“Shego, will you move?” Drakken hollered at his bodyguard. They were in their hideaway.
“Don’t yell at me,” she huffed.
“Then move your feet!”
“Why?” she snorted. All she was trying to do was recline against the wall and read a book with the horrible lighting that she had settled for. It was either the horrible lighting in the lair or trying to read by moonlight, which she had tried before. It was probably not a good idea to try it when there was a new moon out, which was when she had done it.
“Because I need those parts you’re on!”
“Did it ever occur to ask you like a normal person? You know, use your inside voice?” she teased him. She was going to strangle him in a moment if he did not shut up, despite the fact that she sounded so playful with him.
“Will you just move your feet so I can finish my work!” he screamed at her, obviously missing her point.
“I’ll do you one better,” the pale woman commented and she got up from her sitting place on the straw mat.
The green-skinned fighter noticed the tiny pieces that she had been sitting on. They had several mats around the cave since it would have been trying to put in wooden floors around the place. She walked out of the cave, passed all of Drakken’s cluttered work benches. There were bits of his work on the floor and also tools just all over the place. Every couple of feet was a lantern to give them some light, but they were not helping much since they were buried in a large tomb. She wondered just where she was going as she hit the outside. Once again, she had let her mouth get ahead of her, but she was going to back it up no matter what.
Shego walked to a hill with a lone tree. She sat down and leaned against the tree. She looked up at the sky and saw the half moon peeping out from behind a cloud. She cracked open her book and squinted. Okay, it would seem that she was not going to be able to read by moonlight thanks to those clouds. She probably should have grabbed a lantern on her way out, she considered.
Too late to go back now, she told herself. It was too late because she did not want to go back in there to hear Drakken’s mouth, especially after she swore she was leaving. He could be such an annoyance when he was working on his own with all of his little gadgets and gizmos and she hated sharing a space with him when he was like that. She was going to stand by her declaration and walking out.
Well, what was she going to do now? Hmm, she considered that question and an idea came to mind. She took off back into the city. And even though she knew just where she was heading, she did not think anything about it. She supposed that it was all right as long as no one knew that she actually liked someone’s company.
It was actually pretty late at night, but Shego did not sleep much and when she did it was usually when the sun was up. It worked out well since she was staying in a cave and everything. She did not have to worry about the sunlight shining in her face when she was trying to sleep. She tended to sleep in the day because she used to be a thief and it was so much easier to steal from homes, or wherever else Drakken needed her to swipe things, so she used to work mostly at night. She also just preferred to be a shadow in the dark, not garnering much attention.
Shego made her way into the district that the geisha lived in. She had to search a few houses before she found the one she was looking for; she blamed the dark for the mishap since things looked different late at night than in the early evening. Then she ran into a small problem by realizing the person that she was looking for probably did not sleep in her makeup, so how was she supposed to know the girl? But, that was easy, she told herself; she would be the one with red hair, doy. It might be hard for her to tell the red hair in the dark, but she always had a trump card if that was the case.
It did not take long for Shego to get where she wanted. She crept into the small, plain room and immediately noticed the two futons on the floor. The beds were empty, though. She was a little shocked when saw how the redhead and her roommate were sleeping. They sat up against opposite walls and as soon as she eased into the room a little more, they awoke.
Kim tackled Shego, which shocked her even more. Yori had a needle shuriken to Shego’s throat the moment that she hit the floor. The pale green female silently cursed and wondered why the hell was a trained assassin like herself being taken down by some little musicians. It seemed unreal.
“Akako-chan, it’s me,” Shego said in a whisper to get them off of her. She was wearing her mask, but not her hat. She hissed a bit as she spoke because she was irked by what was happening.
“Yojimbo-san?” Kim asked in a low tone.
“Akako-chan?” Yori echoed. Was Kim really so close to that bodyguard?
“Could you let me up?” the emerald-eyed bodyguard requested. If they did not, she hated to think of what she was going to do them. Well, what she thought she was going to do to them. Obviously, they were not easy wins.
“Oh, sorry,” Kim apologized and then she turned to Yori. “It’s all right. He’s not a threat.”
Yori had figured that much out when the bodyguard called Kim “Akako-chan.” The ebony-haired female tucked her shuriken back into the sleeve of her yukata. Kim ceased off of Shego and the green-skinned guard sat up. The bodyguard glanced at Yori, just to make sure that onyx-eyed flute player did not move.
