at the sound of someone wincing in pain. She was already at the end of the district, just by the stairs that overlook all of Hanamizaka. and there, just in front of one of the announcement boards were a small crowd of yorikis who looked like they were stomping on something or, by the sound of deep grunts, someone.
A familiar figure curled into a fetus position as an arm reached to pull at his crimson horns. ITTO?!
"What. do. you. think. you. are. doing?!" Sara felt electro crawl up from the tip of her fingers to the base of her palms, crackling and fizzing. She felt a trickle climb up from the bottom of her spine as she saw fear in the eyes of her men. Is this what they do when she isn't looking? They are beating him up on the edge where Hanamizaka and the shopping district of the upper Inazuma city meet. On what basis does he deserve this humiliation and beating?!
Her eyes lowered to Itto as he coughed up blood.
At that moment, Sara saw red. The fizzing electro energy dancing on her palms became the strike that struck down and left a crack on the concrete and shook the ground below them. For a moment Sara saw Takayuki's betrayal flash before her eyes once more.
It's all my fault. Sara thinks to herself before running towards itto and kneeling beside him to assess his injuries.
~♡~
"Itto" her voice sounded murky like I was submerged in water. My lungs hurt so bad too like I was eating glass or something. My muscles feel heavy, oh archons I hope they didn't ruin my hair when they beat me up! I'm gonna look so lame when someone finds me.
"Itto!" Am I dead? No, it can't be! I'm too awesome to die! It's also very embarrassing to die because of a few beatings! I am the great Arataki Itto, I can't die! at least not yet. I still need to fight Kujou Sara, that tengu! If only she could spare me some time then I wouldn't be waiting for her every day
"Itto!" Now that I think about it, did she see my note yet? I wonder what she'll think once she reads it. I bet she'll finally accept my challenge. hehe.
"ITTO!" Itto's eyes shot open as he felt Sara's nails dig I nto his arms. Ow, they hurt more than the kicks. His eyes darted to her face. Her hands finally loosened as she sat beside the bed, sighing and rubbing a hand over her face. Was she… worried?
"He's awake?" A small elderly voice emerges from the door as a petite woman comes in with a basin of water and a washcloth. A smile written across her features, Sara turns and nods, giving the woman a smile before slouching with a groan.
Confused, Itto looked between the two women, what was happening? Why do they look like that? Wait, Sara is here. Does that mean…
Itto places a hand to hide his face as it slowly turns red. Sara and Grandma Oni exchanged glances as the older woman handed the basin to Sara. What was with him? did they hit a nerve in his head or something?
Itto on one hand was overthinking how ugly he might have looked when Sara saw him. Thinking about how he must've popped a lip, how will he grin now?! My hair! My hair must be messy. I must look like an idiot right now. Itto wanted to crawl into a hole and bury himself in shame.
Sara reached for his wrist, pulling his hands away from his face but Itto continued to cover his face.
"Forgive my boy", Grandma Oni chuckled as Itto peaked at Sara from between his fingers. "He must be embarrassed about how he looks right now"
Itto nods profusely and Sara makes a face. This man was capable of embarrassment?! After all his stunts while she was at war, all the notes, all the challenges, all the battles he had with the children, all his proud remarks about defeating her and even that one time when he asked her to join the arataki gang and show her what dreams are made of, only now does he feel embarrassed?!
Sara groans again as grandma oni exits the room saying, "I'll give you both some privacy"
Now that there were only two of them in the room it was blanketed by silence, the only sound was from the pitter patter of the water from the basin as Sara dipped the washcloth in it.
"Are you really not gonna take your hands off your face?"
Silence.
It was unsettling. He was never quiet. She must not be the one he wants to see right now, afterall it was her men who beat him up. He must hate her right now. Gripping the washcloth tighter as ripple echoes the room. It wasn't from the wet washcloth. Then another ripple.
"I'm sorry" Sara wiped the sides of her face with the back of her wrist but they just kept coming. One drop. two drops. And a hand makes its way to cup her wet cheek, tracing the line of her face, settling below her chin and lifting her head up.
His thumb rubbed against her cheek as her tears kept flowing from her eyes. How could he look at her that way? It was unfair. She didn't deserve the way he looked at her. Raising the washcloth, Sara wiped the dirt and blood from his face all the while Itto pulled her closer.
Shaking her head as she dipped the cloth in the basin, the water turned a shade darker.
"Shhh I'm okay-"
"No you're not!" Sara pressed the washcloth against his chest as she sobbed. It was all her fault. If she was better, no one would be out of line. If she was smarter, she would have noticed takayuki's plan sooner. If she was stronger she could have protected everyone.
"Kujou listen to me" This time it was her turn to be silent. Eyes focused on wiping Itto's chest and arms, occasionally prying him off as he tries to coax her. Nothing was getting to her, she was shutting him off and out of her head. Closing off and isolating herself in her head again.
"Sara!" In his frustration, Itto grabs her by the arms and shakes her, making Sara drop the basin, spilling water all over the floor. Her eyes widened as she looked at him, then followed by a squint. She frowns as she looks at the mess they made.
"I'm almost done anyway" Sara shrugs off before she leans and lifts herself from the bed and kneels at the mattress so she could reach his horns. They weren't dirty but Sara felt electro crawl up her skin when she recalls one of the Yorikis gripping and pulling his horns.
Just like her wings, his horns were a symbol of his great bloodline that dated back to the founding fathers of inazuma. It was not only rude to touch them without consent but also an insult to the bloodline to grip at them in battle. Gripping at a tengu's wings, a kitsune's tail, and an Oni's horns is a symbol of repression and any of these proud races would fight to the end to defend their honor.
Sara gently wipes the cloth against his horns. The stiff and strong bone that is as red as the burning blood that flows within the Oni's veins. It was hard and long and slightly curved as it reached the sharp end. Sara was careful not to hurt Itto as this special feature of the Onis is quite sensitive.
Sara stands as she finishes but before she could turn go leave Itto grabs her arms and pulls her into his arms, caught off guard Sara could only bury her head in the curve of his neck in embarrassment. He was running circles on the center of her back where her wings are supposed to be.
"It's not your fault" Itto whispered and all Sara could do was bury herself deeper in his arms.
~♡~
That night Sara lay in her bed staring at the ceiling before turning to her side and picking up a note from her nightstand.
"Look at my new beetle! His name is Konohamarunosuke, I'm gonna beat aniki with him. I just feel it! When will you accept my challenge huh tengu? If you're always busy as a general you should just join the arataki gang! You will always have a place with me!"
Sara buried her face in her pillows. How could he be this shameless?!?!