“Yojimbo-san, what are you doing here?” Kim asked.
“I was wondering if you wanted to hang out,” Shego answered as if that was obvious.
“It’s the middle of the night,” the redhead pointed out.
“I know, but I don’t sleep too often and I didn’t have anything better to do,” the pale woman admitted. “So, you want to hang out?” she asked again.
“If it involves just serving you drinks, I’d rather just go to sleep,” the teen answered rather seriously.
“I figured as much. I thought I’d show you some place. What do you say?”
Kim glanced at Yori, who pretended that she was going back to sleep. Shego could tell it was pretense because Yori was laying down on her futon. Now, she had already busted them resting against the wall, so it was pointless to fake sleeping on the bed. She guessed that Yori was just trying to act like she was sleeping in case Kim decided to leave and then she could act like she did not know anything about it. Actually, Yori was pretending to go back to sleep to make sure the bodyguard was at ease and did not suspect anything of Kim.
“We have to be back before sunrise,” Kim informed the visitor.
“All right,” Shego agreed. “Follow me and I’ll get you out of here with no problem.”
Kim nodded. She was glad that Shego had said that because she would have settled right into her training and sneaked out of the place with ease, forgetting that she was supposed to be a demure little musician. In fact, she had to act like she had little to no idea on how to go undetected while moving around a building, which was quite a stretch for her because it meant acting completely opposite to what she was capable of.
The redhead left with the bodyguard in her yukata. It was a warm night, so she was not bothered by her clothing. She followed behind Shego, who easily got the both of them out of the house and out of the closed off distract. She made sure that Kim caught up with her as she pulled the redhead toward the end of the city.
Shego brought Kim to the hill with its lone tree that she had been at when she had attempted to read. Kim looked around and wondered why the bodyguard had brought her to the place. Shego was bit confused herself as to why she brought the shamisen player to the area. While she did enjoy the redhead’s company, she could not believe that she had brought her to her special, quiet spot. It had been a secret of hers for her alone for about a dozen years. She just went there when she did not have anything better to do or if something was bothering her.
“It’s actually nice up here,” the teen realized and then it hit her that she said that out loud.
“It’s better on a clear night. You can see a lot of stars and the moon and plus you get a good view of the city that you can actually see because of the moonlight,” Shego replied.
“Well, maybe one day I can see it again with the stars and moon added to it,” the younger female commented while looking down at the city. It was a good view and she was glad to see it somewhat at least.
“I could bring you back up, if you’re a good girl anyway,” Shego teased.
Kim laughed a bit and Shego finally took a good look at the maiko. Okay, so the olive-eyed shamisen player was cute; like a kitten or something, she mentally added when she realized what she was thinking. She thought that she needed that addition because she was not usually someone that found things adorable.
“So, why’d you bring me up here?” Kim asked curiously.
“Why, do you want to go back to your gilded cage?” Shego countered. She thought that she was doing the redhead a favor by taking her out, so she was slightly offended that the young woman would question her about it.
“No,” Kim said honestly. She was actually glad to be out. It had been well over a month since she had seen the outside world. It felt great, as if she was let out of a cellar that she had been locked in for just as long as she had been at the teahouse. “Thank you, yojimbo-san,” she added in a very polite and grateful tone along with a small, appreciative smile. She even bowed a little show respect for the great deed that she felt was done for her.
Shego smiled a bit too, but she was wearing her mask, so Kim could not see. Shego felt pretty good about herself and she knew why. She was appreciated for having given someone that she liked freedom. She felt like she had done something to be proud of, as if she had saved someone from drowning.
“Maybe you should just run away while you have the chance,” the moss-hued bodyguard suggested.
“No, I think I’ll just enjoy the moment for now, but thank you so much, yojimbo-san,” Kim replied. She truly meant that, even if she did not know it.
“Don’t mention it,” Shego said and she shrugged, trying to downplay the moment, even though she still had that proud feeling floating through her system. Oh, it was a wonderful sensation, almost like a drug. She sat down against the tree while Kim continued to look over the view.
“So, when your friends manage to take over, who gets Edo?” the olive-eyed teen asked curiously, as if she was joking.
“Who knows? Who cares?” Shego replied while relaxing against the tree that she was propped up against.
“Well, what do you get?” the redhead asked since the bodyguard seemed to be willing to talk about the plot once again.
“I don’t know. I’ll take my pick when they pull it off.”
“If they pull it off,” Kim said. It was not a correction, just an observation based on the people that she knew that were involved in the plan.
“Exactly,” the pale woman stated. She supposed that she could talk about the scheme with the maiko because the redhead seemed as skeptical as she did on the plot. The teen took it as an amusing joke while she looked at it as an insignificant matter because the crew that she was with seemed oafish in their manners and ploys.
“I don’t get why you would be with this idea when you don’t seem to have much faith in them to do it and you don’t seem really interested in it,” the redhead commented as she sat down next to Shego.
The pale woman shrugged slightly. “It’s something fun to do.”
“There are other fun things to do,” the musician pointed out.
“It’s what I want to do at the moment. You shouldn’t think about it,” Shego said in a dismissive manner. She did not think that the maiko should trouble herself with trying to figure out why she did anything. After all, she thought that entertainer should focus on her own bothersome existence that made little sense to Shego. Why remain in a confined place if she could escape?
“Well, what if you get caught?” Kim asked.
“If things come to that, then we’ll see, but I don’t plan on getting caught,” the green-skinned bodyguard remarked. She never did consider what might happen if she got caught. It was almost like asking her if she would fly to the moon.
“What if you do, though?” the redheaded teen pressed. There was something growing inside of her like slowly spilling water that was not pleased with the notion of “yojimbo-san” being arrested and executed over something that “he” did not even seem to care about.
“It’s not something you should trouble yourself over, Akako-chan,” Shego replied, trying to discharge the inconsequential issue as if her tone was a weapon against trivial things.
“But—” Kim tried to continue on, but the pale bodyguard interjected.
“You really shouldn’t worry about it. This is the choice that I made in life, which makes it good for me either way. You shouldn’t regret your decisions just because they ended with a poor outcome for you, especially if you were enjoying it before it went sideways,” the ebony-haired female stated.
Kim nodded because she could understand that philosophy to living. She consciously realized that she respected the bodyguard for accepting the consequences of “his” actions, even if things did not work out the way that “he” thought they were. Life should be lived without regrets if only to be burden-free.
“We should have brought your shamisen,” Shego commented. Music would definitely banish the annoying topic to the winds.
“You really like that thing, huh?” Kim asked.
“Well, I think I both like it because you play it well, but then I also like it because you hate playing it,” the pale woman confessed. She saw no twists or troubles in admitting such a thing, especially after the other things she had been discussing rather freely. Something about the girl seemed to loosen her tongue for a reason she did not think to consider.
“You just like tormenting me,” Kim complained in playful tone.
Shego laughed. “It is fun.”
“You’re evil. I might start calling you ‘akuma-san (1).’ It would fit you best,” the redhead replied.
“You call me that and I’ll just make you play the shamisen every time I see you.”
“It would only prove you’re a demon.”
“You have no idea,” Shego replied. She was smirking behind her mask. Subconsciously she was pleased that she had gone and picked up the maiko. It was making the night bearable and she had forgotten that she had even been attempting to read a book earlier.
Kim sat there and conversed with Shego until the sun began to peek out over the horizon, unaware and uncaring that it dared disturb their time and impede on their night. The redhead had sort of forgotten that she was supposed to be gathering intelligence, but it was something that had been happening more often when she got around the bodyguard. Something about their talks always made her forget that she had a job that she was supposed to be doing, even though every now and then they did talk about the bodyguard’s “friends.”
When the sun started to make its presence known not like a rowdy bar patron, Shego sneaked Kim back into her “gilded cage.” She did suggest once more that the redhead run while she had the chance, but Kim declined on that offer again. Shego figured that she had done all she could and so, she returned to her home after she dropped Kim off.
“So, did you learn anything?” Yori asked Kim as the redhead slid their room door shut. She did not even give her partner a chance to be totally in the room before making such inquiries.
“Huh?” Kim inquired in a puzzled tone as she turned to face the ebony-haired female.
“Did you learn anything while you were out all night?” the ninja clarified her question.
“Nothing much. Yojimbo-san doesn’t seem to have much faith in the conspirators. I mean, I think they’re really going to go through with it and everything, but he doesn’t seem to think they’ll succeed, even though he’s going with it,” Kim answered as she set herself up against the wall.
“He seems to really like you, huh?” Yori pointed out what she felt was the eight hundred pound bear in the room.
“Yeah, but he still won’t talk to me about this thing in real detail. He seems to think it’s a big joke. He’s pretty closed off about most things, though,” the redhead commented.
“That’s the smart thing to be. Did he think anything of how we almost killed him?”
“If he did, he didn’t bring it up. Maybe he didn’t think it was strange.”
“You like wishing out loud, huh?” Yori remarked and that got a chuckle out of Kim. Of course it had to come across as weird for two petite maiko to charge and almost kill a bodyguard. But, like Kim said, he had not brought it up.
“Don’t try to taunt me just because I got to get out of here for a little while and you didn’t,” Kim retorted.
“Oh, that was just wrong,” the ninja groaned. She would have liked to have gotten out of the place for a little while too. She bet that it was nice to just be able to stretch her legs without having to be in a formal kimono or wearing those clogs, like a bird out of its cage. Kim got to have all the fun, she silently lamented. “I think I’m jealous,” she confessed as if it was nothing.
“I know you are, that’s why I said it,” the redheaded samurai commented. She knew that Yori would be just a little bothered by the fact that she got to go outside. She knew it because she had been so happy to be outside. She had not realized that she missed the world as much as she did, but she was grateful that she had gotten out there, even if it was only for half the night.
Yori probably would not have known what to do with her time out anyway. She would have been like a lost kite, moving in the direction that wind and gravity took her without any destination because she knew that if she picked a target, she would have flown right to Ron. How she missed her wonderful, delightful, beautiful, slightly oafish husband. So, it was proper that she had not been the one that was freed.
Shego had thought that it was strange that Kim and Yori had been sleeping up against a wall, extra-lightly sleeping at that, and had gotten the drop on her. They were just two musicians and she was a bodyguard, among other things. She should have seen them coming a mile away, but they had caught her. How was that possible?
Well, obviously, they were not normal musicians, her brain pointed out. She did not think too much of it because she considered that they might just be rather paranoid maiko. She would just ask about the actions later on. Maybe, before Akako and her friend were geisha, they did something else with their lives. She shockingly enough did not suspect them of anything. Deep inside in an abyss that she was unaware existed, she wanted to give Akako the benefit of the doubt and so she did.
But, the next time that Shego saw the redhead, she did bring things up. Kim had not been caught by surprise because she knew that her actions along with Yori’s actions were going to be questioned. They had done something pretty odd for delicate little geisha girls, they knew that.
“So, how long have you been in the habit of sleeping against the wall?” Shego inquired while making herself comfortable. Drakken and the Seniors were in a room down the hall. She had not even gone down with them. She just requested another room and summoned “Akako.” Junior had something disgusting to say about that, but she ignored him while muttering the word “idiot” under her breath.
“I don’t know. Maybe for as long as I can remember,” Kim answered. At home, she rested in her futon, but in new places, she always propped herself up against the wall and slept very lightly. She usually had her katana in hand too, but she was keeping her swords hidden. She did not want to chance Vivian seeing her weapons and then trying to take them away because they would then get into a fight and she did not want to know where that would go.
“Why?” the pale woman asked while motioning for her companion to pour her some sake.
“I don’t know. I guess I’m just overly cautious.”
“You and your friend, huh?”
“Obviously,” Kim answered.
The emerald-eyed bodyguard allowed the answers to swirl around the calm storm that was her mind. She had figured that the two maiko were paranoid and she did want to accept that, so she did. There was some invisible line that connected her to the redhead and part of her knew that the line would be severed sharply if she overanalyzed what happened. That part of her refused to let the line be snapped and so, it forced her to accept the explanation.
“So, was she jealous that you managed to get out of here, even if it was for the night?” Shego inquired curiously.
Kim laughed a bit. “She was.”
“She didn’t rat you out or anything, right?”
“No, she just wanted to know what the outside was like. We used to be out there a lot and it’s hard to just be in here now,” the olive-eyed girl replied.
“Is it? Then let’s get out of here,” Shego suggested as if it was nothing.
“Huh?”
“Let’s get out of here. Don’t worry, I’ll bring you back. You grab your shamisen and I’ll grab the booze,” Shego remarked.
“Won’t we get in trouble if they find out you’ve taken me?”
“You shouldn’t worry about that, but if you want to stay here just because of the risk, I won’t make you leave.”
“No, let’s go.”
Shego smirked; she liked the slender risk-taking maiko and she could admit that to herself at the very least. She did grab her drink while Kim grabbed her hated shamisen. And then they were gone.
They went back to the spot that Shego had taken her to last night. They sat down by the tree and looked down into the city, admiring what they could see from the sprinkle of lantern lights that illuminated the city like randomly shattered fireflies in the woods. The moon was out again, but once again hiding behind a cloud as if it was a naughty child that was in trouble. The stars were out in strong numbers as usual, like an army of white sparkles. They were silent for a while and Kim just started playing her shamisen, which made Shego smile; it was hard to see because of her head being down and her hat covering her face.
“So, Akako-chan, what did you used to do before you were taken to the geisha house?” Shego inquired.
Kim thought about what she would say. She did not have a cover story and she was not very skilled in the art of lying. She guessed that she was going to have to settle with telling the truth, but just leaving bits out to avoid giving herself away.
“I used to want to be a samurai,” Kim replied.
“Why? What’s so great about being a samurai?” the pale woman asked, even though she was a warrior herself. She just wanted to know the appeal of it for the petite redhead.
“Everything, except for, you know, the killing,” the teen admitted.
“Kill or be killed. You shouldn’t walk onto a battlefield if you’re not prepared to die,” Shego commented. That was the first rule to fighting.
“I know that. So, yojimbo-san, what did you want to be before you became a bodyguard?” the redhead asked curiously.
“I always just wanted to be free, on my own. That way I can be left alone if I feel like being alone or I can just do whatever I want. All I ever wanted was control over my life since it is my life.”
Kim nodded, showing that she understood, which was typical when it came to them discussing points of life. “I can see your point,” the teen stated.
“That’s why you should run away.”
“I guess we’re not all as brave as you,” Kim remarked, more teasing than serious. She did think that the bodyguard was brave, though. It took a lot to go after “his” own freedom and take control of “his” own life.
“You should be. You’re a daring little thing.”
Kim smiled and blushed, but since she had on her maiko makeup, it was hard to see. Shego did glance at the maiko and noticed the small smile. Shego smiled too, but she made sure that her head was down and it was near impossible to tell that she was wearing the expression.
Kim continued to play the shamisen while they sat there silently. The redhead did inch closer to the bodyguard. Shego noticed, but she did not mind. In fact, the pale woman moved closer to Kim too. They ended up touching, leaning against each other, feeling the other’s firm presence.
“You know, I like coming up here to be alone,” the moss-hued guard said out of the blue.
“Yet you brought me up here,” Kim commented.
“Well, having you here is almost like being alone considering the fact that you don’t have anything smart to say,” Shego teased.
“Akuma-san,” the redhead said.
Shego only smirked while Kim realized that the private bodyguard had shared something very deep and private with her. They were in Shego’s personal space. Kim had never been let in someone’s world like that. It was flattering, almost humbling because she was not even sure what to say or how to feel. It did make something slowly swirl inside of her.
Kim was drawn out of her musing as Shego began commenting on the stars and how calm they always appeared, never moving from their spots in the blanket they were wrapped in. Kim turned her attention to the sky and listened to the bodyguard going on, considering that the stars were almost enviable because they seemed so at peace. The moon decided to peer out from behind the cloud and join the other heavenly bodies, making for a breathtaking sight. Kim decided to jump in the conversation at that moment and Shego did not mind.
The green-skinned bodyguard smiled unconsciously. She had never had the chance to be around someone that would appreciate the sky with her and from her special place too. It should have seemed odd if anything at all, but it was just soothing, like being gently caressed with words and an aura.
Vivian was in a panic. Bonnie and her girls were done with their party and the party was looking to leave, so they wanted their bodyguard too. The problem in that was that the bodyguard was gone. Along with the bodyguard, Akako was gone. Betty was going to kill her! Vivian could not believe that she had lost a whole girl. It was a first.
The blonde woman searched the entire building for the redheaded samurai, but was unable to find her. She could not believe the trouble that she was going to be in, especially since it was likely that the samurai had been stolen by that silent bodyguard. If something happened to that girl, it was all over, Vivian thought. Betty would never speak to her again and that would be if she was lucky. All in and all, Betty would likely murder her in some unspeakable manner and possibly mutilate her helpless corpse. It was a motivating thought.
“Ayame,” Vivian said while going up to Yori’s room.
The ninja was doing some exercises, but stopped as soon as the blonde entered the room. Yori thought that she might be in trouble. She was not sure why. She was pretty certain that she had not done anything that warranted a scolding, but sometimes the smallest things seemed to bring about reprimands. But, all she had done was sat back and played her flute like always during the banquet, so she could not figure out what tiny action she might have taken to be awarded a visit by the blue-eyed woman.
“Do you know where Akako is?” Vivian begged to know from the young spy.
“What do you mean? She was in a room with yojimbo-san,” Yori replied.
“No, she’s not there anymore. I checked. She wasn’t there,” the older woman said in a frantic tone.
“Oh,” Yori said, obviously unaffected by the news. “Don’t worry about it. He’ll bring her back.”
“What do you mean? How do you know?” Vivian practically demanded. She noted the teen’s indifferent demeanor and knew that the girl knew something that she was not sharing.
“I just do. He’ll bring her back. She seems to think he’s an all right person, so he’ll bring her back,” Yori tried to assure the panicked woman.
“Are you sure?”
“Pretty sure,” Yori replied. Kim seemed to get a good vibe from the bodyguard and even if she did not know it, she seemed to trust him, so he would more than likely bring her back. Unless he totally flipped and decided to kidnap the redhead, she thought, which would be bad for him, unless Kim wanted to go with him. No one took Kim some place by force, after all.
Vivian was only slightly relieved. She would not feel at ease until that redheaded samurai was back where she was supposed to be and assured that nothing horrible happened to her. She could see why Betty was always so stressed if she had to deal with Kim and Yori on a daily basis. It was a miracle that Betty had not yanked out her good eye if she had to put up with the girls often, in Vivian’s opinion.
When Kim did return, it was fairly late. Vivian wanted to strangle the girl when she saw her, but she did not take such drastic actions. She did crack Kim in the head with her fan, though. Kim saw it coming, but she did not dodge. She yelped as the force of the hit sent her crashing to the floor. The blonde woman was much stronger than she looked, Kim quietly noted as she hit the wood.
“Where the hell have you been?” Vivian demanded to know.
“Ow,” Kim muttered.
“No, no, no, don’t try to act like that hurt. As hard as your head has to be, I could probably hit you with a tree and it not have any affect on you. Now, where have you been?” Vivian repeated.
“I was with yojimbo-san,” Kim answered as she sat up.
“Did he do anything to you?”
“No, we just talked, like always. He’s not that kind of person,” the redhead replied.
“You can’t just go around trusting people just because they haven’t done anything to you yet,” Vivian argued.
“I know,” Kim pointed out. Did the blonde woman think that she was some stupid kid? She was a seasoned warrior and she knew what she was doing. She could read people to a certain extend and the bodyguard did not seem threatening, directly to her anyway.
“Are you falling for this bodyguard?” Vivian demanded to know.
“No!” Kim vehemently denied that charge.
“Good to know. Now, don’t just go leaving here with him anymore. It’s dangerous,” the older female pointed out.
Kim agreed to appease the furious woman and hopefully avoid having fire breathed on her from the way the blonde was huffing. Vivian whacked her with the fan again, just for good measure and then left with the thought of finding someway to relax after such a stressful night. Kim rubbed her head and then turned her attention to Yori, who was looking at the redhead curiously.
“I’m not falling for the bodyguard,” Kim insisted.
“I didn’t say anything,” Yori replied in her own defense.
“You’re thinking it.”
“Okay, maybe I am thinking it a little. So, did you get anything?” the ninja asked as she went back to her exercising.
“Well, I think they’re going to be making their move soon. Yojimbo-san said that it might be a while before I saw him again when he brought me back. I asked why and he just said that he was going to do something boring followed by something fun and stupid.”
“Sounds about right. Drakken-san and Senior-sama talked about moving some things to his manor. I’m guessing because it’s closer to the palace.”
Kim sat there and thought about it. “We should get someone to watch the house and wait for them to move things in, make sure they’re weapons and everything. If they are moving weapons, it would confirm that they are looking to arm Senior-sama’s men and move on the palace. We are going to be out of here soon.”
“Yes!” Yori cheered. She was going to get back to her husband soon and never have to touch a wooden clog again.
1: Akuma: devilish person; devil; Satan.
Next time: Plans go into motion, many plans.